scared about not fitting in

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Pennsylvania
1

<p>Hi, I guess I was wondering if anyone could give me any advice.</p>

<p>Right now I'm trying to decide whether or not accept my offer of admission to Penn.</p>

<p>I lived on the campus for 3 weeks last summer. I know I love the school, the campus, and the city. I truly feel as though it is a fantastic fit for me.</p>

<p>However, I have a few reservations.</p>

<p>First of all, I'm very shy. I love participating in things, but for some reason I'm just really awful at talking to people. From all the talk about Penn being the "social Ivy," I'm scared I won't fit in. I also don't drink at all and don't plan to. </p>

<p>I am also concerned because I think I want to go into bioengineering. Right now, my other college choice is Georgia Tech. Penn is ranked #10 in the country for bioengineering... while Tech is #2. Penn is #23 for engineering overall, while Tech is #4. </p>

<p>I WANT to go to Penn, but I can't seem to justify it. This sounds silly (and probably somewhat stupid) but can anyone tell me what the school is REALLY like? I've read basically every college review site I can find and googled the subject to death, but all the information I find is so conflicting (some people say Penn is great and intellectual, and others describe it as a party school...)</p>

2

<p>First, don’t worry about not fitting in. While Penn’s stereotype is the social ivy, there are about 10,000 undergrads, and not all of them go out and drink on weekends. You will find friends, they just might not fit into the school’s stereotype. Second, while Georgia Tech is higher ranked, rankings aren’t everything. Penn’s SEAS is well respected and you won’t be at a sizable disadvantage for going to Penn. Also, if you decide to change majors (which many engineers do), you will have Penn’s CAS to fall back on. Both schools are great, this is just some food for thought.</p>

3

<p>Isn’t Penn’s BE program ranked number 7, tied with Stanford?</p>

4

<p>I chose Penn! :)</p>

5

<p>Congrats! And enjoy the next four years (and after)! :)</p>