<p>Congratulations to all those who were accepted! I thought I’d start a thread for all of you who have questions for current Penn students. Anything you want to know, ask away!</p>
<p>K, I have a few. Right now I'm debating a state college which is 5k, and Upenn will be about twice that amount. People have told me Penn is the clear choice, and I agree. . .but I'm not going into engineering or business fields, so I'm wondering if there will be enough opportunities getting a good job with a humanities/socialscience/science major (i'm undecided at this point).</p>
<p>From what you have seen, have people been able to find jobs ok in the nonbusiness and non-engineering ? I know it's all on the individual, but I'm wondering if Penn will provide more than UGA, you know what I mean?
Can you talk to me about Job opportunities and what not?<br>
Sorry if these are obscure questions.</p>
<p>also... a big concern with my parents is safety... when i went on-campus i felt pretty safe, but what about outside of it? also-- how are the musical opportunities both on- and off-campus? (i know the philadelphia orchestra rocks! :))</p>
<p>I got into SEAS so I'm wondering if I can participate in one of the dual degree programs. I got rejected from M&T but I am also interested in the other dual degree programs at SEAS especially the computer and cognitive science program. If I do go to UPenn can I transfer into this program? Thanks.</p>
<p>Neobez: A Penn degree is a Penn degree, and it will open doors for you that a state school degree will not. Penn's departments are overall top notch.</p>
<p>Harpingchic: The campus and the surrounding areas are safe, as the Penn police patrols them. Don't walk to 45-50th streets at night, and you will be fine. The perceived unsafety is an artifact from how it was 15-20 years ago, and both the university and the area around it ahs changed a lot since then.</p>
<p>My son is accepted to the M&T program. However, he did not seemed to get any financial aid even though our EFC (when I did the FAFSA) was aprroximately $22K. Can you share some insights on status of financial aid at UPenn ?</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>lilchnsgrl:</p>
<p>I was in the same position as you are, last year. I was rejected by M&T but enrolled in SEAS. To dual degree with Wharton, you need a highish GPA of about 3.7 or 3.8 because of the demand. However, with the College, which the Computer & Cog Sci Program entails, you only need a 3.0. You can also apply into M&T after your first year, which I am trying to do, though it is extremely difficult because of the GPA req (3.95 Avg in Engineering), and the 2 faculty recommendations you need.</p>
<p>neobez:</p>
<p>In my opinion, 5k a year is worth investing into an Ivy degree as opposed to a state school degree. There are many (like me) who gave up free rides at other schools to pay full tuition at Penn.</p>
<p>How does the percentage of attractive females compare to other universities? How are females at Wharton?</p>
<p>I'm half kidding.</p>
<p>The Philly music scene is unbelievable. All of the major venues are within a few blocks of each other around Broad and Walnut in Center City. They are a longish walk from campus (I live on 13th street and make the walk every day, YMMV) Bus service can be spotty but the subway is reliable and much faster for the same price. (Buy a bunch of tokens when you get here.) I've never taken a cab but it can't be more than 5 or 6 bucks from campus to CC.</p>
<p>You already know about the orchestra obviously. What you may not know is that they have "rush" tickets available for $10 a couple hours before the performance. You might end up anywhere, but for that price...</p>
<p><a href="http://www.philorch.org%5B/url%5D">http://www.philorch.org</a></p>
<p>Then there are:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.operaphilly.com/%5B/url%5D">http://www.operaphilly.com/</a>
<a href="http://www.libertynet.org/dance/calendar.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.libertynet.org/dance/calendar.html</a>
<a href="http://www.paballet.org/%5B/url%5D">http://www.paballet.org/</a></p>
<p>That should clue you in on the classical side. Then there are:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.wstonline.org/index.shtml%5B/url%5D">http://www.wstonline.org/index.shtml</a>
<a href="http://www.princemusictheater.org/%5B/url%5D">http://www.princemusictheater.org/</a>
<a href="http://www.phillyjazz.org/clubs.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.phillyjazz.org/clubs.html</a></p>
<p>On Campus:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.annenbergcenter.org/%5B/url%5D">http://www.annenbergcenter.org/</a></p>
<p>Someone a bit younger than I am can probably cover the popular/rap/underground scene...</p>
<p>Your only problem will be making the time to see everything.</p>
<p>Cheers,</p>
<p>-bill</p>
<p>thanks! that's extremely helpful. i'm currently debating between duke and penn, but it seems like there's a lot more music-wise to offer in philly (prospective music major here...)</p>
<p>neobez, i am in engineering but have several friends in the college currently searching for jobs. they have been VERY successful so far. many have 3 or 4 offers. penn is great because there are so many ways to get "connected" to the field you are interested in, no matter what that field might be. i'd definitely say job placement at penn is good.</p>
<p>harpingchic, the campus is known for its safety. in fact, johns hopkins administrators were at penn a few weeks ago, trying to model penn's system. as far as off campus, the penn police and philadelphia police do patrol the areas. most students feel safe off campus, especially towards center city to the east. the area that causes most concern is to the west. i have been as far as 46th street (about 6 blocks off campus) and can personally say that i have never felt threatened or unsafe off campus. nevertheless, most people tend to walk with a buddy if venturing that far off campus. </p>
<p>music offerings at penn are great. i am a member of the band and am going to audition for wind ensemble next semester. there are TONS of concerts and shows both at penn and in the philly area. penn and philly are cultural hot beds.</p>
<p>lilchnsgrl, if you did not get into a dual degree program initially, you can apply after your freshman year. visit the programs' websites for information about scheduling classes. most require a 3.7 GPA i believe. if you are looking to get into M&T, for example, you must take econ first semester to be eligible to transfer in. lots of students take this approach.</p>
<p>I have found the financial aid at penn to be fantastic. my package included a trustees scholarship, work-study, minimal loan, as well as outside scholarships. beginning this year, outside scholarships will NOT be deducted from university grants, which is great for students. Rather, outside scholarships will be deducted straight from estimated contributions until they are "used up." Overall, people seem to be happy with their financial packages from Penn. I know several people who receive no aid due to the fact that their parents make quite generous salaries, but also know people who are on full aid. I guess it all varies depending on the individual situation.</p>
<p>pen. are you talking about dual degree or joint degree?</p>
<p>thanks krtrumpet, snipan, and penn15.
That's kinda what I was wanting to hear. Well, looks like Penn is where I'll be attending.</p>
<p>And regarding financial aid, let me say that the offered aid is fantastic. They really did meet my need. My family doesn't make much, and my family and I will need to work together and save some more, but the cost is very managable.</p>
<p>welcome to the team, noe.</p>
<p>pen15 just to clarify my last question, i thought to transfer into wharton or to get a dual degree you needed around a ~3.6. To transfer into the joint degrees is one needs about a 3.9. Is that correct?</p>
<p>Yes, that's correct. The competition for M&T is extremely fierce, and they only accept up to 5 transfer kids each year. You can't transfer into the Huntsman program. </p>
<p>Just another note, engineering dual degree with Wharton is exactly the same as M&T (you get the same two degrees) minus the extra prestige, connections, and about a semester worth of general ed.</p>
<p>haha thinkjose1, you ask a very important question. </p>
<p>The percentage of good looking women at penn is minimal compared to large state schools like (ASU,Texas, Florida, etc). However, there are a fair amount of good looking women, don't worry.</p>
<p>there are some good looking girls in wharton but it seems that most wharton women are so motivated and goal oriented that they come off as selfish and materialistic...no offense to any wharton women out there.</p>
<p>Is it pretty easy to hook-up and date?</p>