Why doesn't anyone know about Penn?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Pennsylvania
1

<p>Maybe this is more of a West Coast phenomenon (or just an Alaska phenomenon; I don't know), but I've been getting a lot of confused looks lately when I say I'm going to Penn.</p>

<p>Usually, the response is something like this:</p>

<p>"Oh... Penn State? That's a decent school. Great football team!"</p>

<p>I even got a sympathetic pat on the back from someone the other day--along with the advice that I shouldn't get down on myself because I'm going to Penn and not, say, Georgetown or JHU. </p>

<p>So: What the heck is going on? If Penn is a good school, and an Ivy on top of that, then why doesn't anyone know about it?</p>

2

<p>It's not just a west coast/alaska thing. Once you leave the PA,NJ, NY area, nobody knows the difference between Penn and Penn State. It's honestly just a result of poor name choice. Definitely something you get used to...but don't worry, once you get here, you'll realize that Penn kids are just as full of themselves as every other Ivy Leaguer :)</p>

3

<p>just as full of themselves as every other Ivy Leaguer</p>

<p>lol</p>

4

<p>Now the name WHARTON, on the other hand . . . . :)</p>

5

<p>no one knows about wharton.</p>

6

<p>yeah no one knows about wharton either.</p>

7

<p>except those businessmen ;)</p>

8

<p>if you maybe say U-Penn, people might realize your talking about the Ivy, not the state school, but then again I don't know what people in Alaska know about east coast schools
most people in the south know Penn as the ivy and not Penn State</p>

9

<p>people in missouri haven't heard of penn</p>

10

<p>looooooooool man I live on Saudi Arabia and when I got accepted I was like jumpin all around the place and screamin, and when someone asks me where did I get accepted and I say Penn, they're like: oh, ok... congratulations, penn state is a good school, I know a friend there</p>

11

<p>My lovely Japanese teacher who wrote me the rec letters thinks UPENN=PSU</p>

<p>LOL CAN YOU IMAGINE IT</p>

<p>lol</p>

12

<p>it's amazing ...today's society.</p>

<p>Penn State, known mainly for sports, is much more popular than a more academic-based institution, Upenn.</p>

13

<p>the people who matter know; your grocery store handler wont know, but the people like doctors, professors, etc... they all know it and they will respect you for it, at least that has been my experience</p>

14

<p>exactly. This shows how mis-directed today's people are.</p>

15

<p>LadyinRed, lol even in PA, NY, NJ Penn is still a mystery</p>

16

<p>One theory of testing a school's popularity is : If all the ordinary people know and respect it.</p>

<p>like Harvard I guess? As In China. Everyone including farmers know about it</p>

17

<p>icyhot, is it? possibly, but definitely less so than elsewhere.</p>

18

<p>Samething here. I mentioned to a friend I got a call from Penn about the wait list. Penn? my friend said. Yes, Penn the #4 school in the nation I replied. The response, I didn't know Penn State ranked so high. I just said everyone gets that confused.</p>

19

<p>people are stupid. my physics teacher still thinks its penn state and he wrote my rec and was told a few times that penn state and penn are different.</p>

20

<p>ya something even more ridiculous comes today I am an intern at Canadian Parliament now and I just had a "great' talk with my co workers today who are from decent Canadian schools. They ask me where I go to school I told them I would be going to UPenn. Then he looked at me : where is it ? Mid-west? South?"
I went:blank :| </p>

<p>It sucks haha. I remembered someone today me there was a kind of hoody sold in book store saying :not penn state. lol</p>

<p>now i can see how serious the problem is</p>