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University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA
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University of PennsylvaniaThe University of Pennsylvania is comprised of 16 schools, including four undergraduate institutions. The college offers over 90 areas of study to its students, including dual degrees that broaden the students’ academic preparation as well as graduate school and career opportunities. The College at Penn, Engineering and Applied Science, Nursing and The Wharton schools all offer students the ability to learn from experts in their disciplines in order to be exceptionally prepared for life post-graduation.

Undergraduate students at the University of Pennsylvania are also privileged to attend one of the leading research universities in the country. The college has a budget of nearly a billion dollars annually to contribute to research and development, addressing crucial problems and making groundbreaking discoveries in many areas, including medicine, science and technology. Students can collaborate with faculty to investigate inquiries that are relevant to their interests and academic work, and participate in the discovery of knowledge that benefits society and the world.

History of University of Pennsylvania

The historians of the University of Pennsylvania considered the school to have been founded in 1740 by George Whitefield in order to serve as both a charity school and a house of worship. However, Whitefield ran out of funds and the construction of the school was delayed. Benjamin Franklin resurrected the institution later in the decade by accumulating a group of trustees and purchasing Whitefield’s building. The school opened in 1751 as the Academy and Charitable School in the Province of Pennsylvania, aimed at instructing students of all socioeconomic classes.

Under the tutelage of Franklin first as President and then as a trustee, the University of Pennsylvania was a pioneer in higher education. In 1765, the previous iteration of the university established the first medical school in the American colonies. The school also become the first institution of higher education in the United States to be designated as a university in 1779. Franklin envisioned a unique and innovative approach to education in which young people would be trained in business, government and public service. Although he was initially overruled and the college functioned more traditionally as a Christian ministry, Franklin’s ideas were later adopted by the University of Pennsylvania and other college and universities.

Penn eventually moved from its original location to a new campus in 1802 as it expanded and outgrew the land. However, by the end of the 19th century, the campus was no longer meeting the evolving needs of the university, and the school was moved to its current location in West Philadelphia. The campus is now 302 acres in total, featuring academic buildings, research centers, and the first student union and double-decker football stadium in the country.

Campus Life at Penn

The University of Pennsylvania campus features many diverse organizations and activities for students to participate in. Social, political, religious and cultural activities appeal to students of all backgrounds, and allow them to interact with classmates who have similar and divergent views and interests to their own. The surrounding area of West Philadelphia also offers students a vibrant community in which students can seek entertainment, sports, and cultural experiences in addition to community service opportunities.

Students can also look forward to many fun traditions on campus. At the beginning of their freshman year, students march in, sit together, and listen to speeches from campus leaders at the Convocation, a similar and bookending experience to their graduation four years later. Hey Day, first celebrated in 1916, honors the passage of juniors into their senior year as they wear red and march around campus. Perhaps the most lighthearted tradition is the throwing of toast onto the football field after the third quarter of each home game, as a nod to the song lyric, “Here’s a toast to dear old Penn”.

Financial Aid for Penn Students

The University of Pennsylvania supports students of all socioeconomic classes in affording their tuition to the college through the All Grant-Based Program. Instead of offering loans to students, all financial aid is awarded through grants and work-study opportunities to students who are dependents enrolling in an undergraduate school. The amount of financial aid awarded is proportional to the total family income.

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Overview

30 students have given us feedback on this college.

Despite college rankings and beautiful college websites, most students and families know very little about the actual student experience at particular schools. College websites, campus tours and conversations with high school guidance counselors provide very limited information.

The Voice of the Student Survey compares the responses of over 7,500 liberal arts college undergraduates on more than 40 questions about college life. As a result, we learned what “real life” looks like at individual schools.

Despite scripted campus tours designed to get you to say, “It just feels right,” no college is perfect. Two campuses that you are comparing might seem very similar on the surface when, in fact, the students tell a very different story.

That is why we surveyed thousands of liberal arts students, to help you get the real scoop about the student experience… the good, the bad and the ugly. As a Liberal Arts Insider member, you have access to the data we’ve collected from these Liberal Arts Colleges students.

Campus Community Coach & Safety Sherpa

How safe, accepted, and comfortable students feel on their college campus is one of the largest influencing factors as to how satisfied they feel with their college experience. Having a tight-knit college community is the cornerstone of a successful college experience, as proven by our Voice of the Students survey.

We can compare what the college brochures advertise to what students are actually experiencing; sometimes the admissions representatives have no idea how students on their campus really feel. This “Community” section is a way to find out exactly what students think about their campus, in their own words. Here, we have data about student satisfaction, housing, social cliques, and student’s sense of safety.

