Temple owls soaring to new heights via national attention

WRITTEN BY: NATE WEAVER

Temple has had a lot of success in recent months and shows no signs of stopping anytime soon.

According to the U.S. News Rankings and Reviews, Temple University has achieved a national ranking of 55 in the top public schools of higher education in the country.

Such recent national exposure brings more and more prospective students to the school. This was demonstrated when Temple hosted its final open house of the year, which welcomed over 6,000 students, making it the largest open house in Temple University history.

“Well, it’s (Temple) in the center of Philly,” Ally Ulsh, a senior at Central Dauphin High School said. “It has ample opportunities for activities, volunteer work, and employment opportunities.”

Ulsh went on to explain that Temple has a biology program that exceeds her expectations in a school. Not only is she impressed by the programs offered, but she also mentioned that being in the city gives the school a cultural diversity unlike any other school or region in Pennsylvania. This aspect is important to her because it creates more tolerance and awareness for other cultures.

Additionally, Ulsh believes that the easy transportation out of the city is an asset to students like her. Temple’s close proximity to subway and train stations gives Ulsh the ability to return home relatively quickly in case her mother would need her for chemotherapy treatments.

The university has been getting attention lately in both areas of academics and athletics, particularly the school’s football team with its impressive record of 8-2.

“With Temple beating Penn State, quite handily,” explains John Kinney, a senior from Hummelstown Pennsylvania, “it shows that there is not just one powerhouse in the state and that teams in Pennsylvania are actually just as good.”

It’s no secret that Temple football basically took over the city of Philadelphia this past week and has taken the nation by storm. When Penn State visited Philadelphia this year and Lincoln Financial field was sold out for the first time in Temple football history, all eyes were on the owls to see if they could really stand toe-to-toe with the mighty Nittany Lions from State College. And Coach Matt Rhule and his players did just that.

Progressing through the season, Philadelphia and Temple, were deemed worthy of being the host spot of ESPN’s College Gameday on Oct. 31, 2015. As Temple viciously fought against the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame that night, the team made an unforgettable impact on the college football world. Despite losing a tight game, the owls won in other ways.

With the football team succeeding and so much to be offered at the university, applications seem to be rolling in.

As applications come piling in, the same can’t be said about standardized test scores, such as the scores from the SATs or ACTs.

“I feel as if not requiring test scores is not that big of a deal,” Says Lower Dauphin senior Gabby James, “and it does not affect my perspective on Temple as a university.”

Temple has decided to make submitting test scores optional.

James goes on to explain that this gives students who are not strong test takers a different way to show the type of student they are compared to being judged on a test. Even though you can opt out of sending your scores to the school, you still can, she says.

“I definitely find it a positive for the university,” declares Vanessa Foltz a high school junior from Harrisburg, “especially because the SAT test is being redesigned this year with major changes.”

Foltz says she feels more confident in being accepted to the school, which makes her more likely to apply to the university as she moves into her senior year of high school.

With so much national recognition in various areas of the university, Temple is sure to stay in the spotlight for the time being. And the owls have no problem with staying right where they are or better yet, soaring to new heights.