<p>Cue: Thanks, I will definately look into that.
But can you just explain more about the Penn frat life… i was under the impression that it wasn’t very influential… is that wrong?</p>
<p>I think the stat was 30% of students go Greek… but the parties are pretty much organized by frats and it becomes a lot easier to get involved in the social life/drinking scene if you are in a frat/sorority. It’s not “very influential” but it definitely has influence on campus. Probably something a student/former student could elaborate on, I’ve only visited but did go out for a night and see what it was like.</p>
<p>Nyorker - yep what Quaker Oats said is about right. I think roughly 30-40% of Penn undergrads go greek, and then you have to think a lot of people not associated with the frats still go to a frat party occasionally over the weekend. This leads to a pretty active Greek life on campus at Univ of Penn.</p>
<p>At Chicago, on the other hand, I believe about roughly 10% of the student body goes Greek. Again, this is just a significant difference.</p>
<p>Once again, I would heavily endorse Northwestern. Similar percentage of the student body go greek, lots of smart, well-rounded students around, pretty good sports scene, etc etc. Also, this may be personal bias because I hail from the midwest, but Northwestern has less of the “east coast obnoxiousness” that plagues Penn a little bit. I was a little surprised when I TA’d classes, and some students were just a little rude, or viewed me as some sort of enabler for their continued success. I think Northwestern has a little less of that.</p>
<p>In terms of Academic Reputation & Admit Selectivity UPenn would be similar to :
NYU, UCLA, Michigan, Cornell, Virginia, Washington U, Emory, Boston U, Boston College,</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for all your help, yeah all of these schools are fine and dandy but I feel I need a few schools that will be sure to admit me. like 30%+ acceptance rates. any ideas?</p>
<p>and idk, i think chicago and northwestern might be a tad bit too far for me</p>
<p>Nyorker - I believe Boston College, Tufts, and Univ of Rochester all have accept rates closer to 30% rather than the 15% threshold for most of the ivy league schools. If you are willing to look past the urban requirement, Lehigh is a great school with a an atmosphere that’s similar to Penn, without, of course, the urban locale. </p>
<p>University of Michigan and University of Virginia could be two good options, but they are significantly bigger than Penn. Another GREAT option, by the way, would be Emory University. Again, not at a 30% accept rate, but less selective overall than Penn, and a superb school. Similar atmosphere and student culture too. </p>
<p>Good Luck!</p>
<p>Pitt, campus within a city, large, laidback</p>
<p>I would say Emory, Northwestern, WUSTL, and Boston college. Ultimately, the choice is your’s.</p>
<p>Well…he eliminated Chicago and Northwestern, so I don’t think he’d go for WUSTL or Michigan either…</p>
<p>Cue7 brings up a great point. i thought UChicago was a very good fit for me in addition to Penn because i enjoy learning and having intelligent conversations, and i’m really not into the whole greek life or partying scene. i guess it’s not really that they’re actually similar in general but that i personally would fit well at both schools…</p>
<p>as thenextbigthing suggested, emory is definitely something to look into as well.</p>
<p>This was so helpful, I’m actually in the exact same situation. I would die to go to Penn, but its such a farrrr reach. I haven’t found a school that has attracted me as much as Penn but this list has definately added a few schools for me to look at.<br>
:)</p>
<p>bumpp bumpp</p>
<p>GW JHU Tufts Emory Northwestern UVA</p>
<p>If you need schools that would be considered safeties. I would go with Boston University, Drexel, GWU(most difficult of the three).
Matches might be JHU, Tufts, Boston College, Emory all with higher admit rates than Penn.
Of course if Penn is your first choice apply ED.</p>
<p>I second Northwestern and Georgetown for matches/high matches. Northwestern was my second choice, and I would’ve been thrilled to be headed there next fall. </p>
<p>For a safety/low match, check out McGill. It’s much larger than Penn I believe, with less of a community feel, but if you want amazing academics in an urban environment then you should definitely look there. My safeties were BU and GW, but also look at Syracuse, maybe? Syracuse, NY didn’t suffice as a city for me but it’s worth seeing if you like it.</p>
<p>Another high match, or match if you apply “early response” would be Michigan.</p>
<p>I’ve spent summers at both UChicago and Penn, and have a soft spot for both, but I ultimately applied ED to Penn and wasn’t even planning on looking at Chicago. I think that a student that fits Chicago very well could come to Penn and find a similar niche, but Penn also has a pretty fratty feel for those who are looking for that as well. Penn also has more athletic spirit imo. There are some things at Penn that you won’t find as easily at Chicago, so if you love Penn, you might hate Chicago, but if you love Chicago, you might be okay with Penn, too. But that’s just my take on it!</p>
<p>Lehigh, JHU, BU, American, George Washington, BC.</p>
<p>Yah sugar magnolia, I just wouldn’t call U of C a “match” for UPenn. They are very, very different schools, and I wouldn’t necessarily recommend someone interested in one to look at the other. </p>
<p>As others have mentioned, I think BC is a fantastic option to look at if you’re interested in UPenn, and Lehigh, GWU, maybe University of Rochester as a safety as well, are all good options. Actually, I think Rochester is a good option to see - it’s very underrated, but from what I know, provides a very good, flexible curriculum and the campus is gorgeous.</p>
<p>any other 09ers care to share the other schools they applied to/were interested in? whether they be a reach, matches, or safeties</p>