<p>Hey guys,
I'm a prospective Wharton applicant for the class of 2016, and I'm trying to decide whether or not to apply early decision. One factor that I'm not so sure about Penn is the fact that there aren't really any major sports teams (college, I know Philly has plenty) to root for/go to events for. The other school I'm mainly looking at is Notre Dame, which obviously has a huge football/basketball culture, which I really like. Sitting in the student section at games, tailgating, etc are all things that I would really enjoy, and I guess my question for any current Penn students or anyone else really is has that bothered you at all? Do you think its worth placing any importance on? Do people still go to sporting events even though Penn isn't really an athletics school?
I'd appreciate any thoughts, thanks!</p>
<p>I’ll be honest… sports were important in high school, and I felt a major void when I came to Penn and realized people didn’t place any emphasis on athletics. I was never as attached to Penn as my friends were to Penn State, Temple, Pitt, Villanova, etc. because there was nothing that brought everyone in my class together like collegiate athletics often does.</p>
<p>It did detract from my experience to not have big athletic teams, and if you place a very heavy emphasis on athletics, you are wise to consider a school’s NCAA program when you apply. Many people will tell you that sports don’t matter, that you’re there for an education. But I can tell you that sports matter to many people, myself included. I wound up becoming a MASSIVE fan of Penn State football while I was at Penn… that made things easier.</p>
<p>That said, Penn has many other attributes that should go into deciding whether you want to spend the effort applying.</p>
<p>I agree with Chris. I watch Sportscenter every morning, and check ESPN’s website several times a day. My mom is a Duke alum, so I am a fan of Duke basketball. I was disappointed to find that the majority of campus is relatively apathetic about sports. Penn football and basketball games get decent attendance, and we are the two-time defending Ivy league champs in football. But overall, sports aren’t a big deal here. </p>
<p>I do think that sports bring a campus and a student body together, and there were times when I regretted turning down Duke (most notably when they won the national championship in basketball in 2010). I know Business Week and magazines like that love to rank Wharton as NOT the top undergrad business program in the country, but I think that’s a bit of BS. An extraordinarily large number of firms recruit at Penn/Wharton, and the Wharton name is highly respected. So don’t let a silly magazine trick you into thinking that ND is better than Wharton 
(as a side note, the median starting salary from ND is 55k, while Wharton’s is 70k). [Best</a> Undergraduate Business Schools 2011 - Businessweek](<a href=“Bloomberg - Are you a robot?”>Bloomberg - Are you a robot?)</p>
<p>But if sports are a huge deal to you, I encourage you to look at Duke. My brother goes there, and he loves it.</p>
<p>thanks for all the feedback guys, it’s tough to decide! I appreciate it</p>