<p>Before applying for a transfer, I think I had idealized UPenn a little bit too much.
Now, the more I read about its transfer-unfriendliness and general pretentiousness, the wearier I become.</p>
<p>I know that I should go to Penn because it is a great school, but I am genuinely worried about my social life as a junior transfer. In short, I want to have a good environment in addition to having great academics in my school. I am not sure if Penn satisfies that for transfers.</p>
<p>My other option is Duke, which is known for both its academics and great social life. Its big downside, however, is that it's not an Ivy.
I can definitely see myself pursuing a career in finance despite my chemistry major, and I think Penn's prestige would give me a much bigger leg up than Duke.</p>
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Its big downside, however, is that it's not an Ivy.
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<p>honesly, that's one of the dumbest things ive ever heard. Duke is a great school and an ivy comparable. Both are highly prestigious and that should not stop you from applying to either one.</p>
<p>I'm facing the same choice...I'm leaning towards Penn though. I'm an econ major and I've done hours of research on both their econ programs only to find them roughly equivalent. I'm favoring Penn mostly because of location (big city vs. medium-sized Durham) and my dislike of a sports-centric student body. Coming from a state school where football was god, I'm not looking forward to worshiping a basketball team.</p>
<p>There's like 10,000 undergrads at Penn. Even if 99% of the people there are arrogant snobs, you still have 100 people to be friends with. That's more than enough of a social life, at least for me.</p>
<p>kmzizzle:
I've heard from so many people the average Penn student, unless he's a fraternity star, is usually unfriendly and pretentious. You can argue about this if you'd like, but a pretentious and unfriendly environment would make it harder for me to develop friendships. The very competitive atmosphere at Penn will not make things any easier.</p>
<p>In terms of their transfer [un]friendliness, I was mostly referring to the fact that they just place us in random dorms on campus after we accept their offer. Many schools have all their transfers live in the same dorm, which solves the first problem that I addressed. These random dorms, moreover, are usually the worst ones on campus (from what I've heard).</p>
<p>facing the same issue, tomahawk. what to do! i am a junior transfer as well, i'm not sure if i should go though, although i've done the housing app and everything. such a difficult decision, especiially sincei adore my friends at my current school, and am afraid to leave all that familiarity behind... its great to see friends all over campus, i don't know how things would be at penn. my main issue is despite all the great things i love about my current school, it is so far from home and so i might just want to move closer. not to mention, i think penn has grade inflation? someone enlighten me on this.</p>
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In terms of their transfer [un]friendliness, I was mostly referring to the fact that they just place us in random dorms on campus after we accept their offer.
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They usually will put you in the high rises with other upperclassmen, often with other transfers.
They have special orientation and events for transfers before classes start, so you will get to know other transfers.
Although Penn might not be a good fit for you, the fact that you are a transfer won't really be a problem, unless you make it one.</p>
<p>I don't have a lot of time, but I transfered to Penn last year and can tell all of you (as folks who haven't spent a year at Penn) that you've nothing to worry about as far as transfer-unfriendliness. Penn has a great orientation program just for transfers and everyone I've met is genuinely interested in why I transfered etc. Chill out! Penn's awesome- even/especially for transfers</p>