Why Did I Choose Penn?

I visited every institution that I applied to. This was something I did when I applied to undergrad institutions and it served me well in deciding which institutions feltlike the right fit. There were institutions that on paper (or now, online) sounded like great fits, but visiting left me with a different idea. As I walked onto Penn’s campus, on a rainy Saturday in March, I looked around to see if I could find people like me. I listened to hear the conversations that Penn students, both undergrad and grad, part took in. The Spring Open House was a clear indication that this was the place for me. I heard from a professor who dedicated her work to purposeful curriculum for the Philadelphia School District. Immediately I knew that this was the place I wanted to be. I wanted to be surrounded by professors whose work was in Philadelphia and in communities I wanted to impact. My advisor calls his research “actionable work” and that’s what mattered to me. Penn is a place where what I read, do, write, and learn has a bigger purpose: to be put into work. And that’s what Penn does.