Admitted to Wharton Class of 2011!

Hit the 5 week mark today - woohoo. It's stupid as hell..

Yeah. Count me in this list too. Sucks.

Still waiting on kroll as well.

I decided to go to Winter Welcome at the last minute and I have to say that was a great decision. The school was definitely a better fit than I expected judging by how much fun I had (still don't have my voice back from networking/partying). You really start to understand the quality of the school when you're there with current students and they lay out everything that is available to you. One interesting note is that they have made significant administrative changes that are leading the school back towards a focus on overall student life. Since I am focused on the experience as much as I am on the academics, it was nice to hear. The other part I liked was that not only does it have a large class size, but everyone tends to live in a condensed area (albeit Philly). This seemed to make the community of students more close knit and more available to hang out with consistently. It made me realize I need to be wary of schools with a high commuter contingent. I also need to mention that even though I could care less about anything theatrical, Follies was pretty damned funny. They really rip into students and don't hold back on humor targeted at everyone from the Dean to internationals to slutty chicks. Just wish I could've gone to Pub and also the Follies performance that all the students costume up for. I'll have to wait for April Welcome Weekend.

Anybody else go? Maybe we met. I am pretty sure Audio and I had a few drinks together now that I re-read a couple posts.

Wow. Sounds like you had a great time! Makes me kindof regret not going.

I will be attending the April event (stupid boss *needed* me here during WW).

Yeah I just made plans to come back for the next WW to meet more people and deal with housing. There will be more admits in April anyway, so not a big deal to miss this one. The best part is it doesn't seem so foreign to me anymore, but it also is making the wait that much harder.

Yeah. I figured that by April, I could go and look for housing options.

Just a question: Did you get any impression on what living on campus is like? I am curious how common this is. If not, I guess I'll be apartment hunting in April as well

Dayman - any info as to what exactly those admin changes are that will focus more on student life? The experience is a huge part of my decision too

Jjright - forget about living on campus....a 1br apartments on campus cost the same as a normal apartment in the city. and it's also not a very nice building

Ppl post here as soon as you hear from Kroll ! thx

There just seems to be a lot of changeover in the administration, so I asked a few students about it. They believed that some of it includes a push towards better student life. For instance they added Dr. Kembrel Jones, Deputy Vice Dean for Student Affairs. I think he came from Emory and had worked for the Dean. He is a jolly southern guy whose goal is to focus specifically on student life. He is going to hire his own staff soon, but already has a panel of students helping him identify areas to address. Only one of the students is looking at it from an academic perspective if that gives you an idea of his goals. I liked that he had a past with the Dean, so he'll already be empowered to get things done. You can't help liking the guy too, because he has a southern accent combined with a "flamboyant" personality. Best speaker at Welcome Weekend by far.

Agreed that you probably don't want to live on campus. Basically the choices are high-rises with amenities and a doorman or brownstones without either but cheaper with more "character". Expect to hear about rodent and theft problems when discussing housing (high-rises and brownstones). Not something I was used to, but I'm not too squimish. You can also live farther away if you just want quiet or have a family.

FYI all - I called Wharton today to politely ask about when I should hear back from Kroll. They told me that it shouldn't take more than 4-6 weeks, so if I do not hear back from them by next week, they told to call them and ask again!

Is theft a problem with high rises?? If you live on say the 20th floor of a high rise with door man in rittenhouse square, I can't really see how you could suffer from theft a lot

Im not a Wharton admit, but I did live in the Rittenhouse area of Philly for 3 years. I lived alone in a two story, two bedroom apartment on the second floor of a brownstone and I never had any thefts, rodents, or roaches. If you live in a nice area, nice building, with proper main-entrance security....you will not have a problem.

Now shadier areas of Philly are much different than Rittenhouse. West, South, and North are all avoidable IMO. I was mugged while I lived in Philly but that was in the subway in North Philly.

If anybody has any questions about Philly living, send me a PM. I was born here and lived in Philly-environs almost my entire life!

Yes we did share a couple of drinks I had more than my fair share that night actually, but it was great fun! I met a couple of really cool admits (including dayman), so it seems like next year's class is going to be a fun one.

If you have any questions about the school feel free to ask. I might be a bit slow to answer this weekend though since I'm heading off to Austin in an hour for a soccer tournament.

You should defo not live on campus. Nobody lives there and the nightlife is in centre city. You can live close to campus (Left Bank and Domus come to mind), but not on campus.

The theft comment was more geared to brownstone living. Not that everyone gets robbed, but it is not uncommon if you aren't careful and cars seem to get broken into as well. I will be happy not to own a car, so that's not my concern. The rodents/pest problems seem to be possible whether you live in a high-rise or brownstone. Again, it is not as if everyone is killing rats on a daily basis, but you hear quite a few stories. The housing guides that Wharton gives you have good reviews of the buildings and I hear apartments.com (never visited the site) has reviews.

Fair warning to all: be careful of Audio's ability to drink you under the table. I got wise to it and had to do some horizontal nodding so I didn't wind up being swept off the floor at the end of night. My undergrad skills have waned significantly. He's a great guy though who enjoys all Wharton has to offer and was really helpful. Actually, he and some other rugby guys made me actually contemplate putting my weak, over-the-hill athletic skills to the test next year. I should probably start hitting the gym.

Wow admit weekend sounds fun.

We should be receiving our PennKey and fellowship letters very soon next week....post here when you have yours !

Out of curiosity, does anyone know what wharton's stance is on financial aid / scholarships? Lets say you receive 10K in need based aid, and then you receive an external scholarship of 5K. Can you take the 5K and replace some loans, or would Wharton reduce your need aid by the scholarship amount? Just curious, since I know some schools do this.

Does anyone have any insight on the best apartment buildings? I've gone through the Wharton housing guide and think I've narrowed down the options to:

1) 1500 Locust St
2) LeftBank
3) Lofts at 1835 Atch

I'm torn b/w being extremely close to the community (1500 Locust) vs. living in a slightly less central (to Center City) but quieter places. I was a hard partier in college but have now become the crochety old man that gets annoyed by excessively noisy neighbors. I'm worried that 1500 Locust will be too much of a college dorm atmosphere.