University of Pennsylvania Top Questions

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Students study all the time, and often people consider taking time off. But the consensus is students totally love it here. One thing that students don't like is the student newspaper and the administration which seem to always have a tremendous presence on campus.

The academics vary greatly depending on the classes you take. I am an English major with a minor in Spanish and Fine Arts. All of my classes are small. All of my teachers know my name. I've had lunch with them or eaten dinner at their houses. My first big lecture class was taken to fulfill a requirement. It's the only class I've taken with more than 50 students in it. The majority of my classes range from 12-30. In my small classes, participation is very important. The classes are difficult. Even in a difficult school like Penn, some kids will always just skate by. Some people are just born so intelligently gifted that they face few challenges. I'm not one of those people. I do well but I work hard to do so. I spend a lot of time studying/reading/doing homework--hours per day but it's worth it. You won't find an experience like this in many other places.

For the big lectures, it's really hard for the professors to know your name - unless you're always at their office hours. The professors definitely know you by name and more in the smaller classes though. Before coming to Penn, I thought I prefer big lectures, but I definitely prefer smaller classes now. It's also a lot easier to meet others in a small class. With smaller classes though, of the classes I've taken so far, participation is a huge factor in final grades. Sometimes it can make up to 20{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of your final grade. Professors not only expect you to come to every class, but contribute to class discussion. Speaking for the College, everyone is really nice and willing to help one another. No one's really out to get one another.

For the big lectures, it's really hard for the professors to know your name - unless you're always at their office hours. The professors definitely know you by name and more in the smaller classes though. Before coming to Penn, I thought I prefer big lectures, but I definitely prefer smaller classes now. It's also a lot easier to meet others in a small class. With smaller classes though, of the classes I've taken so far, participation is a huge factor in final grades. Sometimes it can make up to 20{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of your final grade. Professors not only expect you to come to every class, but contribute to class discussion. Speaking for the College, everyone is really nice and willing to help one another. No one's really out to get one another.

For the big lectures, it's really hard for the professors to know your name - unless you're always at their office hours. The professors definitely know you by name and more in the smaller classes though. Before coming to Penn, I thought I prefer big lectures, but I definitely prefer smaller classes now. It's also a lot easier to meet others in a small class. With smaller classes though, of the classes I've taken so far, participation is a huge factor in final grades. Sometimes it can make up to 20{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of your final grade. Professors not only expect you to come to every class, but contribute to class discussion. Speaking for the College, everyone is really nice and willing to help one another. No one's really out to get one another.

The professors are rather available and all highly proficient. Their styles vary depending on their personalities and the subject material. A wide range of experiences are available, ranging from lecture, to seminars, to office hour interactions. Class participation is common with many students asking clarifying questions and even better, professors apportioning time for students to do so. As said before, the academic standards are rather high and it's no uncommon for students do spend 3-4 hours per day on coursework.

Academics truly are a hallmark of the UPenn community, and they are almost universally strong across disciplines. Classes can be seminar-style (quite small and discussion-based), lecture (big class with little to no discussion) or a hybrid (i.e. a small lecture that incorporates some discussion. You will, as in most places, have some big introductory classes, but many also require a smaller recitation that can help facilitate some student interaction. Seminar classes facilitate more engagement, and it can seem easy to be lost in a big lecture, so you will need to be proactive. For bigger classes you will likely need to make an effort to get to know professors--going to their office hours for example--but many are very welcoming. Smaller class sizes will usually ensure the professor knows your name and face, but it can never hurt to ask them questions and see them, especially when you need recommendations for jobs or programs. Some are more friendly and accommodating than others, but the good ones are worth holding on to. There is not generally a cutthroat atmosphere in academics, but many students (especially business students) feel a lot of pressure and can be competitive with one another. However, many students gather for study groups before exams which can be extremely helpful and more enjoyable than studying alone. The vast majority of Penn students take academics very seriously--while they like their fun, during exam time the party scene basically freezes. Intellectual conversations outside of class are very common, but it depends person to person of course. You might see some students watching Jersey Shore after studying neuroscience, or without--despite the Ivy image, Penn isn't always that highbrow.

The academics at Penn are intense. I think the most competitive students are studying pre-med, because all of the introductory science courses are designed to be extremely difficult to weed out students who "can't handle" medical school. Penn tends to advertise that it has an "open curriculum", and compared to other schools, that may be true. However, I generally found that to be misleading. There are thirteen general requirements, and many times it is difficult to find a course that both fulfills a requirement and suits your academic interests. Penn is known for being very pre-professional. This is evident in the rigorous On Campus Recruitment process, and it's generally high success rate. Also, a great thing about Penn is that all of the graduate schools are on campus, so it's easy to interact with graduate students, and there's a very professional atmosphere. In my experience, the Chinese department has been exceptional. The classes are small (usually around 12-18 students) and the teachers are very attentive. They will always respond to your emailed questions as soon as possible. The workload is pretty heavy, which is understandable, but it's worth it because you learn a lot. And they're always willing to interact with you outside of class. My teacher even took my class to get Chinese food one night.

