DD is a freshman in Penn SEAS, and is having a good year overall. However, for incoming freshman and parents, I have to say that of all the benefits of attending Penn, the one that stands out for her above all others has to be her Faculty Advisor.
Her Faculty Advisor has been at Penn for a very long time and it seems that there is nothing that she can experience that he has not seen before. He meets with her 2 or 3 times a month individually for coffee, and they discuss her interests, classes, possible research opportunities, potential summer positions, grades, challenges etc. He is amazingly astute, incredibly helpful and has guided her in making good decisions. First semester she called him on a Friday and was unhappy about one of her classes, he offered to meet her at 5pm on a Friday to discuss it and find a better fit for her. They talked about it and she was moved to a different class by the following Tuesday.
When she was considering schools, I did not even realize that Penn students have individual Faculty Advisors. In her case, he has been absolutely amazing, insightful and helpful. His guidance has made her entire experience better in many ways.
Just another benefit to be aware of. I did not know that they did this until she got there.