<p>My english teacher told our class that Univ. of Penn. (where I am seriously considering of applying and hopefully attending) is not a good college to attend because she was unhappy with the campus there - bad city life, bad part of philly. Can anyone convince me the other way? What are some positive aspects of Philly? And how bad is it really? This is important to me because I dont think my parents (and I) would want me to attend a University in a “bad” location.</p>
<p>its not bad.....one side of the campus borders a neighborhood that i wouldnt walk around in screaming the N word....unless i decided that life wasnt for me.....but really, the campus is nice....when im on campus, it doesnt feel like im in a city, but i can always be in a club or at a play or at a sports game in less than 20 min....its GREAT!</p>
<p>only way to convince you is if you allow yourself to visit penn with an open mind....give it a try!!</p>
<p>The people who care don't matter, and the people who matter dont' care</p>
<p>Don't let one person's bias affect your decisions. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.</p>
<p>"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" ...that's just for ugly ppl, lol, j/k</p>
<p>but seriously...why Penn?</p>
<p>I've heard from MANY people that they cook their admission numbers to made themselves look good (i.e. should not be ranked 4th nationally)</p>
<p>Furthermore, I would have to agree that Penn is in a horrible/criminal-based city.</p>
<p>I'm not convinced.</p>
<p>What do you mean by this mcortex? How can they cook their numbers? Wouldnt that be illegal?</p>
<p>mcortex, if you think its "in a horrible/criminal-based city", then you are living a pampered life.</p>
<p>Also, your decision to apply or attend the school shouldn't be based on its ranking. USNews isn't the end all be all. If Penn was ranked 15th and that was enough to deter you from not going/applying, then you probably shoudln't have applied in the first place.</p>
<p>Guys, im still not sure exactly why my teacher would say that. Can you guys tell me what she meant by bad neighborhood?</p>
<p>lol, I'm sure Penn doesn't care if you apply or not, because they'll have many other people who want to go</p>
<p>I say this because if you don't like the atmosphere, it probably isn't the place for you. I like more rural schools better. Nothing like green grass.</p>
<p>Ive never been there. I want to go but what my teacher said is making me have second thoughts. I just want to see your opinions, especially opinions from kids who attend penn or live around penn, to get a more general idea.</p>
<p>That's the ultimate argument that every post has on Penn...whether Penn should be ranked at #4. Regardless if it should be ranked that high or not, there are still 20,000 applicants pleading to attend Penn every year, and 20,000 more who wish they were qualified enough to get in.</p>
<p>I'm from philly. And I love it there! Even the "bad" part (which is where a lot my family lives). One question though....How are your street smarts? Because for some people who have lived in small towns it is a culture shock to switch to a big city. But really I think you'll be fine with a little bit of street smarts and common sense. If you go visit make sure to have some water ice and a cheesesteak!</p>
<p>umm if you like look at new york as all 5 parts instead of just manhattan then you have some pretty nasty areas...</p>
<p>in regards to penn's campus... just stay south of 42nd street. you'll be fine. i've had to walk through the penn/30th street station area by myself at night many times without ever having problems....as long as u have a sense of humility about the location, it's not like there's a risk of being mugged with every step u take. like new haven is wayyy ghetto (and excruciatingly boring too) but NOONE has ever let that location deter them from considering Yale. Penn is no different.</p>
<p>Let me just say that I'm a freshman here, and came here from a small, rural town in Wisconsin. I certainly wasn't used to big city life, but I have come to absolutely LOVE Philadelphia, Penn's campus, and the West Philly neighborhood. Sure, West Philly isn't the best of neighborhoods, but as long as you use some basic common sense and don't venture too far off campus to the west (walking to the East is fine, I've gone out on walks to center city at 2 in the morning before and have never felt at all unsafe in that direction) you should be fine. We have an amazing security system here (don't let people tell you otherwise, I was just at a presentation of it with the head of the Penn police department and the technology our campus employs is among the absolute best in the nation... it blew me away. Further, Penn is working on improving our relations with the West Philly neighborhood, and while that will take some time to get a lot better, there is some good in it. I go to Sayre High School once a week for a few hours to help out with one of their afterschool programs, and its incredible. It's all the way up on 58th St, well beyond the limits of where people tell you to go (we take the bus up there, but still) and it's an incredible experience and the kids are fantastic. </p>
<p>To sum it up, Penn is not unsafe if you use your head. It's a beautiful campus in a great city, and while it may not be for everyone, don't let that deter you from applying or seriously considering it.</p>
<p>I am sure Penn campus can be safe if you use your head. But there seems to be inordinate amount of crime at Penn as compared with other campuses. For example, see the following article and comments by the readers in the Daily Pennsylvanian. You can also search DP archive for numerous articles on crime.</p>
<p>"I've heard from MANY people that they cook their admission numbers to made themselves look good (i.e. should not be ranked 4th nationally)</p>
<p>Furthermore, I would have to agree that Penn is in a horrible/criminal-based city."</p>
<p>Well you shouldn't listen to those MANY people. Those people have preconceived notions of how good a school is. The fact is that Penn has dramatically improved their reputation in recent years, and other people feel threatened by it's sudden rise. This is the same thing that's been going on with Wash U St.L.</p>
<p>Also, I've heard from everyone I know who's ever attended Penn that as long as you don't go into West Philly with a wad of cash in your hand screaming the n-word and holding your diamond necklace up for the world to see, you'll be fine -- which is how it is in pretty much any city.</p>
<p>more to come.</p>
<p>I visited Penn, and it is one of the most beautiful campuses I have seen. It isn't even in the bad part of Philly! Apply there, and if you get in visit and see for yourself - don't take other people's words.</p>
<p>i'm from a spoiled, rich, southern-baptist suburb in the south where girls are southern belles and guys open car doors - i would consider that a fairly sheltered upbringing. add to that the fact that i'm a 5'1" female - although i do like to claim to have wiry strength - i am no match for anyone in any fight - and believe me i feel safe at penn. it's in a great place for college. philly is concentrated enough that you can get culture, clubs, bars, fairmount park, river, chinatown, restaurants etc within a 20-block radius - you can't beat that. admittedly, 10 years ago - penn's neighborhood was pretty scary. since then, the university as well as the city as a whole has undergone massive gentrification - if you look at any housing records you can see that the housing neighborhoods around campus has escalated in value - astronomically. when people think about penn's quality (both in terms of neighborhood safety as well as college ranking), they tend to look at its previous underperformance - things change, people need to deal with that and stop looking down their noses at a school that has far evolved beyond its status from 10 years ago.</p>
<p>"Furthermore, I would have to agree that Penn is in a horrible/criminal-based city."
Please don't apply.</p>