<p>So obviously, while Penn is amazing, we know that it isn't Harvard, Yale, or Princeton. But when compared to Brown, Dartmouth, and some other top schools, I find it difficult to come to an understanding of how the general population views UPenn. Some people, when I tell them that I am going to Penn, are extremely ecstatic and proud. Others are complete idiots and say, "Oh, like....Penn State!?!?" (which honestly is incredibly annoying). Finally, most people are kind of in the middle, and seem to either be unimpressed or perhaps do not understand its significance, and will give the same "Oh cool!" that they would have said for any other Joe college.</p>
<p>I know I shouldn't really give a poop about what others think, because those who possess at least somewhat of a brain know that UPenn is an amazing school...but doesn't anyone else feel that UPenn doesn't harbor the recognition that it deserves? Again, I realize that I shouldn't rely on the reactions of others to rank a college, because I myself know where it is ranked, but come on....you can't blame me for being slightly annoyed at the fact that I worked extremely hard for four years, got into my dream school, and leave several people unimpressed because they're too stupid to realize that Penn State and UPenn are not the same school.</p>
<p>Also, to other Ivy kids, how is someone from UPenn viewed? I know that Penn is sometimes considered the 'social Ivy', but can anyone offer any further insight?</p>
<p>Penn has the third highest yield for admitted students after Harvard and Yale and ahead of Princeton. It is probably because Princeton loses people to Harvard and Yale due to cross admits but despite Penn having a lot more seats than the other three, they still have 2/3 accepting.</p>
<p>This is your dream school. Does it really matter what others think of your college choice? I spent most of my college years and part of the summer before telling people who asked me where I was going to college: “Out east” or “Connecticut” specifically because I didn’t want them to make judgements about me based on my school. I recall a very interesting discussion we had at a pre-orientation event where the topic was "What do you answer when someone asks what school you attend and how did they respond?’ My feelings were validated by many others.</p>
<p>It may initially seem gratifying to tell people you go to Penn and have them be impressed but with any sense of modesty this will wear off quickly. You will meet people there who will be astonishingly accomplished and brilliant and others who you wonder how they could be admitted. You will probably fall within that spectrum and will ultimately want to be recognized for who you are and not for your school name.</p>
<p>FWIW, I went to Penn for grad school and couldn’t care less if someone mistook my school for Penn State. I certainly wouldn’t call that person “an idiot”. I knew where I was and so would those who looked at my resume after graduation. The rest of the world does not follow USNWR rankings and yield ratios the way they do on CC.</p>
<p>How is Penn viewed by the other Ivies? Not how it’s viewed by high schoolers or potential UPenn students. Once in, Ivies and other top tier schools quickly realize that the differences are very very small. I went to an HYP college. For me to denigrate a UPenn or Cornell student would be the height of uninformed snobbery. </p>
<p>THe year I graduated, my college made the #1 spot on USNWR. Well, that and a dollar will get me a coffee tomorrow at McDonalds. Really.</p>
<p>It’s generally people outside the actual communities who worry about such things. For me, you’re an equal. So stop stressing about how you appear. The value of an Ivy/top tier education is not the name printed on the diploma and what your family/peers feel about that “status” – it’s the actual education and experience. Go figure, eh?</p>
<p>I think the real question should be - can i get into Harvard or Penn or Yale medical school with a Penn diploma or Yale/Harvard law school or Harvard/Penn business school. Who cares what people think?</p>
<p>Texas, I sure do hope it is valued by top graduate/med programs. From what I’ve read on this website, however, it seems that it doesn’t make that much of a difference in med and grad school admissions?</p>
<p>If you graduate with a 3.2 and 32 MCAT sure, you cant get into medical school from Penn but even less chance from other places. It is truly what you do with your first 3 years at college that determines whether you can go to medical school after the 4th year. </p>
<p>Penn has #2 medical school and so if you can get in there from Penn, you are better off than going to any other school. However, the number of internal admissions are usually restricted (5-10%?). I suspect Penn gives you a better chance at getting into a top 10 medical school compared to a non-ivy as long as you make full use of all your opportunities there including doing research, summer programs etc.</p>
<p>If your concern is that Penn won’t open doors for you then you should be able to sleep easier. I know that it is commonly posted on CC that undergraduate instititution doesn’t matter much with professional school admissions (ie. just GPA, MCAT or LSAT), this may not be true at all and is certainly not true at the most elite institutions. A recent mailing showed that half of the current students at the Yale Law School had matriculated from just Harvard and Yale. Similarly, half the Penn medical school class had come from HYPS, Penn and Hopkins. Perhaps those students applied in overwhelming numbers and there is no selection bias but I doubt it.</p>
<p>YGG - 50% of Yale law school students are from just Yale and Harvard - that sounds great for students from there but sounds really bad for everyone else.</p>
<p>I do believe there is an Ivy bias for graduate programs although I have nt seen actual statistics. I am going by the number of ivy graduates with advanced degrees from other Ivies that I bump into that I see no other explanation. </p>
<p>As far as medical programs are concerned, the highest percentage of students usually seem to be from their undergrad in most top medical schools and I suspect Penn is no exception. Harvard does it, Hopkins does it, Wash U does it and so Penn should be doing that too. There is a logical explanation for it since the current students try to build some inroads by doing research in their medical schools, have a relationship with some of the professors who can ultimately provide them with recommendations etc. which in turn can’t be ignored in the selection process. </p>
<p>So DD - first day on campus, send out a mailer seeking research opportunities at your medical school, do research for 3 years, maintain a 3.85 GPA, score a 38 on your MCAT, report back to us in October 2014!</p>