<p>Would someone who knows the answers to the questions, any of them please respond. I have 2 weeks to make my decision, and I’d like some answers before I committ. </p>
<p>I was accepted to the SEAS-Bioengineering at Penn and just visited for the accepted students day. I was very impressed by the well roundedness of the program and the students involved. Here are some questions I had though.</p>
<li><p>Is there really a good mix of students like there seemed to be when I visited, or are most/some computer nerds? (Please be honest, I don’t like anime, magic cards, or gaming 24/7) What is the actual gender breakdown for bioengineering as well as engineering as a whole?</p></li>
<li><p>The number of students at Penn seems huge compared to other schools I applied, What is it really like. It must be overwhelming.</p></li>
<li><p>How demanding are the classes? It seems like 6 hour labs and a 2.3 GPA average could be a bit crazy?</p></li>
<li><p>How much computer aided design can/will I be doing in bioengineering? Any?</p></li>
<li><p>The new bioengineering building? Will it be up in time for my first engineering class? How many classrooms/labs will be in it?</p></li>
<li><p>Would Hill Hall be the best housing option as a freshman due to the location? Would you recommend any others? What about Stauffer-Mayer hall? </p></li>
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<p>Penn is one of my top 2 choices as I finalize my decision. I am a bit concerned about a Liberal Arts Vs Pure Engineering education. I can see the pros and cons of both. Will I still get the sense of community and at least some of the breadth of a liberal arts education, or will this feel like a huge shock, like I’m missing that undergraduate education type deal?</p>
<p>Sorry for so many questions, but I am really trying to think this all through. Thank you very much.</p>
<p>1 & 2. The nice thing about the large student body is that it is possible to find your own group of people, a group of people that you like and share your interest. The undergraduate student body is almost 10,000.</p>
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<li>Doesn't really matter. The campus really isn't that big. Besides, you will most likely take a couple of college courses to fulfill requirements first year.</li>
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<p>As for the rest of your questions, it is better if an engineer answer.</p>
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<li><p>Yes, there is a good mix of students. Lots of kids study a lot, but most also know how to have a good time. Bioengineering is, I'd guess, 35% female, 65% male, with a growing number of women.</p></li>
<li><p>There are a lot of people here. You can easily get lost in the crowd. But you can make yourself known to profs by interacting w/ them during office hours and such.</p></li>
<li><p>You get used to the demand of classes pretty quickly. Labs aren't too bad, some are hard but mostly laid back. It's good to get lots of hands-on experience. The only reason for low GPA's is the level of competition. You soon learn that GPA is not everything.</p></li>
<li><p>I've only had 1 class of BE, but we used computer design programs quite often. During our first semester, we had to design a bioengineering device for use by an athlete.</p></li>
<li><p>Yes it will. It should be done by early 2006 and you probably won't have classes in it until sophomore year. I hope it's done by next year so I can be one of the first classes to use it (I'm currently a frosh). It'll hold classrooms and labs, not sure of the exact number.</p></li>
<li><p>Hill has lots of engineers and a great sense of community. I live in Mayer and enjoy it (tons of room!) but there's absolutely no social aspect to it at all. </p></li>
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<p>Are you talking about BE100? Oh come on.. that class was a joke.</p>
<p>Anyway,</p>
<p>BE is the most competitive because of all the pre-meds that opt to do the BAS. True, they do most of the group work for you, but that's just the labs. You'll be taking intro bio, biochem, physiology, biomechanics, etc with alot of the premeds. </p>
<p>The 6 hour labs have been scaled down to 3 hours, and the rest of the time you get time to start/work on your lab report. There's a lab report due every week. From what I've heard, labs usually consist of measuring stress/strain of various materials (for example, there's a chicken skin lab).</p>
<p>I personally love the sense of community I've found at Penn.. I really don't think there are many other places like it. </p>
<p>As for the engineering vs liberal arts.. Penn probably has more flexibility in its degrees than some other engineering school. Also take a look at the BAS degree if you want something slightly less techical.</p>
<p>And to put in my two cents on Hill, i love it! It wasn't any of my choices originally (I had wanted quad) but it's turned out amazing.. and plus, engineering is like 5 feet away and you really can't beat that on a cold, snowey morning</p>
<p>mnasy I'm not an engineer, but I'm thinking I want to put Hill single dorm as my first choice. Good idea? Seems like a good mixture of social life and privacy for me.</p>
<p>I don't get the privacy? Are you anticipating a private room? Hill House has a dining hall which is convenient.....you don't have to go outside to eat!!! You can store your bike inside also.</p>
<p>Honestly, I think a single room would be absolutely fine. I had a roomate inititally who moved out the first day (got a room in the Quad), so I had a single for 3 weeks and loved it. Then I got my current roomate who I love as well, so it's really a trade off. Sometimes it is nice to have someone there, but Hill is so social that you won't be in any way cut off. And it is nice to have a little of that privacy sometimes, as well as the choice on when to go to bed, wake up and stuff like that.</p>
<p>College is an education that includes more than academic learning. Self discovery, social interraction, leadership, membership......there is so much more than class and studying.</p>
<p>i got into Tufts too, for the same major as Alafleur. But i've decided to do Penn BE because:
1. Some Tufts alumni (who did sci / or engineering) told me that Tufts lacks many things (materials), unlike more prestigious places. </p>
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<li><p>two college guide books i've read (princeton review's and Fisk's) say that Tufts is not at all a party school, but Penn is (say, the whole community). </p></li>
<li><p>Penn as a whole is liberal arts, and Penn offers many combined degree programs i might be interested in.</p></li>
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<p>I'm also a prefrosh in bioengineering. GPA is apparently a large part of what colleges consider in your application to grad school, especially for those of us who plan to be premeds. Still, if you have a decent GPA, you're a shoe-in for Penn graduate school and that's one of the best in the country. I don't know about you, but that's what I'm aiming for. Anyway, I'm giving up Duke for Penn, so Tufts is nothin' man. Hope to see you next year :)</p>