The exterior of Hamilton Hall, decorated with banners in red and black abstract images banners, white University of the Arts logos and white text that reads Advancing Human Creativity

Generations - September 2021

On This Page

Student Affairs Staff Recommendations 

The Student Affairs team has put together the following lists of favorite places to eat and visit to help plan your next visit to UArts. 

Great Eats

  • Monster Vegan (1229 Spruce St., Philadelphia, PA 19107): Voted best vegan cheesesteak by Student Affairs staff
  • Tuscany Cafe  (230 S. Broad St., Philadelphia, PA 19102): A small cafe and a hidden gem in the neighborhood
  • Little Nonna’s (1234 Locust St., Philadelphia, PA 19107): They have a beautiful outdoor patio that is open year-round, and their meatballs are amazing!
  • Nomad Pizza (611 S. 7th St., Philadelphia, PA 19147): Wood-fired brick oven pizza
  • Charlie Was a Sinner (131 S. 13th St., Philadelphia, PA 19107): Excellent vegan food; a bit pricey, and reservations are helpful
  • Jose Pistola’s (263 S 15th St, Philadelphia, PA 19102): The nachos are great for sharing
  • Bud & Marilyn’s (1234 Locust St., corner of 13th and Locust, Philadelphia PA 19107:  American comfort food that fills you up

Great Sites

  • Magic Gardens (1020 South Str., Philadelphia, PA 19147): When the weather is nice, this makes a great daytime destination. 
  • Schuylkill Banks Riverwalk (accessible from South Street to the Philadelphia Museum of Art): If you are up for the walk, this is a great route from Center City to the Art Museum. 
  • Headhouse Farmers Market (2nd and Lombard St., Philadelphia, PA 19147): A fun way to shop for fresh and local produce and groceries
  • Spruce Street Harbor Park (301 S. Christopher Columbus Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19106): Located on the Delaware River, this site has great seasonal activities. Check out the calendar of events to see what is happening while you are in town.
  • Dilworth Park  (1 S. 15th St., west side of City Hall, Philadelphia, PA 19102) - Check out its calendar of events to see what is happening while you are in town.

Getting Involved on Campus

The Office of Campus Life has a full calendar of events for students to get involved in this semester! Campus Life hosts events weekly, like Late Night Bites and Open Mic Night. Also, there are more than 20 student-run clubs and organizations that host events regularly. Students are notified of these events through Campus Life’s weekly Monday e-newsletter, Keepin’ Up with Campus Life, and event highlights are often shared through Campus Life’s Instagram @UArts_CampusLife! 

Our first-year students were assigned orientation groups and a first-year guide when they started at UArts. First-year guides host monthly events for their entire group, so it’s a great way for your student to connect with other new students and have a peer mentor that can help them navigate life at UArts!

If your student is living on campus, their resident assistant as well as the resident assistants in the building host events every month. They are advertised on bulletin boards on each floor of the residence hall and are a great way for students to get involved in their residential community.

If your student commutes to campus, we host monthly lunch and coffee events for them. They are advertised via the Keepin’ Up with Campus emails and are a great way for our commuters to connect! 

If your student is unsure of how to get connected, have them reach out to the Office of Campus Life and we’ll help them find something they’ll enjoy! They can contact Campus Life by emailing campuslife@uarts.edu.

 

Homesick: Taking Care of Yourself

The beginning of a new academic year brings excitement and new challenges. Young people look forward to leaving home, as doing so often signals the beginning of a more independent life, one in which they make their own choices and live by their own rules. 

For many, however, the excitement they feel about leaving home is overshadowed by anxiety, fear and sadness. Being away from home, whether as a new first-year or returning student, requires adjustment—especially these days, when students are returning to campus after an unexpected year and a half away from friends and their usual routine. We don’t like to talk about homesickness because it’s uncomfortable, and there is often no quick or easy solution to it. Students often think they’re doing something wrong if they’re homesick—especially if they’ve looked forward to being away from home) and feel ashamed of not being immediately happy at school. Parents often don’t know the best way to support their students and feel helpless and upset at watching them struggle. What, then, can parents and caretakers do to support their homesick young artists?

The most important thing for students and their families to understand about homesickness is that it is normal. This transition might be the biggest life change some of these students have experienced. Their well-known support systems, surroundings, and the familiar comforts of home have shifted, and they are—perhaps for the first time— experiencing independence, new people and new activities. They may also feel pressure and have high expectations about what their college experience should look and feel like. These changes can cause social anxiety, lowered self-confidence and in some cases, depression. But with time, school resources, and support from home friends and family, students will start to gain a new sense of confidence and comfort and will be able to approach such newness with a sense of opportunity rather than a sense of fear. 

Homesickness is an experience of grief and loss. These young adults are leaving behind a foundational time of their lives, when they made groups of friends, grew relationships with their families, and learned about their interests and values from the safety of their home. Though all of these elements may be waiting for them back home, this can indeed be a big, scary moment of change, and family and caretakers need to validate that. As with grief and loss, homesickness is a nonlinear process. It is normal for a student to feel better and then worse the next day, or to experience intense emotions such as anger and sadness. It is important to be patient with the process.

It is also important that parents and caretakers listen to their young people and validate their emotions. You might know without a shadow of a doubt that your young person is going to be just fine, but remember what they feel in this moment is very real. Share your feelings of care and concern, and remind them they are loved and supported, but try not to put your fears or anxiety on them. Young people want to please their loved ones. They care deeply about what you think about them, and they don’t want to let you down. Staying calm and reminding them that you’re proud of them for making the transition away from home is crucial in helping them feel secure in talking to you about what they’re experiencing. Consider sending your young person a care package with comfort items like their favorite snacks, a stuffed animal or blanket, school supplies and sentimental items like photographs or mementos from home. Remind them that no matter how far away they are, home is with them. You are likely going through your own rollercoaster of emotions about your young person’s leaving home, so attend to your own needs, as well. Talk to friends, family, and trusted mental health professionals,  practice self-care, and be patient with yourself and your feelings. 


Though being away from home can be painful, it is made a little easier by building a sense of home and community at school. Encourage your students to take full advantage of the resources UArts has to offer for socializing and self-care. 

  • Campus Life offers fun social events like Late Night Bites, the UArts Drag Show and Commuter Lunch; students can find information about such events on the UArts app. 
  • The Counseling Center is a resource for your students, with daily walk-in hours Monday to Friday, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and both virtual and in-person appointments.

Counseling can help your student manage the stress of homesickness and academics while addressing things like self-doubt, mental health concerns, and interpersonal relationship health. Your student can reach Counseling by emailing counseling@uarts.edu or visiting during walk-in hours. 

Transitions, even good ones, are never easy. With support, your UArts student can make the most of their time away from home.

 

Launch Experience