University of Pennsylvania Reviews

"It's a prestigious school with many driven and successful people around. It's ridiculously expensive though."

"My business school was excellent. I received a top notch education from one of the best business schools in the world, and formed lifelong friendships and business relationships. The network and access students receive is unparalleled and the opportunities are endless. Despite being an elite university, the students are extremely down to earth and I learned a great deal during my time there."

"The Landscape Architecture program is rich attracts many talented students. The students who attend school here come from all over the world, and are incredibly driven and talented. The education here has been as much about the classes and the professors as the interactions with the diverse student body. The faculty at UPenn are primarily practitioners, and so the school tends to be professionally driven. This provides an opportunity for establishing connections in the professional world. The program requirements include classes ranging from small scale parks, to regional planning, and urban design. It seeks to expose students to the various facets of current Landscape Architecture practice."

"The University of Pennsylvania is an amazing institution with incredible resources. While it is an Ivy League university, they could have more support for first-generation/low-income students. My courses were phenomenal, however, and my professors were all experts in their given fields. The campus is beautiful and I love how close it is to Center City. Many students tend to stay inside the University City bubble, but if you get the chance, get out and explore Philadelphia. Take advantage of the resources this university offers. Take a class in the Penn Museum, visit the Kislak Center for Rare Books and Manuscripts on the 6th floor of Van Pelt, go see the Phantom of the Opera in Irvine Auditorium on Halloween with live accompaniment on the Curtis Organ, and take advantage of the numerous speakers and special events. Your courses are important, but Penn has so much more to offer. Take it all in!"

"The college does not have a diversity and inclusion office and focuses almost all of its attention on undergraduate students and doctoral students. Those of us in the master's programs do not get the funding, the attention or the chance for collaboration as the other two groups of students. In my program, I do not even truly have a cohort and I have never met with another person in my major. It is good to have an open curriculum but I still think that I feel as if I am not valued because of my chosen field which is unfair."

"There is a reason Penn is one of the best schools in the world. At my fingertips, I had world class research, professors, and brilliant minds to work along side. While the Chemical Engineering curriculum did skew toward the theoretical side, it was not hard to find working professionals to share with you about the application of your classroom knowledge."

"A wonderful institution and department with a lot of varied resources. Many different areas of research and instruction. Good emphasis on entrepreneurship. A great deal of flexibility in designing your own program of study. Wonderful peers and professors."

"The University of Pennsylvania's School of Veterinary Medicine is an incredible vet school with a huge focus on research and small animal medicine. Ryan Hospital, the small animal teaching hospital, is a great resource for learning and is right on campus. The large animal hospital, The New Bolton Center, is located 45 minutes outside of Philadelphia and has both a dairy and swine unit on that campus available for teaching, but most of the patients are equine. As a large animal medicine major with an interest in research, I have found that the distance of the large animal hospital from Philadelphia can be a big challenge. The core curriculum is mostly focused on small animal medicine because of the incredible facility of Ryan Hospital, so the majority of the students are small animal majors. As a large animal or food animal major, you usually don't have much choice except to wait until food animal electives are offered in the third year."

"The University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing is the best nursing school. People always ask me if I think it matters where you get your undergraduate nursing degree. I always reply yes. I believe nurses prepared at the University of Pennsylvania are a different breed of nurses. The way they think and the way the see things is superior to other prepared RNs. They have a lens that promotes change and improves the quality of nursing care they provide. I would not have had the success I have had today as a nurse if I did not attend the best nursing school, the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing!"

"Attending the University of Pennsylvania as a first generation, low income student was a dream come true. Penn has every academic resource imaginable in any discipline of study. It is a world class research institution with many opportunities to work alongside some of the best minds in their field. The student life is diverse with students from around the United States and the world from all cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. The University most recently began a program for first generation, low income students to broaden its cultural support network and ensure the entire student population has every tool needed for success. Next year, I plan on attending medical school. The University of Pennsylvania gave me unparalleled opportunities to enable me to reach my goal of becoming a student-physician. The coursework was extremely rigorous, but prepares you well for whatever your goals are upon graduation."

"The Fels Institute of Government at the University of Pennsylvania prides itself on a practical curriculum for those who desire to have an impact in the public sector. While the program is not as large as some other institutes of government or schools of public affairs, Fels does adequately prepare graduates for careers in everything from city government, to state agencies, to non-profits. I found the curriculum to be appropriately rigorous with a bent towards practical education, and thus not overly-theoretical. One of the greatest benefits of Fels is the connection to the rest of the resources of Penn. This allows students to earn joint degrees, or to simply specialize in a particular area of interest in the public sector."

