<p>So I've been accepted to both of these schools, which makes me extraordinarily happy, and I really like the academics at both schools. My questions are about the social life, so if you know a lot about either of these schools, please help me!
At my high school, not a lot of people drink, so while I like to go out and have fun, I'm not a huge partier and I want to stay that way in college. My problem is that UPenn and UChicago don't seem to have a lot of middle ground. Everyone I know at UPenn says it is indeed the "social Ivy," and that Greek Life is huge. They say if you're not the kind of person who drinks and parties a lot, you're either never going to go out and do anything or you're not going to have many friends simply because the people are different and that there isn't middle ground. UChicago, on the other hand, is very academically-focused, and I've heard that it's the opposite of UPenn in that people never do anything fun and it's just cold.
If you know anything about either of these schools (preferably having gone there) and you want ot give your opinion on either or both, please help me! Thank you!</p>
<p>While I cannot speak about UChicago, as a current Penn student, I can tell you that Greek life at Penn is in fact rather prevalent. However, choosing not to participate in the Greek scene will not break your college experience and you most certainly can make friends outside of the scene. I have friends in both major categories, those who drink and those who do not, and they are all amazing, genuine, fun people. Penn students tend to be extroverted, social people, but this does not mean that they drink alcohol. I would say that Penn is better socially. I am biased, though.</p>
<p>With 10,000 undergrads at Penn, there are people who do everything you could possibly imagine socially. While Penn does have a great social scene that includes partying and greek life, it’s absolutely false to say that if you don’t party you won’t have any friends to hang out with. Penn is called the social ivy because there is the fantastic option of going out and partying, but not everyone does it.</p>
<p>^ What he said (as he busily works on his Penn application for Fall 2013 ;)).</p>
<p>And keep in mind that less than 30% of Penn undergrads actually join a frat or sorority. So there are literally thousands of Penn undergrads not participating in Greek life (except for occasionally attending a party). And for those not joining a frat/sorority, the importance of Greek parties to their social lives goes down tremendously after freshman year, as they find/form their social groups and explore the many other social options at Penn and in Philly.</p>
<p>OP, both schools can probably give you what you want, and the extreme stereotypes you mentioned (UChicago - no fun, UPenn - excessive partying) aren’t accurate at all. I know both schools pretty well, so here’s my take: </p>
<p>The schools have different flavors, for sure, but: unlike the situation 10-15 years ago, where this truly would be a case of apples vs. oranges, at heart UPenn and UChicago probably have more similarities than differences nowadays. They offer different flavors of environments, to be sure, but most Penn students would be perfectly happy at Chicago, and vice versa. </p>
<p>It’s worth noting that about 30% of Penn kids are actively involved in frats, and probably another 20-30% are indirectly involved in some way or another (attending frat parties, hanging out at them often, etc). At UChicago, 10% of the student body is involved in greek life. Frats/Sors are increasing in popularity at Chicago, though, and in a few years, this number may be bumped up to ~15% as new frats set up colonies on campus. Frats, though, certainly have a bigger place on UPenn’s campus. </p>
<p>UChicago has a much more prominent “hipster” culture than Penn. A good chunk of Chicago students tend to run in this direction and, at least when I was at Penn, I didn’t see this as much.</p>
<p>Both schools, though, can certainly give you what you want. I do think Penn has a more campus-wide social/partying vibe than Chicago, which can cut both ways. There’s nothing like Spring Fling or Hey Day at Chicago, but, at the same time, Spring Fling and Hey Day or Feb Club aren’t for everyone.</p>
<p>I think Penn is very diverse socially from my experience. I would definitely have fit in at UChicago, I guess people might describe me as a “quirky, intellectual”. However, going to Penn I have met plenty of people like me. I think the environment has also helped me open up a lot. In high school I never went out or partied, but in college I can go to a party and still maintain my identity and intellectual interests.</p>