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University of Pennsylvania was founded in the year 1740 by Benjamin Franklin (yes, you read that right. 1740! Benjamin Franklin!) and is one of the few prestigious Ivy League schools around. UPenn, as it’s called, has the nation’s first medical school and also the world’s first business school – the very famous Wharton. The MS programs at the university are very popular among Asians, especially Indians. UPenn is ranked amongst the finest ‘Comprehensive Universities’ in the world, because it is one of the few universities which you can almost never go wrong with, regardless of the course you’re doing – it’s good for everything. Note that UPenn is a private university and has nothing to do with Penn State University.
University of Pennsylvania is located in the city of Philadelphia, just across the Schuylkill River from Center City. Pennsylvania is conveniently close to New York City and Washington DC, and pretty accessible by trains and buses, though one can obviously not make travelling a daily affair.
There are a number of museums, art galleries, theatres, restaurants, bars and historic sights in and around the campus. The campus houses 15 splendid libraries, which together have a total of about 6 million libraries. They also have a digital library, of course. There are ample facilities for sports and recreation as well, all of which are absolutely first grade, naturally.
There are accommodation facilities available for International students at the University’s excellent hostels, but most Asian students prefer to rent apartments in the nearby buildings.
Philadelphia experiences extremes of climate. Summers are typically hot and muggy, fall and spring are generally mild, and winter is cold. Snowfall is variable, with some winters bringing only light snow and others bringing several major snowstorms. The January (coldest month) average is 32.3 °F (0.17 °C), though lows at times reach 10 °F (?12 °C), and highs may soar above 50 °F (10 °C). July (hottest month) averages 77.6 °F (25.3 °C), although heat waves accompanied by high humidity are frequent with highs above 95 °F (35 °C). Early fall and late winter are generally driest, with October being the driest month.
University of Pennsylvania is one of the top five research universities in the US, and it owes a lot of this fame to its excellent faculty. UPenn tops the spending list amongst the top universities, which explains why they are able to attract some of the best academicians and research teams. There are a total of about 2100 faculty members in the engineering department alone, which gives a very healthy student/faculty ratio. A lot of importance is given to research as well.
Since UPenn is an Ivy League private school, it’s really really difficult to get any kind of financial aid. Most students don’t, although need-based financial aid is granted in some special cases.
American Management Systems (AMS), JP Morgan Chase, Microsoft, McKinsey, Morgan Stanley, Teach For America are one of the high ranking Multi National Companies that recruit Graduate students at University of Pennsylvania. Oh, you get paid a whopping salary of roughly about $50,000 to $100,000 or more depending on your performance.
University of Pennsylvania is a perfect blend of an urban setting and a traditional college campus. You’ll find a nice mix of students from different socio-economic and cultural backgrounds here. In terms of numbers, Asians are the largest minority in UPenn. If you enjoy partying, Philadelphia is the place to be. As compared to other Ivy League schools, partying is given far more importance at UPenn. Weekend plans are made days in advance. There are various clubs and student groups where students can meet other people like themselves, including those of you with slightly umm, how do we say this, different preferences.
Shailesh Rao - MD of Google, India. John Sculley - Former President of PepsiCo. & Former CEO of Apple Computer. Eugene DuPont - First head of modern day DuPont
Definitely one of the better universities around, and certainly one of the most popular amongst Indians, UPenn is really good for almost every course.