Penn - March 25-26 ASW! Forum

[4102011]

Apparently some of the other trolleys were all quiet and didn't have ridiculous tour guides who let them into the Comcast building! If only he had run up the steps with everyone...

[mcweanis]

It was really nice to meet everyone in person! Hope to see y'all in the fall!

So, I'm planning to scope out some housing options tomorrow. Right now, I'm thinking Left Bank, 2400 Chestnut, and Rittenhouse Parc (they seem the most popular?). Anyone have other suggestions or recommendations? Will try to put up pics .

Rittenhouse Park is NOT a popular place for students or anyone not mega-rich... the cheapest you can get around there is about $900 a month. I don't know any (non-from-a-super-rich-family-who-pays-for-housing) students who live there. A few blocks away south, west, or east is cheaper, but I wouldn't even bother looking within one block of the park.

Honestly, unless you live in Center City, you should not have to pay more than 600 a month for a good place, especially if you have roommates - 700 if you want something extra nice.

I haven't been to 2400 Chestnut but I'm considering it. A really popular option nobody really mentioned is just getting your own apartment or house a few blocks west of Penn. It doesn't start being the ghetto until around 44th, and its much much cheaper to live that way than to live east, closer to center city.

Hope this helps! I'm not a Penn student yet, but I live in Philly on a 20,000ish salary so cheap housing is always on my radar!

more detail - I live just south of center city (within 3/4 mile of suburban station) in a row house with roommates but my own room for 550/month. My bf lives ten blocks west of the law school for 500/month, with two roommates and his own room. row houses are so worth it! you can really save, and mine at least is nice and big.

[law_monkey]

Oh, to answer gatorgirl I will be at NYU's next week, so I can tell you more then. I have been inside of NYU though, so just to play devil's advocate, here were the downsides I saw to Penn (and you all know I'm obsessed with Penn so I find it extremely hard to find anything negative about it). As far as NYU vs. Penn when you're talking facilities, I'd say NYU wins (sorry everyone). There are some really beautiful rooms and the classrooms are nice at Penn, but there are also a few places that are just kind of meh. In particular, all of the lounge-y areas where people probably hang out weren't that exciting. But of course they'll have the new building which might have some better space, and there are some really beautiful study spots on the main campus. Also, the library is very underwhelming. This doesn't matter if you like to study at home or find another spot to do your work, but if you're a library person it's kind of not that great (speaking aesthetics here, not actual materials). With that being said, none of that is a deal breaker - at least not IMO. Depending on how much this stuff matters to you, it may be a tiebreaker.

Also, if you're PI the summer funding is not guaranteed. I was told that they ran out this summer and have a decent sized waitlist going. I think they will work with you to find resources, but it's not just there. Although I do think this is the first time it's been an issue because older students didn't have this problem, so maybe it'll all be taken care of by next year.

Anyway, those were my only cons with the school and I'm still ABSOLUTELY IN LOVE with Penn (and Philly!). I completely echo what everyone said about the students genuinely loving the school and coming off as really excited to be there.

[Georgiana]

It was really nice to meet everyone in person! Hope to see y'all in the fall!

So, I'm planning to scope out some housing options tomorrow. Right now, I'm thinking Left Bank, 2400 Chestnut, and Rittenhouse Parc (they seem the most popular?). Anyone have other suggestions or recommendations? Will try to put up pics .

Rittenhouse Park is NOT a popular place for students or anyone not mega-rich... the cheapest you can get around there is about $900 a month. I don't know any (non-from-a-super-rich-family-who-pays-for-housing) students who live there. A few blocks away south, west, or east is cheaper, but I wouldn't even bother looking within one block of the park.

Honestly, unless you live in Center City, you should not have to pay more than 600 a month for a good place, especially if you have roommates - 700 if you want something extra nice.

I haven't been to 2400 Chestnut but I'm considering it. A really popular option nobody really mentioned is just getting your own apartment or house a few blocks west of Penn. It doesn't start being the ghetto until around 44th, and its much much cheaper to live that way than to live east, closer to center city.

Hope this helps! I'm not a Penn student yet, but I live in Philly on a 20,000ish salary so cheap housing is always on my radar!

While the pricing of the bolded is pretty true, the assumption about people not living there is false. I know quite a few people who live/lived in that area (including myself) and I doubt they are all from "super-rich-families" (I know this because I'm certainly not from that kind of family ).

Rittenhouse Parc (the condo building) is not a super popular place for students because its a ritzy condo building, not an apartment building. Its harder to find apartments there and in most condo buildings other than Riverwest but its possible. There's been a lot of housing chatter in the Penn Students Taking Questions Thread (and there's input from students other than me who were more cost conscious for housing, my limit was $1k/month (inclusive of utilities) and I've stayed within that and lived in Rittenhouse all three years).

[The Gentleman]

It was great meeting everyone this weekend! Having to leave Philly was sad, but there's a great chance I'll be back soon enough.

[r6_philly]

It was great meeting everyone this weekend! Having to leave Philly was sad, but there's a great chance I'll be back soon enough.

glad you enjoyed yourself!

[ilovemulch]

Also had a great time this wkd, and meeting many of you! There is def a strong chance i will be attending!

[The Stig]

Also had a great time this wkd, and meeting many of you! There is def a strong chance i will be attending!

I totally did not realize that we met at the first breakfast until the end of the weekend!

Also, does anyone know the reimbursement procedure? Probably on the admit website, right?

[jtemp320]

I have no idea if most people I met are on TLS but it was great meeting everyone. I was really impressed with Penn and had a great time

[sarahlawg]

Wish I could have come to ASW...sounds like it was great! Hopefully they will respond to my scholly negotiation...

[c_dubya_s]

Also had a great time this wkd, and meeting many of you! There is def a strong chance i will be attending!

I totally did not realize that we met at the first breakfast until the end of the weekend!

Also, does anyone know the reimbursement procedure? Probably on the admit website, right?

Bayrex told me that I could email them to get the form for reimbursement.

[pereira6]

Also had a great time this wkd, and meeting many of you! There is def a strong chance i will be attending!

I totally did not realize that we met at the first breakfast until the end of the weekend!

Also, does anyone know the reimbursement procedure? Probably on the admit website, right?

That means I did too?! Haha who could it be...?!

[4102011]

Also had a great time this wkd, and meeting many of you! There is def a strong chance i will be attending!

I totally did not realize that we met at the first breakfast until the end of the weekend!

Also, does anyone know the reimbursement procedure? Probably on the admit website, right?

That means I did too?! Haha who could it be...?!

We were all at that table hahaha

[pereira6]

We were all at that table hahaha

I just kinda sat down at a table that looked like it had some cool people at it...of course the cool-looking crowd ended up being a group of TLS all-stars

[absolutazn87]

Also had a great time this wkd, and meeting many of you! There is def a strong chance i will be attending!

I totally did not realize that we met at the first breakfast until the end of the weekend!

Also, does anyone know the reimbursement procedure? Probably on the admit website, right?

That means I did too?! Haha who could it be...?!

We were all at that table hahaha

+1

[Excellence = a Habit]

This weekend was great. I finally got to meet so many TLSers! I was surprised and impressed with Penn's academic panels, especially international law, clinical programs and interdisciplinary stuff. The facilities were great as well. Everyone I met was nice as well. I guess my main issue was that PI was clearly an afterthought - not so much for the school as for most of the student body. I know that's going to be an issue anywhere, but maybe less so at the other schools.

Oh yeah, Philly looks like a GREAT place to live! (Except for the cold... sigh).

[r6_philly]

This weekend was great. I finally got to meet so many TLSers! I was surprised and impressed with Penn's academic panels, especially international law, clinical programs and interdisciplinary stuff. The facilities were great as well. Everyone I met was nice as well. I guess my main issue was that PI was clearly an afterthought - not so much for the school as for most of the student body. I know that's going to be an issue anywhere, but maybe less so at the other schools.

Oh yeah, Philly looks like a GREAT place to live! (Except for the cold... sigh).

PI minded folks usually go to the many other programs at Penn. Law and Wharton are for the private sector minded largely.

And the weather is pretty unseasonably cold right now. It was 28 this morning on the way to work, not to my liking.

[law_monkey]

Also had a great time this wkd, and meeting many of you! There is def a strong chance i will be attending!

I totally did not realize that we met at the first breakfast until the end of the weekend!

Also, does anyone know the reimbursement procedure? Probably on the admit website, right?

That means I did too?! Haha who could it be...?!

We were all at that table hahaha

It's really funny how even all the people who didn't arrange to meet up still just ended up finding each other. We really are special snowflakes!

[gatorgirl4life]

Oh, to answer gatorgirl I will be at NYU's next week, so I can tell you more then. I have been inside of NYU though, so just to play devil's advocate, here were the downsides I saw to Penn (and you all know I'm obsessed with Penn so I find it extremely hard to find anything negative about it). As far as NYU vs. Penn when you're talking facilities, I'd say NYU wins (sorry everyone). There are some really beautiful rooms and the classrooms are nice at Penn, but there are also a few places that are just kind of meh. In particular, all of the lounge-y areas where people probably hang out weren't that exciting. But of course they'll have the new building which might have some better space, and there are some really beautiful study spots on the main campus. Also, the library is very underwhelming. This doesn't matter if you like to study at home or find another spot to do your work, but if you're a library person it's kind of not that great (speaking aesthetics here, not actual materials). With that being said, none of that is a deal breaker - at least not IMO. Depending on how much this stuff matters to you, it may be a tiebreaker.

Also, if you're PI the summer funding is not guaranteed. I was told that they ran out this summer and have a decent sized waitlist going. I think they will work with you to find resources, but it's not just there. Although I do think this is the first time it's been an issue because older students didn't have this problem, so maybe it'll all be taken care of by next year.

Anyway, those were my only cons with the school and I'm still ABSOLUTELY IN LOVE with Penn (and Philly!). I completely echo what everyone said about the students genuinely loving the school and coming off as really excited to be there.

thanks, law monkey!!

[The Stig]

For those who would like it, here are my thoughts of the ASW this weekend!

I will again premise these comments by noting that I am on general a positive person, and tend to see things in a positive light. There has yet to be a law school visit that I have not enjoyed. Worth noting is that this will be a combination of summary and reflection on the experience  Also, I apologize in advance for any typographical errors, I am writing this on my iPhone (ironically enough) on a flight to Philly. Before beginning, it is also worth noting that I have never been to Philly or Penn before, and that my finances were I to attend Penn would be advantageous. 

I arrived late on Thursday night, so I didn't get a chance to make it to the TLS meet-up that day. The day started early on Friday, and I happened to find myself at a breakfast table of TLSers. To be honest, Friday was a blur. We essentially went 9am til midnight, so I can't exactly remember what happened in what order.

There were a variety of panels and presentations throughout the day. The clinic panel seemed to be pretty standard, as did the career services panel. Keep in mind, "standard" in this context means compared to peer schools I have visited (Michigan, Chicago, Duke). They do have some regional interview rounds before the formal OCI in Philly, which sounds awesome for those not interested in the biggest legal markets.  Although, it was interesting when the career services officer didn't answer a question about OCI placement rate. She explained that some students only interview with one government agency at there, so the figure wouldn't be representative. However, she did note that "even though she hasn't looked at it" (or something like that), it was better this year than last year. To be honest, this lack of disclosure was a bit discomforting. To address her first point, it would be relatively easy to calculate the number for only those who interviewed at more than 3 offices, eliminating any disadvantage of people only interviewing at one place. The student on the panel was confident that people did "excellent" and no one during the weekend seemed stressed about jobs, so I am hardly concerned about job prospects at Penn (I am sure they do quite well!)....if someone at a later ASW wants to inquire about this, I would be interested to hear the figure just for the heck of it.

The cross-disciplinary presentation stood out the most to me. For me, this is really exciting about law school in general, as I have a relatively interdisciplinary undergrad major, and have really enjoyed it. Penn noted that it has excellent other graduate schools in which to take courses, and while this is true, I think that it is inaccurate to say that Penn is the only T14 to have great other grad programs. That said, they do seem to encourage students to take courses (up to 4 total, in comparison to duke's 2). They also have a ton of joint degree programs, which while they don't interest me personally, I think it would contribute very much to a more well-rounded group of classmates in law school classes, and these opportunities definitely contribute to that. The Wharton certificate seems to be a big hit with the students (3 classes, Wharton brand on the resume).

During the day, we took a tour of the law school. It is interesting in that a big portion of it is old/ivy style and a big portion is modern. Lots of people uploaded pictures, so I don't think I need to add any to illustrate it. It was a bit hard to judge the facilities as a whole, as about a quarter of it is still under construction, and should be done for second semester of next year. Something that I really liked was their style of mixing classrooms/offices/administration-apparently it makes for a good mixing of all parts of the law school. This was similar to how UChicago places prof offices in the library so it is almost impossible not to interact with faculty. The library was nice, with a good mix of study spaces, but nothing out of the ordinary.