"The University of Pennsylvania Master of Bio-ethics (MBE) is an interdisciplinary degree offered by the renowned Department of Medical Ethics & Health Policy. The MBE degree program gives students broad exposure to the full range of topics and issues in contemporary bio-ethics, drawing on the expertise of our distinguished faculty and visiting fellows. The Penn Master of Bio-ethics program is one of the nation's premier programs for bio-ethics education, attracting exceptional students from both the US and abroad. The program admits highly accomplished professionals who work in the bio-ethics-related fields of medicine, nursing, law, dentistry, social work, genetic counseling, regulatory affairs, public policy, veterinary medicine, and industry, as well as outstanding students in other professional degree programs at the University of Pennsylvania. What makes the Penn Master of Bio-ethics program unique is a threefold approach to bio-ethics training that combines excellent academic instruction, a worldwide network of alumni, and hands-on research and consulting opportunities that build on the classroom experience."

"I am a current FNP student at the University of Pennsylvania. So far, the teachers have been very knowledgeable in their field of expertise. At times the financial and student services offices were a bit challenging to navigate for the part time student."

"UPenn opens doors to opportunities that are otherwise unavailable, largely due to the connections you'll make at an Ivy League university. Every professor is not only a master of their particular field but also has extensive experience in the private and public sector and in leadership positions. You really cannot go wrong in choosing such a highly-ranked university. The cost may be high, but the payoff is commensurate. In other words, you get what you pay for - and paying for UPenn is worth the price."

"The University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education at is a leading educational institution. When one says that she graduated from Penn, it is synonymous with accomplishing a scholarly endeavor. Research and democracy are both stalwarts of the UPenn GSE mission and philosophy. As a student, you are encouraged to speak by analyzing the lens of researchers in the field, the human impact of research and personal experiences associated with one's research. How does one prepare for such a program? Well, read and familiarize yourself with the act of scholarship, but one may assume this already if you are considering Penn GSE as a graduate school. In preparation for any of Penn GSEs graduate programs, I encourage incumbent students to research the scholars in the field because the more familiar you are about current research, you will bring a critical perspective to the coursework and professors' ideological views. Furthermore, your expertise enables you to design a personalized curricular experience or independent study that examines your burgeoning interests with a sense of vision and intention. If you want to prepare for Phd. level research, you should consider how this Masters program will serve as a foundation for your future interests. However, if you are more invested in pragmatism and application, your familiarity with the field of research enables you to excise course material that is cogent and rich, and informative to your research. It is imperative that you engage with the material and immerse yourself in the graduate school culture at Penn because class discussions are the modus operandi of most professors. Moreover, you will discover that exchanging ideas with peers whose erudite opinions challenge you to be more critical and analytical will change your graduate experience and bring depth to your study. Overall, Penn GSE is a welcoming, collegial and spirited community; it will enhance your graduate school experience and motivate you to be a change agent in education."

"The School of Social Policy & Practice at the University of Pennsylvania prepares leaders in the field of social justice. The coursework is challenging and interesting and students get the chance to apply classroom concepts in their field placement."

"I graduated from University of Pennsylvania's Teach For America Urban Teacher program at their Graduate School of Education. Although Penn is a credible institution with incredible networking opportunities, my specific program didn't prepare me for the overwhelming challenges that came while working in urban education. Some of the professors were very understanding that we were full-time teachers and made the courses rigorous enough where we felt challenged, but manageable with our other responsibilities. However, other professors seemed to have this negative connotation of Teach For America students and their disengagement with the course and our classes were visible. My honest opinion is that although I am so grateful to have obtained a Masters degree from an Ivy League institution, I do not think the quality of content was worth the amount that was spent in tuition."

"My professors were helpful and asked each student to challenge themselves. I felt really good attending classes regardless of the type of subject matter. They enabled me to better than what I was. If I was never challenged I wouldn't know my g Fullest potential"

"I love UPenn and the Master of Social Work program. I am surrounded by diverse and inspiring group of aspiring social workers who work to pursue social justice and help others. The professors are world renowned researchers and clinicians and I feel lucky to have received training from them."

"It is a very open program meaning that you can take any class you want pretty much. However, there was a serious lack of options for creative writing classes. Furthermore, I love English but because of the set up of the program I could only take 4 English classes in my total of 9 classes (to complete the program). Considering that all creative writing classes in the graduate program are under the ENGL scope, it only helped to further limit me. The fact that I could expand, though was great and allows me to take really interesting courses in various fields."