Enrollment: 9756
Average SAT: 722
Average ACT: 31
Most Popular Majors: Business Administration and Management, General,Finance, General,Nursing/Registered Nurse (RN, ASN, BSN, MSN),
Regular Application Deadline: 01/01
Student Faculty Ratio: 5.81:1

Undergraduate Receiving Need-Based Financial Aid: 276
Average Freshman Total Need-Based Gift Aid: $29,284.00

Best College Newspaper

Students Say - Academics
At the University of Pennsylvania, everyone shares an intellectual curiosity and top-notch resources, but doesn't "buy into the stigma of being an Ivy League school." Still, no one turns down the opportunity to rave about the school's strong academic reputation or the large alumni network. Students here are also "very passionate about what they do outside the classroom" and the opportunities presented to them through attending UPenn. The university is composed of four undergraduate schools (and "a library for pretty much any topic"), and students tend to focus on what they'll do with their degree pretty early on. Wharton, UPenn's "highly competitive undergraduate business school," creates a "tremendous pre-professional atmosphere" that keeps students competitive and somewhat stressed with their studies during the week. This "career-oriented" attitude spills over into other factions of the university, leaving some desiring more grounds for creativity and less climbing over each other. "It's when individuals' grades are on the line when the claws come out," says a student.
Professors can "sometimes seem to be caught up more in their research than their classes," but "there are very few other institutions where you can take every one of your classes with a professor who is setting the bar for research in his or her field." If you are willing to put in the time and effort, your professors "will be happy to reciprocate." In general, the instructors here are "very challenging academically," and one student says "some of them have been excellent, but all of them have at least been good." The administration is "very professional and efficient" and "truly interested in students' well being." "Academically, I have access to opportunities unparalleled elsewhere," says a student.

Students Say - Campus Life
Penn kids don't mind getting into intellectual conversations during dinner, but "partying is a much higher priority here than it is at other Ivy League schools." Many students schedule their classes so as to not have class on Fridays, making the weekend "officially" start on Thursday night, and frat parties and Center City bars and clubs are popular destinations. However, when it comes down to midterms and finals, "people get really serious and…buckle down and study." Between weekend jaunts to New York and Philadelphia ("a city large enough to answer the needs of any type of person"), students have plenty of access to restaurants, shopping, concerts, and sports games, as well as plain old "hanging out with hallmates playing Mario Kart." The school provides plenty of guest speakers, cultural events, clubs, and organizations for students to channel their energies, and seniors can even attend "Feb Club" in the month of February, which is essentially an event every night. It's a busy life at UPenn, and "people are constantly trying to think about how they can balance getting good grades academically and their weekend plans."

Students Say - Student Body
This "determined" bunch is very career-oriented, "takes classes pretty seriously," leans to the left, and "personality-wise tends to be type A." "There is always someone smarter than you are," says a Chemical Biomolecular engineering major. Everyone has "a strong sense of personal style and his or her own credo," but no group deviates too far from the more mainstream stereotypes. There's a definite lack of "emos" and hippies. There's "the career-driven Wharton kid who will stab you in the back to get your interview slot" and "the nursing kid who's practically non-existent," but on the whole, there is "tremendous school diversity," and whatever kind of person you are, "you will find a group of people like you."

Brown University
Columbia University

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