Academics
At the University of Pennsylvania, students share an intellectual curiosity and top-notch resources but don’t “buy into the stigma of being an Ivy League school.” Students here are “very passionate about what they do outside the classroom” and the “flexible core requirements.” The university is composed of four undergraduate schools (and “a library for pretty much any topic”). “You can take courses in any of the schools, including graduatelevel courses.” Luckily, there’s a vast variety of disciplines available to students: “I can take a course in old Icelandic and even another one about the politics of food,” says a student. Wharton, Penn’s highly regarded, “highly competitive undergraduate business school” attracts “career-oriented” students who don’t mind a “strenuous course load.” There are “more than enough” resources, funding, and opportunity here for any student to take advantage of, and “Penn encourages students to truly take advantage of it all!” Professors can “sometimes seem to be caught up more in their research than their classes,” but all “are incredibly well-versed in their subject (as well as their audience).” If you’re willing to put in the time and effort, your professors “will be happy to reciprocate.” In general, the instructors here are “very challenging academically” and are “always willing to offer their more than relevant life experience in class discussion.”
Student Body
This “determined” bunch “is either focused on one specific interest, or very well-rounded.” Pretty much everyone “was an overachiever (‘that kid’) in high school,” and some students “are off-the-charts brilliant,” making everyone here “sort of fascinated by everyone else.” Everyone has “a strong sense of personal style and his or her own credo,” but no group deviates too far from the more mainstream stereotypes. There’s a definite lack of “emos” and hippies. There’s “the career-driven Wharton kid who will stab you in the back to get your interview slot” and “the nursing kid who’s practically nonexistent,” but on the whole, there’s tremendous school diversity, with “people from all over the world of all kinds of experiences of all perspectives.”
Campus Life
Penn students don’t mind getting into intellectual conversations during dinner—“Politics and religion come up often, but so does baseball, types of wine, and restaurants”—but some “partying is a much higher priority here than it is at other Ivy League schools.” “Campus is split between the downtown club scene and the frat/bar scene, depending on your preference.” However, when it comes down to midterms and finals, “people get really serious and…buckle down and study.” There’s easy access to downtown Philadelphia, yet “still the comfortable feeling of having our own campus,” giving students plenty of access to restaurants (BYO restaurants in Philly are “a huge hit”), shopping, concerts, and sports games, as well as plain old “hanging out with hallmates playing Mario Kart.” “It’s the perfect mix between an urban setting a traditional college campus.” The school provides plenty of guest speakers, cultural events, clubs, and organizations for students to channel their energies (all of which “makes the campus feel smaller”), and seniors can even attend “Feb Club” in the month of February, which is essentially an event every night. The weekend buses to/from New York and D.C. “are always packed.” It’s a busy life at Penn, and “people are constantly trying to think about how they can balance getting good grades academically and their weekend plans.”
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