<p>Would a slightly quirky, book-loving, non-partying, a-tad-better-at-discussing-politics-than-figuring-out-which-clothes-match student find enough similar students at Penn to be happy? I really liked what I saw of Penn and Penn students from my 1 day visit, and for a couple of reasons (academic choices, location) it has an edge over all the other schools on my list, but posts describing Penn as almost anti-intellectual in its preprofessionalism and as the party ivy freaked me out a bit. I'm currently deciding whether to ED to CAS.</p>
<p>Edit: I realized the title might make it seem like I'm leaning towards Chicago. I'm not, but I know that I am pretty close to the stereotypical Chicago student, and I would like to go somewhere that has at least a sizeable minority of people like that.</p>
<p>Hmm… So after visiting and knowing a number of kids there the short answer is - probably. The school is big enough so that you should be able to find kindred spirits. There are, however, plenty of kids there who you will not appreciate. To some degree, Penn is the “finishing school” for the New York I’m-better-than-you crowd.</p>
<p>Penn has room for everyone, really. It’s not a huge school, but large enough that you can find people with similar interests to you to build a social group. I’d say its all about how you go about building those connections. Looking for certain clubs and activities that cater to what you like is a good way to do it for anybody. Also, were you to end up at Penn, don’t be afraid to just spark a random conversation with your roommates or hallmates. You never know where those could lead, either!</p>