UPenn c/o 2020 applicants!

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I took out the full amount first year and haven't since then. (I might this year so I have moneys to live off after I graduate/pay for moving). The reason they estimate COL living high is likely because it's extremely variable. I've sent rent prices from $300 to easily over $1000. That being said, I defintely don't spend $35 k/ year (well maybe this year since I've been here over the summer, but still doubtful). If you want, I can go through my past couple of months spending and kind of give you more realistic spending amounts (don't judge my miscellaneous section...i like to Amazon shop) I've been a bit lenient lately and have probably ordered out more (**coughdrinkingmore** )than I used to.

Normally, I probably spend $1200-1500/month. My current rent is $550 but I've paid $825/month and still never really spent more than the $1700/month

Thanks, that certainly seems much more reasonable. Any idea as to whether professors rent rooms to students? If my wife ends up in med school outside of philly, I have no intention of renting a place all to myself. And yeah, a rundown would absolutely be useful. I'm curious to see what general grocery prices are, as well as where one typically shops for said food. I'm a healthy eater, but I'm very good at living on cheap greens, rice, beans, and chicken, so I have an annoying tendency (says my better half) to take food costs down to unreasonably low levels. Also, how are the gyms on campus? And are they "free" for full-time students?

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Thanks, that certainly seems much more reasonable. Any idea as to whether professors rent rooms to students? If my wife ends up in med school outside of philly, I have no intention of renting a place all to myself. And yeah, a rundown would absolutely be useful. I'm curious to see what general grocery prices are, as well as where one typically shops for said food. I'm a healthy eater, but I'm very good at living on cheap greens, rice, beans, and chicken, so I have an annoying tendency (says my better half) to take food costs down to unreasonably low levels. Also, how are the gyms on campus? And are they "free" for full-time students?

I don't think grocery prices are horrible, but I also went to undergrad outside Baltimore, so I'm used to city prices. I know I just spent $100 on groceries, but I got some seafood which is not a frequent purchase for me, so it bumped things up a bit. I probably spend $40 every week or so on fresh produce though ( I have guinea pigs so I go through a lot of veggies). Quality of produce/meats totally varies based on which place you go to and can vary even each time you visit the same location. Center City has Trader Joes and Whole Foods, which I don't go to. I either go to Shop N Bag which is on 43rd or drive out to a Giant 10 minutes away in the suburbs if I'm doing a slightly bigger purchase. There is also Fresh Grocer, but I hate the layout of that place and refuse to shop there unless absolutely necessary.

I don't know of any VHUP professors renting out places, but they do out at New Bolton.

Campus gym is not free for grad students, which is a major bummer. It's like $350 for the year (runs Sept 1 to Aug 31st) but is a decent gym. If you do the $350 membership, it includes the main campus gym, the pool and the gym by the track. You can pay less for just the gym by the track, but I've never used it so I don't actually knows what all in there. I just recently rejoined the school gym because I'm training for a half and need the treadmill for some of my runs. Otherwise, I'm crazy and I spend $135/month on CrossFit box.

The rundown of spending might not occur until this weekend just as an FYI.
 
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The rundown of spending might not occur until this weekend just as an FYI.

Not a problem, I figure it's not the easiest thing to sit down and type up. Thanks for the bit you've included thus far! I have to agree that not having gym access included in tuition as a grad student seems lame, especially given that most of us are financially independent by the time we finish undergrad (but $350/yr isn't too bad). I will say that I have no intention of owning pets throughout school, as the food and vet care are simply not financial burdens I want to take on while I'm owned by Big Brother. I'll just have to parasitize my "puppy time" from other students, I suppose :p
 
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Not a problem, I figure it's not the easiest thing to sit down and type up. Thanks for the bit you've included thus far! I have to agree that not having gym access included in tuition as a grad student seems lame, especially given that most of us are financially independent by the time we finish undergrad (but $350/yr isn't too bad). I will say that I have no intention of owning pets throughout school, as the food and vet care are simply not financial burdens I want to take on while I'm owned by Big Brother. I'll just have to parasitize my "puppy time" from other students, I suppose :p

With the number of people who need pet sitters at any given moment, you will not be short of puppy time. They'll even feed you or pay you in addition to puppy cuddles. I have a dog and 2 guinea pigs who are luckily fairly healthy. My GPs are actually probably more expensive between the two...

Feel free to PM if you have any other specific questions about the area. I'm more than happy to post responses in the thread for all, but not sure if it'll be more helpful later on in the process.
 
