Guide: 12 ways grown-up, non-students can go 'back-to-school'

Philadelphians often hear about how great it is to have so many college campuses in our midst: The jobs. The millennials. The infrastructure. The whatever.

For us nonstudent, nonfaculty Joes, though, all these green, bustling campuses can look like closed-off castles. And we don't have the keys. Or student/faculty ID cards.

But we strongly feel the back-to-school spirit should be for everyone. Good thing schools in the area have world-class resources and events that are open to the public, often free, and (best part) don't come with homework or student loans. Here are some of the coolest to take advantage of this semester.

As free as the Free Library is, campus libraries are Philly's true collegiate crown jewels. To start, Temple's Beyond the Page public programming series centers on the theme of "Games Without Frontiers." The campus libraries will host exhibits and lectures on the history and meaning of games and gaming, with a kickoff event Sept. 30 (Paley Library, 1210 Polett Walk, 215-204-0744, library.temple.edu) featuring local gaming projects, pinball machines, and live music.

There are additional finds at Penn's Fisher Fine Arts Library (220 S. 34th St., 215-898-8325, library.upenn.edu/finearts), a brick-and-iron architectural marvel that houses the acclaimed Arthur Ross Gallery. Haverford's Magill Library (370 Lancaster Ave., Haverford, 610-896-1175, library.haverford.edu) has special collections dedicated to the history of the Quakers and cricket (yes, the game).

University of the Arts School of Dance is boasting a lot of reality star power these days - in the last two years alone, the school has had four students on So You Think You Can Dance and one on America's Got Talent, not to mention alums in prestigious companies and shows. Students at UArts study a wide range of styles and techniques, showcased during their Festival of Senior Dance Works, scheduled for Nov. 7-8 and 21-22. It's free and open to the public.

For the past 10 years, the Princeton Review has ranked Bryn Mawr College's food in the top 10 of all campuses in the country. Makes sense: The two dining halls have stations for rotating international cuisine (South American's up now), celebrity chef recipes, and DIY stir-fry. The college even sources some of its produce from the student-run campus garden. For townies, the cost is $8.50 for breakfast, $11 for lunch, and $13.75 for dinner.

Haverford's famed Nature Trail (a two-mile path around the perimeter of the school, featuring the beloved duck pond) is a perennial favorite, but we'd also suggest a walk through Ursinus College's picturesque campus for its outdoor sculpture collection. Grab a copy of the sculpture map at the campus' Berman Museum (all the sculptures are part of its collection), start at the adjacent sculpture terrace, and wend your way among more than 70 contemporary works.

When Swarthmore's War News Radio launched in 2005, it gained national recognition for its incisive, behind-the-body-count reports of everyday life in Iraq. Today, WNR is heard on radio stations across the country and covers geopolitical issues from ISIS to Ebola, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to Boko Haram. Download the 30-minute weekly broadcast from warnewsradio.org.

Penn's calendar is packed with complimentary tastes of academe, like the Penn Science and Lightbulb Cafes - weekly Tuesday night lectures held at World Cafe Live (3025 Walnut St., upenn.edu/pennnews/sciencecafe) with professors chatting about their latest research. (We're eying the Oct. 20 lecture on the neuroscience of crime.) The Kelly Writers House (3805 Locust Walk, writing.unpenn.edu/wh) offers your best chance to chat with today's most noteworthy fiction and nonfiction writers. This semester includes a free lunch conversation Sept. 30 with Pulitzer-winning Washington Post journalist David Maraniss (R.S.V.P. required). And the Institute of Contemporary Art (118 S. 36th St., icaphila.org/programs) offers a Coffee and Conversation series Sunday afternoons with Penn's graduate art students.

The Temple Owls are all the buzz this year, with Temple football capturing imaginations after its recent thrilling win against Penn State. The men's basketball team is also poised to do real damage this year. (It won 17 more games than last season - the biggest improvement of any Division I team.) Check out Owlsports.com.

The Curtis Institute of Music holds student recitals at 8 p.m. every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. They're free to the public in the Field Concert Hall, where distinguished Curtis alums like Leonard Bernstein and Hilary Hahn once polished their performances. Field Concert Hall, Curtis Institute of Music, 1726 Locust St., 215-893-5252.

The University of Delaware's College of Earth, Ocean & Environment hosts a completely charming, family-friendly community day on the sea. Coast Day draws thousands to Delaware's oceanside Lewes campus for a mix of carnivalesque activities (a crab cake and chowder contest, and amazing Lego ship models) and academic experiences (touring real research vessels, and hearing from top scientists about their undersea quests).

The Drexel Recreation Center is the type of gym the rest of the city doesn't have space for. It's a sparkling, 240,000-square-foot facility with squash courts, a climbing wall, a pool, and massage therapy. For nonstudents, it's $15 for a day, $500 for a full-year membership.

Swarthmore's student-run Olde Club recalls the kind of basement shows you were sure you had safely left in your foggy past. But the club, housed in a former frat house on Swarthmore's campus, has the kind of sophisticated grit and eclectic, impressive lineup (past performers include the Hold Steady and La Femme) that bring collegiates and distant graduates together for some youthful jamming.

Temple Contemporary, a gallery/studio/performance space/lecture hall that's part of the Tyler School of Art, works with other organizations to create some of the most unusual experiential artwork you'll find in the city. Case in point: One of the themes TC is tackling this year is the value of boredom, so an MIT researcher is coming to talk about the ways modern businesses are looking to ease the waiting experience for its customers. Before the event begins, attendees will be wound into a long line, with thematic objects and artworks to mull while they wait. The cleverness just begins there.