Regretting ED

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Pennsylvania
1

<p>I thought I did love Penn before and after I had applied ED. However, now that I've been accepted, there's a feeling of regret. I really hope this thread can help me remind my why I applied ED to Penn and assuage some fears that I have.
Reasons for my regret are: </p>

<p>1) The competition. I've been accepted to Wharton, and now that I've looked further into some CC threads about the grading, I'm really hesitant about whether I'll enjoy that. There seems to be more grade deflation in Wharton, and that kinda freaks me out. For me, learning is mostly about myself, and I don't want that to be overshadowed by the fact that the person next to me determines the fate of my grade in a class. Furthermore, I'm not beginning to look forward to MGMT 100 where your peers sometimes unfairly grade you. I like the idea of helping those in the Philly community, but I don't like how your grade is once again in the hands of your peers. I'm just worried that I'll get placed in a group with people who'll do secret deals with one another about how they'll grade. </p>

<p>2) The student atmosphere. I initially was in love with Stanford and its weather and students, but that had changed once I visited Penn. Now that I'm accepted, I'm wondering whether the atmosphere will be as warm and as friendly as I had thought it would be. I want to be with people who are laid-back, friendly, nonjudgemental, and unpretentious. While a majority of the Penn students that I've met seem nice, I'm wondering whether that's still true for the majority of the Wharton kids. </p>

<p>3) The pre-professionalism. Especially for Wharton. I realize that not all Wharton kids go into finance and work on Wall Street, but I feel like I'm still bound to go down a certain path for a career. I'm into the performing arts, and I'm still deciding on whether I want to pursue a career as a performer/actor. I'm guess I'm longing for that freedom to still have options before me. I thought business would give me that freedom, but I'm beginning to doubt that as I think more upon it. </p>

<p>There are hundreds of people out there who would kill to be in my position, but for the moment, I would gladly give it away to still have the chance to apply to more colleges. I'm wondering if applying ED was a serious mistake and that Stanford and some other California schools were really my top choices after all.</p>

2

<p>Welcome to the world of many people who decided to go to Penn (or any school). You must realize that you will never find the <em>perfect</em> place for you unless you make the school and students yourself. There will be things about Penn that you don’t like, but there will be things about any school that you don’t like.</p>

<p>Regarding your fears, they’re normal.</p>

<ol>
<li>You will need to deal with the Wharton curve, but it is not about grade deflation. The curve gives equal numbers of As, Bs and Cs, and your performance still decides your grade. In most instances, the curve helps since your nominal score may be very low, but comparatively you are doing well. Wharton’s core courses all have this curve as a way of protecting students; if everyone gets As, it would be very difficult for employers to see who the best of the best are. </li>
</ol>

<p>One of the things I have found in situations when others have impact on your grade is that you don’t find the cutthroat nonsense that you might think. Consider this: In a group with peer grading, you know that it is crucial to have a good relationship with your peers; you must identify poor performers and try to help them, for your sake and for your group’s sake; in addition, it’s well documented that individuals are often more difficult on themselves than their peers would be. You stand to benefit from these environments since they teach you what the real world is like. At my company, my bonus is determined partially by my coworkers, and consistently they rate me higher than I rate myself.</p>

<ol>
<li>Penn is a major research university with 20,000 students and more than 60,000 people affiliated at any moment. As such it is IMPOSSIBLE for the entire university to be warm and cuddly. However, what I found was that when all of your peers are coming from different corners of the world, the vast majority of people want to befriend each other. Since everyone is smart, everyone tends to feel dumb compared to everyone else - most people were big fish in small ponds during high school, so when placed next to their equals and superiors, it is sometimes intimidating. That said, Penn has a phenomenal student group system that allows you to find a group of friends to whom you can grow very, very close. Penn doesn’t have the great camaraderie that FBS schools do, since its athletic program is not a major focus, but it is easy to find a great group of friends as longa s you know what to look for.</li>
</ol>

<p>You would never know it by reading these forums, but there is no big dichotomy between Wharton and the rest of Penn. We always joke that Wharton kids can’t read, but it’s okay… we still accept you :stuck_out_tongue: … seriously, though, most Wharton kids are just like everybody else. You will always find exceptions, but I was constantly impressed by how down to earth people were, even when they were brilliant. A freshman hallmate of mine started a bottled water company that now distributes nationwide, but he was human just like the rest of us; similarly, a friend finished with a bachelor’s and a masters in four years with a 4.0 GPA, performed groundbreaking nanotech research, and enjoyed playing beer pong with the rest of us.</p>