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En route to Philly! I can't believe my interview day is here! Good luck to all those who are interviewing today as well!
 
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The interview yesterday was such a great experience! Talking with the students was really relaxing and a lot of fun and the tour was so awesome :) My interviewer and I had a good conversation *I think* ... Except I'm convinced that I was talking really loudly just out of excitement.. hahaha but it was fun. She asked me a lot of questions very specific to my application, the one I remember the most was why I wrote "Flutist" and not "Flautist" in my application, and I am SO THANKFUL that I actually knew the linguistic reasoning for that off of the top of my head!! All in all, a very chill and enjoyable interview day! Good luck to everyone waiting for acceptance or interviews!!!
 
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Is anyone writing any follow up emails to their interviewers? Or is that a bad idea?
 
Is anyone writing any follow up emails to their interviewers? Or is that a bad idea?
I did, but I think it's more of a formality. They seemed to be pretty open about the fact that they were going to discuss everyone that night on friday, so I kind of assume that by 7am saturday morning when I sent my thank yous, the decision had already been made anyway. I still sent them though lol :)
 
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The admissions office is closed for MLK day, right? Just to confirm I shouldn't be waiting for anything today....:nailbiting:
 
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I GOT IN!!!!!!!!! My interviewer just called me!!!!! IM SO HAPPY!!!! :)
 
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I just got in toooooooo!!!! I'm in the middle of appointments at work and I just started crying during the phone call and everyone was like what's wrong??!! I also asked Dr. Holt if it was a joke but omgomgomgomgomgomgomfofmfofndjjsshhsvdieksb
 
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I interviewed on the 20th- has anyone from this interview date heard yet? I had Dr. Stillman as my interviewer.
 
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Just canceled my other interviews! Penn Vet has been my dream since I was a little kid!!! Class of 2020!!!!! :soexcited:
 
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Just canceled my other interviews! Penn Vet has been my dream since I was a little kid!!! Class of 2020!!!!! :soexcited:

HOORAY!! :soexcited:

I did too, but I only had one left :p. I'm going to weigh my options again once I have all my decisions back (waiting on 4 schools), but based on my tour and interview, I think Penn is the perfect fit for me, and I could not be more thrilled right now.
 
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Just canceled my other interviews! Penn Vet has been my dream since I was a little kid!!! Class of 2020!!!!! :soexcited:

By the way, you interviewed with Dr. Holt too, right? During my interview, we talked about how vetmed attracts a lot of strong music people and that she had already met a few like me that day, I'm guessing my your username you were one of the people she was talking about.
 
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I am also pretty sure that I will be choosing Penn! I am still completely in shock. My boyfriend will be moving with me and has already started looking at potential future jobs.
 
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I also had Dr. Holt for my interview
 
HOORAY!! :soexcited:

I did too, but I only had one left :p. I'm going to weigh my options again once I have all my decisions back (waiting on 4 schools), but based on my tour and interview, I think Penn is the perfect fit for me, and I could not be more thrilled right now.

YAY for being thrilled!! I live in NJ, so Penn is the closest to home for me, plus both of my parents went there, so it's kind of a family tradition thing to me (which is why I've had my eyes set on it since I was a kid.. Also, I hope no one looks at that and thinks I got in because I'm legacy.. I literally didn't even put my mom in my application as having went there, and I worked really hard to get the grades and hours needed!) Not to mention the tour and the students were incredible!! The interview day just made me love it even more than I thought I ever could have! hahaha so yeah, it was a no brainer for me :) Good luck with your decisions!!
 
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I also had Dr. Holt for my interview

was there someone else in your group with your same name??? because I'm the other person with that name :) does this make any sense? haha trying to keep some anonymity but also say hi and congrats!!
 
was there someone else in your group with your same name??? because I'm the other person with that name :) does this make any sense? haha trying to keep some anonymity but also say hi and congrats!!
YES haha! I figured that it was you! I'm so happy we both got in!!
 
By the way, you interviewed with Dr. Holt too, right? During my interview, we talked about how vetmed attracts a lot of strong music people and that she had already met a few like me that day, I'm guessing my your username you were one of the people she was talking about.
haha yes! I think based on your username and the list of interviewees that day, you had the interview right after me! based on that, feel free to find me on facebook!! same offer to you, chrkat1!!
 