What do you like best about your school? (you can have more than 1 answer)

Here is a representative sample of what students (in their own, unedited words) told us what they liked best about their school.
What students have to say?
Reponse
The people. Most of the people I've met have been incredibly compassionate people who are crazy smart and just really great to be around. The professors have also been amazing. I've already taking really interesting classes ranging from Psych 101 to Hipster to Philosophy to a writing seminar about chick flicks.
Everyone here is so ambitious, they inspire me to try things as well.
Social life, the city, pre-professional focus, research opportunities everywhere
We have good resources and amazing peer groups. We have one of the best hackathons. City area gives good connectivity and it's well located for the east coast in general.
Everyone is extremely proactive here, which greatly motivates myself into becoming proactive.
University resources and opportunities
The fact that they gave me a lot of money.

What would you change about your school? (you can have more than 1 answer)

Here is a representative sample of what students (in their own, unedited words) told us what they would change about their college.
What students have to say?
Reponse
The sports culture. I'm a huge basketball fan, and people just don't really come out to games. The dining food isn't the greatest. But philly has an amazing restaurant scene.
Too many core requirements, Wharton is grossly prioritized, students are very competitive, lots of students find ways to scheme their classes such as hiring tutors to write papers/complete assignments
Decrease the proportion of international students, hire math teachers that speak English and are good at teaching, put at least one American flag somewhere on campus.
It's over competitive nature.
Competitiveness, exclusive groups, excessive partying atmosphere, high costs of tuition, administration that does not listen to students, dorm quality, high costs of food
I would add a course to the core requirements that would deal with international matters. I find it interesting that one might graduate from an Ivy League institution with advance knowledge of i.e. robotics, but at the same time not knowing what is the capital of Switzerland.
The hypercompetitive environment, the white privilege kids
-better financial aid -more resources for majors other than finance and engineers

Overall, how satisfied are you with your college experience and why?

Students were asked to rate their satisfaction with their college experience on a scale of 0-10, with 0 being "not satisfied at all" and 10 being "extremely satisfied." What you see here is the college's average Satisfaction Score, a representative indicator of students’ feelings about the overall experience.

Sense of Community

"Sense of community" is defined as a feeling members have that they belong and they matter to one another and to the group. We asked students how they would rate the sense of community on campus.
Very weak
3.4%
Weak
17.2%
Average
48.3%
Very strong
31%

Housing Satisfaction

Student housing is often touted as a big selling point during the college recruiting process, even though often times the best housing is only available to a small percentage of students. So, we asked students, across the board, how satisfied are you with your housing?
Not Satisfied
6.9%
Somewhat Satisfied
31%
Satisfied
37.9%
Very satisfied
24.1%
What students have to say?
Reponse
I love my college house
We lose hot water every week.
Housing is expensive if we want one bedroom/person with a kitchen in the apartments. The common bathrooms on the floors for first years run out of hot water fast.
Expensive but subpar quality housing, needs improvement
The Quad is nice, but its not very cozy at all. linoleum floors, harsh lights on 24/7 in the hallways. Only one light in my room, one above the sink. Need more lights for the room. Not very comfortable.
On campus housing is low quality overall
Off-campus, somewhat high rent but very close to classes and convenient. Pest problems

Safe on Campus (Even at Night)?

We asked students: How safe do you feel on campus, even at night? This is an incredibly important set of data, because we found high correlation between a high sense of safety and the likelihood of liberal arts students to recommend their school to others. In fact, when students indicated they felt “very safe” on campus, they were nearly twice as likely to recommend their school to others as those who said they felt “somewhat safe.”
Unsafe
0%
Somewhat Safe
33.3%
Very Safe
66.7%

Ever Felt Discriminated Against?

Students deserve to feel safe and accepted on their college campus. This is especially a concern for underrepresented groups of students, which at Liberal Arts Colleges tend to be students of color and/or international students. To help you make the right decision about school choice and find out the truth that not all schools will share, we asked students, “Have you ever felt discriminated against based on social or physical characteristics? (e.g. gender, ethnicity, family background, sexual orientation, religion, country of origin).”
Never.
62.5%
A couple of times, but nothing major.
29.2%
Yes, sometimes. It happens more than I wish it did.
8.3%
Yes, often. It happens all the time.
0%
What students have to say?
Reponse
Racism is common in traditional Greek life, but not as much elsewhere.
Discrimination occurs on a more implicit scale
Why you dress, appearance and looks matter, as do religion.

Liberal or Conservative?