For me, the most valuable part of visiting schools has been spending time with the students/faculty/admits. There were plenty of opportunities for this on Friday (and Saturday too). Lunch with the faculty was great, as it was really easy to connect with the faculty member at our table. It is clear that the faculty feel a close connection to the students and are really supportive of what they do. The students there were awesome as well, especially Rachel, the head of the post-acceptance committee. Though I think she was in charge of a lot of the weekend, she always found time to talk to us when we had questions. The formal events ended with a cocktail reception, which was really fun! Dinner with students followed, then a bar night. Throughout all these, the students were very candid and helpful in answering any questions about Penn. Their motto seemed to be "work hard, play hard" and it definitely was evident in everyone's attitude. 

The other admits were awesome as well, I was super impressed by everyone's comments in the mock class on the really dense civpro reading (though it is worth noting that one kid did pass when called on). 

Saturday was definitely more laid-back, beginning with a trolley tour and some more panels. Cheesesteaks were served for lunch, with more opportunities to meet with current students. The clerkship panel in the afternoon was excellent-it removed any doubt in mind that I'd like to pursue a clerkship at some point. Two of the students were EICs of the law review (one of them will be clerking for Roberts) and they other two were on law review, so I'm not sure what the clerkship prospects looks like for those not on LR (they mentioned high grades as a necessary condition, so I'd imagine not great).

On Saturday we also took a tour of the campus, which was fun. It is definitely more urban than I expected, but I suppose I am coming from a college town where there isn't a "bad" part of town. I felt the "ivy-ness" when walking down the main locust walk. I can imagine the campus is incredibly pretty once some leaves show up on the trees.

All in all, it was an awesome weekend. The people were great, and the vibe was what I am looking for. I feel like I got to know Penn really well, and could see myself as a student there!

If anyone has any questions about my comments, feel free to ask-I know I met a ton of TLSers there, so we would all be happy to answer!

[rachellevick]

Also, if you're PI the summer funding is not guaranteed. I was told that they ran out this summer and have a decent sized waitlist going. I think they will work with you to find resources, but it's not just there. Although I do think this is the first time it's been an issue because older students didn't have this problem, so maybe it'll all be taken care of by next year.

Hi all,
First of all: Thanks for all the positive feedback on this weekend! The Admissions Office, Post Acceptance Committee, and all the current student volunteers are thrilled that you all enjoyed yourselves and learned so much about what makes Penn special. I normally don't go on this forum, but I figured I'd see how ASW went over, and I'm thrilled with the results.

One thing to clarify, however, regarding summer funding for non-firm jobs. If you are in the Public Sector (this includes governmental work, true public service work, and judicial internships, which is how I will be spending my summer), Penn WILL find funding for you. There are a few options: there are multiple fellowships that are awarded to students with a clear Public Interest focus; there are Federal Work Study Grants awarded for those who demonstrate need during their summer of public sector work, and then, for those who do not receive funding from those aforementioned sources, there is a Tuition Grant program that the school has virtually guaranteed we will all get. I know this for a fact because I did not get the Federal Work Study and went in to talk to Financial Aid, and they informed me that the school WILL be giving everyone a comparable tuition grant to what the FWS grant would have awarded. The difference is that the FWS grant is paid over the summer, and is treated like taxable income, while the Tuition Grant comes out of your next semester's Fall tuition (and is tax free!). For those students who need actual funding over the summer to live on, the option is to take out a small loan (approx. $4,500) and use the tuition disbursement to pay it right back once the fall rolls around.

I hope that clears some things up. I know that's not the most lucid financial analysis, but I think it helps clarify the main point: if you are in the public sector for the summer, Penn WILL find you funding. Any more detailed questions, feel free to get in touch with Admissions and/or Financial Aid Offices

Hope to see you all in September!

[r6_philly]

Thanks for the info. I was wondering how that works. So is $4500 the standard amount? What if you do a split summer and get paid for half of it?

[Georgiana]

Also, if you're PI the summer funding is not guaranteed. I was told that they ran out this summer and have a decent sized waitlist going. I think they will work with you to find resources, but it's not just there. Although I do think this is the first time it's been an issue because older students didn't have this problem, so maybe it'll all be taken care of by next year.

