Penn has excellent CS and English programs, but definitely a reach. They also have Kelly Writers House.
@Much2learn I did think about adding UPenn as a reach, but I’ve heard that students are super competitive at UPenn and that the atmosphere is very cutthroat, whereas at Stanford, Brown, and Tufts (the reach schools on my list right now), kids are more collaborative and willing to help each other out. The HS I go to right now is very competitive, and while I’m certainly not averse to hard work, I also don’t want to feel like I’m competing against my peers 24/7 and feel isolated like I do right now.
I’m not sure how true my assumptions are (feel free to correct me if I’m wrong!), but the competitiveness at Penn is definitely a factor why I’m opting to apply to other reach schools instead. I might visit Penn over the summer or during the fall though, so I guess I’ll find out for myself what the atmosphere at Penn is really like and if I’d enjoy it there.