<p>In addition to all you prospies, lots of current Penn students browse the boards. I (and hopefully we) will do our best to answer any questions you might have!</p>
<p>For the record, I'm a sophomore, male, bio major. I have taken a lot of pre med classes and have gone some of the pre med advising. I do research with a professor and I am involved in various campus organizations. I don't know as much about Wharton/Nursing, but hopefully some students from those schools will step up and answer your questions.</p>
<p>Hey biomajor! Thanks so much for making this thread. I have a lot of questions that I’d like to ask, actually. </p>
<p>Mainly, I want to ask about the course selection process. How does it work (basics is fine)? Also, when do students start to really get involved in campus organizations or activities? </p>
<p>First I would like to thank you for taking the time to start a thread like this. I have a question about the VAGELOS SCHOLARS Program in Molecular Life Sciences. I looked over the Penn web page for the program description and it said that although it is a mainly research based program, it does fill Med School credit requirements. Now my question is that is the Vagelos scholars program truly advantageous for pre-med students?</p>
<p>@ course selection: In August, you will speak to your advisor over the phone. They will email you to arrange this. You will let them know your interests and they might suggest other courses you should take. Usually freshmen take a freshman seminar, a writing seminar, a course that interests them in their major, and something else (a pre-med requirement, another interesting course, a language). Your advisor will then take you off “Registration hold” and you will be able to rank your courses on Penn In Touch. The process is fairly simple and there is this awesome tool that allows you to create a Mock Schedule. This will all seem less confusing once you have a Pennkey and can see the setup on PennInTouch. For now, you can browse the course requirements [College</a> Curriculum - Course Listing](<a href=“http://fission.sas.upenn.edu/col/genreq/index.php]College”>http://fission.sas.upenn.edu/col/genreq/index.php) and you can browse the course catalogue to see what classes you might like to take.</p>
<p>@ Vagelos: I’m not in Vagelos and I don’t know very much about it except that it is hard. I am pre-med though, and have witnessed first hand how challenging science courses are at Penn. I imagine it’s very hard to balance the Vagelos courses, but of course if you do well in them it gives you an edge in medical school admissions (you graduate with 2-3 degrees!) As you probably know, there are many parts to medical school admissions (great gpa, stellar extracurriculars, research experience, strong interpersonal skills, MCAT). If I were you, I would contact Penn or the Vagelos program directly and ask to speak to a student representative who can tell you a little more about the pros and cons of the program.</p>
<p>@ activities: Some students get involved right away. Others take more time to get settled (I started the activities I am heavily involved in during my freshman spring). There will be a big activities fair during new student orientation on Locust Walk. Hundreds of student organizations will be present and it’s easy to put your name on dozens of email listservs. I recommend checking out the student activities website and having a plan (it’s kind of chaotic at the fair) but also being open to other organizations. Don’t necessarily think the things you did in high school will be what you do in college. And perhaps most of all - don’t overcommit!</p>
<p>Re: Vagelos Program in Molecular and Life Sciences… this is a very heavily research based program originally intended more for people interested in graduate study in research fields (chemistry and biochemistry). Vag scholars all participate in original research during the summers preceding their junior and senior years, and many elect to pursue a Master’s along with their Bachelor’s degrees. With that said, Vag students still have free electives such that they can pursue anything from a minor or two to a second major to a second degree in another school. The classes the students take have a lot of overlap with the Pre-Med requirements, so you could pretty easily get those requirements out of the way. </p>
<p>Re. Activities… Biomajor is pretty spot on with his response, but to add on to that, before you come to campus, you will get information about “CampusExpress,” which is a website you can use to order parking passes, laptops, apparel, etc. You can also visit a section of the website dedicated to activities, in which you can select groups or categories of activities which interest you. Groups are forwarded this information and can then contact you with ways to get involved. The Performing Arts Council specifically uses this as a way to contact incoming freshmen since there are more than forty (!) performing arts groups on campus. You can get super involved really at any point during your college career. My personal path went like this… Glee Club and Club Swimming to start out (was on a ton of listservs); added Pennchants, dropped club swimming in late September; dropped Pennchants after first semester freshman year; started attending Newman Center events at the beginning of sophomore year, also joined the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity; got a job second semester sophomore year; led a Newman sponsored weekend retreat first semester of this year… that means that as of now I’m involved in Glee Club, my job, a fraternity and the Newman Center; I have leadership positions in three of those four activities… and it wasn’t difficult to do that at all!! :)</p>
<p>Just wanted to offer my knowledge. I’m currently in the program and chrisw and biomajor5 have definitely covered all the basic points. It is a very intense program (notorious for people dropping out…) and it is heavily geared towards those who have an interest in pursuing biochem/chem research. It is true, though, that there are some individuals who come out of the program to go to Med School. However, Vagelos is definitely not the easiest way to get to Med School. On top of regular pre-med reqs, you are required to take higher level physics and chemistry courses (see the Vagelos website and the course layout for all four academic years for more info). The program basically doesn’t touch any actual biology courses (not counting biophys, biochem). In addition, you are required to work in a lab over the summer for research experience. I would think twice about joining the program solely because you think it would look good for med school. However, if you have a real interest in biochem/chemistry, then come and join us!</p>
<p>Thanks for all the detailed responses thus far! I’m a Wharton student looking into an accounting concentration, or perhaps international business. </p>
<p>Keeping on activities, is it hard to balance more than 2 extracurricular activities (like maybe 3-4)? I’m pretty set on trying to join badminton and Wharton Asia Exchange, but there are a couple more things that I’m interested in possibly doing. But I really do want enough time to study and keep my GPA fairly decent since I have a scholarship with a minimum GPA requirement. </p>
<p>Secondly, are there not too many students taking two language classes? I possibly have two languages that I’m interested in learning, but I’m wondering if doing two may be a little difficult. How many semesters of a language do you need to fulfill the minimum Wharton requirement, or to fulfill the requirement to study abroad?</p>
<p>Lastly, is it difficult to maintain a 3.7+ GPA in Wharton? I’m sure the courses are rigorous… but exactly how rigorous? (How much time does the average Wharton student invest on studying?) I’m looking to work in a Big 4 accounting firm; I’ve talked with some employees at PricewaterhouseCoopers and they said they strongly prefer applicants to have 3.7+ GPAs.</p>
<p>@ Extracurriculars (3-4): Yes, very difficult with a GPA that high. I suppose it depends on what extracurriculars. Sports, theater, student government, greek life tend to be the most time consuming. You should definitely not overextend if you have a minimum GPA requirement in your program - you don’t want to dig yourself out of a hole.</p>
<p>@ Languages: You can totally take two languages. I know someone taking three.
