Penn Is What It Is

Introduction
I would say if you are considering someplace like Penn obviously do well in your high school academically and make the most of the resources you have available to you. It is a tough place to get into without a doubt. I applied ED to Penn because of the location (in Philly but also close to NYC and DC), the academic reputation, the diversity, and the school culture -- most notably its preprofessional and practical emphasis. I honestly felt that I would have probably fit in better at someplace like Brown because in high school I was the unique, social activist, deep, intellectual type, but I wanted to be in an environment that would challenge me and my outlook. I didn't want to be in a place that would just reinforce or rubber stamp my own perspective or value system.

Campus Life and Social Life
I'm not a big party person now as a senior. As a freshmen when I first came to Penn I was totally immersed in the social/drinking scene but it became very old, repetitive, and annoying very quickly for me. Just not my thing I guess, but if you are into drunken debauchery and real parties, Penn deserves its reputation as the social ivy in that regard. There are not a lot of stereotypical nerds here. There are tons of different opportunities to get involved in sports or clubs and weekends are never dole. I spend a lot of weekends in NYC. Advertisement
Academics
I've personally been unimpressed by the administration, and the professors are OK. It depends on the individual instructor and the field. My favorite courses have been in Anthropology (Penn has an incredible Anthro department - probably top 1 or 2 in the country) and English. I feel like the instruction in entry level Math and Science is pretty bad and you basically have to learn everything on your own. The workload is definitely intense and can be difficult to manage at times. Your peers can be intimidating, particularly during finals when you see swarms of people in the libraries plugging away in the middle of the night. It doesn't get any easier as you get closer to graduation either. I felt like my freshmen year was the easiest work wise, and the freshmen class seemingly gets more qualified and competitive every year.

Most of my classes have been taught by untenured professors or graduate students. Recitations lead by TA's have been very rare for me because of my course choices.

Student Body
The housing process is not great and neither are the housing options besides the quad and the high rises, which are both tough to get. I lived in the quad freshmen year though and I loved it. After that, my housing was not great. The dining hall food is substandard, but I think you get used to it after a while. Thankfully they have good non-cafeteria food options on campus - including some organic and vegan options. There is a good arts community here and many different interesting cultural groups and related activities or performances to go to. It is a very vibrant campus and there is always something going on.

In Closing...
There are lots of great reasons to attend Penn and it will provide you with the same postgraduate opportunities as any top school, but in terms of the academic program, it is no Amherst, Williams, Stanford, Yale, etc. If you are looking for a profoundly life changing experience in the classroom, Penn is probably not the best place for you. Penn is not a place that likes to push the boundaries or force students to ponder outside the box or consider unconventional modes of thinking about the world. It has a very corporate feel to it.

But, if you are a bright kid that has a clear sense of drive and direction particularly as it relates to career goals that knows how to have fun and be sociable and when to hit the books, Penn provides a good balance of everything and with about 9000 to 10000 undergraduates, it is not difficult to kind your niche here. Just be prepared to work hard, and if you so desire, play hard too.