I’m glad to hear that we’ve been able to alleviate some of your fears! I really do think Penn provides an unparalleled set of educational and social opportunities that make for an outstanding and incomparable undergraduate experience.
- I have many friends who did uncoordinated dual degrees between Wharton and the College. Penn definitely has the infrastructure in place to support you in pursuing a dual degree which makes the process fairly easy and streamlined. As @Penn95 has mentioned, it will require diligence and careful planning on your part but it is by no means a prohibitively difficult process. I know many students who have taken on dual degrees and really enjoyed their experiences.
- The benefits will mostly depend on what you want to study. Wharton only offers a BS in Economics which is actually more of a Bachelors in Business Administration despite it's name. In order to major in Economics as it is traditionally understood, you would have to major in the College. The benefit of being in the College would be the ease with which you can major in the liberal arts and sciences while still supplementing your education with more directly applicable business courses in Wharton. The benefits of being in Wharton would be the ease with which you can concentrate in a field of business while still supplementing your education with liberal arts and science courses. It really depends on your intellectual interests and proclivities. As @Penn95 said, all Penn students have access to the exact same resources, career services, classes, etc. so you won't notice major differences in your Penn experience as a whole. The differences will be felt in how you organize your individual curriculum.
- Wharton doesn't really have its own separate party culture. Because all of Penn's undergrads live together, eat together, and take classes together, regardless of school, major, or other differing characteristic, Penn has a much more cohesive culture that spans all four undergrad schools. Penn as a whole is definitely a social place but that takes on a huge number of meanings depending on who you are as a person. If you really want to be involved in fraternity/sorority life, then that's definitely an option (just under 30% of Penn students join Greek life, over 70% do not). If you want to find friends to go see a movie at the cinema next to campus or to go check out a new pop-up restaurant in a park in center city, that would be easy as well. Penn's medium size makes it so that there is a genuine diversity of students with many different social interests. The robust campus life provides more than enough school sponsored activities for you to take advantage of without ever feeling bored or like you need to go to a fraternity party or to a club downtown. But Philly's vibrant nightlife and Penn's exciting party scene ensure that there is always something wild you can get yourself involved in if that's what you're feeling that night. But plenty of students are down to watch Netflix and order in dinner if you've had a long week and just need to unwind. Finally, the extracurriculars you join will provide you with social circles that are closely tailored to your interests. The debate team throws parties and the rugby team will grab dinner downtown. It all depends on what you want to make of your night and with whom you choose to spend it.
- Philly is definitely safe, especially around campus. Living in New York now, I do not notice any difference in my safety. Penn has a large campus and the surrounding area is patrolled both by campus police and the Philadelphia police department. It is still a city so you will need to keep your wits about you when you leave campus but I have never felt unsafe in philly and I was definitely someone who enjoyed exploring the city and getting off campus now and then. University City, Center City, Old City, and South street are some of the most popular places for Penn students to explore and all of them are very safe, well lit, and full of people. Additionally, if you ever DO feel unsafe, which is unlikely, you can call Penn Rides and they'll pick you up or you can have a Penn Security guard escort you to where you're going on campus. Campus itself, however, is extremely safe and sometimes you can forget you're in a city because it's so beautiful and distinct from the feel of urban life. Sitting in the Quad or on College Green can be like relaxing in a suburban garden and yet America's 5th largest city is just beyond the edge of campus. Plus the New York Times thinks you should visit: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/01/11/travel/52-places-to-go-in-2015.html?_r=0
Finally, I love sharing this video because even though it’s getting a little outdated, I think it does a wonderful job explaining what life can be like at Penn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGpOizUIY60