Exploring them may give you a clearer sense of what elements specific to Penn excite or intrigue you. Penn’s website offers many videos charting different Penn students’ experiences. With the second prompt, link to specific elements of Penn that will allow you to continue exploring what you believe in and care about, what has shaped you academically and intellectually.
What specific elements intrigue you? Show the admission officers how you have reflected on how you’ve come to be the human you are, how Penn can help you become the human being you want to continue growing to be, and how you hope to impact others in Penn’s community. One way we sometimes joke about this is to think about the essay as though you’re helping the school understand why your online dating profile and its online dating profile are perfect for each other, and how you’d probably make great partners.Īlways be sure to answer the question the prompt asks-again, the first prompt is a “Why us?” regarding Penn’s community. But as the following guide explains, you’ll want to be sure to think of this not simply as “Why them?” but as “Why us?”-as in you + the school-and why you’d be a great fit together. These are both fairly standard “Why us?” prompts, with the first prompt focusing on community and identity, and the second focusing on academics and intellect. Reading through this will give you a strong idea of what UPenn values. And for insights into how the university envisions itself and its role, and how it wants to grow and evolve, read its strategic plan. If you want to get a clearer sense of all that UPenn is looking for, you can explore an extensive, by-the-numbers look at their offerings, from enrollment and tuition statistics to student life and financial aid information, on its Common Data Set. In other words, how do you and the school fit together?Īdditionally, UPenn has several possible prompts for students applying to dual-major or specialized programs. UPenn’s supplemental essays have for a long time primarily focused on some variation of “Why us?,” offering you a chance to show the school who you are through linking your skills/qualities/values/interests to the awesome things UPenn offers. Founded by Ben Franklin, the university prides itself on helping to educate leaders in both academia and public service.
UPenn has a long history (as in, older than the US itself) as a strong academic institution.