Current Penn student taking questions

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Pennsylvania
1

<p>The essentials:
I'm a sophomore, got in ED, very involved on campus, in an honors program, SAS potential PSCI major, attractive etc. :)</p>

<p>I'm also bored at home and I read these boards <em>religiously</em> before I got to Penn to try and understand what Penn would be like. I'll answer anything, but be warned that my perspective is of someone who is hard-partying, social, a leader in several organizations, Greek (sorority), liberal, and simultaneously intellectual. Penn is work hard party hard for those who are looking for it, and I definitely was.</p>

2

<p>lol........somewhat like the 'virgin' above. Questions welcome!</p>

3

<p>How hard is it to double major at Penn? Will that conflict much with the selection of classes outside the majors and the social life of the individual?</p>

<p>Thank you!</p>

4

<p>sooo not to sound like a total stalker or anything Lucky (call a spade a spade if you will) but a little research shows that we totally know each other.... rather well actually</p>

<p>HAHAHA small world, too bad it's embarrassing to be on here so i'll never reveal my identity ;)</p>

5

<p>I came into Penn thinking I would double major in two somewhat unrelated fields (Sociology and IR) and I found that fulfilling the requirements for both majors while fulfilling the many sector requirements (I chose not to waive the language) would be too restricting for me because I wanted to take a lot of varied electives to get a broad liberal arts education.</p>

<p>Socially it all depends on what kind of student you are and what you want out of your college experience. You can't be perfect at Penn. You can choose to take more classes each semester (5+) to double major which will cut back on social time, or take summer classes. I don't think it really has that big of a role on social life unless your desire to do well in all of your classes cuts into your willingness to go out on weekends.</p>

6

<p>It's probably not hard for freshmen to make friends and network within their year, but is it difficult for freshmen to find upperclassmen friends?</p>

7

<p>When I was a freshman, some of my closest friends were upperclassmen. I met them through extracurricular activities first semester, and in my sorority second semester. You can be friends with anyone if you are willing to talk to them without considering age to be a barrier.</p>

<p>Granted, I was involved in very social organizations (academically oriented but still very social). I lived in the quad, and a lot of my friends there did not have many upperclassmen friends, mainly because they were not involved in similar groups.</p>

8

<p>Are Greek life and drinking overly dominant on campus?</p>

9

<p>To be fair, I am not sure I am the most unbiased commentator on this question. Greek life is not dominant a la Ole Miss or even Dartmouth, but most of the parties you will go to as an underclassman will be frat parties. There isn't a huge "fratty" presence of Greeks (such as really obnoxious beer guzzling gang raping roofie dropping athletic idiots) but that may be because the highest echelon within this scene is occupied by the "secret societies" on campus who throw great exclusive parties, like Zetes, Owls, Hoz, and Theos, along with the more exclusive frats like St. A's (all New England prep school guys) and Castle. These groups consist largely of international students, New York City prepschoolers, et al.</p>

<p>If you're a girl, being Greek is a good way to get invited to these events, but not a must. There are only 8 Panhel chapters on campus and they can't throw parties anyways. For guys it seems to be the best way to get involved in the social scene IMO.</p>

<p>HOWEVER, Penn is so large that you can find your niche anywhere. I chose to be involved in this scene, but only ~30% of the campus is Greek. There are always people in the library on the weekends and tons and tons of other events to go to.</p>

<p>I think if you consciously choose to study all the time, you are missing out on a huge part of Penn. It's called the Social Ivy for a reason. Yet, one of my closest friends rarely drinks and never to the point where a lot of people will, but he has tons of friends and is very happy here, because he made the effort to make friends who were comfortable with his decision and who he is. There is a lot of drinking and drunkenness, but mostly because people are so stressed out during the week that they let loose on the weekends.</p>

10

<p>Can you tell us about alumni interviews? Rec'd an email today asking about participating in an interview, and was very surprised by it.</p>

<p>Can you tell me A) more about the alumni interview process, B) How applicants are selected, or is everyone interviewed?</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

11

<p>It must vary from alum to alum, but my interview was with a dentist in his office (with a desk, not the dentist chair office!) and it lasted for half an hour. He just asked me about why I want to go to Penn, if I'd ever visited, what activities I'm involved in, what I think I could uniquely contribute to Penn, and typical other questions. It was a LONG time ago, but I remember telling him that I like going to restaurants, and he asked me what my favorites were in certain areas, and we talked about the gap year I was planning. No big.</p>

<p>I've heard that only half get an interview, and because not everyone can, it doesn't hurt you if you don't get one. I'm pretty sure they are distributed randomly according to alumni availability, and has nothing to say about the strength of your application. My best friend here didn't get an interview and she is in the same honors program that I'm in.</p>

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<p>so are these secret societies like frats? how does one go about joining them?</p>

13

<p>
[quote]
No big.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Thanks much!</p>

14

<p>Yes, they are like fraternities in that they are male social groups, but they lack the Greek network and national community that make fraternities so appealing when thinking about future connections. You have to get asked to their events which start in the early fall. There really is no way to just show up; usually rushees are from the same high schools (usually St. Paul's/Exeter type prep schools, New York prep schools (Trinity, Dalton etc.) or international schools, with a high presence of Turks and South Americans) as the current members. You also get invited if you're from a notably wealthy town.</p>

