Little Campus; Big City

One of the biggest things that swayed me to apply to Penn was that it was an enclosed campus within a larger city, that is to say, a Philadelphian school that's actually in the geographical, actual Philadelphia proper.

How often and where else in the country can you drop $1.80 (the price of a SEPTA token) and leave your dorm, finding yourself with slow-churned ice cream in hand, looking across the river at the next state over?

What's more, is that Philadelphia is also just one bead in a string of pearls that make up the metropolises of the East Coast. Ten bucks can get you to Boston; five bucks will take you to the Big Apple, and MegaBus has just recently announced its $1 service to/from Washington DC(?!).

With the hustle and bustle of the Ivy League lifestyle, getting out of the Penn bubble can sometimes be difficult. However, knowing that these urbanities lie just a cab, bus, or train ride away makes the world—and all its treasures—seem that much smaller.

-Helen N. '18