what is the Penn social life like? Is it run by the fraternities or any particular group? How does the staff at penn help incoming freshman adjust to college life at the campus? What is their advising system like and their involvement in the students’ class decisions? Also what is meant by penn being termed the social Ivy League?
“what is the Penn social life like?”
There are all types of students at Penn, but on average, they tend to be quite sociable.
“Is it run by the fraternities or any particular group?”
No. Greeks are about 30% of the student body. You can go Greek or you can form your own group of friends.
“How does the staff at penn help incoming freshman adjust to college life at the campus?”
There is an extensive NSO (New Student Orientation) that educates new students about college life. This is also a great opportunity to meet as many people as you can.
“What is their advising system like and their involvement in the students’ class decisions?”
Each student is assigned a faulty advisor who will help them with their schedule. You can see a basic schedule for your major and the requirements for your major on the website. Use those as a start point, and work from there. They will want to be sure that you are on track toward meeting your requirements, but will also want to you to work in courses you are interested in.
“Also what is meant by penn being termed the social Ivy League?”
It means that Penn tends to attract students who are not only excellent academically, but are also sociable and want to achieve a level of balance and enjoy their four years of college.
Hi there- perhaps my experience as a recent grad will help you out:
What is the Penn social life like?
Penn’s social life is absolutely incredible. Penn has a robust undergraduate population that dominates campus, As a consequence, socializing happens in every corner of University City and beyond. For partiers, Penn is great because it has a nice mix of Fraternities/Sororities, Clubs that throw parties, and all of Philadelphia’s nightlife to entertain its students. The Fraternities and Sororities definitely do not dominate the social scene but rather they provide a great outlet for all students interested in those types of social engagements, even if they don’t pledge. I was not a member of a Greek organization but I benefited immeasurably from having Greeks on campus as I was able to attend their parties, social events, and charity events despite not being a brother or sister to the organization itself. But if a more city oriented night life is what you’re looking for, Philadelphia has everything you could ever want at a much cheaper price than its rival east coast cities. Beyond partying, students socialize in their College Houses, extracurriculars, dining halls and more. Students are constantly getting together to hang around and watch a movie or take a trip to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Philly has an amazing restaurant scene for any foodies out there who want to partake in gourmet cuisine that won’t break the bank. Philly also attracts major musical acts and it is small enough to attend a concert in any part of the city and still make it back home at a reasonable hour. Penn itself throws tons of social events often organized by student government such as Spring Fling, dances, concerts, speakers, and more that all contribute to the social life at Penn. So whether you are looking for a friend to hang out with on College Green while reading a book or hoping to partake in an all night rager downtown, Penn has a social scene for everyone that is not dominated by any particular type of environment.
Is it run by the fraternities or any particular group?
Absolutely not! Penn students take their classes, extracurriculars, and social lives very seriously which means that everyone is involved in a lot on campus, making it impossible for one subset of the population to control much of anything. There are tons of crosscutting cleavages (to borrow a term from the Poli Sci department) that break up the social scene in a healthy way and make it a truly diverse place in terms of social activities. Again, I wasn’t a part of Greek Life but I benefited from its presence on campus and found many opportunities to make friends and go to parties from a million different organizations. Clubs from the debate team to the Chinese students association hold social events that are open to all undergrads and welcome their presence at these events. And don’t forget that you will be in a College House which will holds tons of social events from dinners paid for by the university both on campus and out in Philadelphia as well as simpler social gatherings for movies, hall activities, and more. And the lounges and libraries in each hall provide common spaces for students to meet one another and make friends. You will never be lacking for plans at Penn!
How does the staff at Penn help incoming freshman adjust to college life at the campus? What is their advising system like and their involvement in the students’ class decisions?
When you are accepted to Penn (in the college of Arts and Sciences) you are assigned a pre-major advisor, a college office advisor, and a peer advisor who will contact you over the summer as you start to plan your academic calendar. They help you choose classes, handle the distribution requirements of the university, and learn about the academic opportunities available to you at Penn. You retain these advisors for all four years and they are outstanding resources as you continue to broaden your education with more classes and interests. At the same time, you will be placed in a College house with a Resident Advisor, Faculty Master and House Dean all of whom are outstanding resources to help in the adjustment process. They can be helpful in terms of learning about academics, social life, dorm living, Philadelphia and more. Upon matriculating, students are immediately given the resources they need to succeed through their formal advisors and campus hubs such as the Weingarten Learning Center which can provide extra help for students looking for those resources. Once students declare a major, they are given a major advisor who is added on top of all of the other advisors they have and this individual will help students navigate the course offerings and requirements specific to their chosen departments. Then there is the office of student affairs which is full of individuals committed to student life and advising students who are facing any number of challenges on campus from social life to extraccuriculars and more. Additionally, there are research advisors in the Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships (CURF) who will help you if you are interested in research or applying to the Rhodes, Gates, Marshall scholarships or others. Essentially, there is an advisor or administrator at every turn who is dedicated to your success as a student but they can only help you if you are willing to ask for the help you need. Thus, students are easily integrated into Penn life and are helped at every step of the way and even after they graduate! While Career Services was an indispensable resource full of advisors who helped me plan my Job search and application process during my years at Penn, they still email out job opportunities, fellowships and offer services to Penn Alums in the professional world. Additionally, if I choose to go to grad school, I can work with them to prepare my application, even though I have graduated. Penn advising is comprehensive and lasts a life time.
Also what is meant by Penn being termed the social Ivy League?
Penn is the Social Ivy because of its emphasis on balance between school and social life. Students take their social lives very seriously here and they recognize they are here to benefit from one another both intellectually and socially. That means that outward and negative competition between students is kept to a minimum while support for one another and collaboration is common and encouraged. Students here like to have a good time and recognize that the connections they build here will serve them well in the future. You can get a rigorous education at many schools throughout the country but you cannot always find 2400 like-minded new friends that want an intense education without the pretension so often associated with the pseudo-intellectuals of the Ivy League. Students at Penn aren’t ostentatious about their intelligence because no one wants to hang out with someone who doesn’t know when to turn off class-mode and turn on friend-mode. Students know when to put down the books and just have a good time even though they’re working incredibly hard. It means that students may even need to work harder at Penn to keep all of the balls they are juggling in the air. But the supportive environment and emphasis on student collaboration makes it possible to be fulfilled socially as well as academically. So you won’t see many Penn students skipping that lunch date they planned a month in advance because they know its an integral part of their education as well.
Hope that helps! Happy to answer more questions.