15

<p>There is also a women's secret society called Tabard, which is like the female equivalent of the description above. However, they have open rush at first to which every woman can attend, but start cutting when they get into closed rush.</p>

16

<p>So sorority life... how has your experience been? I'm really looking into it but I have no idea where to start or what to think.</p>

17

<p>What was the first thing you did after you got into your dorm and had everything settled?</p>

18

<p>Hey, thanks for this thread.</p>

<p>Can you describe a typical Penn student? I just want a general idea of what all Penn students share in common. You know how they say some people are suited personality wise for penn while others aren't. I want to know if Penn fits me. </p>

<p>Also, is cultural diversity a big thing on campus? Do people of different background hang out frequently?</p>

19

<p>Sorority life:
I love my sorority more than any group I have ever been involved in, and I have always been passionate about my extracurricular activities. It's not for everyone though. When I was in high school, I specifically shied away from schools that had big Greek scenes because I thought they would be snobby and anti-intellectual. The people I've met in my sorority are incredible, down-to-earth, fun, crazy, smart women who are looking for like minded friends. However, I am in a sorority that is known for being chill yet fun; we always go out on weekends, get invited to everything, but some of the smartest women I've met are in it.</p>

<p>Meet as many people as possible during NSO and then if you meet any upperclassmen who are Greek, ask them about their experiences, what they like/dislike, and why they chose their particular chapter. Try to think about why you personally want to join one, and what you want to get out of it. If you want specific advice based on these things, let me know!</p>

<hr>

<p>Dorm... 1st Thing?</p>

<p>I was SOOO nervous about making friends and meeting new people, so I think I actually cried and hyperventilated a little bit. I moved in a day early and didn't know anyone so that first night was rough. The next day, I went out to lunch with my hall and cleaned my room. You have to hang out with your hall during NSO events so you make friends fast (PLEASE be gregarious, first impressions count, and no one knows you so you can't seem awkward when you do something unless it is truly weird).</p>

<hr>

<p>Typical Penn student?</p>

<p>In my experience at Penn, I have definitely realized that you live in a bubble when you're here. My bubble makes it difficult for me to remember that not everyone is rich, smart, attractive, and motivated, and coming home to hillybilly-land is always rough. I'm sorta dying right now (hence I am on CC) and can't wait to get back. This bubble isn't realistic but it isn't necessarily a bad thing. I am the type of person who gains/loses respect for others based on intelligence, and I've realized that I cherish the intelligence of my peers incredibly. Basically everyone here is smart and ideas can be tossed around quickly and discussed deeply because you don't have to make time to explain most of the time.</p>

<p>I would say a typical Penn student is motivated, a perfectionist (Van Pelt, the main library, is PACKED during finals and midterms), and independent. You have to be very self-motivated and independent to do well here, because there is very little handholding. For me, this has been SO great because I have truly gained confidence in my abilities to make decisions for myself. For others, it is difficult, because there is no one telling you the right way to do things.</p>

<p>You also have to be self-motivated to wrench yourself away from your studies to explore Penn life and Philly. There is incredible culture everywhere, from Penn events, to West Philly institutions, to the thriving food and nightlife scenes in the rest of the city. There is always something to do that is free and unique. I've seen John McCain, The Roots, Ben Kweller, Sudhir Venkatesh, Rick Santorum, and many many others this semester alone. I've eaten tons of free food ranging from pizza to Greek Lady (a Pennstitution) to falafel, and consumed hundreds of dollars worth of free alcohol at parties. You just have to drag yourself away from the classwork that is easy to get rutted in, and go.</p>

<p>If you are a hippie-dippie activist, I'm not sure Penn is for you. People tend to focus on smaller solutions that can be tangibly seen because Penn students tend to be very practical and pragmatic, rather than aim for huge grandiose causes.</p>

<h2>You will not find the "deep" (I would consider to be pretentious) debates and conversations on a daily basis (though it DOES happens both in the classroom and in the dorms at times) that you would at UChicago, Swarthmore, or Reed. You will find that you are not the smartest person here. You can't be. You have to be humble enough to recognize this, and to be willing to learn from others and ask for help. At the same time, you have to have enough pride in your own abilities to offer help and your own life experiences to others.</h2>

<p>Cultural diversity?
Yes and no. You will see a lot of international students congregating with those in their ethnic groups, likewise for Asian and African-Americans. Most sororities and fraternities are very white with single digits of token Asian, Hispanic, and African-American members. Is there racial tension? No. Do people find other cultures interesting? Yes. There is a lot of self-deprecating joking remarks made on being "token" or being "JAPpy". The bottom line is that most people couldn't care less about the race of their friends just as long as they are interesting.</p>

20

<p>What do you love about Penn? What made you apply early to Penn? The people I know at Penn really seem happy and involved, do you find that to be the way the student body is in general? Do you find that there is a Wharton-Complex?</p>

<p>(I'm interested in transferring to Penn)</p>