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I am also pretty sure that I will be choosing Penn! I am still completely in shock. My boyfriend will be moving with me and has already started looking at potential future jobs.
Same here! My boyfriend actually started looking at potential jobs in philly this weekend before I even got in! I had told him how much I loved Penn and he was excited for me and I kept telling him not to jinx us, but I guess it turned out okay :)
 
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haha yes! I think based on your username and the list of interviewees that day, you had the interview right after me! based on that, feel free to find me on facebook!! same offer to you, chrkat1!!

blahh my mistake, I just double checked the paper and I was TWO people before you!! at 2:00! haha I blame my excitement for my mistake :bang:
 
Hey guys, I just got the call yesterday and got accepted. Does anyone know if we also get an email confirmation of this at some point and how we accept? (Almost in disbelief and want to actually see that I got in for real) Also does anyone know if we're still in school when and how we need to send grades from our final fall and spring semesters?
 
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Hey guys, I just got the call yesterday and got accepted. Does anyone know if we also get an email confirmation of this at some point and how we accept? (Almost in disbelief and want to actually see that I got in for real) Also does anyone know if we're still in school when and how we need to send grades from our final fall and spring semesters?

You should get a letter in the mail at the end of the week with details on where to go to accept the offer and when it needs to be done by. As for final grades, my recollection was that they should be completed by the end of the first session of summer classes (so ~July 1st?) and then sent directly to admissions at PennVet by July 20th.
 
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My wife also got the call from her interviewer this morning. Very exciting!
 
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HOORAY!! :soexcited:

I did too, but I only had one left :p. I'm going to weigh my options again once I have all my decisions back (waiting on 4 schools), but based on my tour and interview, I think Penn is the perfect fit for me, and I could not be more thrilled right now.

Are you still going to Tufts this week?
 
Are you still going to Tufts this week?

Yes yes! I have Tufts tomorrow and I'm still going to that. It was Minnesota I cancelled. I didn't count Tufts since it was two days away, and I also do want to go and see! Before I saw Penn, Tufts was my first choice, so it'll be nice to compare the schools back to back.
 
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Do any of you current students have any more information about scholarships? The Associate Director of financial aid talked about them briefly during her presentation on interview day, but it's hard to get a sense of how many scholarships an individual might be eligible for and how much of their costs they realistically might be able to cover. If anyone has anything to share, that'd be extremely helpful. :)

I really love Penn, and it's the best option, logistically, for my family, but the cost is seriously overwhelming. And I don't want to go into it hoping that I'll be able to lower the cost a fair amount by being aggressive with scholarship applications only to find the best I can hope for is, say, $500 a semester.
 
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Do any of you current students have any more information about scholarships? The Associate Director of financial aid talked about them briefly during her presentation on interview day, but it's hard to get a sense of how many scholarships an individual might be eligible for and how much of their costs they realistically might be able to cover. If anyone has anything to share, that'd be extremely helpful. :)

I really love Penn, and it's the best option, logistically, for my family, but the cost is seriously overwhelming. And I don't want to go into it hoping that I'll be able to lower the cost a fair amount by being aggressive with scholarship applications only to find the best I can hope for is, say, $500 a semester.
Yeah, I am in a similar boat. I got in, which I am soo psyched about, but I am gonna need a trillion scholarships. Maybe Penn will forget to charge me tuition. It could happen, right?
 
Yes yes! I have Tufts tomorrow and I'm still going to that. It was Minnesota I cancelled. I didn't count Tufts since it was two days away, and I also do want to go and see! Before I saw Penn, Tufts was my first choice, so it'll be nice to compare the schools back to back.

I will say that if I had gotten into Tufts, I would have had a hard time. I fricken loved that school except for the location.
 
Congrats everyone who got in this weekend! Anyone else still waiting for some news? And know when the next invites go out, last year from what i saw Penn sent out the last invites 1/23 .... -___-
 
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This has probably already been asked, so I apologize now. How important is it to attend the happy hour? I'm leaving straight for DC after the interviews and want to get there at a somewhat decent time.
 
This has probably already been asked, so I apologize now. How important is it to attend the happy hour? I'm leaving straight for DC after the interviews and want to get there at a somewhat decent time.

It's totally optional. It's just a fun time. We actually have a hockey game right after against Wharton (the business school at Penn) if people want to come to that afterwards. Believe it's a free game with free beer too.
 