Penn's core requirement is a huge strength of the University. No specific classes are required, but even the most reluctant Engineering student will have to write academic papers, and left-brain Theatre Arts majors have to take math and science. Luckily, a wide variety of courses are available, so English majors don't have to duke it out with the pre-meds if they don't want to fight for a place on thre curve. I took a psychology class and a course in linguistics, and loved both. Everyone has to take a foreign language or pass a proficiency test. I can't speak for Wharton, Engineering, or Nursing students, but I found my professors very accessible and easy to approach. Because I went to office hours and took multiple classes with my favorite professors, I had no trouble getting letters of recommendation for graduate school, even though I asked for them several years after college graduation.

As an engineer student, you get very little control over your education. Being an engineering and pre-med student, in three years I have taken only 1 class that was a true elective. There are so many requirements and very little room for you to pick classes you want to take. Also, I haven't taken a math, science, or engineering class that has been smaller than 50 students. I can think of only a handful of teachers who know me by name. Engineering student are some of the most competitive students at the school. Everyone is very career oriented, which makes them extremely concerned about their grades. Frankly, hearing about other people's grade concerns gets to be exhausting. Classes are all curved, which only adds to the competitive nature of the school.

With so many different paths of study to choose from, the peer competition widely varies. The Wharton School, beginning with the required Management 100 for Freshmen, is especially cutthroat. Many large introductory courses (notoriously Math and Economics) are also viciously curved. However, you can easily choose to sit back and observe your peers claw their way up to the top while you take one of the countless classes that foster discussion-based learning. At a research university as well-endowed as Penn, you can shape your own education to be whatever you want it to be. In the College of Arts & Sciences, the general requirements are, well, general—you have plenty options across various departments available to fulfill a requirement so that you never have to take math to fulfill the “math” requirement. If you want to be taught by full-time professors, you will be. If you want to be taught by a world-renowned professor, you will be, even in your freshmen year. Especially with the recent advent of the Freshmen Seminars, top faculty often teach freshmen in their areas of specialty. I took five classes my first semester as a freshmen, and the largest class I had was 16 students.

The academics are top notch...I certainly won't deny that I felt so intimidated taking my first Calculus exams even though I was always the best in high school. Thing is, everyone here was also best at theirs....there's positivity in the competition, everyone works really hard and plays really hard. I know I'm yet to see the cut throat stuff but I'm sure I'll be able to sail through that well. Large classes tend to be tough due to the curve but if you work hard enough you'll be fine. Whenever you get an A here you'll know it's because you deserve it, not by sheer luck at all. Last minute studying and memorizing won't get you grades, as you will notice.

The professors here are generally world-class but there is a chance that you'll have bad professors if you don't research and ask around. The most important thing is that you introduce yourself and go to office hours so you stand out. This is especially important since some lectures can have over 200 students. Also, know that you will work hard. You will work very hard, and not sleep much. Also, you might work very hard and not get the A or anywhere near the 4.0, or do no work and have the 4.0 thanks to the "curve".

Professors are generally both intereresting and interested, especially for smaller classes. If you care enough to go to them they will mostly respong. The exception is intro courses, especially in Math and Science. The school does have a very pre-professional feel to it, especially because of Wharton. Knowing that there is on campus recruiting and that some people have six figure salaries by September of their senior year drives people (even ones who have nothing to do with business or finance) to really push for jobs early and get down on themselves when they don't get them. When I was already applied to a dozen jobs and bemoaning my lack of responses, my friends from other schools hadn't even begun to think of where to send their resumes.

The academics at Penn vary greatly from one department to another. Engineering classes are very different from business classes, just like English classes are very different from Math classes. Penn is certainly good at preparing anyone for a job or graduate school. Many many services exist to help out students and not just on the career/graduate school level, but also on other levels, such as tutoring, Kelly Writers' House, and CAPS.

People definitely have "Penn" conversations, meaning they discuss politics and business simply for fun. In terms of academics, classes definitely aren't as hard as they're made out to be, but work is still required.

Professors know my name in seminars, but dont in big lectures. My least favorite class in us history from 1865 to the present with Phoebe Kropp.

Academic resources, class options, quality of professors, opportunities after graduation are all beyond compare outside of the Golden Trinity of Harvard/Princeton/Yale. Competition is fierce, particularly in the Wharton School, which has a strict curve and students are licking their chops over 100-hour-per week banking jobs. Professors are, for the most part, quite accessible and approachable. There is a good balance between theory and practice, to both refine the learning process or scientific method, as well as to succeed in graduate school or a career. One of the coolest classes I took was called Consulting to Growth Companies. I served on a consulting team to work with a small, but growing, company screened by the Wharton School, and assess their needs and draft a report instructing the company on how to meet their goals and grow their business.

Academics are rigorous but as long as you do your work, it is not too hard.