University of Pennsylvania Visit Report by Sugar Magnolia

Visit Activities:

Admissions Interview: Yes - I did an strictly informative interview that's offered to alumni children; my evaluative interview was off-campus. I think that's how Penn usually does it.

Information Session: Yes - There were so many people that about half of us didn't have seats. It was this huge room and I could hardly hear the speaker. I didn't learn anything new about the school, to be honest.

Campus Tour: Yes - We had a great tour guide, and I didn't go on one of the tours that's specialized for a certain school (ex: Wharton tour) but it was still a very informative tour.

Classroom Visit: Yes - I visited a creative writing class that was being held in the Kelly Writers House. I only stayed for about an hour but I really enjoyed it and the teacher and students made me feel welcome.

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Campus:

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Everyone was extremely friendly and welcoming. There really is a lot of positive energy on campus; everyone just seemed so happy to be there and willing to help me find my way.

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Cafeteria people will be cafeteria people, and they aren't even rude. I didn't encounter much staff other than them.

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I LOVE THE PENN CAMPUS. It's not for everyone, though. In terms of upkeep, it looked great. No trash on the ground or anything like that.

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It didn't even occur to me while I was there to judge whether the facilities and maintenance were sufficient; what I saw was perfectly fine.

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I stayed in the Quad one summer and the laundry rooms were nasty but I wasn't really expecting a palace. I think at a school with over-the-top dorms, it would be cool at first but wear off...

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Yeah, it's an urban setting, but Penn police are everywhere, as are the blue-light things. Beyond that, it's up to you to just use common sense.

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I. Love. Penn. I may be a bit biased because I already know that I'm going there next year, but I really do think that Penn is a special place.

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Off-Campus:

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So many convenience stores/restaurants/shops are literally less than two minutes away from wherever you are. You hardly even have to go out of your way to go get anything you need.

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University City and Center City are two of my favorite places, and I think it's an amazing setting for any student looking for an urban campus.

Campus Visit Notes for University of Pennsylvania

Visit Description:

I'm only about two hours away so we just drove in for the day, and finding parking wasn't tricky at all that day. Amazingly, it never is for us... either we are insanely lucky or Penn really just does have great parking. We used the parking deck next to the gym.

I had my interview at the Sweeten Alumni House right away. It was a cinch to find because the campus is so compact and easy to navigate because almost everything just stems off of Locust Walk. My interviewer really helped give feedback on my application and my chances of admission, realistically. I recommend it for any legacy student.

Then I had maybe one or two hours before my scheduled class, so I met up with a friend who goes there. We went to Einstein Bagels, I think it was called, and she showed me her dorm (in the Quad). I also got lunch with my mom at Cosí because I'm obsessed with their sandwiches. It's right between the bookstore and Urban Outfitters (also obsessed).

The class, as I described under "Visit Activities," surprised me. In a good way. It wasn't even a higher-level class yet there were maybe 10-15 students. We all sat on couches and it was very discussion-based. The students all lent me pens/paper so that I could participate and share my work, too. I could only stay for the first hour before I had to leave, but I honestly wanted to stay. Anyone looking to study creative writing should really consider Penn; as someone said once, the Kelly Writers House is like having a mini Swarthmore right on campus. I was impressed: students run the house and everything, mingle with professors there, host events, etc. And obviously they have a lot of classes there, too.

I really hope this review helped someone. Penn is awesome. I visited a lot of other "similar" schools like Brown, Columbia, WashU, Emory, NYU etc. but Penn just felt right for me. Some people visit Penn and hate how it's urban and has a big plastic button in the middle of campus and has one main building that's green and a library that's orange but I personally love all of Pen's little quirks and can't wait to be on campus next year. You will probably step on campus and either feel enamored or want to go see Swarthmore/Haverford/Bryn Mawr instead. It's a very different environment and it boils down to personal preference.

Hotel/Lodging Recommendations or Comments:

I would guess that the hotels nearby are kind of expensive (like the Inn at Penn) but if you're willing to do more driving, lodging in nearby suburbs like Cherry Hill is much cheaper.

Dining/Restaurant Recommendations or Comments:

There are way too many choices for me to recommend just one, and they are all so close to campus. But I will say that Cosí, Salad Works and Wawa are my personal favorites.

Other Comments (Transportation, local attractions, parking, etc.):

Septa is great; it's so easy to get around Philadelphia. I'm from the NY area and personally prefer it to MTA, if that means anything.