University of Pennsylvania Top Questions

What are the academics like at your school?

Rebecca

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Jake

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.

Gionni

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.

Brenda

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.

Brenda

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.

Brenda

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.

Stephanie

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.

Kate

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.

Kaytlena

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.

Andi

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.

Jesse

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.

Mark

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.

Lisa

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.

Maria

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".

Andrew

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.

Jo

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.

Shelby

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.

Dylan

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.

Michael

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.

Harper

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

Jesse

Professors will give you the time of day if you make them, but you'll have to make yourself known to them. Students compete and hearing them complain about "failing" because they have a B- in a class where you have an F is becomes old very quickly. The Writing Seminars are a prodigious waste of time, and energy.

Carson

Absolutely! Every professor hold office hours for you to get clarification on homework or for you just to pop in just to talk. It's the Ivy League; if you don't think you're going to study, you're mistaken. Some days it's hard to find a spot in the library. The most spirited discussions about politics, philosophy, and other topics happen outside the classroom. Students are not competitive at all. There is this universal feeling of "cooperate and graduate" that pervades the campus. Someone is always willing to help you with your homework or send you notes that you missed when you were sick.

Eric

At Wharton, the greatest business school in the world, do not expect to be in an intimate classroom setting until your late junior or senior year. While the courses are demanding, there is very little hand-holding through the infamous Wharton core - the ten basic business classes that are completed during the sophomore and junior year. Be prepared to go through a brutal running of the bulls type classroom atmosphere where you cram for tests and feel very little personal satisfaction.

Samantha

My professors know my name in seminar classes, obviously not large lectures. My favorite class was an Anthropology class called "Death". Needless to say, the subject matter was interesting and the professor was also very informative and interactive. Students study as much as they need to. I have friends who go out every night and have a 3.8 GPA, but I also have friends who study very hard to get a decent GPA...it depends. Class participation is quite common, however, most of the time, if you listen carefully, the person speaking doesn't actually know what they're talking about. People talk just to talk. Again, it depends on the student. I have friends with whom I can have intellectual conversations, but I also have friends who can't hold a conversation. Students can be quite competitive. Most unique class taken: see above. I am currently undeclared and it's wonderful. I do not spend time with professors outside of class, however, I am only a freshman. I feel that the academic requirements here are legitimate. They encompass a wide area of studies and give you the chance to expose yourself to different things. It's all what you make of it. People in Wharton, Nursing, or Engineering tend to be geared towards getting a job, while people in the School of Arts and Sciences are geared towards learning for it's own sake and seeing what job opportunities might come out of that.

Alex

As with any middle to large University, there are some large lecture classes. Introduction classes in Economics, Psychology, and Calculus can get up to 200 students. But all lectures ahve small recitation where once a week you meet in a group of about 15 to discuss the lecture and ask questions. All the professors and recitation leaders are available through office hours and before and after class to help you - they want to you to succeed. Most of the grades in most of the classes are normalized, but there is some competition to be above the average. Grades are most competitive in Wharton (the business school). Penn does have quite a few requirements, but most of them you can fill with classes you'd take anyway. They are distribution requirements, meaning a subject you can satisfy with one of twenty or so classes. The professors I've had have been very good and knowledgeable in their topics. Although they are some of the best in their fields, they have been willing to discuss with me after class or schedule a meeting with me. The only time I've had trouble with a teacher is in recitation, where many of the grad student teachers speak limited english.

Brett

Professors don't know my name. Favorite class: ASL. Least: Writing seminar. Student study time: I'd say fairly morderate. Class participation: higher than I'd thought, less substantial than I'd thought. Intellectual conversations: no. Students' competitiveness: not irrationally so. My major: ditzy girls.

