I’ve recently been admitted to Penn, and plan to study in the College of Arts and Sciences. I’m worried about the rigor of an Ivy League curriculum, specifically core classes. I will most likely be pursuing a degree in Liberal Arts, so the curriculum will be different than a math or engineering degree, but I’m still intimidated. Can any current students or alums comment on the curriculum? Is it do-able? Will I spend all of my four years consumed by work and stress? Many thanks
Penn would not have admitted you if they had any doubts about your ability to thrive w/ regards to the curriculum at Penn. They have been doing this for a very long time and are experts in it by now. You were chosen over many many other qualified applicants for many reasons all of which indicated your ability to succeed at Penn. Relax and trust them and most importantly trust yourself. You will do just fine. You’ve got this!!
@Runswimyoga “Penn would not have admitted you if they had any doubts about your ability to thrive w/ regards to the curriculum at Penn.”
I completely agree with this.
It will definitely be doable, and you are going to learn a lot, but it will be work. The fact that you are concerned about the rigor tells me that you are wise and well chosen. I think the student who is going to struggle is the one viewing an Ivy acceptance as a reward and shows up ready to party. The students like to have fun, but they are world class.
Also keep in mind that students should not expect to have a perfect or near perfect gpa like they did in high school. That can come as a shock to many. I think that average gpa is about 3.4 and lower than that in engineering. Remember that is the average so half of the students are lower.
Showing up prepared to get off to a strong start academically should reduce your stress. Getting off to a slow start with a bunch of Cs and trying to come from behind can be stressful.
"Take the hardest classes you are capable of taking so that you appeal well to grad schools and those who are hiring.
Undergrad is only 4 years of your life. Do not take it for granted and be grateful for the opportunities that were given to you. Do NOT slack off."
I have to say that I do not entirely agree with this. I agree that you should not slack off, but priorities are a different thing. To some extent, priorities are dictated by your major. If you are focused on grad school or medical school, you may need to focus on your grades more.
However, ideally, I would prefer to see a student get actively involved in clubs, attend speakers on campus, have friends and some social balance, and generally taking full advantage of the amazing experiences that Penn offers that go way beyond the class room. I am not saying grades don’t matter, but I am saying that they are not everything, and there are many experiences offered that would look good on a resume other than your gpa. I would not want to give those experiences up because you spent 4 years defending a 3.9 gpa unless there is a very specific reason for doing that. As someone one told me, “Don’t let your grades get in the way of getting a good education.” Maybe a 3.5 gpa with a good level of involvement is just as good or better than a 3.9 without it. Just something for you to consider.
First, start freshman year with a reasonable schedule. Don’t “skip” too much even if you took AP classes - because everyone else took them, too. I promise you won’t be bored because the approach, the pace, and the style are likely to be very different from what you’re used to.
Second, check out RateMyProfessor - take it with a huge grain of salt, but if all reviews are bad for the intro course, stay away (for instance - some profs are excellent at teaching high-level seminars but not so good for frosh lecture. And yes, while the norm is mixed review, sometimes you do have unanimity ;).)
Third, as a college student, your job will not be to just go to class and do hw/prep/research. You’ll have to include office hours as “par for the course” (when you read and during the lecture, write down questions you have about the material, either because you’re curious and want to know more, or because you didn’t really get it - then ask the questions during office hours) and organize study groups or attend workshops. Those aren’t just for remediation, but necessary tools at your disposal to ensure optimal learning. Use them. You wouldn’t believe how many don’t.
All in all, a university as selective as Penn wouldn’t have admitted you if they weren’t sure you could do the job. They could choose anyone, and they chose you. There’s a reason. 
Congratulations on your acceptance and enjoy the end of Senior Year!
I’ve found that, if you believe in your abilities, you can pull off both a stellar GPA while being very active in the community. I actually had a below average unweighted GPA during high school before I came to Penn, but have come out of my first semester with a 4.0 (without cop-out classes) while being even more active in extracurriculars in college than I was in high school.
I feel as if a lot of students with perfect GPAs in high school perhaps weren’t challenged enough, and as a result, find it shocking that it’s not as easy to get perfect grades at a highly competitive school like Penn. If you’re already attuned to a really difficulty workload, or at least if you put yourself in the mindset of never underestimating any particular class, then you’ll do fine. It’s not as hard as it seems to beat the curve – it all comes down to whether you have the motivation to put in that little extra bit of effort.
And finally, congratulations! Penn is a fantastic school, and you’ll find the experience to be both enlightening and rewarding. If you’re going the liberal arts path, do expect quite a bit of grunt work. For math-related classes, most of the work you’ll be putting in is simply thinking, working through problems and understanding the material on a deeper conceptual level. For liberal arts classes, it’s more grunt work. Definitely not as strenuous on the noggin, but a bit more of a time commitment just in terms of tangible workload.
@TheMC “have come out of my first semester with a 4.0”
Congratulations! I am glad that you were able to achieve that. However, it is not realistic for most students to maintain a 4.0. That is especially true in hard sciences, or engineering where students tend to have higher stats and the average grade tends to be lower.
If you can achieve a balance and a perfect gpa that is great, but do not define yourself by your gpa. For the vast majority of students, this will only lead to disappointment and frustration. If the average freshman had a 3.94 gpa in high school and the average Penn gpa is 3.4, and the average SEAS gpa is 3.2, then it is a certainty true that the vast majority of incoming students will have a significantly lower gpa than in the past. Students with realistic expectations will handle this situation much better.
For example, a SEAS student that maintains a 3.5 gpa should realize the they are doing very well. I can understand a student getting a 3.5 gpa and wanting to improve it, but I can’t understand that student feeling like a failure because their grades are lower than in high school. That would make no sense.