PD Primer - PennDesign - University of Pennsylvania

survival guide
hiStoRiC PRESERVAtion hiStoRiC PRESERVAtion
depending on how you define ‘party.’ Keep food, tea,
and instant hot chocolate in your locker to share, and
you’ll be set.
Your second stop should be Independence Hall, so
you can tell your relatives back home that you’ve been
there. Trust us: they’ll ask. If you’re lucky—and you
probably are, since you’re here—you’ll get a behindthe-scenes
tour of the building during HSPV orientation.
There’s nothing quite like standing behind the
clock of Independence Hall to inspire awe and gratitude
that you’re in historic preservation.
Where you go next is up to you. Some like to wander
the streets of Center City and Old City, stopping at
the leafy squares platted in 1683; others prefer West
Philly’s diverse laid-back vibe, with all the Ethiopian/
Indian/Vietnamese food you could ever want, or the
loosely counterculture South Street (visit the Magic
Gardens!). South Philly has unbeatable Italian food
and the bustling Italian Market. In North Philly’s
Kensington and Fishtown, you can observe historic
industrial neighborhoods gradually being renovated as
new hipster energy takes on long-term disinvestment.
Germantown is farther afield, but worth at least one
trip for its wealth of colonial-era houses and shops
edged by the warehouses and factories that once made
Philly the Workshop of the World.
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WoRK
Philadelphia’s fantastic, but who are we kidding? You’re
here to get an Education (probably paying out the
nose for the privilege), and an Education you will get.
Sometimes Learning is glorious: conducting ‘architectural
archaeology’ in a 17th-century house, piecing
together the story of a place like a sneaky archival
detective, taking classes in China and Mesa Verde and
Montenegro.
Most of the time, though, we do not lead lives of
glamour. As an HSPV student, be ready for long hours
combing the depths of libraries and archives or measuring
the water intake of a brick every x hours. Try
not to live in Meyerson like the architects, but work
hard and it will pay off in knowing really cool stuff,
getting internship and job leads from faculty members,
and being an up-and-coming professional in an awesome
field.
intERnShiPS
A six-week full-time commitment is required during
the summer between your first and second years. You
can get an internship related to your particular preservation
interests—potentially leading to a job after
graduation—or you can branch out and explore another
part of the field. Either can be great. You’ll need
to start looking early if you have your heart set on an
international internship.
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