Which way does the campus lean? We ask students... In general, “liberal” people in the US tend to promote social justice and equality, and ask the government to help make society more fair. “Conservative” people tend to promote traditional social values and prefer less government involvement. In your opinion, is your school more liberal or more conservative?
Very liberal
26.1%
Liberal
60.9%
Neutral. Neither liberal nor conservative.
8.7%
Conservative
0%
Very conservative
4.3%
I'm not sure
0%

Academics Advisor

Without a doubt, academics are a major focus, if not the top priority, for many college students. Schools will often advertise their classrooms as collaborative, but we’ve found that students sometimes describe the academic environment as highly competitive. Are students helping each other with academic work or trying to get ahead? Do students spend every waking moment with their nose in a book?

We asked students both qualitative and quantitative questions to find out how the academics at this school challenge them, and contribute to their college experience. Find out directly from the students how they feel about academics, challenging or otherwise, at their school.

Workload

To get a qualitative measure of the way students feel about academics at their school, we asked “How manageable is the workload at your school?”
Easily Manageable - not difficult at all
0%
Very Manageable - occasionally difficult
0%
Manageable - reasonable amount of work
3.4%
Difficult - it consumes most of my time
79.3%
Extremely Difficult - it consumes all my time
17.2%

Studying Time

College is primarily about learning, but some colleges seem to require much more study time than others. For a more quantitative idea of the academic challenge at this college, we asked students, on average, how much time they spend studying.
Less than 7 hours per week, or less than an hour a day.
0%
7-17 hours per week, or about 1-2.5 hours per day.
12.5%
18-32 hours per week, or about 2.5-4.5 hours per day.
62.5%
33 hours per week or more, or more than 5 hours per day.
25%

Relationships with Professors

The opportunity to take advantage of small class sizes and accessibility of professors is a huge draw of many Liberal Arts Colleges, though some schools are better in this area than others. We asked students how they would describe their relationships with professors (not including other instructors).
Very distant. I don’t know my professors and they don’t know me.
0%
Distant. We acknowledge each other on campus but that’s it.
31.6%
Somewhat close. I’m pretty comfortable going to office hours or chatting with professors after class.
63.2%
Close. I am comfortable asking for advice and feel I have many professors I can turn to for guidance.
5.3%

Excitement About Learning

College is all about learning - both in and out of the classroom. The people that students are surrounded by, especially their professors, can have a huge impact on their learning experience. In a very large study, the researchers found excitement about learning was tied to long term career success. We asked students: “To what extent do you agree with the following: I have at least one professor who makes me excited about learning.” In our research, we found that students who "strongly agreed" with that statement were twice as likely to recommend their school to others as those who only "agreed."
Strongly Disagree
4.2%
Disagree
0%
Agree
45.8%
Strongly Agree
50%

Collaborative vs. Competitive

The learning environment of a college will certainly have a large impact on any student’s experience. No school will advertise a cutthroat environment, but we’ve found that some colleges are more competitive than they say. To find out how students perceive the environment on their campus, we asked if they would describe it as more competitive or collaborative.
Highly Competitive. Most students put their own success above others, and often compare their achievements to their peers in a competitive way.
30.4%
Competitive. Students work hard and have a competitive mentality, but can still work together when necessary.
52.2%
Collaborative. Overall, students work together well and don’t see school as a competition.
17.4%
Highly Collaborative. Working together to come up with the best solution is the norm. This is more important that trying to stand out individually.
0%
What students have to say?
Reponse
Some professors don't allow collaborations and no one likes that and it highly increases pressure and stress.
The Wharton school may be different, but so far the people ive come in contact with have been very collaborative.
Very competitive. Many classes have no collaboration policies.
It also depends on the school. I'm in SAS, and I find collaboration is encouraged.

Climate of Political Activism

Political climate on a college campus can affect the way students learn and interact with each other, especially if a student body is particularly politically active. We asked, “What is the climate of political activism at your school?” to find out about this school.
Uninvolved/nonexistent
0%
Somewhat existent. Every once in a while you see students protesting something or passing out political leaflets.
4.3%
Visible. Some students are politically involved, and may protest sometimes, but the protests are usually small and short-lived.
47.8%
Prominent. You can’t be here without being involved in the world’s politics on this campus in one way or another.
47.8%

Social Life Navigator

In addition to academics, social life is integral to the campus experience, and it’s dictated by a few different elements. Do students feel discriminated against based on their identities? Where do students spend most of their time socializing? Do drugs and alcohol dominate the social scene? This is the kind of information that schools will NOT advertise.

So, to find truthful answers these to questions, we asked students for their perspectives. We looked into social aspects such as extracurricular involvement, opportunities in the local community, and alcohol/drug culture on this campus.