Royce

Some, but not really. Favorite class is cross cultural awareness and least favorite is accounting. Study a lot. Yes common. I like wharton. too hard, tho

West Coast Transplant

The professors here are amazing. Most of my classes have had less than 20 students and almost every professor I have had knows my name and stops to say hi when I see them outside class. My favorite classes have been the small seminars (which is about 80{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the classes I have taken). I took a writing seminar freshman year titled 'Beastly Visions and Talking Creatures,' which is my favorite class to date. It was basically an animal rights class disguised as an English class and the teacher was an eccentric woman that reminded me of Ms. Frizzle from The Magic School Bus. She took us to local restaurants and farmers markets that advocated free-range and fair treatment of animals (translation- free delicious food and a class for a good cause). My least favorite class was one of the intro classes for the Communication major (awful professor) and a geology class (I am not a fan of the general requirement at Penn, although they did reform the requirements starting with the class 2 years behind me). The students here are amazingly intelligent, and it is not rare to be engaged in intellectual conversations outside class. While they are competitive, in the College this is not as noticeable as it is in Wharton where the curves are stronger. The education in the College (liberal arts) is very theoretically based. It is academia for learnings sake. Very little of what I have learned has practical application for getting a job. The other 3 schools within Penn- Engineering, Nursing, Wharton Business School, take a much more practical approach to education. Wharton students practically have jobs handed to them when they graduate.

Ali

Professors can really go either way. The classes here range between huge lectures to tiny seminars. But, I've noticed that in medium-sized lectures (around 50-70 people), professors often require you to put a name tag on your desk so that they familiarize themselves with your name. And there are definitely professors who know everyone's name by the end of the semester. My favorite class here at Penn has been The Business of the Sports Industry. I don't particularly want to go into sports (although I might after this class), but I loved the way that the professor brought everything back to what we learn in our basic Wharton classes. He basically showed us that sport franchises are like any other business. It was really cool. I would say that most people at Penn have a very healthy work ethic - otherwise, how would they have gotten in? People are always at the library, or in coffee shops working. Still, we know how to let loose and have fun and I love that balance here. My two majors are Marketing and Retailing. I love that they're off the beaten path (most everyone in Wharton majors in Finance) and that they're more subjective, and not just number-based. It really allows me to think critically and think outside of the box. There's one professor that I spend time with out of class - he was my Econ 101 professor freshman year and I almost failed. Since then, we have been really close and he has become my mentor. We have lunch at least once a month to check in.

Rory

Get through introductory courses as fast as you can. If you're in the College, upper level classes are really amazing, especially in the history political science departments. There are a ton of courses with alternative formats. For instance, I had a class that met 6-9 on Wednesday nights and had field trips a couple times during the semester to visit the organizations we were studying. We ended up at the District Attorney's office the last week of school. There are classes that are geared entirely around designing a mural with the community in West Philly and then painting it. Architecture classes also have a really strong practical component. There's even one political science class about incarceration that meets each week at a local jail (students take a Penn van there and back) and is made up an equal number of Penn students and inmates. The list definitely goes on.

Lindsay

You have to make an effort to get professors to know your name. My favorite class was through the graduate school of government - Fels. It was called "Women Leaders and Emerging Democracies" and was taught by former Congresswoman Marjorie Margolies (her son is dating Chelsea Clinton). The class was very hands-on and we heard a lot of wonderful guest speakers. Students study a reasonable amount. In class participation is an important part of classes Some Penn students have intellectual conversations out of class. Others just gossip. And others just talk about summer internships and investment banks (cough cough, Wharton) Students are very competitive. Especially pre-meds and Wharton kids. Most unique class - Community Based Environmental Health. We learned about health risks and the developed a plan to fix an environmental health problem in West Philly. My major is Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE). It's an interdisciplinary major based off of the Oxford major by the same name. And Harvard has the same program but they call it Social Studies. It was Bill Clinton's major. I LOVE PPE. It teaches you liberal arts combined with practical real-life skills You have to make an effort to see professors outside class. The academic requirements are good, except there are too many science requirements (especially for non-science majors). Wharton is geared toward getting a job. The other schools are geared towards learning.

