I was looking at Stouffers/Gregory because I like the more family like atmosphere versus the more larger houses in the quad. I also stayed at Riepe over the summer and was uncomfortable with the situation with different pests.
1) Is Stouffers still very social and good for freshman to make friends despite the smaller freshman population? I was worried because some people said that it could get anti-social.
2) What is the condition of the Stouffers and Gregory dorms compared to the high rises? What about compared to the quad (like Riepe)?
Right I was just waitlisted but I need to know if I want to go or not, so can my questions be answered? :P
-Whats the study abroad opportunities like?
-What is the course load for engineering students like?
-Food (just a good/bad works)?
-Are there parties and stuff?
-Is it "international"?
-Is Philadelphia cool?
I'm really interested in the Freshman Experience in Harrison. Does anyone know what kinds of things I should include in the essay that would help me stand out/ more likely to get accepted?
1)How are the extracurriculars/clubs at Penn? I heard that they require an application process, which might make joining clubs a bit hard. Where do they usually meet and is there a fair at the beginning of the school year?
Most of the clubs at Penn are constantly trying to expand rather than limit membership. Performing arts is the exception - Penn has 43ish performing arts groups and a TON of interest. You will get a lot of emails if you indicate interest in performing arts, and every group will tell you about how crazy selective it is; you'll hear rumors about how a cappella groups turn away HUNDREDS people every year. And... well that's just a misrepresentation of reality.
There is an activities fair during the first week of each semester, and you can sign up for whatever you want. My freshman year, I signed up for ten different clubs and wound up on their listservs for four years... if I had wanted to, I could've become active in any of them, but I had my groups and activities. Extra curricular activities are HUGE at Penn, though, and probably 99.9% of people are involved in SOMETHING, so in short, no it's not hard to get involved.
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3)Is it feasible to take a lot of classes in many different subjects over the course of one year- aka 'Free electives'?
It depends on your school and your major. In general, though, it's very easy to take a ton of different classes. Over my time at Penn, I took astronomy, Latin, photography, philosophy, economics, German, political science, and a bunch of other subjects. The College, especially, supports a LOT of exploration.
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4)Do a lot of students at Penn switch majors?
People usually don't declare their majors until they're certain they want to do it; this usually means people declare majors at the end of sophomore or beginning of junior year. I personally declared a second major but later decided to do a minor instead... it was a matter of a ten minute conversation with the undergraduate chair before the change was done.
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-Is Philadelphia cool?
As a resident of Philadelphia for 23 years (i.e. my entire life), YES. Philly has world class restaurants, performing arts and visual arts; we are a major metropolitan area with a rich history and culture; we have some sweet sports teams. It's a big city, but it's more manageable than New York - you can walk the entirety of Center City in an afternoon.
1. How safe is Philly?
2. What do most people do on the weekend?
3. What are some classes I should take in the fall? Will there be any guidance in choosing my courses?
4. How excited should I be? (rhetorical question)
That's not the right question. If you go to North Philadelphia or parts of West Philadelphia (especially northwest of campus), it is not safe at all. University City and Center City, where you will spend most of your time, is generally safe and well guarded against crime. That said, crime still happens. Like in any big city, you must be vigilant and use common sense when going places. Nearly every student makes it all four years without seeing any crime (other than underage drinking, public urination... you know, college crime), let alone becoming a victim of crime, but you need to use your head and know the world around you.
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2. What do most people do on the weekend?
Well, there are a TON of people at Penn, so there is a ton to do, but here are popular things that people do:
1. Go out partying/drinking at fraternity parties (freshman fall)
2. Go out partying/drinking with friends, hallmates, campus groups, etc. (forever)
3. See one of the 43+ performing arts groups' shows on campus
4. Go out partying/drinking at bars on campus or downtown (once your identification says that you are 21)
5. Participate in extra curricular activities in some fashion
Of course, the stuff that people CAN do is unlimited. Philadelphia is a great city to explore (especially South Philly, east of Broad, south of South).
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3. What are some classes I should take in the fall? Will there be any guidance in choosing my courses?
What are you interested in? I loved PHIL002 (Ethics) with Adrian Martin, my freshman year, but if you're not interested in the humanities and social sciences, that wouldn't be a very good class for you. Over the summer, a pre-major adviser will get in touch with you. You should become familiar with the Penn In Touch system once you get a PennKey, and you should pick out classes that are of interest to you. Your adviser will be able to help you narrow down options and work within your interests.
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4. How excited should I be? (rhetorical question)
Quite! Though, don't expect everything to be rosy. Penn isn't a perfect school; there are a LOT of problems (especially administrative bureaucracy), and not everyone is all that happy, especially second semester of freshman year. I personally didn't like Penn all that much freshman year, but it grew on me, and now I'm really glad I stuck with it all four years
Location: University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Posts: 62
The benefit of a university like Penn is that it is large enough that you will always be able to find your niche. The reason many students join the Greek system is because it creates an automatic social network you can rely on beginning in your freshman year - that said, especially in sororities, many students "defect" once that social network has been formed.
I am not Jewish, but have friends who are both in the reformed and orthodox community. There is a large Jewish population, and they are definitely not unfriendly or cliquey. While there are some groups that are, there are many more that are not. They do not in any way dominate Penn's social scene.
Location: University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Posts: 62
Hi everyone! I remember, four years ago, as I was deciding which university to attend that I spent a lot of time on CC. Now, as a senior graduating from Penn (which I sincerely believe is the most wonderful college in the world and I can't imagine having gone anywhere else), I feel that it is my responsibility to help all y'all in the decision-making process!
