<p>As I apply to college, the most difficult essay questions I find are the why? essays. Can anyone tell me what is unique about Penn?</p>
<p>The “why” essay is why YOU want to go somewhere. I wrote about the feeling I got while I was on campus at Penn. By that, I mean that I finished my essay with “I just knew…”</p>
<p>If you cannot answer that question, you need to give it more thought; if you still cannot answer it, you may need to consider that you don’t actually want to go to Penn.</p>
<p>Seriously. If you haven’t researched a college well enough to be able to explain coherently why you decided to apply there, you really don’t deserve to be admitted. And “I am applying to all the Ivies” isn’t OK. It puts you in a really bad light, sorry. (“I am applying to all the colleges that have need-blind admissions but offer need-based financial aid to international applicants” would probably be an acceptable reason, and would get points for honesty, but even then the applicant ought to include something to indicate why THIS particular college is one of his favorites in that pool.)</p>
<p>Well I am applying to schools that I think are in interesting locations and that meet full need. I’m only applying to two ivies, most of the schools to which I’m applying I know a little more about and feel the fit with. I just recently decided I’d give Penn a go (I don’t seriously think I’ll get in anyway) just so that I have that option if they accept me and Rice denies me.</p>
<p>It’s unlikely Penn will accept you if Rice denies you. Anyhow Penn is very paranoid about kids applying just because it happens to not be as difficult to get into as places like Harvard or Yale, so they generally like people who have a very serious interest in Penn, which can only be demonstrated through the essay.</p>
<p>I AM interested in going to Penn. And I realize that Rice is probably not quite as selective as Penn. I also realize that at schools like that, with so many qualified applicants and such low acceptance rates, acceptance can boil down to preference or just slight differences in what the adcom thinks. For example, I’ve heard horror stories about kids getting accepted to Cornell, but getting denied at Rochester. I’m not asking why I want to go to Penn; I am asking what are some of the unique qwirks about Penn that separate it. For example, Rice has the residential college system and an emphasis on undergrad research and study abroad. I only found these things out in detail when visiting Rice. I don’t have the opportunity, since Penn is so far away to visit it. What are some things that Penn says about their school that make them unique? I am asking as an intrigued applicant what I would find out if I visited there.</p>
<p>Penn’s One University philosophy - all schools are on a single campus, including grad schools, so undergrads can gain access to high level research, faculty, etc. Students in one college can take courses in different colleges, and minor as well without applying for dual degree (I think). Penn values practical education over theoretical - more preparation in the workforce, more hands-on experience to gain field knowledge that doesn’t come with sitting in a classroom. </p>
<p>Beautiful campus, amazing city, great social atmosphere, best business school in the world. Just go to the admissions website they practically throw what you’re looking for in your face.</p>
<p>That’s some pretty good insight, Ridgeway. I really appreciate it. The one university thing sounds pretty awesome.</p>
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I think this is overstating it a bit–kind of makes Penn sound like it’s a co-op program like Northeastern or Drexel.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t say that Penn values practical education OVER theoretical–it is, after all, a major research university with quite a bit of academic firepower (lots of top-ranked liberal arts departments, top Ph.D. programs, one of the largest research budgets in the country, etc.). Instead, Penn values a highly interdisciplinary approach to education and research, with an emphasis on the frontier between theoretical research and its practical application. However, theoretical academic research and education are central to the core of Penn’s mission, as one would expect at a world-renowned research university of Penn’s stature.</p>
<p>Isn’t the essay topic what you hope to learn from and contribute to Penn, not why you want to go there?</p>
<p>Part of that topic is considering the unique aspects of penn what do you hope to etc… I was just looking for input on the unique aspects of penn.</p>
<p>University City/Philadelphia, going past Schuylkill or 43rd street. Penn’s integration with the city or (not implying) lackthereof.</p>
<p>You figure it out.</p>
<p>As the others have said, this essay is a chance to show off how badly you want to go to Penn. The reasoning behind this is that if you’ve done your research about what distinguishes Penn from <a href=“and%20that%20means%20more%20than%20looking%20at%20a%20list%20of%20majors,%20rankings,%20and%20a%20brochure”>insert Ivy League school here</a>, then you’re definitely excited about going to Penn. </p>
<p>One of the things that I did for this essay is I visited Penn and listened in on their info session and took notes. They provide a lot of information there. If you can’t visit Penn, I would check out a big book of colleges (like Fiske) and read through it, taking notes. Then, you can use the essay to discuss how Penn’s attitude toward learning is beneficial for you, and how you can contribute to them.</p>
<p>I tried focusing on myself more on that supplement essay. Not just bootlicking the school, although I did mention the personalized education and diversity that really fit me… I mean, they probably read tons of these types of essays about the school.</p>
<p>But knowing about the quirks and special things Penn has is a pretty good start for brainstorming for an essay,</p>