Hey guys. I’m a junior in high school and I’m thinking about applying to UPenn for its great nursing school. I wanted to ask anyone who is currently attending the university about the environment, how it looks and how it feels to attend UPenn. Also, what is the best thing about UPenn to you?
Penn is on Fall break for the rest of the week, so current students may be slow to respond.
My D goes to Penn, and I was there last weekend.
I don’t know much about the Nursing program specifically, but can tell you D’s experience at Penn in general.
The classes are challenging and she spends a lot of time on homework. She doesn't mind that because she likes what she is studying.
There is a premium on social interactions at Penn. Students tend to be cooperative with each other.
Students tend to have a work hard, play hard approach. Classes come first, and there are a fair number of parties when they are not studying. This can be an effective mechanism to relieve stress.
The Clubs, activities and opportunities are amazing. Many research opportunities, many active clubs, many opportunities to gain experience and see speakers on campus. The Nursing program has the benefit of having the hospital on campus. That makes a lot of opportunity for students.
D and all of her friends were able to get internships or research positions, even as freshmen. They are already interviewing for next summer's internships. Student get great opportunities.
She likes that Penn is in an urban area. She loves the city and goes there often. She also took a trip or two to NYC with friends last year.
I think that D’s favorite thing at Penn is all of the friends she has made. They have been very helpful and supportive. She feels a connection with them, and has friend in all 4 schools.
The thing that I heard the most complaining about during freshman year was the dorm food in the Quad. She did not like it at all. She got the smallest food plan she could.
Hi there— I’m an alum but i only graduated about a year ago and things have not changed all that much.
The Nursing School is THE BEST nursing school in the world. At no other university can you get an undergrad nursing degree at an Ivy League university while taking advantage of the world class resources that one of America's most amazing cities has to offer. Being a nursing student at Penn is also unique because all of the other undergraduate schools, graduate/professional schools and research institutes are located on Penn's beautiful, compact yet spacious urban campus. That means you will have plenty of opportunities to conduct research at Penn Med and work with real patients at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania all while being an undergraduate. The opportunities for students interested in the health sciences are unparalleled here. Professors are all at the top of their fields and constantly collaborating across disciplines to create unique ways in which students can learn. Penn Nursing also has the best placement rate for nurses into their intended profession in the country. If grad school is your plan instead, Penn will also position you well for that. I have a friend who changed her mind by the end of nursing school and decided to become a Doctor- she's now at Columbia med. I have two nursing friends who realized they would like to pursue PhDs - one is at Tulane and one is at Harvard now for grad school. The opportunities are truly limitless.
It feels even better to attend Penn than it looks! Penn has an incredible community of student scholars who are also deeply interested in forming friendships, relationships, connections, and having a good time along the way. While Penn's freshman class has the highest average high school GPAs of any ivy entering class, there is not an overly pseudo-intellectual vibe on campus. Students are generally collaborative and friendly, always excited to meet new people and make new friends. Students know when to study all night and be at the library but they also know when it's time to close the books and go to a party, grab dinner with friends, head downtown, or just watch netflix in one of the College Houses. Additionally, students take their extracurriculars VERY seriously. Everyone was the president of something in high school so when they get to Penn, the inclination to be a leader again encourages students to be very involved in the robust campus life. Perhaps because it's the Social Ivy, however, the intensity students bring to their clubs outside of class is much greater than at other schools to which my friends have gone. That's all anecdotal evidence and of course I've never actually been a student at another undergraduate university but when my friends and I share stories we do agree that Penn's extracurriculars are more consuming.
The best thing about Penn is the people. Penn has its unique reputation as the Social Ivy because of the amazingly intelligent students who populate the classroom but are still dedicated to having a good time. The campus is of course incredible and being right in Philly is SO MUCH fun, but without the amazing friends I made at Penn, all of the restaurants, art museums, parties in the Quad, food carts, and late nights at the library simply would not have been worth it. As a high school student I knew I wanted to be surrounded by people who were ambitious and intelligent but wouldn't be intent on proving their intelligence to me in ways that felt artificial, contrived, or just plain annoying. Penn was the only school I considered where the students felt both incomprehensibly intelligent and simultaneously down to earth. That experience may be unique to me and other colleges may offer those same opportunities- but I didn't find any during my search!
I love this video- it is becoming increasingly outdated but it gives you a little picture of what it looks like to be a student at Penn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGpOizUIY60
Good luck with high school and your admissions process!