To give some info:
I am a CAS senior who majored in history with a double concentration in EALC (Chinese) and Comparative Literature. I am working in New York as a paralegal for a corporate firm for the next two years before attending law school. My extracurricular activities were geared mostly towards involvement in humanities research and education and I have held a work study job at the Law School for the past three years as well as having worked in the ad department of the DP my freshman year. I am not part of the Greek system, however, many of my closest friends are/were and my boyfriend was the head of a Penn fraternity when he was at Penn (graduated '09).
I would be happy to answer everything, but especially those questions about CAS or Penn culture and the social scene.
Location: University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Posts: 62
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1)How are the extracurriculars/clubs at Penn? I heard that they require an application process, which might make joining clubs a bit hard. Where do they usually meet and is there a fair at the beginning of the school year?
This is really dependent on the club/extracurricular. Many, such as the DP, Philo, or other situated organizations do have an extensive application process. Newer and smaller organizations - not so much.
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2)How is Arabic at Penn?
I have a number of friends who study Arabic and most seem to pursue either a minor or certificate - so it seems like a pretty good program! As with the majority of language classes at Penn, they are the most time-rigorous with three-five classes a week with a sizable amount of homework. You can take tests before entering Penn/when you get here to determine what language level to start at.
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3)Is it feasible to take a lot of classes in many different subjects over the course of one year- aka 'Free electives'?
Absolutely! One of my biggest mistakes as a freshman was trying just to take classes for my major at the beginning - thus, when I ended up switching from PPE to History my sophomore year, I looked back at many of my freshman year classes as a waste. I was suggest finding interesting classes in a number of different departments that also count for the foundational and sector requirements to both test a number of departments while also finishing basic requirements early on. If you end up only pursuing a single maor, you'll also find that you have a lot of time for electives over your four years.
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4)Do a lot of students at Penn switch majors?
As with students at any university, absolutely! Do be afraid that it'll happen - it's hard to know what you want to study until you experience the subjects in depth!
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5)Why Penn over other comparable schools like Columbia, Cornell, Yale?
Penn is large-ish, so lots of diversity - but not as big as Cornell. We have a semi-urban campus - so all the opportunities afforded by a large city, without being overwhelmed (such as with Columbia). Penn's biggest claim is the pre-professional nature of the university (especially as opposed to Yale) - from your freshman year, the university and the culture of the school don't just help you achieve academically, but also help guide you to your post-undergraduate path.
All of these schools are wonderful - it just depends what you're looking for.
Oh yeah - and Penn absolutely has the best social scene out of these by far! We're not called the "social ivy" for nothing!
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6)How is Penn 'culture'?
There are many different groups at Penn, so the specific culture changes with what niche group you happen to be part of. However, overall - pre-professionalism does permeate the atmosphere. Expect many students who are extremely forward-thinking about their careers and are determined to get awesome internships every summer (though this is, strictly speaking, not necessary). Professors are amazing and, especially in CAS, upper-level classes are TINY (in history, almost all the classes I have taken had fewer than 20 students.) Spring Fling dominates the social scene in the Spring and NSO dominates the fall. Midterm and finals are extremely stressful but that would be the case at any top school and though Van Pelt is packed - at least misery loves company, right? Greek life is helpful, if you're a boy especially, but there are enough people that is possible to find like minded individuals - no matter what type of people you prefer!
My daughter is deciding between Duke and Upenn for pre med. She knows that the work will be challenging no matter where she goes but she is hoping to choose an institution that is supportive. She realizes she will have to work hard but she would like to have a little fun - not be miserable. We have been told Duke is a bit more nurturing - how would you describe Penn in that regard? How are the intro chem, physics and math classes? Is orgo even possible to do well in?
Hi!
I was wondering if it would be disadvantageous in terms of employment for a CAS student vs a Wharton students in terms of employment in the finance industry? I'm certain I'll be a science major
but I know I would also want to be taking the
majority of finance major courses. I would dual-
major if I can but I heard it would be as difficult to
apply for as applying for transfer to Wharton(is this true?) In the case that I don't major in Finance but take all the courses required for the major, will I enjoy reduced recruitment benefits + prestige? thanks for your time! I really appreciate any feedback you can provide.
As long as you take finance courses and have the knowledge and drive to get into the finance world, don't worry about it. Wharton brings companies in for OCR, but half of OCR jobs go to non-Wharton students (myself being one of those non-Wharton OCR people).
I've got friends who did physics, philosophy, economics, political science, chemistry, bioengineering, and plenty of other subjects who all dove into the I-banking world (why, I don't know! :-P). When you are applying to companies, from Penn, this is what matters:
1. Your drive - are you willing to apply early (September or earlier before you graduate), apply often (potentially 50-60+ companies) and rewrite your cover letter for every company?
2. Your GPA, relative to your peers
3. Your prior experience (not so important for internships, but definitely important for FT)
4. Your resume (does it show you in your best light?)
5. Your course of study - if you can show how it relates to the field you are trying to enter, you can explain how any course of study qualifies you.
How strict would you say RAs are with respect to underage drinking?
What is your favorite place to get work done/study and why?
As long as you're quiet, they're not strict. I've had my RA knock on my door before to tell me to keep it down when I was drinking with a couple of friends because we were playing music loudly and singing along. I had an RA knock on my door during Fling, but it was an upperclassmen friend pranking me haha.
Essentially, just be quiet when drinking in the halls. Even if you do get caught, everybody I know who's been written up has told me it's a joke and that nothing ever happens to you.
As for studying, I like Huntsman because I sit with my computer screen facing the window. This way, if I'm screwing around, people who walk by will see. It encourages me to stay focused.
Hello, what is the reputation like for the dual-degree students, namely Huntsman. Are they separated or integrated into the larger Penn community. Thanks!