Do any of you current students have any more information about scholarships? The Associate Director of financial aid talked about them briefly during her presentation on interview day, but it's hard to get a sense of how many scholarships an individual might be eligible for and how much of their costs they realistically might be able to cover. If anyone has anything to share, that'd be extremely helpful. :)

I really love Penn, and it's the best option, logistically, for my family, but the cost is seriously overwhelming. And I don't want to go into it hoping that I'll be able to lower the cost a fair amount by being aggressive with scholarship applications only to find the best I can hope for is, say, $500 a semester.

Am also wondering about this, any advice/information from current students would be greatly appreciated! I'm in and Penn is probably my top choice, but thinking about the cost is overwhelming.
 
In general, scholarships are usually for those with stellar GPAs/class ranks, specific years and certain interests. I'm sure people have them, but they tend to be not very common. I got one for one year but it was strictly for women seeking graduate degrees from my county.
 
@Jilary @orca2011 @dirtanddog @brightimpressio and any others who currently attend UPenn, is the cost of living estimate provided on the website and at the financial aid seminar even remotely accurate? Everyone seems to be suggesting that living expenses will total to around $35k/year in Philly, which seems like total BS to me (totally possible that I'm too naive on the subject of city living, though). I've been looking at housing and other "living costs" in University City and it really isn't that pricey, especially not compared to my current work location. The basic rundown provided was as follows:

Tuition: $50k
Room/board: ~$20k (what the hell?? I mean, maybe in center city living large, but that seems insane)
Misc. (health insr, groceries, gas, etc.): ~$15k
Grand total = $85k/yr, good god...

I really wouldn't expect to spend much more than about $20k a year outside of tuition. Does that seem reasonable?

So forgive me for jumping in on this because I unfortunately have not heard a word from Penn yet, but I heard some information about this from other schools I interviewed at. They basically explained at the financial aid sessions that the estimated cost breakdowns are less to give students a realistic COL idea and more to show the loan agencies the maximum amount of money they should award a student. So, in short, the $85k is probably the highest possible estimate so that students with extenuating circumstances have a chance to borrow up to that amount. Also, if it gives you peace of mind, I live in the area and have noticed that the cost of living in Philly is significantly less than many other east coast cities like New York.
 
So forgive me for jumping in on this because I unfortunately have not heard a word from Penn yet, but I heard some information about this from other schools I interviewed at. They basically explained at the financial aid sessions that the estimated cost breakdowns are less to give students a realistic COL idea and more to show the loan agencies the maximum amount of money they should award a student. So, in short, the $85k is probably the highest possible estimate so that students with extenuating circumstances have a chance to borrow up to that amount. Also, if it gives you peace of mind, I live in the area and have noticed that the cost of living in Philly is significantly less than many other east coast cities like New York.

I noticed that it was significantly cheaper as well (I was furiously comparing COLs amongst all vet school cities in existence...), which is part of the reason that UPenn remains at the top of my list of schools. What's crazy is that I have friends living nearby in Arlington, VA and the COL there is on par with Manhattan...absolutely unreal how expensive it is. And thanks for pointing that out, it was my general assumption that the $85k was supposed to be a "guesstimate" for reporting purposes, but I hadn't heard any second opinions that confirmed that.
 
Congrats everyone who got in this weekend! Anyone else still waiting for some news? And know when the next invites go out, last year from what i saw Penn sent out the last invites 1/23 .... -___-

Still waiting as well... honestly, it can't be good news coming lol. I am in state, pretty average applicant, but I have being a CVT going for me.
 
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Still waiting as well... honestly, it can't be good news coming lol. I am in state, pretty average applicant, but I have being a CVT going for me.
Anyone have the balls to call and see if they are done sending out invites...
 
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Congratulations to everyone hearing back and good luck to those still waiting! I know Penn takes a little bit of patience haha
 
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Still waiting as well... honestly, it can't be good news coming lol. I am in state, pretty average applicant, but I have being a CVT going for me.

I hope you hear soon! I'm also in-state and haven't heard anything yet.. they're doing interviews until the end of Feb, so don't give up hope yet!!
 
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I hope you hear soon! I'm also in-state and haven't heard anything yet.. they're doing interviews until the end of Feb, so don't give up hope yet!!
They have sent out invites up until Feb 5th, I know that for sure. So I guess only 2 weekends left.... When will they send out next rounds of invites?!
 
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They have sent out invites up until Feb 5th, I know that for sure. So I guess only 2 weekends left.... When will they send out next rounds of invites?!
As the person who has asked the most often on here, why don't you call and ask?...
 
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