University of Pennsylvania Top Questions

Is the stereotype of students at your school accurate?

Andi

Patrially accurate, but with 10,000 undergrads there is room for every kind of person. I was part of a more intellectual group of performers and writers, and loved every minute.

Jesse

There is definitely a large percentage of Jewish students at Penn. While there are a lot of students from very wealthy families, there is also a very diverse group of people at Penn. There are people at Penn from all socio-economic groups. I would say that the "social Ivy" reputation is a bit overplayed, but has some truth to it. Penn students tend to be very competitive, but they also value having fun at the same time.

Mark

(the above are true)

Maria

True; sometimes; sometimes

Andrew

I find that Penn does have a lot more fun than the other ivies, especially when it comes to large open parties, but this isn't saying much (read: Ivy leaguers have no fun). Also, the supposed threat from being in West Philly is completely blown out of proportion and almost completely preventable.

Jo

Every stereotype is routed in some truth, but it certainly is not completely true.

Shelby

Without question

Dylan

yes

Michael

Some of the above do apply to substantial portions of the student body, but not to the University as a whole

Harper

Yes

Jesse

Most people are not snobs, the rest stands true for most students.

Carson

to an extent; students will spend the whole day in the library so they can spend the whole night out. we like to have our cake and eat it too.

Eric

Yes.

Alex

Penn does have more Jewish students than some of the other Ivys, but it's not Brandeis. Penn is very diverse and this includes religion as well as ethnicity. The Asian steretype comes from students that are not used to being surrounded by a diverse student body but it is no way a bad thing or an overwhelming amount. All the schools within the University are at Ivy level, and although they are all different, every student at Penn works hard. The only stereotype I'd say has some truth is about Wharton. It is the hardest school to get into at Penn, and lots of the students have a lot of money there. As to the partying, it is common but not a necessity. I wouldn't say it is more than other colleges. The frat scene is very accessible but not overwhelming. If you are looking to drink you'll have no trouble but if the opposite is true, you'll also have a great time.

Brett

for the most part

Royce

Yes

West Coast Transplant

There is definitely a large contingency of Jewish and wealthy people at Penn, but I don't think it by any means defines the school. There is a pretty diverse student population, although the majority of students seem to be from the northeast. I don't know how Penn compares to the other ivies in terms of being the party ivy...but there are a lot of people both at the bars and in the library on the weekend so I don't know how accurate that stereotype is.

Terry

Not at all. Yes there are the few here and there who are like that, but really in general all the people I've met are great kids - people who have really cool backgrounds and experiences and ideas!

Ali

We are definitely the Social Ivy - having experienced many other Ivy social scenes, I can for sure say that Penn's is number one. I feel like people here have a great balance of work and play - we get our stuff done and we're all smart, but we know how to go out and have a good time. As far as being preppy/stuck up, there are definitely people like that here but I'd say the majority aren't that way at all. Although, I do admit that most people have a superiority complex when it comes to students from Drexel - no one really wants to associate with them.

Rory

Only for a small portion of the population. We do tend to be career-minded, much more than the typical college (probably because we have nursing, engineering, and business schools for undergraduates), but I find that there are quite a few people who don't party hard and also a lot who are not rich & preppy. We have very active minority populations, a strong LGBTQ community, and good groups with religious focus. It's a mixed bag. Except that there really are a lot of Jews.

Dylan

yes

Lindsay

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)

Cameron

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.

Nellie

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.

Jody

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.

Alex

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.

Margo

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.