University of Pennsylvania Top Questions

yes

Partially. There is a significant Jewish population on campus (which you can witness by the seemingly isolated campus during services on Friday nights). There is also a significant Asian population (just look in Huntsman Hall)

Yes and no. There are a lot of snobby rich kids who you know just got in because they donated an entire building or something. And there's the typical stuck up Gucci-wearing Blackberry-addicted Whartonite. But there's also the typical fine arts student with ripped clothes and paint blotches all over, or the typical blonde with the uggs and miniskirt in any psychology or communications class, as well as the low-hygiene bad dresser nerd in engineering. But there's also many people who don't fit them. The stereotypes are true insomuch as the people you notice match them. But there are a lot of very diverse people at Penn. The problem is that it's hard to find them. First, most different people don't go to the usual parties, they all attend very different social gatherings. They also probably take different classes from the usual mainstream classes. And it's very easy to get sucked into the same small social circle, meeting new people with one degree of separation at most.

To some degree, yes many students are business-oriented and rich. But it completely depends on who you choose to associate with. The work hard study hard stereotype is also true.

Not necessarily. Note that Penn is unique as an Ivy League school offering undergrad degrees in engineering, nursing, and business; these things attract a good number of people to Penn as a first choice.

Half true. The majority of the people I've met, regardless of the school, are just smart kids who like to have a good time. But come finals or job hunting time, and the Wharton students stick out like a popped collar.

Students are extremely motivated and excel in both school and extracurriculars. While some students are in Wharton, students pursue other strong programs such as the Annenberg school of Communications, Art History, Engineering, Pre-Med and Nursing.