Academic Life at Penn

3 April 2020

Marianne spent her year abroad at the University of Pennsylvania. In her fourth blog she gives us an insight into academic life at Penn.

As an Ivy League school Penn prides itself on academics. There is a huge range of courses to choose from, enabling you to venture away from your own specialisation to explore all kinds of fields. One of the great things about studying abroad here is that you get all the benefits of having excellent professors and challenging courses without the pressures and stress that come from trying to get the very best mark in your degree. The year is essentially pass/fail, which means you can freely explore your academic curiosities.

Courses come in a verity of formats, but your main options will be lectures or seminars. I highly recommend taking the latter. These usually mean longer hours but involve smaller groups and more direct interaction with both your classmates and your professors. By contrast, lectures can take place with a cohort of 100 people, paired with a recitation where you are split into smaller groups to discuss readings and weekly questions. You will be required to purchase a number of textbooks, as some professors will require you to have access to the materials in class. You can hire these from the Penn bookstore or take books out from the library, but often the numbers are limited. I would recommend buying second hand copies from Amazon or requesting that your professor make the readings available on Canvas (the equivalent of UCL’s Moodle) if they haven’t done so already. It will depend on the courses that you take, but it is worth setting some money aside to make these purchases.

Attendance and participation are a big part of the grading system here. Rather than placing emphasis on big assignments, the bulk of your grade will be made up of smaller weekly assignments or quizzes, submission of discussion questions, participation in class, and attendance. It is a structure which lends itself to more consistent work patterns and constant workloads. For those studying full time at Penn, there is even greater pressure to achieve academic excellence in these smaller tasks since minor dips in grades will impact their GPA. As an exchange student, it is important to remember that there is not quite the same imperative to be locked in the library all day (you might hear about ‘Penn Face’ when you get here…). But the study abroad experience allows you to engage with opportunities outside the classroom, whether that means joining a society, travelling, or simply investing in friendships with the diverse crowds you’ll meet here, without the fear of compromising your degree.

The main pressure points in academic life come with midterms and finals. Unlike UCL, courses here do not run across two terms, so each semester functions independently from the next. As such, final exams take place in December and May. Midterms can happen rather sporadically throughout each term, depending on the course type and the professor. The exam format here tends to be rather less formal, taking place in lecture halls, sat next to each other, with less emphasis on silence in the room before it starts or putting your pen down the minute the clock strikes.

These exams tend to make up 30-40% of the overall grade for each course. Some may be essay based, while others, even in the History department, will have multiple choice questions or IDs. Again, I would emphasise that you should not compare your own efforts to regular Penn students – their stress can be highly destructive not only for themselves, but for you if you choose to liken the pressures you put on yourself to theirs. The work is very doable, don’t sacrifice the wider experiences available for the sake of your non-existent GPA. You can do well here and still travel, meet people, and actually get some sleep. It’s important to get outside, get involved in some extracurricular activities, and invest in friendships. If you do struggle with the workload, there are a number of ways to get back on track. Penn provides tutors and academic advisers to coach you in the best ways to tackle academic expectations at Penn.

Every professor will have office hours to discuss assignments and other queries, and most will be happy to meet with you at a time that suits you if you can’t make it – just email them. Penn also sponsors a ‘Take your professor to dinner’ initiative which allows you to enjoy a free meal or coffee with your professor. This can be a great opportunity to learn more about their field in an informal environment.

Overall, I have found that the workload is slightly greater here than at UCL, with more constant demands throughout the semester, but since the assignments are broken down into smaller chunks, the work is very doable, and with two years at UCL under your belt you are well equipped to achieve excellent results. If you have any questions about the courses available, feel free to get in touch!

By: Marianne Swain