<p>For those who are applying, have applied, attend, or are alumni, what do you like the most about Penn? What was the one thing that tipped the decision for you? I have been reading up on UPenn, trying to decide whether to apply or not, but nothing beats a personal account.</p>
<p>Thank you!</p>
<p>I personally have never visited the school but from what I hear, in contrast to all the other ivy leagues, Philadelphia set Penn apart for me. While Boston is the only major city any of the other ivies are in, I feel like Philadelphia had lots of internship and cultural opportunities for me as a pre-med major in contrast to Dartmouth or Brown or another Ivy League. I also feel like the environment at Penn is more shifted towards the sciences and business, which is what Penn is strongest in. I also love Penn’s value of diversity and how they support well rounded education (like Yale) but not to the extent that Yale does. Penn is very flexible in terms of what classes you take, and I really liked that. The individualized major option was also very tantalizing.</p>
<p>I just love the overall environment and feel Penn exudes.</p>
<p>I love penn, but did you forget about columbia in NYC? haha</p>
<p>columbia is in NYC…</p>
<p>oh yeah hahahah I forgot to mention this! I felt like Columbia’s atmosphere was really snotty (and I visited the Columbia campus) it’s really elite but everyone I even said hi to there kind of looked down at me. I feel like Penn is more down to earth.</p>
<p>Yeahhh my bad haha</p>
<p>Yes! Your comments are consistent I have heard before–especially the how great the Philly is and Penn’s flexibility. It is interesting that you bring up that Penn is more down-to-earth, since that is something I like.</p>
<p>Thanks for the responses. Anyone else have anything to say as well? Feel free to pitch in.</p>
<p>I’m also curious about what the current students like most about Penn…or even some alumni if they have recently graduated. I have friends at almost every school I’m applying to aside of Penn so I don’t really have an inside opinion.</p>
<p>truzzi182–you have friends at almost every other school you are applying to aside from Penn? Is it alright with you if I ask you a few questions about those schools that you have inside opinions on?</p>
<p>Sure funnyman! I have very close friends that I talk to/Skype monthly at Northwestern, Vanderbilt, Notre Dame, IU, UVa, UNC, and MIT (But I’m not applying there).</p>
<p>My school sends kids a lot of places, but nobody in the past few classes have really been fond of Ivies. This year, however, is very different as many of us are applying Ivy (and a few of us have very good chances!).</p>
<p>I’d be happy to help out though; I’m very lucky to have such capable friends that are so equally spread out around my top universities. Send me a PM sometime so we don’t hijack this thread though.</p>
<p>Of course. This thread is going to be for Penn info. Thanks truzzi!</p>
<p>I honestly believe the dual degree option is one of the best things about Penn. Being able to graduate with two distinct degrees gives you a huge advantage in job searches, grad school, etc. Lots of other schools only let students double major but only graduate with one degree. </p>
<p>For those who did not get into a dual degree program–you can/should still do a “regular” dual degree. Basically pick a major not in your home school that interests you, and figure out what classes you have to take to complete it</p>