<p>Hey,</p>
<p>I’m just finished up my frosh year at Penn (Arts & Sciences). I’m a PPE major. If you have any questions about Penn, PPE, the College, or Greek life (I just finished pledging Tau Epsilon Phi), feel free to IM me… sdk7x7.</p>
<p>-Scott</p>
<p>Sorry, first words should be: I just*</p>
<p>Do you know anything about UPenn's crew team?</p>
<p>I know that crew is a pretty big deal at Penn, as it is as most of the Ivy schools. One of my friends was a walk-on. He told me that he and several of the other walk-ons quit because the recruited guys treated them like second-class citizens. The crew team has its own house (similar to a frat, since varsity athletes generally are prohibited from going Greek) and I think there's a certain amount of hazing that goes on, similar to pledging (but probably not as intense).</p>
<p>At the beginning of the year the Crew team will advertise itself and hold some meetings with the coach for interested walk-ins. You should attend and see how it is.</p>
<p>Crew is very intense at Penn and also very time demanding (like most varsity-level sports.) I had a friend who walked onto crew who ended up quitting a few months in.. she just couldn't handle the 5am practices. That being said, try it for a little while and see how is goes.. if you quit, you certainly won't be the only one.</p>
<p>I know there will be alcohol at all colleges, but is the drinking culture really strong at Penn? It's kind of disconcerting when people on this board start referring to Penn as a party school. I mean, fun is great on weekends, but during the week I want to act smart, dammit!</p>
<p>One of the great things about Penn is that there's really something for everyone. You can always find a bunch of big parties on a Friday night, but you will also find a bunch of people reading at the library, going to the movies, etc.</p>
<p>That being said, like most colleges, alcohol (and the Greek system) are a big part of the social life at Penn. My experience has been that most of the students at Penn go out and drink on the weekends. There really aren't any big parties on Sunday through Wednesday nights, generally speaking. Occasionally there will be parties at clubs downtown, formals, in the middle of the week etc, but obviously you don't have to go.</p>
<p>The bottom line: alcohol dominates the social life Thurs, Fri, and Saturday nights, but you can find other things to do. Schoolwork takes over Sunday, Mon, Tues, and Wed night but, similarly, you can usually find something to do if you're in the mood to go out.</p>
<p>Scott- What school did you graduate from? I go to Edgemont in Scarsdale and I'm very interested in Penn.</p>
<p>what up scott...</p>
<p>it's Berni (Xavier's friend)</p>
<p>Graduated from New Rochelle High School last year. Penn's an awesome school, you should check it out. If you know Mike Park or Beth Newton (both Edgemont graduates), you should ask them about Penn. Both are in the College.</p>
<p>What's up Berni?</p>
<p>When people say Penn is a party school, it's in a positive way. At all the ivies, academics always comes first. Penn students just know how to have fun while they're at it.</p>
<p>Yea, I love Beth! Thanks for the advice</p>
<p>Do you know If the crew coaches will recruit you out of high school?</p>
<p>yeah, the crew coaches recruit out of high school.</p>
<p>Oh ok, I think that might be an option for me.</p>
<p>How prevalent is smoking on campus?</p>
<p>A friend told me that weed wasn't as big on the east coast as it is in norcal.</p>
<p>My experience has been that the vast majority of people at Penn who go out and drink also smoke weed. I personally don't smoke and there's definitely no pressure to, but the pot scene is alive and well, especially at most of the frats.</p>
<p>i'd also mention that cocaine use is pretty big at penn...</p>
<p>I'll also put in my two cents: being sober is pretty rare at Penn - only 14% of students don't drink, according to the latest survey. I personally am among those few, and although it's never been a problem, there is somewhat of an unspoken feeling of alienation with the general Penn populous.</p>
<p>Also, I've heard that the BioPond Garden is the place to go if you wanna get high ;)</p>
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i'd also mention that cocaine use is pretty big at penn
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<p>How sad. It was big in the eighties when I was there, but definitely avoidable. I'm sure their parents are very proud. :(</p>