Hi all,
First of all: Thanks for all the positive feedback on this weekend! The Admissions Office, Post Acceptance Committee, and all the current student volunteers are thrilled that you all enjoyed yourselves and learned so much about what makes Penn special. I normally don't go on this forum, but I figured I'd see how ASW went over, and I'm thrilled with the results.

One thing to clarify, however, regarding summer funding for non-firm jobs. If you are in the Public Sector (this includes governmental work, true public service work, and judicial internships, which is how I will be spending my summer), Penn WILL find funding for you. There are a few options: there are multiple fellowships that are awarded to students with a clear Public Interest focus; there are Federal Work Study Grants awarded for those who demonstrate need during their summer of public sector work, and then, for those who do not receive funding from those aforementioned sources, there is a Tuition Grant program that the school has virtually guaranteed we will all get. I know this for a fact because I did not get the Federal Work Study and went in to talk to Financial Aid, and they informed me that the school WILL be giving everyone a comparable tuition grant to what the FWS grant would have awarded. The difference is that the FWS grant is paid over the summer, and is treated like taxable income, while the Tuition Grant comes out of your next semester's Fall tuition (and is tax free!). For those students who need actual funding over the summer to live on, the option is to take out a small loan (approx. $4,500) and use the tuition disbursement to pay it right back once the fall rolls around.

I hope that clears some things up. I know that's not the most lucid financial analysis, but I think it helps clarify the main point: if you are in the public sector for the summer, Penn WILL find you funding. Any more detailed questions, feel free to get in touch with Admissions and/or Financial Aid Offices

Hope to see you all in September!

Regarding the bolded: This can be easier than it sounds. The law school can/will give short term loans over the summer to be paid back on some agreed upon date (I really needed to cover my May/June rent during 2L summer but wouldn't have my first paycheck until the end of the first or second week of June so I couldn't wait). I talked to Anthony Henry about it and he was able to "find" like 2000 to front me (interest free!) so I would be able to pay everything and then I paid him back in June. It was pretty seamless (if not stressful when I realized I'd be short the money!).

[Veyron]

Also, if you're PI the summer funding is not guaranteed. I was told that they ran out this summer and have a decent sized waitlist going. I think they will work with you to find resources, but it's not just there. Although I do think this is the first time it's been an issue because older students didn't have this problem, so maybe it'll all be taken care of by next year.

Hi all,
First of all: Thanks for all the positive feedback on this weekend! The Admissions Office, Post Acceptance Committee, and all the current student volunteers are thrilled that you all enjoyed yourselves and learned so much about what makes Penn special. I normally don't go on this forum, but I figured I'd see how ASW went over, and I'm thrilled with the results.

One thing to clarify, however, regarding summer funding for non-firm jobs. If you are in the Public Sector (this includes governmental work, true public service work, and judicial internships, which is how I will be spending my summer), Penn WILL find funding for you. There are a few options: there are multiple fellowships that are awarded to students with a clear Public Interest focus; there are Federal Work Study Grants awarded for those who demonstrate need during their summer of public sector work, and then, for those who do not receive funding from those aforementioned sources, there is a Tuition Grant program that the school has virtually guaranteed we will all get. I know this for a fact because I did not get the Federal Work Study and went in to talk to Financial Aid, and they informed me that the school WILL be giving everyone a comparable tuition grant to what the FWS grant would have awarded. The difference is that the FWS grant is paid over the summer, and is treated like taxable income, while the Tuition Grant comes out of your next semester's Fall tuition (and is tax free!). For those students who need actual funding over the summer to live on, the option is to take out a small loan (approx. $4,500) and use the tuition disbursement to pay it right back once the fall rolls around.

I hope that clears some things up. I know that's not the most lucid financial analysis, but I think it helps clarify the main point: if you are in the public sector for the summer, Penn WILL find you funding. Any more detailed questions, feel free to get in touch with Admissions and/or Financial Aid Offices

Hope to see you all in September!

Maybe so but you have to fight like a MOTHERFUCKER before you can pry the funding from Penn's cold dead hands sometimes. Def my least favorite part of an other excellent adminstration. I could tell you the things I had to do to get funded, but this is a family website. I'm not sure I'm out of the woods even yet.

[OldManHunger]

.