<p>@biomajor5, </p>
<p>Do you know what events the Penn Physics Club has, or if it even exists? I looked at the calendar for the club and it’s been completely blank for the past 3 months… I probably shouldn’t ask a bio person this but I don’t know anyone else at UPenn and the website doesn’t really say anything. meh</p>
<p>Look, there is no “correct” answer for this question. Where do you see yourself at Penn? It’s a big school, and sometimes it’s hard to find a community. What will yours be? Will it be a sorority? Theatre? A sports team? A club? Will it be the friends you meet on your hall? Will it be an organization in West Philadelphia? A residential community? Don’t necessarily think you will join all the clubs you did in high school, and be open to new ones! Clubs and activities are listed on the student activities website.</p>
<p>I don’t know about a physics club… Penn only graduates 20 or so physics majors a year. I’m sure there are science clubs and competitions though.</p>
<p>If you want me to read your essay, PM it over.</p>
<p>can sports count towards “academic” and “social” communities?</p>
<p>nevermind I found this:
Penns Application Supplement asks the question, Which of the academic communities and social communities that now comprise the University of Pennsylvania are most interesting to you and how will you contribute to them and to the larger Penn community?</p>
<p>People often refer to this as the Why Penn or more generally, Why our school? question. We think of it as more of a Why YOU question. Allow this essay to reveal a lot about you and your passions. Think of this essay as your opportunity to stand in front of the Admissions Committee and express how your passions and interests connect with those offered at Penn. After reading your essay, Admissions should have a clear vision as to how you will be part of the next generation to make an impact at Penn. When preparing your essay, keep in mind the cues in the question itself. It asks about academic communities and social communities at Penn that most interest you, and how you will contribute to them. In regards to academic communities, Penn Admissions is trying to understand what academic features at Penn really appeal to you (courses, professors, research theyve kept the phrase broad intentionally). You do not need to select a major to address this question. If you have, then thats an obvious starting point, but even the truly undecided student has intellectual curiosities that can be explored. As for social communities, Admissions is trying to understand what interests you have outside of the classroom that you plan to participate in and contribute to at Penn. Each person has something different to contribute, so each applicant will focus on a different combination of academic and extracurricular interests.</p>
<p>Remember to be specific to Penn. Think about what you could say about Penn that is not necessarily true for other top institutions (we highly recommend using Penns website as a resource to help you conduct further research!). Finally, a good rule of thumb is to replace Penn with the name of another university. If the essay still works, its not specific enough! For additional essay advice, click here.</p>
<p>By academic communities, I think Penn Admissions would like to know what academic features at Penn really appeal to you (courses, professors, research theyve kept the phrase broad intentionally). You do not need to select a major. If you have, then thats an obvious starting point. Even the truly undecided student has intellectual curiosity. What do you find at Penn, in the academic sense, that you cant wait to experience for yourself? What, in the academic sense, is special about Penn, as opposed to other top institutions? What, academically, reflects some of your own intellectual experiences and curiosity?</p>
<p>Personally, I am not crazy about the wording choice of social communities. My advice to legacies is to think more along the lines of extracurricular interests. Here you might take an approach analogous to what I described with academics. Which extracurricular features at Penn really appeal to you? What do you find at Penn, in the extracurricular sense, that you cant wait to experience for yourself? What, in the extracurricular sense, is special about Penn, as opposed to other top institutions? What extracurricular opportunities reflect some of your own experiences and interests?</p>
<p>To strengthen your response to the question, you may want to conduct further research about Penn, and Im happy to tell you that you can accomplish most of it or all of it on the Penn website. In the final analysis, make sure your essay really reflects you and your genuine interests, and that it somehow shows how those interests play out at Penn.</p>