<p>Hi, I’m the mother of a rising senior who has her heart set on Penn. I’m a Princeton grad (hence my daughter is a legacy), but she is determined to go to Penn for reasons I don’t quite understand. Is there anyone out there who chose Penn over Princeton, and if so, can you please tell me how you made that decision? I don’t think my daughter has a good chance of getting into Penn whereas she has a fighting chance of getting into Princeton IF she applies early decision. Her grades are very good, but not genius-level! She has taken the SAT once (700/700/750), has one 5 and three 4’s in AP exams and her GPA is about 3.7 at a top eastern prep school.
Any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.</p>
<p>Penn is quite pre-professional. Penn is a social ivy. Penn has joint/dual-degree programs that Princeton doesn't. Penn has Wharton.</p>
<p>"Penn has Wharton."</p>
<p>-And bless the college gods for this, because if it didn't...... lord help us all. :rolleyes:</p>
<p>penn_student, what do you mean by "penn is a social ivy"? Also, my daughter isn't interested in Wharton, so what do you think of the arts and sciences at Penn? Thanks.</p>
<p>Maybe she wants to go to Penn BECAUSE you went to Princeton. I have a close friend who's a double legacy at Harvard. He's going to Yale!</p>
<p>My son is a Yale legacy AND had the grades and scores to go there, but chose Penn. </p>
<p>He said the "feeling" on campus was what he wanted, and the students are happy and energized. He visited twice without me.</p>
<p>I was very skeptical, but we went back for another visit and he convinced me it was the right place for him. It happened when I was on the Locust Walk as the sun was setting and the lights were coming on and I actually felt was he was talking about.</p>
<p>Penn has a beautiful campus but also an urban atmopshere, with easy access to Phila. It also has a larger student body than Princeton, and it's easy for undergrads to take a large assortment of classes, including grad school classes (maybe this is also true at Princeton--I don't know). Maybe she doesn't like the whole eating club thing at Princeton. Has she spent some time at both schools?</p>
<p>"social ivy" means it is one of the ivy-league schools where students have a very active social life. I know a number of students who came to Penn over places like MIT because they wanted a better balance between academics and socializing. That said, if you manage your time well, you can have a social life at any college.</p>
<p>the variety of courses offered by the college of arts and sciences at penn is phenomenal! the college is strong in economics, IR, psychology, political science and several other majors. Also at Penn, if your daughter discovers she is not inclined towards a very liberal arts education, she can always transfer to any other school at Penn - so Penn allows greater flexibility than many other colleges. I don't feel this would be possible at Princeton, but its best to check it out.</p>
<p>Airports, restaurants, museums etc are all very accessible from Penn and one doesn't need a car.</p>
<p>Thank you all for your helpful comments.</p>
<p>There are so many great traditions at Penn and I am so excited to experience all of them as an incoming freshman (2010). Penn is doing an amazing job of helping me transition to university life and I have no doubt I am going to have a great time learning at a great university and experiencing the amazing city of Philadelphia.</p>
<p>Amazing??? Philly??? Oh my no... lol...</p>
<p>Wow I guess you must hate your hometown if that's what the "by way of philadelphia" means...</p>
<p>Sure is my hometown, but compared to other large cities, Philadelphia is pretty crappy. Penns campus is cool though. :)</p>
<p>I'm the opposite-- I chose Princeton over Penn. The atmosphere at Penn might suit your daughter more than the one at Princeton. As people have said, eating schools might be a turn off for her. The feeling I got from Penn was that their schools were heavily divided. For example, it seemed as if Wharton students had a superiority complex, while other students were disdainful of the Wharton students. But who knows, that's just the feeling I got while visiting the campus and talking to students.</p>
<p>Statistically speaking, I think your daughter has about the same chance at either university by applying ED. What school does she go to? I went to Andover, so I'm curious. You can PM me if you don't want to say in public.</p>
<p>kk-
What do other large cities have over Philly? I personally love the place but have never actually lived there. Chicago is quite the city as well.</p>
<p>Is it true that Princeton students will only eat cheesesteaks made with filet mignon and gruyere?</p>
<p>"The feeling I got from Penn was that their schools were heavily divided. For example, it seemed as if Wharton students had a superiority complex, while other students were disdainful of the Wharton students. But who knows, that's just the feeling I got while visiting the campus and talking to students."</p>
<p>I get the feeling that someone is not too quick in picking up on sarcasm. No one on campus really HATES wharton students; it's simply a running joke.</p>
<p>Engineers are nerds (the curiculum obviously).<br>
Nurses are dumb (lower admissions stats/ "easier" classes, although the latter is bs).<br>
College students will be poor (English, art history majors, etc).<br>
Wharton students sell their soul to the devil (work 80+ hr weeks I-banking and make 80k+).</p>
<p>The people who think they are better than others tend to be in all schools and they tend to be the ones without many friends.</p>
<p>College kids will discover the cure for cancer (biochemistry). :p</p>
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<p>No one on campus really HATES wharton students; it's simply a running joke.</p>
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<p>wharton envy is real, and only worse since the opening of huntsman.</p>
<p>Considering I go to Penn and have never met a single person who was serious about hating/envying anyone in wharton, I beg to differ.</p>