<p>I know people who like one often don't like the other, but I'd appreciate any information about how the atmosphere is different at Yale vs. Penn. Why would someone be happy at one and not the other (haven't been able to visit either, yet). Thanks!</p>
<p>Well location is a big thing. Penn's right in the middle of Philly while Yales over in New Haven i think</p>
<p>Right, but both are urban locations in northeastern cities, so doesn't seem like a critical factor?</p>
<p>new haven and philly are pretty different</p>
<p>philly > new haven</p>
<p>penn has more crime, so you have to be more careful at night.
yale is pretty much all gated and is in its own little bubble.
penn is the 2nd largest ivy.
yale is a much smaller school, with a focus on undergraduates :)
penn has wharton, so if you want to do business its a better fit.
yale is more focused on a complete liberal arts education.
penn's dorms are not as nice, but the quad (like old campus at yale) is a very social experience for freshmen.
yale has the residential college system which is amazinggg.
penn is in philly, which is a much better city than new haven
yale is just....yale. its perfect. i love it <333</p>
<p>ok i should not get my heart set on yale for i have not yet been accepted, but i hope this helps you! i was debating between yale scea and penn ed for a long time, and chose yale in the end.</p>
<p>Thanks Miss Secret.</p>
<p>That's helpful. I'd love to hear from some other people who have looked seriously at both (or attended either) about how they think the atmosphere at the 2 schools is different.</p>
<p>Penn is much less pie-in-the-sky detached from earth, which makes sense as it was founded as the first secular school in the nation.</p>
<p>Philadephia is a much, much bettrer city than New Haven. You can tell because Philly is seen as a liability and an asset from time to time whereas New Haven is consistently a liability and never an asset.</p>
<p>Penn has a greater breadth of undergraduate educational opportunities, with 4 undergraduate schools (you can take classes in any of them) and graduate schools that open courses to undergrads. "More focused on a complete liberal arts education" is a lovely euphemism for "doesn't offer much else." At Penn the choice is yours. And as a huge proponent of liberal arts education (which you can definitely get here), I nevertheless have benefitted immensely from being able to dabble in some other, more biz-oriented coursework.</p>
<p>The only clear advantages Yale has are much better on-campus housing, more pretty buildings, and a good deal more snob appeal.</p>
<p>i like penn better :)
for its opportunities, social exprience, location, and pretty much everything else</p>
<p>I went to Yale the summer before last, and I did not like New Haven at all, and if you are minority, you have to wear your ID for a couple of months until security figuers out who you are.</p>
<p>Yale is in the city, but Penn is the city. You also can't duel degree at Yale.</p>
<p>I wish I could duel with my degrees...</p>
<p>at least you can duel with your tampons</p>
<p>I have visited both Yale and Penn on college tours. Yale is, even today, a lot more snobbish than Penn. Yale students do have a more classical-feeling campus, but Penn's campus overall is nicer I think. Penn has a lot more trees and green within their 'walls', while the Yale core is much more secluded than the Penn one. Philly is much better than New Haven, too. But Yale can seem more prestigious, and there is a very strong focus on undergraduates at Yale - I talked to a student there for a good while.</p>