<p>i was reading one of those lovely college-info books and it says that classes are curved... so does this mean competition is extremely intense? as in i'm not going to help you so you won't have a higher grade than me intense, or as in friendly intense?
i'm not afraid of competition, its just that i do want to be in an atmosphere where people want to learn and want to help each other learn as well.
also, could you maybe describe the "typical" Penn student?</p>
<p>I really don't get why everyone is so concerned about "the curve". Some classes are curved, some are not. In general, if you do well, you'll get a good grade, as it has always been. This is an Ivy League university, so yes, just by the fact that you're surrounded by smart people, it is competitive. It's certainly not intense as in "i'm not going to help you so you won't have a higher grade than me" intense. There's not really a lot a student can do in order to diminish another student's grade anyway.</p>
<p>There is no typical Penn student, and I'm too lazy to try to come up with some description that may fit, so hopefully someone else will do it.</p>