<p>While there is definitely a significant number of people who are pre-professional on campus as well as many pre-professional opportunities, I would not say that it dominates the school or is a bad thing. Most people seem to associate the term “pre-professional” with an unhealthy obsession of getting a job or into medical/law/business school, but I don’t think this has to be the case. I think it’s a great thing that Penn inspires to students to pursue their passions outside of college life whether their passions lie in anything from law, to social policy, to geology. I disagree with the assumption that one can’t have intellectual interests if one wants to go into a field like business or medicine. I have had plenty of intellectual conversations with people from Wharton who have a variety of intellectual interests, even in areas like art history.</p>
<p>I would probably be considered the opposite of pre-professional by most people and I fit in fine here. I plan to get a phD and possibly go into academia. Several of my friends are also interested in this possibility. What I love about Penn is that the university places a huge emphasis on research, much of which is interdisciplinary. For example, Pennergy is an organization focused on energy research that spans departments like physics, materials science, and mechanical and electrical engineering.</p>