Hi guys. Penn was my dream school and I got in! Of course I immediately freaked out and posted everywhere that it was my college. However, being the over-thinker that I am, I am having second thoughts. I can’t exactly pinpoint why I am so apprehensive, but if you could share why you love Penn (applicants, students, or alumns) that would be great. Hopefully I will get over my mini breakdown and will see some of you in the fall!
Congratulations! Don’t second guess now – it’s a great school. Think back to why you applied. I’m an alum (undergrad and professional/grad school). What I love the most about Penn undergrad – the opportunities are endless (and like many I didn’t even realize it when I was there). You can take classes with profs who are at the top of their fields and there are constantly alums on campus who are super interesting – from CEOs to scientists to authors and everything in between and it’s as easy as showing up at a lecture hall at 3 pm to hear from them. From all of those perspectives, you can figure out your career and carve out a path that is your own – even within the ever popular IB and consulting tracks.
And once you graduate you’ll realize that the alumni network is second to none and most alums do want to engage with other Penn grads – you can find alums to talk with in nearly any field and/or any city that you may consider.
And day to day – I loved the physical look of the place; you have the look of a college campus and can be sitting out on College Green or hanging at Houston Hall, but you are moments away from anything you could possibly need being in a city.
@sorvis first of all congrats!! now I personally love penn for many reasons. first of all it’s unique identity. it has a very vibrant and diverse more so than the other ivies. also academically I like the combination of liberal arts with practical/professional education. this makes for an academic culture that is intellectually stimulating but also in touch with the real world. also i love that the possibilities are really endless due to Penn’s many amazing academic offerings and that the culture here encourages you to explore stuff and be open minded. also I love that penn culture makes people think seriously about their professional goals after college from early on and gives them the resources to pursue them. it is not by chance that we have the best employment stats in the ivy league.also i love how amazing and close-knit the alumni network is and how alumni have personally helped me so much in landing internships and giving me career advice.
also i love its social life which is by far the best compared to all other schools of similar caliber. i love that most people at penn are not one sided nerds. a key characteristic of Penn’s culture is that the overwhelming majority of people have an interest they actively pursue outside of class, be it a sport, a club, a society, volunteering etc. Penn kids are notorious for being able to balance heavy academics with heavy extracurricular involvement. also despite being smart and super driven both inside and outside of the classroom they also know how to have fun. i find that driven, smart people who are also fun and have social skills are the people i wanna be around. Also Philly might not be the most amazing city in the world but it is quite nice and has a lot to offer. you will always have stuff to explore and do. Like you get both a pretty close-knit campus community and the offering of a big city.
Hopefully see you in the fall!