<p>I agree that there are lots of people who don’t care about how they are perceived by others that I find admirable, although not necessarily as diplomats or job applicants. However, you may have to be within a mile or so of Widener Library, or in certain neighborhoods in Manhattan, to appreciate the I-don’t-care-if-I-look-like-an-arrogant-tool variety.</p>
<p>Like everyone else, I am amazed and amused at the life this thread has taken on, given that everything valuable in it was contained in the first few posts. In NormalWorld, here’s how this conversation goes down:</p>
<p>A: [Asks question about UPenn]</p>
<p>B: Dude, no one here calls it “UPenn”. You ought to just say “Penn”.</p>
<p>A: Gee, thanks. I hope I didn’t embarass myself or insult you, I just didn’t know.</p>
<p>B: Don’t worry about it; it’s not a big deal. You came here to get advice from people who know something, and I gave you a little piece of advice.</p>
<p>But, hey, if saying “UPenn” makes you feel all brave and iconoclastic and defying convention, etc., and if you don’t care about seeming like you don’t know anything about the University of Pennsylvania because you plan to seek “superior connections” elsewhere, then by all means say “UPenn” if you want. No one’s going to try to make you stop, not even the Penn trademark police. And the starving people in Darfur you’re saving won’t care either way.</p>
<p>On the other hand, if you are APPLYING to the University of Pennsylvania, you might be grateful to hear the anecdotes of admissions office personnel saying that they DO care.</p>