University of Pennsylvania

[Anonymous]

I would like to hear from people who have attended or have kids at UPenn.. I will be attending a local information session but would like to get real opinions (good, bad, ugly) from those who have actually attended. DC has other colleges on the list but UPenn is up there in the top 3 of interest, and the only Ivy.

Please tell me about your actual experiences with UPenn.

[Anonymous]

Here's a start......

https://www.unigo.com/colleges/university-of-pennsylvania/reviews

[Anonymous]

A sibling went to Penn years ago and liked it by when DC looked, very carefully, she found that the influence of the Wharton school has become Godzilla, and that much of the student body is "pre-professional", wanting to go to business or law school. Those students are happy there. But every liberal arts type student DC spoke with was unhappy and sorry they attended.

[Anonymous]

I attended for grad school - Wharton. This was a few decades ago, but I've been back recently several times, for conferences and for the college tour with DC.

I think frats and sororities may play a somewhat bigger role at Penn than at places like Columbia or Yale, but less than at Dartmouth and probably less than at Cornell. We had a sorority sister for a tour guide and this put DC off Penn to the point where DC wouldn't even apply.... I don't recall what the percent of frat/sorority membership is these days, but you could ask when you attend the local presentation.

I have to say, Wharton was always a big part of the campus - more money, more new buildings. Wharton seems to dominate the campus even more these days, what with the big (admittedly nice) Hunstman building and more. I can't speak for the non-Wharton undergrads, but you do hear that they resent Wharton's large presence on campus. I don't know what your kid is planning to major in. It's definitely possible to find different communities in the writing, poly sci, and other areas.

The neighborhood used to be terrible. It's still not great, but it's better. There are more nice stores right next to Penn, although your kid doesn't really need to be shopping at Sephora (or Blue Mercury or whatever that store was) or at Eastern Mountain Sports all the time. At least there are some nice brunch and eating options to add to the sparse restaurant choices that existed in my day. It's probably still not wise to walk around alone at night, although that's true at many big city universities.

[Anonymous]

My S also hated it because of how business oriented everyone was. He went to a programming competition there and was put off by every single host from UPenn double majoring in CS and something business-y. He didn't want to be around too many people whose end goal is money.

[Anonymous]

It's mostly for Jewish and Asian kids who can't get into HYP and have to pretend all they ever really wanted was to become a hedge fund analyst or a bond trader. There are some liberal arts kids who want to be in an urban environment, but they are on the fringes now. Wharton completely sets the tone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's mostly for Jewish and Asian kids who can't get into HYP and have to pretend all they ever really wanted was to become a hedge fund analyst or a bond trader. There are some liberal arts kids who want to be in an urban environment, but they are on the fringes now. Wharton completely sets the tone.

Hope you get your knickers unknotted soon. They seem to be causing perceptual damage.

I've been surprised in recent years by some of the kids I've seen turned down by Penn, including valedictorians and salutatorians who are now at other Ivy League schools and Duke ( and very happy at those schools).

Interesting post by Wharton grad , thanks.
The building on and around the campus has dwarfed some of the more traditional buildings ( quad, museum, student union, old stadium) giving it even more of a city feel.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A sibling went to Penn years ago and liked it by when DC looked, very carefully, she found that the influence of the Wharton school has become Godzilla, and that much of the student body is "pre-professional", wanting to go to business or law school. Those students are happy there. But every liberal arts type student DC spoke with was unhappy and sorry they attended.

+1.

[Anonymous]

I went to Wharton undergrad about a decade ago and spend a lot of time there for committees etc. Wharton does have a huge influence all across the board. So if your DC is looking for a traditional liberal arts education they need to think about the fact that by the time junior/senior yr roles around -- even their hardcore English/history major colleagues will suddenly be killing themselves to get management consulting jobs. The upside is -- because Wharton brings SO many companies to campus at the undergrad level, not all the recruiting spots can be filled by Wharton undergrads so the engineering/college students have a LOT more access to those kinds of jobs than they would at say Dartmouth.

All around terrific school. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. The Wharton name has been unbeatable on my resume (yes I realize that schools matter less and less as you're further out but I find people will often give me a meeting/a chance bc of that name). And the area has gotten really nice -- almost too upscale. They get a lot of kids from the NYC area and I think they're trying to convert the campus offerings to what you'd get in NYC -- shopping, brunch spots, luxury apartments etc. Obviously crime is what it is but it never felt unsafe even 10 yrs ago and feels even better now. I kind of liked the place better when it was a run of the mill college campus because it was more linked to the "history" of the place -- everyone who graduated whether 10 yrs ago or 50 yrs ago had the same choices for housing, food etc. But I think some of that is just bc of the luxury trend at colleges now.

Feel free to ask specific questions; will try to check back here.

[Anonymous]

13:07 is spot on.

If Wharton could be its own stand alone college, it probably would try to.

The most pre-professional student body/university in the country - by far - it isn't even close.

There is intense competition from the moment you step foot on campus to nail down internships every summer (it has changed from just being stressed in junior and senior year).

