While on our trip to Columbia we will being touring various universities and colleges. Among those schools is the Ivy League school, the University of Pennsylvania, the fourth oldest school in the United States and one of the nine Colonial Colleges. Located in Philadelphia, UPenn, as its commonly refereed to, offers a more distinct environment than the hustle and bustle of New York City while still residing in an urban atmosphere.
UPenn has a lot of history tied to its origins. It was originally established in 1740 by an evangelist preacher, George Whitefield, however the cost of construction quickly consumed the allotted budget, causing the project to reach a standstill. About a decade later, construction resumed after the brilliant inventor and founding father of America, Benjamin Franklin, and 24 of trustees (the first non-sectarian board) purchased the property. In 1751, the new school opened its doors to upper class of society and the common people, an action that was very uncommon among other education centers at the time. Then in 1755 it received its charter. Throughout time, UPenn has had numerous different names such as: "College of Philadelphia" or "Academy and Charitable School in the Province of Pennsylvania."
Being such a highly prestigious school, UPenn is a very competitive school to be admitted into. The most recent poll shows that out of the 31,128 student that applied in the fall of 2012, only 3,935 (12.43%) were admitted. While few get in, those that do receive some of the best quality of education in the entire world. The President of the school, Amy Guttman, stated that Penn was a place to expand knowledge beyond the traditional boundaries. Also important to know is that average student to teacher ratio is 6:1 meaning a more interactive learning environment. Penn is divided into twelve schools, that give students a wide variety of majors to choose from. However, only four of those schools are available to undergraduates: School of Arts and Sciences, School of Engineering and Applied Science, School of Nursing, and the Wharton School. All twelve are available to graduates. The curriculum is, for the most part, is based on Benjamin Franklin ideologies of preparing youth for leadership in fields like business, government involvement and public service. Some of the most popular majors include Finance, Economics and Political Science. In great part though, education at Penn is research oriented, investing around $923 million as of the 2012 fiscal year. Since its establishment, it has made considerable achievements such as the establishment of the first general-purpose electronic computer and the first American student union building, Houston Hall.
Penn has welcomed numerous great leaders and role models through its doors. One of the most notable alumni is the business magnate, Donald Trump, who graduated from Wharton School (Penn's school of business) in 1968. Another greatly recognized alumni was former president William Henry Harrison. Penn has a total of 28 affiliates who have received a Nobel Prize. Even in only the past two decades there have been : 7 Macarthur Award recipients, 5 National Medal of Science recipients, 4 Nobel Prize recipients, and 5 Pulitzer Prize recipients. In addition the current president of Harvard University, Drew Gilpin Faust, received her Ph.D from UPenn.
Demographics show that the overall population of the university is very diverse in many ways. In the 2012 freshman class: 10% of international students were from Africa and the Middle East, 48% from Asia, 3% from the Pacific and Australia, 19% from Canada or Mexico, 6% from both Central and South America as well as the Caribbean, and 14% were from European Countries. Also the gender is also evenly balanced, with a 53% of students being female and 47% male. Also there is a 56 percentage of students who choose to live in either college-owned, -operated, or -affiliated housing. The other 44% chooses to live off campus.
The campus is another incredible asset that Penn posses. Occupying such a large area, the university showcases more than 200 building and landmarks, amongst which is Franklin Field (the oldest collegiate football stadium still in use and the first double-decked college stadium built in the country).
An intriguing fact about Penn is that, like the principles established by Benjamin Franklin on public service, it is heavily involved in community service. Close to about 13,000 students, staff and faculty partake in over 300 programs that Penn organizes. Recently there was celebration at Penn for the success of the "Making History Campaign" which successfully expanded access to the most talented students, recruited and retained eminent faculty and staff, and made breakthroughs in research and education. There was a total of $4.3 billion raised through campaign, and to celebrate a concert was held at Penn Park ( a beautiful 24-acre area that has two athletic fields, a multipurpose stadium, a tennis center, and seasonal air structure).
