University of Pennsylvania Reviews

"The program was incredibly intense, and career support was only geared towards students who wanted to work at big law firms."

"Pro: Reputation, network, faculty Con: Cost,"

"The cost is high but with scholarships, financial aid, assistantships and work study, it is doable. The GSE staff if friendly and the school overall is showing to be a warm and welcoming environment."

"While the faculty are extensively experienced, and the education is cutting edge, and the diversity provides the necessary eclectic starting point for a truly fulfilling education experience, Philly can be a little dangerous. Professors are always available for you, and Career Services will happily spend their time making sure that you are oriented in the right direction. Unfortunately, the program doesn't ensure future career success (but then, most don't)."

"Some teachers are knowledgeable, but do not know how to teach."

"This is an exceptional program and one with one of the best legacies in Landscape Architecture not just in the United States but around the world."

"The U Penn School of Nursing goes above and beyond to train students to weigh the pros and cons of different care practices. A great deal of time is spent learning skills, re-demonstrating skills to teachers safely and then applying these skills in clinical settings. It has been a grueling workload but I am so happy to have come here to such a supportive environment and culture. The alumni are extremely helpful and the faculty are very willing to meet with you to go over questions or prepare for scholarships. The cons are the cost of coming to this school but everything else has been excellent."

"Excellent reputation and facilities in the new Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine. All the new Radiation Therapy techniques available (including Protons). Proximity of other local hospitals provide excellent opportunities for clinical observations. Small class size and thriving graduate community at Penn allows a good social life balance. Unfortunately, there is next to no financial support for this program."

"Very friendly, helpful environment. Professors are there for you! As a commuter, the parking is just really expensive. That's all."

"I have thoroughly enjoyed my experience at Penn so far. Although the coursework is demanding, I know I am being prepared for a profession I deeply care about."

"Pros: I love Wharton! I have met such a diverse group of students here. The faculty is world class and the school goes out of its way to make sure that the students are happy. Cons: Huntsman hall is a little too small to accommodate all of the student body."

"The University of Pennsylvania provides a unique opportunity for a multidisciplinary course of study for Masters students interested in Public Health. Housed in the Perelman School of Medicine, the program has ties with different University programs and provides an abundance of networks with faculty and staff. Furthermore, ties with the community allow students to become actively involved with their learning enviornment. Not only are students able to obtain and education, but they are also able to give back to the surrounding communities."

"The pros of my graduate program include the credibility and reputation of UPenn and the program as one of the top in the country as well as the intensity, expectations, and amount of material we learn. The cons include a lack of organization in the core, required courses, and little interdisciplinary coordination (the student must find this on his or her own)."

"Pros: this is not your average northern ivy league law school where people are competitive and cold. Collegiality here is REAL. The school operates as a family and there are always fun celebrations going on. Cons: the 1L classes focus too much on theory and less about practical black-letter law; registering is still in the stone age where you have to go in personally and confirm spots on waitlist. You won't get all the classes that you want, which is annoying for the tuition costs."

"This is the best program that I could have imagined."

"Extremely friendly student body, excellent support for public interest students via the Toll Public Interest Center."

"It's hard to quantify my experience at Penn Econ. It has a lot of features that are simply part of the economics academic culture, and it has a lot of features that are uniquely Pennmiserable. To start: The university itself is amazing. They are incredibly supportive in everything from health and living arrangements (including support in landlord disputes), to socializing and career services. For the most part, there is also the sense that they are generous with their money -- we are not particularly wanting of resources, except perhaps for graduate parents and mothers. Life is hard for them. The department, however, is unhealthy. From the very first day of the program, students are set against each other in a competition to stay -- only 2/3 of each incoming class ever succeeds to the second year, even though the faculty claim we are all measured objectively. Faculty have been known to joke that our names are not worth learning until we pass our exams, and it certainly feels true. In the second and third years, students are set with the task of impressing a faculty member enough that he will be willing to tolerate our presence for 20 minutes a month for "advising." I say "he" without significant loss of generality -- there is only one female tenured professor in our department, and she is the exception to every complaint I list. The intense need to impress suffocates any hope for creativity, and students are dull as dirt in their research ideas. By the fourth year, if we have managed to write a sufficiently large bulk of mess in the dissertation category of work, then professors who believe we have a reasonable chance of getting employed will start paying us attention. Some professors are known for having job-market pets, students they groom as their protégés to the exclusion of all others. Few to none are willing to contemplate student ambitions that do not appear to emulate their own. In light of the generally applicable complaints I have to list about my department, to now discuss gender-specific troubles seems petty. However, my department lacks none for sexual harassment and dismissal for women's concerns. For job market candidates, there was plenty of advice on what color tie to wear, but dead silence in response to questions of female attire or how to raise family planning concerns (i.e. maternity leave) in an interview setting. In summary: PROS: with positive probability you can receive a prestigious degree signed off on by prestigious faculty CONS: a strictly positive portion of your time spent at Penn Econ will be almost surely miserable."

"Pros: UPenn Political Science has an excellent range of professors, including some very big names in the field. The atmosphere is extremely friendly, and the grad students are treated with a lot of respect and appreciation by the faculty. Recent placements have been excellent, and the department is building a very strong reputation. The financial aid package is also comparable to the likes of Harvard or Yale. Cons: Foreign language requirement is outdated and excessive, with two years of language work required if you've not already completed any at undergrad level. The methods courses are not taught very well either, they tend to be too rushed. The area of the campus is also not the best, with some crime issues. University transportation is severely lacking. Overall: A very good program, with excellent professors, and a lot of opportunities for students. Notwithstanding issues with methods and campus, would recommend highly."

"The pros are that it is extremely prestigious, the professors are in the top of their field, it is located in the heart of Philadelphia, and there are great food options. The cons are that it can be stressful simply due to how they grade, there is not enough hands on, and anatomy is pretty much self taught."

"Pros: faculty, staff and professors are incredibly supportive and available to students Cons: there are no real cons except that financial aid is not particularly great. also, this is not particular to Penn Law but law school generally can be very challenging on some days;"