University of Pennsylvania Top Questions

I came to Penn excited about the life that I would have as a gay student here. I had heard much about the gay scene and looked forward to being a part of it. I arrived and we slapped in the face by the fact that I'm black. The fact of the matter is that if you are not white, the great gay scene will not be open to you. Unless you're so attractive that others are willing to overlook your minority status, your time at Penn as a gay person of color will be characterized by frustration, loneliness and feelings of misprision toward white gay men inspired by your own indignity.

Everyone is really accepting. There is no other way to put it. There was a drag show for the LGBT the other night and it was a packed event. If you don't work hard and play hard, this isn't the place for you. People wear anything from pajamas and sweatpants to the latest fashion, but never heels (they get stuck in the cracks between the cobblestones on Locust walk!).

All of those groups are very active on campus and are effective in having their voices heard. No one would feel out of place at UPenn; there are all types of people here. A lot of students get dressed up for class, and a lot of students come to class in pajamas. You can wear what you want. Different types of students do interact (through classes, random social connections etc), however, there can be some tension between guys in different frats. Asian kids, Indian kids, jocks/frat guys/sorority girls, artsy kids. I feel a lot of Upenn students are either international or they come from the East Coast and California and not much in between. Wealthy financial backgrounds are most prevalent. Students are very politically aware and active. Many tend to be left, I know a few who are strong right, but many are liberal. Students don't really talk about how much they'll earn one day. I feel like that's a weird topic of conversation, anyway.

The student body at Penn is diverse but excepting. On the whole the students are liberal, both in politics and acceptance of other students on campus. I think every and any person can find a place to fit in at Penn. Although some of the richest students stand out, there are litterally people from every class, every state, and most countries.

Students that would feel out of place: Palestinians. Different type of students interations: never happens. Four tables in the dining hall: table of jocks, table of giggling girls, table of people from Stouffer, table of the awkward girl who always eats by herself. Where most students are from: PA, NY, NJ. Financial backgrounds: rich. Politics: mostly center or right. most students are apathetic. Do students talk about earning potential: yes.

I love diversity and try to get as much as possible but often, people stay within their cultural groups. A lot of left people. money orientated

While Penn has a widespread mix of students, the general population is pretty socially conservative (although politically the school is liberal). As a Southern Californian I have never quite felt at home at Penn. The students seem very preppy to me and had a much different high school experience than I did. The best way to explain this is: when I am with Penn students I feel like I am with my younger brother or sister. Most of the things they experience for the first time when coming to college- drinking, being away from home, going out, relationships etc.- the kids where I'm from experienced at 15. While this is not true for everyone, overall the maturity level here is a little low compared with other schools. That being said, there is a large enough population that people tend to find their place. A lot of students wear sweats to class, a college thing I will never understand. Uggs and leggings seems to be a pretty popular combo among the northerners. The rest wear jeans, various outfits...it varies. You can wear anything to class and it won't seem strange.

I think any student would fit in comfortably at Penn. I myself am multiracial and have found no problem fitting in. There are definitely distinct groups for every kind of race, religion, etc. There is a huge dichotomy in what kids wear to class - a lot of people show up in sweatpants and a fleece, but then there are the girls in skirts and heels. I'd say the average student just wears jeans and a tee shirt. Some groups at Penn definitely self-segregate. For example, there is a dorm that is predominantly African American, and I feel like that community sticks to itself. The same holds true for a lot of the Asians, South Asians, and Jewish people on campus. This is why I've avoided getting stuck in one group. In the dining hall, the four tables would be: a table of athletes, because they tend to stick together; a table of nerdy kids with textbooks out; a table of African American students; a table of random kids with seemingly nothing in common. I'd say the majority of people are from New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. California, Texas, and Florida also have a large representation.

Because we're a relatively big school, there's enough of a cross-section of people that you won't get stuck hanging out with future investment bankers unless you want to. The douchebag stereotype is alive and well in many Wharton (business) or econ classes; psychology & sociology classes are at least 50{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} high-strung, high-pitched, high-income girls; the engineers tend to be as nerdy here as anywhere; and the occasional political extremist (from either side) preaches obnoxious views from any available venue. I'm not sure that anyone would be quite out of place. We had a guy who rode a unicycle around campus a few years ago... I guess that was weird.

I'm involved with both the feminist and Christian communities at Penn. They are both very vibrant communities with growing influence on campus. The African-American population does not have a very big presence, but it is growing. Unfortunately, I think that students from lower socioeconomic classes might feel out of place or at least intimidated by some of the absurdly/disgustingly wealthy students on campus. Students wear anything and everything to class. The Wharton kids wear suits. The sorority girls wear leggings. The athletes wear Penn athletic sweats. Everyone else wears jeans or sweatpants. Different types of students do interact, but then everyone regresses back to their cliques. Four tables: 1) Jewish community - subdivided into Orthodox, Conservative and Reform 2) Sororities and Fraternities - drunk. doing rush rituals. 3) "Secret" societies - Oz and Tabard. Trying not to get people to steal their lunch boxes 4) Students - the academics. kids here to learn and have fun. most penn kids are from New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania Penn kids are generally rich. Penn Dems is huge. Penn kids are generally left. Wharton kids are generally right. But there isn't a very big activist community. students talk about salaries a lot. too much, in fact.q