<p>I like Penn, but I don't know enough about Penn to consider it a top choice as of yet -- I'm a junior and my parents are handing me the reigns for college research etc.</p>
<p>Anyone who can help me with these questions, I appreciate it =) </p>
<p>1) In terms of admissions, how much does legacy REALLY count? Like, do absolutely dumb people slip through the cracks in the ED round because of their status? (I like to think I'm not dumb, haha, but I'm just curious.) I'm a double legacy, and though my dad thinks I should go wherever I please for college, my grandparents are total proponents of me applying to Penn. (There's a huge picture in my grandparents' living room of my dad, my grandpa, and me as a little girl all wearing Penn shirts outside of the quad. It makes me laugh because it's so corny that it could be in a movie.)
2) How stringent are the core curricula for each of the undergrad colleges? I like elasticity.
3) If I'm a girl applying to SEAS, do I get extra kudos?
4) Do the adcoms for SEAS/Wharton specifically look for ECs/activities related to engineering/business?
5) How would you compare the difficulty in terms of course work across the different colleges?
6) Is the drinking scene as big as it's made out to be? (I'm not a HUGE fan.)
7) What's life in Philly like? True or false: Philly > NYC
8) Do they grade on tough curves? (I hate HATE curves =( )
9) How's the library?
10) I'm assuming the alumni network is fantastic?</p>
<p>That's all for now, but I KNOW I'm gonna have more questions...
On one of my previous posts, I came off as a prissy JAP (lol, but I can't lie, it's true) because my "requirements" for the "ideal school" were all living-based -- if anyone is willing to look at those and apply how they compare to Penn I'd appreciate it!</p>
<ol>
<li>The legacy advantage is significant ED. According to Penn</a> Admissions: Incoming Class Profile, over 33% were accepted overall so the ED rates have to be higher. I heard it was in the mid 40s or around that. I also took the benefits of applying ED but if you aren't qualified, you still won't be accepted. It just gives you an edge if they are deciding between you and a similar applicant without legacy.</li>
<li>Wharton - second year core
I don't know about the rest. I don't think it is too flexible though.</li>
<li>I think so.</li>
<li>Yes. EX: Math and business for Wharton are better but not necessary.</li>
<li>No idea (i was admitted this year)</li>
<li>I think the greek scene is big but only if you want to be a part of it.</li>
<li>idk</li>
<li>do a search. wharton is known for its hard curve and engineering for the most part but some people say they aren't very different.</li>
<li>i heard it's great.</li>
<li>duhh :P</li>
</ol>
<ol>
<li>It's important only in ED, and it definitely counts if your parent went there for grad school. (there's a box to check off) I was a legacy applicant in ED, and I'm pretty sure it gave me an edge.</li>
<li>CAS has a few distribution requirements. it's not brown, but it's not columbia. it's enough for you to take classes that you want to take and avoid ones you don't want to take. there are cores for engineering and wharton though.</li>
<li>Yes.</li>
<li>not necessarily. they look more for interest, so i guess doing ECs related to those fields would help. but for both of those schools, a strength in math is crucial. leadership is important for wharton.</li>
<li>don't know yet. i've heard that wharton / seas are harder than CAS though.</li>
<li>You can't avoid drinks unless you're very, very deliberate about it.</li>
<li>Philly is absolutely wonderful. It has everything -- arts, culture, FOOD, people...it has anything and everything for everyone. I'm a Philly girl, so if you have any specific questions, feel free to ask. for me, Philly = NYC. I want to live in NYC someday.</li>
<li>Yes, especially in math and science classes.</li>
<li>There are MANY libraries at penn...all of them are pretty good. </li>
<li>definitely.</li>
</ol>
<p>As much as even I would love to believe the opposite, NYC is actually > Philly... Pennsylvania has the better pro sports teams right now though, so eat it, New York!</p>
<p>eh, i dunno about that. the giants won last year, the phillies won this year, the knicks and 76ers are on about the same level, as are the flyers and rangers. i'd say in terms of sports teams, nyc and philly are about equal</p>
<p>It's silly to suggest that Philly > NYC, but not silly to suggest that Philly is a better town than NYC for college students, especially if they are on a budget. It's a much smaller scale, but there's lots to do, and students are a lot more important here than they are in NY, and also a much larger portion of the population. It's also meaningfully cheaper.</p>
<p>As for legacy, as many people have told you: Yes, legacy counts, but only if you apply ED. Yes, grad school legacy counts (especially the professional schools, including Wharton of course, which are very important to Penn, its endowment, its status, and its politics). No, it's nothing like a free pass. For years, a feature of Christmas parties around here is people complaining about their high-stats legacy kids not getting in to Penn. And the kids wind up at comparable schools. At Penn, as elsewhere, legacy means a lot less than people think it does.</p>