<p>Competition at Penn is not like “I’m better than you.” It is, instead, “I want to be as good as you.” This attitude really does lead to collaboration among students. Consider this: when I was applying for jobs through OCR (I graduated CAS, btw), I was in direct competition with hundreds of other students. You might expect a lot of cutthroat behavior, but I experience the opposite. My friends - my competitors - helped me prep for interviews, perfect my resume and write cover letters, and I did the same for them. </p>

<ol>
<li>Penn has a great performing arts scene! With more than 40 independently operated performing arts groups (they receive funding from Penn but are responsible for running themselves), you will be able to find a group (or a few groups!) that fulfill your desire to perform. Two of my friends have actually gone on to perform professionally after graduating from Penn (one was a Wharton grad), so you can still follow your dreams.</li>
</ol>

<p>Penn ain’t perfect, but it was a great experience and hardly as scary as people made it out to be.</p>

3

<p>^ Fantastic post, Chris–you nailed it.</p>

<p>And just to emphasize one of the things that Chris said, the performing arts community at Penn is quite diverse and quite vigorous and, signficantly, quite welcoming of students of all academic stripes. The actual Theatre Arts Program (the theater major at Penn) is small and intimate (only about 30 majors at any given time), so the performing arts community is loaded with non-theatre majors, providing lots of opportunities for all types of students. And, again as Chris indicated, there are a significant number of Penn grads of various academic majors who have gone on to make a mark in the entertainment industry, as performers, directors, producers, theatre heads, studio execs, etc.</p>

<p>And I’ve saved the best news for last–Penn recently initated the Penn Theatre Initiative, with the goal of significantly raising the profile of theatre at Penn:</p>

<p>[Penn</a> Gazette | Penn Theatre: A Work in Three Acts](<a href=“Penn: Page not found”>Penn: Page not found)</p>

<p>[Penn</a> Theatre Initiative](<a href=“Penn Live Arts: University of Pennsylvania”>Penn Live Arts: University of Pennsylvania)</p>

<p>You’re coming to Penn at the right time! :)</p>

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<p>

</p>

<p>^ I honestly don’t know which Penn you attended, but all of that is just plain false!</p>

<p>OP, you probably got the impression that Penn was “warm, fun, and exciting” through an info session/campus tour. LOL. You’ll discover soon enough how it really is here. Just a few out of MANY examples from this semester:</p>

<p><a href=“http://thedp.com/index.php/article/2011/11/armed_robbery_at_41st_chestnut_streets[/url]”>Armed robbery at pizzeria near campus | The Daily Pennsylvanian;

<p><a href=“http://thedp.com/index.php/article/2011/11/armed_robbery_reported_at_1920_commons[/url]”>Armed robbery reported at 1920 Commons | The Daily Pennsylvanian;

<p><a href=“http://thedp.com/index.php/article/2011/08/armed_suspects_reported_near_penn_campus[/url]”>http://thedp.com/index.php/article/2011/08/armed_suspects_reported_near_penn_campus&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>That said, you now have what millions crave for. Be happy for that and stop living in regret.</p>

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<p>As a 2015 ED applicant, I also had second thoughts about applying to Penn. When I arrived here, though…Penn is really a great place. Throughout most of my life I didn’t have that many friends, to be perfectly blunt, but most people I met at Penn are warm, friendly, and fun. I thought I would be homesick, lonely, and bored - and I’m not, every day is engaging and enjoyable for me. I really don’t regret going to Penn, and I truly believe that it is an excellent school. There’s so much to do and I love it here.</p>

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<p>PrincetonDreams, I don’t try to represent Penn as perfect. I almost transferred after freshman year because I had a very difficult time adjusting; I was ready to transfer to Penn State, but my sophomore year was excellent. It took a while to adjust, but in the end, my experience was really pretty excellent.</p>

<p>As for what Penn I attended, I attended one where I got to run a campus organization, perform primary source research (for pay!), travel to seven countries on three continents (for very little money out of pocket), make hilariously awful decisions, rediscover my faith, and, of course, make friends I will never forget. </p>

<p>Lata trollski!</p>

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<p>First off, I am truly sorry that you are feeling this way.</p>

<p>I, too, applied ED to Wharton, and spent the subsequent few weeks regretting my decision. On the Monday before decisions, I considered retracting my application, but…
.
I figured that Penn/Wharton is undeniably a really fantastic school, and that should I be admitted I should at least give it a chance. If you are really unhappy, there are always other options: transferring into CAS, or even transferring to another university, if need be.</p>

<p>I guess what I wanted to say is, for now I think you should feel happy and proud, and look forward to next year! Getting into Wharton is no easy feat, and if the admissions committee felt it was not right for you, they would not have admitted you. I wish you the very best for next year, and congratulations!</p>

