Ask A Current Penn Student

<p>I heard the University of Pennsylvania uses a bell-curve grading system. I am wondering how hard it is to get an A or B and will it affect my chances to get into graduate school. Also does any one know if Carnegie or Cornell use this system too? Thanks.</p>

<p>Also can somebody tell me the prerequisites for cognitive and computer science? It seems to be related more to my future field (I'm a Stokes semifinalist).</p>

<p>Thanks for the information, bern700 :)</p>

<p>Don't worry about the curve too much. Alot of times the hype about the curve is overblown. For engineering, the curve will DEFINATELY help you out because the tests are so ridiculously hard.</p>

<p>Regarding the Cognitive & Comp Sci, it depends on if you're getting the BSE or the BAS. With the BAS, it is very doable because most of your Cog stuff will be placed in the tech electives. With the BSE, it is doable, but slightly harder. The joint degree in Cog & Comp Sci is, as I know it, just another dual-degree program. The only "recognized" joint degree programs are M&T and Huntsman.</p>

<p>Not sure what the pre-reqs are for comp and cog science, but here's the requirements for graduation
<a href="http://www.cis.upenn.edu/ugrad/BachelorofAppliedScienceinComputerandCognitiveScience.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.cis.upenn.edu/ugrad/BachelorofAppliedScienceinComputerandCognitiveScience.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Quick question. I am currently filling out my Housing application. I will be an incoming freshman. Which college house is the best? I have narrowed my choices down to Ware College House and Hill College House. I want to live with a predominantly freshmen population. I have heard that the Quad is sick in terms of social life but can it be too distracting sometimes?. Which do you recommend?</p>

<p>Honestly, I think the Quad has more of a reputation than warrented. There aren't any real "parties" in the Quad.. you really just can't have them.. I'm sure you'll be happy in both places, but I've found hill to have a lot more down to earth people..</p>

<p>True about the Quad being overhyped.</p>

<p>However, Hill is so freakin far away from high rises/frats that sometimes it gets a tad bit annoying trying to make it from 40th to 34th, stumbling all over the place. I hate that.</p>

<p>is penn too much of a party school? i'm worried that if i go there, the only social options i will have will consist of drinking and hooking up with random people. i'm debating between uchicago and upenn...i don't want TOO much of a party school but i want to have fun with friends in general. what is the social scene like at upenn? thanks for your help!</p>

<p>This is probably a stupid question that I could easily find the answer to somewhere, but since I've failed at that I'll ask it here:</p>

<p>Are finals for Penn before or after winter/spring breaks?</p>

<p>Thanks all~</p>

<ol>
<li><p>How difficult is the course load at Wharton? How hard is it to get "good grades" there?</p></li>
<li><p>When I visited, it seemed that UPenn in general offered little flexibility in terms of courses you can take... will I have room in the Wharton curriculum to take art or dance classes, for instance? Is it possible to take these with a pass/fail option? And I recall something about how I can only take four classes outside of Wharton?! </p></li>
<li><p>Dorm life-- how are the rooms (space, bathrooms, etc...)? Does it cost a lot more to get a single? Is there a kitchen in the dorms? </p></li>
<li><p>How's the food on campus? What about shopping/dining off campus? Living cost? </p></li>
<li><p>How strictly is underage drinking regulated? </p></li>
<li><p>Professors and classes...any comments? </p></li>
</ol>

<p>I'm very appreciative... I'm trying to make some decisions, and students' perspectives really help!</p>

<p>and 7. AP credit- I've read the general policy on them, but I have a few concerns. First, is it worth transferring my AP credits or should I just retake the courses anyway? Secondly, if the AP credit is used only for placement--will I feel "behind" if I enter in a higher level course? in other words, are the Penn classes more difficult and at a higher level than what's usually covered on the AP test?</p>

<p>lol @ #5, though I'm also curious :)</p>

<ol>
<li>How difficult is the course load at Wharton? How hard is it to get "good grades" there?</li>
</ol>

<p>Honestly, I don't think it's that hard. Most people take around 4 courses a semester which is definitely do-able. And as for getting good grades, usually wharton curves operate by giving 25%-30% A's, and 50% or so Bs.. which compared to the engineering curve is incredible.</p>

<ol>
<li>When I visited, it seemed that UPenn in general offered little flexibility in terms of courses you can take... will I have room in the Wharton curriculum to take art or dance classes, for instance? Is it possible to take these with a pass/fail option? And I recall something about how I can only take four classes outside of Wharton?!</li>
</ol>

<p>Penn offers amazing flexibility. They say that wharton is a third, a third and a third: a third business, a third liberal arts and a third electives. You can find a requirement sheet pretty easily on the wharton site and you'll see you have <em>plenty</em> of room for other classes. And I've never heard of that 4 course rule. </p>