The Wharton requirement is four semesters, and they can be taken pass/fail.</p>
<p>@Wharton GPA: Any Wharton students care to answer this?</p>
<p>Could somebody elaborate on the Residential Programs? I don’t know much about them, only that the housing is based on interests. Are there specific pros/cons worth mentioning? Thanks!</p>
<p>I’m a Wharton student but only a freshman (with only 1 semester under my belt). However, I’ll give it a try:</p>
<p>I saw somewhere that the average graduating Wharton GPA is ~ 3.5. Furthermore, there is a tendency to do worse your first two years than your last two years because introductory courses have worse curves.</p>
<p>From my experience, it all depends on your high school preparation. I came from a very strong public school with a 7 AP course schedule senior year. I was in great shape with the workload and rigor. I know a kid dropping down to 4 courses per semester next semester because he (self-admittedly) was not well prepared by his high school.</p>
<p>I say it can be done with a strong work ethic and prior planning. Make sure you play to your strengths whenever possible but also, explore a little! </p>
<p>btw yuenie, it seems you are looking at consulting as a prospective career. Join the Wharton Undergraduate Consulting Club; we do some pretty cool stuff.</p>
<p>Also, if someone can say something about the safety of the college houses (which are the safest, etc.) that would be great! I assume off-campus housing is generally less safe, but are there variations within the college housing system? Thanks!</p>
<p>I doubt any variation between on-campus housing. You are perfectly secure in your dorm as long as you don’t do something dumb like leave your door open while you’re not in the room but your laptop is.</p>
<p>@ res programs: I live in a residential program. It is unique because it is a for-credit program. There are a variety of programs to choose from, though, with a range of requirements and time commitments. You can read about the programs in detail here: [Residential</a> Programs: A-Z](<a href=“http://www.collegehouses.upenn.edu/residentialprograms/index.html]Residential”>http://www.collegehouses.upenn.edu/residentialprograms/index.html)
Residential programs are a great way to get into houses, but do not apply for a program just to get into a specific house if the program doesn’t interest you at all. As a person who is reviewing applications for my res program for next year, they will be able to tell on your application. </p>
<p>Sometimes Penn housing can be overwhelming and isolated (especially in high rises, or sometimes even on halls in the quad). If being surrounded by a group of students with similar interests appeals to you, definitely consider applying!</p>
<p>@ safety college houses: I don’t think there are any differences - all dorms have a guard at the door 24 hours a day/7 days a week. You cannot enter a dorm without your Penncard AND punching in the last four digits of your social security number. You cannot enter a dorm that is not yours after…some hour… (midnight?) The only things that really happen within dorms are over breaks when morons leave their doors unlocked. Or during spring fling in the quad.</p>
<p>Off campus living is about as safe as on campus living. I have a front door which defaults to the locked position and my bedroom door which I can (but never do) lock. In the near off campus areas, you are covered by Philly police, Penn police, Penn security and University City security… it’s pretty darn safe. My house for next year also includes a security system, so that’s just another layer. You’re not going to be at risk in your residence unless you move to 50th and Market!</p>
<p>Great, thanks guys!
I’ve a question about dining. Are the dining locations open on weekends? Or can we only use our plans on weekdays?</p>
<p>Another question: My financial aid package also requires me to get a work-study job. Can i start contacting supervisors now and, for lack of a better term, reserve a spot, or should I start when the new school year begins?</p>
<p>Re Dining: Most of the dining halls are open on weekends (I believe King’s Court may be the one that is closed). However, there are different hours of operation. </p>
<p>Re Work-study: A lot of people I know got into work-study once the school year began. I think most individuals looking for work-study students advertise about positions during this time period. Not quite sure though; you could contact Penn’s Student employment office.</p>
<p>@ penn course review: it differs by the course. Sometimes they write summaries, sometimes the ratings are useless. There is also PennCourseReviewED, ratemyprofessor, and of course, word of mouth. </p>
<p>@ roommates: they match you pretty randomly (the survey is literally two questions - are you kosher? are you an early riser?). Usually roommates work out fine, but I heard horror stories and last year, I decided to hunt one down online and it worked out wonderfully. We thought we’d be compatible, put each other down to be roommates, and we had no problems throughout the year. To answer your question - yes you can put down someone you know and you will be matched with them. It’s up to you. Also, there are singles.</p>