The University of Pennsylvania is an amazing school. Not only does it offer a high quality of education and diversity, but also offers students many gateways for success. With many different majors, Penn offers a student a wide variety of selections that meet the interest of every individual. If I were ever to attend such a prestigious school, like UPenn I would most likely find that my path would lead me to major in Law. Being the 7th best law school in U.S means that a degree from Penn can really boost the possibilities I could have after graduating.
UPenn has a lot of history tied to its origins. It was originally established in 1740 by an evangelist preacher, George Whitefield, however the cost of construction quickly consumed the allotted budget, causing the project to reach a standstill. About a decade later, construction resumed after the brilliant inventor and founding father of America, Benjamin Franklin, and 24 of trustees (the first non-sectarian board) purchased the property. In 1751, the new school opened its doors to upper class of society and the common people, an action that was very uncommon among other education centers at the time. Then in 1755 it received its charter. Throughout time, UPenn has had numerous different names such as: "College of Philadelphia" or "Academy and Charitable School in the Province of Pennsylvania."
Being such a highly prestigious school, UPenn is a very competitive school to be admitted into. The most recent poll shows that out of the 31,128 student that applied in the fall of 2012, only 3,935 (12.43%) were admitted. While few get in, those that do receive some of the best quality of education in the entire world. The President of the school, Amy Guttman, stated that Penn was a place to expand knowledge beyond the traditional boundaries. Also important to know is that average student to teacher ratio is 6:1 meaning a more interactive learning environment. Penn is divided into twelve schools, that give students a wide variety of majors to choose from. However, only four of those schools are available to undergraduates: School of Arts and Sciences, School of Engineering and Applied Science, School of Nursing, and the Wharton School. All twelve are available to graduates. The curriculum is, for the most part, is based on Benjamin Franklin ideologies of preparing youth for leadership in fields like business, government involvement and public service. Some of the most popular majors include Finance, Economics and Political Science. In great part though, education at Penn is research oriented, investing around $923 million as of the 2012 fiscal year. Since its establishment, it has made considerable achievements such as the establishment of the first general-purpose electronic computer and the first American student union building, Houston Hall.
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| Donald Trump received a degree from the University of Pennsylvania. |
Demographics show that the overall population of the university is very diverse in many ways. In the 2012 freshman class: 10% of international students were from Africa and the Middle East, 48% from Asia, 3% from the Pacific and Australia, 19% from Canada or Mexico, 6% from both Central and South America as well as the Caribbean, and 14% were from European Countries. Also the gender is also evenly balanced, with a 53% of students being female and 47% male. Also there is a 56 percentage of students who choose to live in either college-owned, -operated, or -affiliated housing. The other 44% chooses to live off campus.
The campus is another incredible asset that Penn posses. Occupying such a large area, the university showcases more than 200 building and landmarks, amongst which is Franklin Field (the oldest collegiate football stadium still in use and the first double-decked college stadium built in the country).
An intriguing fact about Penn is that, like the principles established by Benjamin Franklin on public service, it is heavily involved in community service. Close to about 13,000 students, staff and faculty partake in over 300 programs that Penn organizes. Recently there was celebration at Penn for the success of the "Making History Campaign" which successfully expanded access to the most talented students, recruited and retained eminent faculty and staff, and made breakthroughs in research and education. There was a total of $4.3 billion raised through campaign, and to celebrate a concert was held at Penn Park ( a beautiful 24-acre area that has two athletic fields, a multipurpose stadium, a tennis center, and seasonal air structure).The University of Pennsylvania is an amazing school. Not only does it offer a high quality of education and diversity, but also offers students many gateways for success. With many different majors, Penn offers a student a wide variety of selections that meet the interest of every individual. If I were ever to attend such a prestigious school, like UPenn I would most likely find that my path would lead me to major in Law. Being the 7th best law school in U.S means that a degree from Penn can really boost the possibilities I could have after graduating.
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