Cameron

Academics is highly volatile. It depends on the department, the course, the professor, the students in the class, and you. The good part is that there is the option of doing a dual degree, which involves two bachelors (not just two majors), and I know in some universities this is not possible or very hard to do (like Stanford). There are many schools and a wide variety of majors, as well as the option of doing an individualized major, and changing majors is quite easy. In the College, or SAS, there are a lot of general requirements, which is good if you are only getting one major because you can explore and expand; but they get very annoying when you are trying to complete the requirements for a minor, and another major in another school. The administration is terrible too. The psychology major is a joke, but I guess that's true everywhere. In general, being in SAS is not that strenuous in terms of work, even if you take 150{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} workload (6 credits). The College has been for me a terrible experience, and moreso because I can contrast it directly with Engineering. The administrators in the College don't motivate you, quite the opposite: they get pissed if you try to do more than you should. The first time I took 6 credits (the limit is 5) my advisor was very angry and condescening. In Engineering, it is more common to take more credits. In Engineering, for any type of request, you just fill out a petition and turn it in. In the college, it is a whole process to fill out any sort of petition; you have to go talk to an advisor first, who will supposedly 'advise' you, when you just actually waste 1 hour. Engineering, or SEAS, has more specific requirements because it is obviously a more specialized major. This is good since you end up actually learning something useful. You also have to take a lot of social sciences and humanities, giving you freedom to explore other areas, and not just science. The environment in Engineering is a LOT more welcoming than in the College. SEAS organizes semesterly events, the advisors in general are better, you get to know people better, and there is a sense of community. Students are very competitive. Grading is usually on a curve, meaning the average is a B/B+, so you only have to do better than everyone else to get an A, which can be easy or hard (depends on the course). I've taken very hard courses and done well, very easy courses and done poorly. I feel that in general professors don't care about you. They don't know your name, and don't care to know. There are some rare ones that know who you are, nod their head when they pass you in the hall, but beyond that do not really venture further.

Nellie

Only in my smaller seminar classes do my professors know my name and my interests. These have actually been some of my favorite classes (English classes), because I can discuss my academic interests on a more personal basis with my professors, which all in all makes me more excited to learn. My worst classes have been math and science classes where we have problem-set type homeworks every week for recitation. Students study a lot! People are very competitive academically, but that doesn't mean they don't have intellectual passions outside of class that don't count for a grade. Once you get to upper level seminar classes in your major people get very excited to learn for the sake of learning. The english major, for example, definitely has a lot of passionate majors. I think it's partly the professors that foster this enthusiasm. I used to be a psych major, but switched because the psych professors were only there for their research. I felt like the English dept professors really cared about their students, and wanted to help them in any way they can. I have had many conversation with English profs about things outside their class, over coffee or walking through campus. As in english major I'm definitely learning for its own sake rather than for a job, but I know a lot of Wharten students and even econ and polisci students who are gearing up for a job.

Jody

Least favorite class - MTH 114, multivariate calc. The professor was a visiting professor from Philadelphia Community College who was fired the next semester for doing such a terrible job. Favorite class - Hard to say. I've had lots that were good. FNCE 101, Monetary Economics and the Global Economy, might be the most impressive one. Extraordinarily well taught by Nicholas Souleles, stimulating, and practical. How often do students study? - One semester I took 6 courses. This meant I had many days when I woke up, started working, took breaks for food/shower/etc., and kept working until I fell asleep. Not all semesters are that intense and not all students take 6 classes. I'm taking 4.5 now and it's much easier, but I still study 6 days a week. Are students competitive? - Yes, overall. Some people are tools and take competition to an extreme and are always trying to ask smart-sounding questions in class. Most students do not enjoy this toolishness. What's the most unique class I've taken? - MGMT 209, Political Environment of the Multinational Firm, is a valuable class at the intersection of business and politics. About my major/department - http://www.upenn.edu/huntsman/curriculum/index.html Our program's website is a mess, but here's the info. Huntsman is a joint-degree program run by the College and Wharton. You get something of a liberal arts education but you also get the job-market power of Wharton, which is a nice combination. Do I spend time with professors outside class? - Yes. Note that Penn has more than one institutional framework that facilitates students joining faculty for free lunches. How do I feel about Penn's academic requirements? - They're generally not bad. Is the education at Penn geared toward getting a job, or toward learning for its own sake? - It depends on the student, but Penn does have a stronger vocational tilt than the other Ivies.