<ol>
<li>Dorm life-- how are the rooms (space, bathrooms, etc...)? Does it cost a lot more to get a single? Is there a kitchen in the dorms?</li>
</ol>

<p>I'm not sure on the cost of singles, but honestly, you probably want a double.. having a roomate can be annoying sometimes, but you form such a bond that I know I wouldn't trade mine for anything. Space varies by dorm, and even by individual room within the dorm (some quad rooms are huge, some are closets). Bathrooms in most of the dorms are hallway bathrooms and not half bad.. the highrises have a bathroom for each apartment, and also a kitchen. The other dorms have hallway kitchens that work pretty well (as appealing as hte highrises sound, I wouldn't really pick them as a freshman.. it's mostly upperclassmen there and I think you'd miss out on some things..)</p>

<ol>
<li>How's the food on campus? What about shopping/dining off campus? Living cost?</li>
</ol>

<p>Food isn't horrible.. it's not great either, but there are a lot of "off campus" places to go (though they're really on campus, just not on our meal plan.. mmm.. Greek Lady..). And there's a million and one restraunts down in philly.. getting to center city is only a 15 minute walk so you'll have plenty of options of eating. </p>

<ol>
<li><p>How strictly is underage drinking regulated?
It isn't. Honestly.. I guess it varies by your GA (graduate assistant.. like an RA but they're grad students). Mine basically told us "if I SEE you drinking, I'll have ot write you up.. and I don't clean up puke." We've never had a problem and I don't know anyone that really has.. Penn kind of avocates safe drinking rather than trying to stop it all together. </p></li>
<li><p>Professors and classes:
Waay too broad of a question to answer really.. we have almost 4000 or so classes.. I've found professors are generally good, or at least they care.. Penn Course Review lets you see how people have rated hte professor and such before, so you can get a good idea of what they're going to be like before you sign up for the class. </p></li>
<li><p>AP Credit.
Depends on the class honestly.. i'd say if you get BC calc credit, take it and then wait till the spring semester to take 114 (unless you're really into theoretical type math, then take it in the fall). I've heard people passing out of some of hte other classes with mixed reviews.. Besides math, if you place out of a class you plan on continuing in, you might want to take the intro class (and plus, if it's easy, then you get an easy A).</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Caths: no, penn isn't too much of a party school.. it's really what you want it to be. Some people do go out 5 nights a week, get trashed and hook up with 3 different people in a single night.. but that's definitely not the majority. There's a million things to do on campus that don't involve drinking (and some that do, but are a little more calm and intimate than a frat party). you find out pretty quickly the type of people you want to be friends with..</p>

<p>Penn15: I do agree, Hill is a little far for wharton kids, but for engineering it can't get much better ;) and yes, it's annoying as hell to stumble up to 40th street, but sometimes you have so much fun along the way ;)</p>

<p>I've been accepted to SEAS, and I was wondering about the strength of SEAS in general, and specifically for electrical engineering.</p>

<p>How is Penn engineering viewed by employers? I head one statistic that said that the average Penn engineering grad gets $66,000 for a bachelor's degree. Is that true?</p>

<p>I really like Penn a lot, and so my only major concern is whether it is worth $160,000 for a degree from there, as opposed to one from, say, Northwestern (I also got accepted there).</p>

<p>Silmon: this might help you out <a href="http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/seas/ugradsurvey.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/seas/ugradsurvey.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>It's not $66,000 anymore ,but I don't think you'll get that coming out of most engineering fields anymore.. (it is still around $55,000 or so, which for an <em>average starting salary</em> is pretty good)</p>

<p>% of frosh, in decreasing order of the following houses:
Hill 90
KCECH 80
Ware 80
Fisher 70
Riepe 65
Gregory 45
Hamilton's like.. what.. 7%..</p>

<p>what about... harnwell? harrison? stouffer?</p>

<p>which house would you recommend for Wharton kids specifically?</p>

<p>mnasy, thank you for your advice. i am visiting campus this month...what are your opinions on the best freshman housing options?</p>

<p>Caths: Honestly, after seeing the quad, you're probably going to want to live there, since it is absolutely incredibly aesthically pleasing.. it really isn't the be all and end of living though so don't necessarily discount the other options. If you want to live amoung freshman though, i'd certainly pick either the quad, or hill.. kings court has (and lives up to mostly..) the repuation of being incredibly anti-social.. Hill is very social and from what i've seen, the most down to earth people. The quad also has a great group of people, though I tend to notice more money is in the quad (no one ever said housing isn't influenced by how much you can donate..)</p>

<p>afaforce: There is no school specific housing.. the highrises are closest to huntsman, but you'll probably have classes all over campus..</p>