Even half of the engineering kids want to get quantitative finance or prop trading positions.

Student body is also too large.

Penn drives division partly because they force you to apply to individual colleges and programs instead of applying to 'penn' as a whole.

Fisher program kids are like 'gods' in the gunner student body (it is the wharton/engineering formal dual degree program that is insanely difficult to get into).

If your kid isn't a gunner and one of his/her 3 biggest motivations isn't money and doesn't want to go to a large school this isn't the place for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to Wharton undergrad about a decade ago and spend a lot of time there for committees etc. Wharton does have a huge influence all across the board. So if your DC is looking for a traditional liberal arts education they need to think about the fact that by the time junior/senior yr roles around -- even their hardcore English/history major colleagues will suddenly be killing themselves to get management consulting jobs. The upside is -- because Wharton brings SO many companies to campus at the undergrad level, not all the recruiting spots can be filled by Wharton undergrads so the engineering/college students have a LOT more access to those kinds of jobs than they would at say Dartmouth.

All around terrific school. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. The Wharton name has been unbeatable on my resume (yes I realize that schools matter less and less as you're further out but I find people will often give me a meeting/a chance bc of that name). And the area has gotten really nice -- almost too upscale. They get a lot of kids from the NYC area and I think they're trying to convert the campus offerings to what you'd get in NYC -- shopping, brunch spots, luxury apartments etc. Obviously crime is what it is but it never felt unsafe even 10 yrs ago and feels even better now. I kind of liked the place better when it was a run of the mill college campus because it was more linked to the "history" of the place -- everyone who graduated whether 10 yrs ago or 50 yrs ago had the same choices for housing, food etc. But I think some of that is just bc of the luxury trend at colleges now.

Feel free to ask specific questions; will try to check back here.

Yes but for OCI, many firms for certain jobs limit interview slots ONLY for wharton grads.

You really start to feel like non-wharton kids get the 'dregs' and 'sloppy leftovers'.

I think dartmouth is a wrong school to compare to because Dartmouth also gets very strong OCI and it is a much smaller school without 'class division' so it could be more beneficial to the 'non-gunner' student.

[Anonymous]

13:07 here -- agree with the two PPs above. I and my classmates who loved Wharton/Penn were insanely competitive people. As much as Penn acts as a social Ivy etc. (and it is social) -- it is a place for a certain kind of person who thrives on competition starting with the Wharton curve of 20-25% As and all the way through recruiting etc. I agree that the pressure to get internships is all the way through -- not just junior/senior. It's just that I knew liberal arts people who held on to what they wanted as frosh/soph. I.E. if they had always dreamed of being journalists and they got an internship at a TV station in Florida for their first two summers, they were running with it. It's just that by the time they came back as juniors, saw that all their other liberal arts friends were suddenly in a frenzy re management consulting or bond trading or whatever, they suddenly started to re consider whether they should do that for the money, "prestige" etc. instead of pursuing their own dream which will have them bouncing from station to station for far less money.

I think Penn is a fine place if you're: (i) Wharton; (ii) non Wharton and you don't care a bit what the business world will afford you; or (iii) pre professional in another way -- pre med, engineering etc. I think Penn is a hard place to be a liberal arts person who is using college to figure out what they want bc you will ultimately end up wanting what everyone around you wants -- and then 5 yrs later you may wonder how the hell you ended up in investment banking.

[Anonymous]

Not OP, but I find these posts interesting. It sounds like there is a lot of self-selection involved at Penm.

My DD is more interested in the arts and the life of the mind that in elbowing someone else aside to get an internship at Booz Allen or whatever is left of SAC Capital. It sounds like other places would be better fits.

[Anonymous]

Wow, there's a lotta Penn hate here. I'm a non-Wharton Penn grad from back when it wasn't nearly as competitive as it is today (I'm about to hit my 25th reunion.) So take my comments with a grain of salt. But Penn was one of the best things that ever happened to me. It wasn't my first choice (No, wasn't a HYP aspirant; actually wanted Gtown!) and I had a tough adjustment my freshman year. It's a big school, and back then there were serious safety issues to boot.

But I found my niche, and loved it. It was a great academic experience, a great social experience, and overall my entire life since then is thanks to the doors Penn opened for me. It's definitely a pre-professional kind of place, but I think they are all nowadays. Like a lot of schools with one really renowned program, Wharton has the snob factor going for it, but it only gets to you if you let it - I never once stepped inside a Wharton building except to use a bathroom! (And gawk at the wall of shame honoring imprisoned investment bankers etc.)

I'd love it if my kids could go to Penn, but I'm sure they won't stand a chance. I wouldn't send a kid there who's easily overwhelmed - it's a big place (although way smaller than Michigan or Texas or anything like that) and it's filled with kids who know what they want.

[Anonymous]

PS almost all my friends from Penn are academics, journalists, writers (a few in Hollywood), with a few doctors, lawyers and business types thrown in. The idea that only hedge fund sharks go there ignores the fact that it has among the top English, history and science departments in the country.