Penn!
I know, most people would say (and incorrectly--they probably have not even been here) that Penn is one of the less desirable places. But, to me, places like Northwestern and Cornell seem rather sterile and insulated in their posh cosmopolitan niches. Penn, on the other hand, offers the best of many worlds. First and foremost, the patient population is extremely broad...and I speak from experience volunteering at the hospital. You get rich folk from Rittenhouse Square in the same room as a single mother on welfare from Cobbs Creek. There are Mexican immigrants from 56th Street alongside eastern European migrants from Frankford Avenue. The patients are not only local, however. Penn's reputation as a leader in cancer treatment, obstetrics, and many other fields brings in people from, just from my own experience, as far away as Kentucky and Vermont. Penn also excels as a place to live. As I've said, it doesn't have the soaring rents of Michigan or First Avenues (yet). Nevertheless, there is a charming rawness to this part of the city (that is sadly becoming diluted with the construction of each new complex of luxury condominiums). The area just west of campus, called Spruce Hill, is a mecca for organic-producing-loving, fair-trade-tea-sipping liberals [like me ;-)]...perhaps not such a great place for political conservatives. But I cannot think of a more lovely way to spend an evening than listening to the locals unwind from their day jobs by playing a free pickup bluegrass concert at the Green Line Cafe...or to spend a Saturday morning than picking out farm fresh vegetables and baked goods from Amish merchants at the Clark Park farmers' market. There is a spirit of community to the area that seems to have defied the ritzier parts of the city. Neighbors talk to one another, they play bocce in the park, they tend to the community gardens and to the upkeep of the fabulous Queen Anne-style houses that line the narrow streets. There is such a vibrant dynamic here I would even go so far as to call it idyllic. And if you're looking more for the typical urban experience, Center City is only a stroll or short trip on the el away. West Philly offers some of the best dining in the entire mid-Atlantic...both in terms of breadth and quality. Restaurants like Marigolds, Abyssinia, Dahlak, Rx, Zocalo, Vientiane Cafe, White Dog Cafe, La Terrasse, and many others only add to the multicultural fabric of this exciting community.
I could wax poetic all day about how I love Penn and its surroundings...and without mentioning anything about the school itself (which obviously needs no further endorsement). But if you do come to interview at Penn, definitely keep an open mind and realize just what a treasure its location is, and that West Philly is not what you would think.
