<p>I've heard a lot of people call University of Pennsylvania, Penn. However, a lot also call it UPenn.</p>
<p>Is there an "official" term, or is it just a preference?</p>
<p>Which one do you use?</p>
<p>Penn. Use Penn.</p>
<p>In writing, I usually use “UPenn” because it is less often misinterpreted.</p>
<p>It’s Penn. They used to have T shirts “Not Penn State.”</p>
<p>Except for its internet domain, the university refers to itself as “Penn,” and not “UPenn.” This can be seen on all school-emblazoned clothing and paraphernalia sold in the bookstore, on pages throughout the university’s web site, and on all university letterhead, publications, etc.</p>
<p>Also, those affiliated with the school (students, alumni, etc.) generally refer to it as “Penn.”</p>
<p>use upenn to avoid confusion with those not familiar with ivy league. otherwise, it’s penn for anyone in the know.</p>
<p>Penn is “formal”</p>
<p>I attended a info session and like the first thing the adcom said to us was, “Please, use Penn, not Upenn.” The local secondary school committee chair also said Penn is preferred.</p>
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<p>They also own the penn.edu domain. I do hope they’d get around to switching over someday…</p>
<p>For those on campus, from what I remember, the manhole covers often had “U of P” emblazoned on them. My undergrad had “U of C” on the manhole covers, and this moniker for some reason stuck with the school. Kids at Chicago often say they go to U of C. I wonder why U of P never caught on at Penn? </p>
<p>I figure the U of P moniker could lead to much less confusion with Penn State than the current Penn/Penn State issue, and would seem preferred to UPenn, since the school seems to disfavor the name UPenn.</p>
<p>Maybe because UOP commonly refers to University of the Pacific (in Stockton, CA, no less, nowhere near the Pacific!), or maybe now also to the University of Phoenix. In all matters other than profitability, Penn would probably rather be confused with Penn State.</p>
<p>The domain-name effect is clearly significant. No one in Philadelphia ever talks about “UPenn” – “Penn” is what it is called – but when the online presence is branded “upenn”, ultimately people start to use that. That’s clearly going on at Chicago. Students there use UChicago regularly, not “U of C” or even “Chicago”. It makes a little more sense for them, since “U of C” would be more easily confusable with UIC, their particular bete noir.</p>
<p>Over the years it was always referred to as Penn.</p>
<p>Years ago, Penn state was a national football power. When you told people that you went to Penn, they would assume you meant Penn State. Thus people started to use UPENN.</p>
<p>University of Pennsylvania is much more nationally recognized now than even 10 years ago. Penn State is no longer a football power and there is less confusion.</p>
<p>People have thus gone back to Penn.</p>
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<p>I wish I thought you were kidding.</p>
<p>(1) The University of Pennsylvania is not “much” more nationally recognized now than 10, 20, 30, or 100 years ago. I’m not certain it is even “more” nationally recognized than 10 years ago. It was a big deal then, and remains so.</p>
<p>(2) Penn State started and finished each of the last two football seasons ranked in the top 10 nationally. Its highest mid-season rank in 2009 was 5th in both polls; in 2008, week 10, it was undefeated and 3rd in the AP poll (where it had been for most of the season at that point) and 2nd in the coaches’ poll. It has won two Big 10 championships in the past 5 seasons. Your standards for being a “football power” are pretty tough!</p>
<p><a href=“2”>quote</a> Penn State started and finished each of the last two football seasons ranked in the top 10 nationally. Its highest mid-season rank in 2009 was 5th in both polls; in 2008, week 10, it was undefeated and 3rd in the AP poll (where it had been for most of the season at that point) and 2nd in the coaches’ poll. It has won two Big 10 championships in the past 5 seasons. Your standards for being a “football power” are pretty tough!
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<p>Lol, I was going to say about the same thing.</p>
<p>“Penn” to anyone in the know. The former dean of admissions used to specifically request that you use “Penn” or “University of Pennsylvania”, NOT “U Penn” on application materials. IMO it’s a good idea to show that you know the school well enough to know its accepted nickname if you are applying there.</p>
<p>To All Those offended on my Penn State Comments…I ask your forgiveness.</p>
<p>I have lived in Texas for over ten years and the only college football teams that exist are University of Texas and TCU.</p>
<p>To JHS: Penn was considered one of the Weak Sisters of the Ivies throughout the 1950’s, 60’s, 70’s and into the 80’s. It was not mentioned in the same breath with the Harvards, Yales, Princetons, Stanfords and at that time Dartmouth’s and Amhersts of the world.</p>
<p>The progress of this University and its reputation as well as the popularity among applicants has jumped dramatically in the last 15 years due to the fantastatic leadership of its past two presidents. The Campus has enjoyed explosive growth which continues today with the purchase of the land south of the Palestra. Even the Quad has been extensively rebuilt.</p>
<p>To give you an idea of how things have changed, of the 406 people in my public highschool, 35 were admitted to Penn.</p>
<p>The school is considerably harder to get in to now.</p>
<p>35 kids?!? do you attend one of the best public schools in the nation or something?</p>
<p>It’s seems that those 35 kids were admitted to Penn State. As I know appr. 15 kids are usually admitted to Penn from one of the best board schools - Phillips Academy in Andover, MA</p>
<p>rads: Of the 500 kids in my daughter’s public high school class, 27 enrolled at Penn, and I know at least 5 others who were accepted but went elsewhere. That was 5 years ago. So it was still possible for Penn to admit more than 30 kids from the same school in the pretty recent past. </p>
<p>“Fantastic leadership of its last two presidents”? That’s not the way people talk about Amy Gutmann around here. (It IS the way they talk about Judith Rodin.) There’s no question that Penn is more popular with high school students outside its home region than it was 15 or 20 years ago, and its campus is much, much nicer. But its basic reputation with actual adults back then was very strong, and continues to be strong now.</p>