Penn vs. Princeton

Lebby
Fri, 07 Aug 2009 15:42:11 +0000

While I can’t tell you much about pre-med (except that Penn has a top 10 hospital/med school ON campus as Princeton doesn’t have any med school), I can comment about the cultures of the two schools.

Penn is a vibrant, exciting place to be. You will NEVER (repeat: never) be bored. If you are, you can walk down Locust Walk and have 50 students shove fliers in your face with speakers, dinners, and performances for that week. You really get immersed in college life and the time goes by really quickly.
Princeton seemed exactly the opposite (but not in a bad way!). It was extremely laid back, with people lounging out on the grass and reading books and napping. Personally, it felt too much like summer camp (except with really smart people and lots of homework). School spirit seemed more of a “look at us we’re the best school in the country” whereas at Penn it was more “look at us we’re Penn yay go us.” This might be a result of Princeton being ranked #2 and Penn #6 (i.e. if Penn ever moved up to #2, I can’t say that students here would be any different).
Penn’s campus is also much more activist-oriented. There are people debating/advocating everywhere and all the time. This might be a result of it being in a city environment, since there are people besides students that clubs can affect and voice.

Overall, I’d say if you want an exciting, challenging, high-paced 4 years, apply to Penn early (much easier to get in early than regular). You will always go to bed each night exhausted… but exhausted in the “wow I had a super full day and now I’m sleepy!” kind of way (not the “can’t… move… need… sleep…” kind of way).
If you want a relaxing, dreamy, challenging, and nice 4 years, apply RD to both.

good luck :)