Social Cliques

A "social clique" is a small group of people who spend time together and who are not friendly to other people. Students told us how prevalent social cliques are on their campus.
Nonexistent
3.6%
There are a few groups like this, but not many
0%
They exist, but don't play a big part in campus life
42.9%
They play a big part at this school
53.6%
I don’t know
0%
What students have to say?
Reponse
There's Greek life and other groups who are known in campus, but you'll be able to find friends in all different groups.
Cliques include sororities/frats, international students, majors, partiers
Greek life is huge for most white students in the social scene, and cultural organizations are popular with minority students
People formed their cliques at the beginning of the year. Its very hard to make friends now.
Greek life and whiteness dominate the majority social scene

Socialize On or Off Campus?

Depending on the location of the college, as well as the climate on campus, each school will vary as to where the students find their social life. Do people party on campus? Or does campus tend to feel deserted at night or on the weekends? We asked students to tell us where they socialize for the most part: on or off campus?
Mostly on-campus
16.7%
Slightly more on-campus
25%
Equal balance between on and off-campus
25%
Slightly more off-campus
25%
Mostly off-campus
8.3%

Student Involvement in Local Community

In addition to student social life off campus, at Liberal Arts Colleges there are often opportunities to get involved in their surrounding community, through internships, etc. We asked students how involved their student body is in the local community.
Not at all. There’s like an invisible wall around campus.
4.2%
A little. Some people work, have internships, or volunteer off campus.
37.5%
Quite a bit. A lot of people work, have internships, and/or volunteer in the community.
33.3%
Very involved. I know a lot of people who work, have internships, and/or volunteer in the community.
25%

Alcohol

Alcohol is present on nearly all college campuses, though its influence varies across different schools. Colleges won’t advertise these kinds of statistics themselves, and often times they aren’t even asking the right kinds of questions. To find out the truth, we asked students, “How important is alcohol to social life on your campus?”
Vital, if you don't drink then you will stand out.
40%
Somewhat Important, drinking is part of most activities.
0%
Somewhat Unimportant, alcohol doesn't play much of a role at this school.
60%
Insignificant, hardly anyone drinks at social events.
0%
What students have to say?
Reponse
No one will pressure you to drink, but the majority of get-togethers/events have alcohol, especially in club activities.
It depends on what you chose. There is a lot of Greek life so there are always frat parties and clubs have a lot of BYOS. It's perfectly normal to stay in though, and penn always has a ton of events or shows going on.
While drinking is a part of most activities, generally no one forces you if you don't drink. Not sure how the culture in for social fraternities though.
I know a lot of alcoholics, but also people who drink moderately or not at all.
It seems every event there is drinking.
Alcohol culture is rampant
Almost all social activities with extracurriculars/groups will revolve around alcohol.

Drugs (Excluding Marijuana)

Similar to the influence of alcohol on college campuses, illegal drugs can affect the social life as well. Students told us, in their experience, how prevalent are illegal drugs on campus? (NOT including marijuana).
Nonexistent. I never see these.
15%
Somewhat around. It’s there but not a lot of it.
85%
Important. One or more of these drugs are a part of most activities.
0%
Vital. If you don’t partake you won’t fit in.
0%
What students have to say?
Reponse
Adderall for studying
Cocaine or adderall

Extracurricular and Organizational Activity

The involvement of students on campus is tied to sense of community - the more involved the students, the higher the sense of community. To gauge the involvement of the student body in different activities on their campus, we asked students, “How active are you in extracurricular activities and organizations at your school?”
Not active. I don’t participate in these programs.
8.7%
Somewhat active. I am involved monthly in one activity or organization.
17.4%
Pretty active. I am involved weekly in one or a combination of activities and organizations.
34.8%
Extremely active. I am involved daily or almost daily in activities and organizations.
39.1%

School Norms Toward Sexual Behavior

To find out the climate of this college regarding sexual behavior, including openness and hookup culture, we asked students, “What is your school’s norm toward sexual behavior in general?”
Abstinence is the promoted option.
0%
Discreet. Most encounters kept quiet and/or most couples are monogamous.
0%
Average. There are plenty of hookups but it’s usually within the norms of greater society.
52.2%
Sexual activity is everywhere and people are open about it.
47.8%

Climate Toward Homosexual Behavior

We asked students about their school's attitude towards homosexual behavior, intending to gauge the college's acceptance of the LGBT+ community.
It is forbidden at this school.
0%
It is frowned upon here.
0%
It is tolerated here.
4.3%
This school is gay-friendly.
95.7%

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