<p>Hi,</p>
<p>I got accepted into Penn and am currently an international student. This may sound very foreign, but i always pictured US college parties like the ones in movies/tv shows where the frat hosts ridiculous parties on campus and everybody goes wild.</p>
<p>To what extent is this true in Penn, I've heard its the most sociable Ivy, but wanted some advice from current/former students</p>
<p>Compared to state schools, our partying is nothing and not as intense at all. If you didn’t party much in high school (like me), the parties at Penn may seem “wild” as you’ve seen in movies/tv shows, but only because you’ve never been to one before. Regardless of where you go, there will always be college parties, so that is an inescapable factor. That being said, frats do hold a lot of parties. Are people acting like animals and swinging from chandeliers? No. But are people drinking, dancing, etc.? Yes. If frat parties aren’t your cup of tea, that is perfectly fine because there are many other things you can do! Only about 30% of students are in Greek life, but it may seem like everyone is in Greek life at times because I’d say the people who are in frats/sororities are pretty vocal/intense about it. Penn is diverse enough that you will find people who don’t want to go to parties! :)</p>
<p>I’d say that yes, Penn frat parties are closer to the Animal House stereotype than one would expect (without the breaking stuff part) from an Ivy, although you should consider that Animal House was based on Dartmouth’s Delta Upsilon chapter haha. If that’s not for you, there are great bars on or near campus, a huge selection of amazing BYOs (Charles Plaza essentially allows you to have a fraternity rager in their restaurant), and a great downtown club scene.</p>