<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! (also posted on Penn forum)</p>
<p>They're just staggeringly different. But they have one thing in common: Both New Haven and Philly are well-known for their crime rates :D No offence, I'm seriously considering applying either Yale EA or Penn ED next year. Atm, I'm leaning towards Yale EA.</p>
<p>i answered to your other thread on penn's page...</p>
<p>but i agree with 6y6y6. both are somewhat dangerous, but philly's crime rate has significantly increased recently, especially around the campus. </p>
<p>in my opinion, yale is the best college in the world! but i'd be happy going to penn, too :)</p>
<p>Having attended and been back and forth to Y a lot recently, I can say that the "danger" level is not something that would keep me from allowing either of my daughters to attend. It's not crazy at all. The revitalization of downtown New Haven and especially around campus is amazing. Three BILLION dollars has and is being spent on physical upgrades to the campus. No place is 100% safe, one just needs to practice common sense.</p>
<p>I visited Penn with my daughter and have spent a lot of time at Yale (daugher now a junior there). What strikes me as different is that there are more restaurants, shops, etc. surrounding the Yale campus. To me, Penn seemed to be a bit more isolated from normal student oriented off campus life. Also, the residential colleges can be accessed only with your Yale ID and although it is not a foolproof system, i.e. someone could tailgate behind a student and get in, it is not a wide open campus. Yes, both schools are not in the best of places but New Haven has improved dramatically over the past 10-15 years and with the use of common sense (which you really need to practice on any college campus) you won't have problems. Yale is a very unique place.</p>
<p>D goes to Yale and has friends at Penn; we live near Penn and have friends who teach there. My (and their) impressions are that Penn has a more pre-professional atmosphere than Yale, which may or may not be appealing. The housing and food at Yale is better than at Penn - many students at the latter school live off-campus to remedy this, while relatively few do at Yale. New Haven is not a garden spot, except for the 'Yale bubble', but compared to the situation in Philadelphia right now, it's a safer campus. According to my D, Yale is "a happier place", and they seem to take better care of their undergrads.</p>
<p>Yale and Penn are very different, but yet, they are very similar. The most staggering difference between the two for me are the type of cities each respective school is in. Penn is confined to a section of a Philadelphia while Yale encompasses most of New Haven, at least downtown New Haven where all the action is (not crime..I mean events such as concerts and the filming of Indiana Jones..haha). However, they are both in historic cities which are important to the atmosphere and legacy of each university. I enjoy both schools for their similarities and their differences; however, you should definitely visit to see for yourself. I wasn't planning on applying to Penn until my dad convinced me to visit.</p>