Interested in the University of Pennsylvania? A second-semester freshman shares his experiences.
Interested in the University of Pennsylvania? A second-semester freshman shares his experiences.
I just finished my first semester at Penn, and I loved it. Following my college admission, (early decision), my expectations had cooled. All I wanted and expected was to settle into my new home, find some friends, and maintain a B average. After just three short months, Penn blew my expectations out of the water! Not only had I established a second family at Penn, but I had also earned a 3.93 GPA. I love Penn and I am sure you will, too. Here are how different facets of Penn each shaped my first-semester experience.
Academics:
Penn is a school with brilliant faculty and students. As a result, the acceptance rate is very competitive. That said, it is still possible to do well in your classes and achieve a work/play balance that meets your needs. At the beginning of my first semester, I did not do that well. I got an 80 on my first math test and a 71 on my first physics test. What helped me turn my grades around was taking the initiative to find academic resources. Yes, Penn has many awesome academic resources, but no one is going to make you use them. It is up to you to take advantage of them. Once I started using the resources available to me, such as faculty office hours and coaching from upperclassmen, and TAs, my grades turned around.
Pre-professionalism at Penn:
Three of Penn’s four undergraduate schools are professional schools. This means that a lot of students at Penn are focused on their careers. Having the Wharton School right on campus fuels the University’s focus on pre-professionalism. You will notice that your peers are applying to internships, going to job fairs, and making efforts to network, seemingly all the time. While you may feel pressure to do the same, there is no need to rush. The nice thing, though, is that when you’re ready, Penn offers a lot of resources to help. At Penn Career Services you can have your resume and cover letter proofread and revamped, be mock- interviewed, and see a list of the companies at which Penn students have worked. There are even opportunities on campus to get a LinkedIn headshot.
The Social-Ivy:
Penn is considered the “social-ivy.” No, this does not mean Penn is a party-school, but students like to work hard and play hard. On a typical Thursday or Saturday night (the most popular nights to go out), there are students partying, students hanging out together in the many dorm lounges, and, of course, students studying all around campus. As a Penn engineering student, I typically forgo parties and study on a Thursday night. This doesn’t mean that engineering majors don’t have a social life at Penn –they just have less time. Personally, I go out or hang out at least three times during a weekend — usually, I work from 12 noon to 10 PM (with breaks of course) and then go out.
Cool Things About Penn:
1. The ECON Scream: Every year before the first ECON 001 midterm, there is a party on the lower quad balcony. Everyone screams together just as the clock hits 12 midnight. Even though I did not take ECON 001 this past semester, it was so much fun to attend the scream.
2. The Toga Party: Penn throws a toga party in the Penn Museum during new student orientation. This year, the Penn Band played live and Chinese Dragon Dancers were hired to perform. The Penn Museum is just awesome– it literally has multiple mummies and a sphinx.
3. The Philadelphia Art Museum Party: During new student orientation Penn rents out the Philadelphia Art Museum. The entire museum is open during the party, and there is a DJ and food. During this year’s party, a dance circle developed and a student did a straight-up backflip in front of everyone.
4. Famous Professors: As a student at Penn, it’s not uncommon to have world-renowned professors. My math professor (Dennis DeTurck) was the former Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. I asked him about the theorem he published and it turned out that he actually had several theorems published. My physics professor, James Pikul, is also extremely accomplished. There are many other famous professors at Penn. Once I even ran into Jeremy Siegel, the famous economist who often appears on CNN to discuss the stock market.
5. Global Seminars: Some writing seminar classes go on spring semester trips to various locations around the world. While a trip costs about $900, it is much cheaper than if you were to take a similar trip yourself. I have a friend going to Zimbabwe and another going to Japan with these global seminars.
6. Running through the stacks of books in Van Pelt Library: It’s fun to run past literally millions of books.
7. The Squirrels: I have friends who have left their window open and had a furry visitor waiting for them the next morning. One friend thought he felt his cat asleep next to him.
It was only when he opened his eyes that he started screaming hysterically at the squirrel invader on his bed. Another friend had a devious squirrel come in and take a single bite out of every one of his apples, forcing him to throw them all out.
8. Wawa: The convenience store Wawa is open 24 hours a day. You never know what or who you are going to find in there (sort of like shopping at a small Walmart), but the later it is, the weirder it gets. Nonetheless, it is a great place to buy snacks at night.
9. The Quad: The Quad is the most popular freshman dorm. It is essentially a castle in the middle of Philadelphia. Under the quad are secret tunnels to explore (though technically this is not allowed). There are also common rooms, two tower libraries, and a dining hall. There are activities in the Quad every week. For example, during this semester, every RA gave out free food, about 10 tickets to Hamilton were raffled off, and every Sunday there was a pancake breakfast in one of the professor’s houses on the Quad.
10. Under the Button: This is Penn’s satirical newspaper. Every week Under the Button features new and ridiculous articles about Penn such as “Religious Student Writes ‘God Doesn’t Want Us to Know’ for Every Question on Astronomy Final.” The Under the Button staff also makes videos. This semester they surprised everyone in the Van Pelt Library’s quiet reading room by wrestling in singlets!
11. Insomnia Cookies: This shop in the basement of Houston Hall makes and delivers fresh cookies until 3 AM. After a long day of classes and studying, it is awesome. Sometimes, we’re lucky enough to enjoy “free sample” cookies.
12. Food Trucks: There are food trucks on Penn’s campus every day. The most popular is Lynn’s. One time, I forgot to bring cash. Lynn gave me my order and told me I could pay her back the following week.
For all these reasons and many more, I would recommend Penn to everyone!
Interested in applying to Penn? Consider starting your application early, and (if possible) plan a visit to demonstrate your interest. For tips on applying early and for more help with college admissions, email us at info@admissionscheckup.com.
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