8

<p>I was a 2015 ED applicant to Wharton who had similar buyer’s remorse for a little while after the original elation of getting in wore off. It is normal and I can almost promise that it’ll wear off after a bit. Anyone who agrees to contractually attend a school that has such a slim chance of admission and then actually is accepted will wonder where else he/she could’ve been accepted; I think it’s only natural.</p>

<p>You’ve had several lengthy responses so far but I hope I can also help assuage some of your fears. (It’s finals here, so I apologize if I repeat any information they gave you as I don’t quite have the time right now to read the entire thread.)</p>

<p>One topic that I know hasn’t been addressed so far is that of MGMT 100. It really isn’t clear until you’re enrolled in the class but you are in no way graded by your teammates. Twice during the semester you will receive anonymous written feedback from them but your professor, who ultimately grades you, does not see it. The feedback (“feedforward” in Wharton speak) is meant to help you personally improve your performance. Also, the course and the projects are crafted so that they force collaboration; it would be almost impossible for teammates to sabotage each others’ grades without sabotaging their own; I’ve never heard of anything similar going on. Are there students who are apathetic about their teammates? Sure. But overall, the course is a good introduction to the Wharton mindset, which really is well-embodied by the “Business and More” motto.</p>

<p>In regard to your other concerns:</p>

<p>-It might be colder here than in CA, but this year especially, Philly has been very mild and campus is compact enough that if you don’t want to spend long blocks of time outdoors in the winter, it is never necessary.</p>

<p>-Penn is more pre-professional than most universities like it, but there is also considerable room for intellectual exploration. I doubt that I will ever have a semester with only business classes and more than 900 undergrads are currently pursuing degrees in more than one of the four undergraduate schools here. (There was an article about it in the Daily Pennsylvanian today that you’d probably be able to find online.) Penn and Wharton both stress an interdisciplinary education that, if you wanted it to, could lead to a career as an academe or actor/director/producer just as easily as a career as a doctor, lawyer or consultant. </p>

<p>-The curve exists, yes, but especially during freshman year you will only be grateful for it. Your perception of a good grade will change when you get here but you will still be able to succeed academically, as well. The curve shouldn’t be a major concern.</p>

<p>I’d be open to answering more questions if you have them, so please feel free to message me! And in the meantime, remember that what you’re feeling isn’t abnormal. I promise you that living the Penn experience is every bit as incredible and rewarding as you imagined it would be when you signed the ED contract.</p>

9

<p>I really can’t relate to the OP, because UPenn is my dream school. I am so thrilled to be part of the Class of 2016! And I completely agree that no school is going to be absolutely perfect…but Penn is pretty dang close IMO… :D</p>

<p>Oh, and @PrincetonDreams: You’re such a ■■■■■. bahahaha</p>

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<p>Falltime:</p>

<p>Management 100: you will be placed with colleagues not of your choosing and sent to perform an extremely difficult assignment. You will be worried about back-stabbing and failure to execute the assignment. Welcome to the world of business.</p>

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<p>

</p>

<p>You will be spending a lot of time with your teammates, and they will become your friends. Friends don’t backstab each other. My team, and every other team in my lecture, would never think of sabotaging each other on performance reviews. </p>

<p>I will note that perhaps our lecture was an anomaly because our professor referred to us as her “love class.”</p>

<p>Plus, you have to realize that the TAs and professor get to see a lot of what you do - the TA especially. They know if someone’s giving you a hard time on a performance review.</p>

<p>Finally, performance reviews are taken into consideration for both an individual score and a team score. If teammates are ripping into everybody on their performance reviews, it will give off a bad team vibe, causing a bad team score.</p>

<p>In short, nobody actually backstabs in MGMT 100.</p>

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<p>Do you have an general idea of what sat scores( combined and single) can get the ED of U PENN.</p>

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<p>This is such a sad thread. so many rejectees would die to have an ED spot. Come on, its penn!! you’ll love it :slight_smile: hurrah hurrah pennsylvania!</p>

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<p>

There is no specific cut-off for SAT scores at Penn or any other top school–SAT scores are merely one factor in the admissions process. That being said, the average combined SAT score for applicants admitted through ED this year was 2172:</p>

<p>[The</a> Daily Pennsylvanian :: Early decision admit rate drops slightly](<a href=“http://thedp.com/index.php/article/2011/12/early_decision_admit_rate_drops_slightly]The”>http://thedp.com/index.php/article/2011/12/early_decision_admit_rate_drops_slightly)</p>

<p>Also, the middle 50% ranges (25th percentile through 75th percentile) of the individual SATs for those students enrolled in the Class of 2015, can be found here (scroll down):</p>

<p>[Penn</a> Admissions: Incoming Class Profile](<a href=“http://www.admissions.upenn.edu/profile/]Penn”>http://www.admissions.upenn.edu/profile/)</p>