Issue date: 2/19/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Fred David College Hall, a symbol of Penn academia, is contrasted by the career-oriented attitude that permeates many aspects of the University. [Click to enlarge]

When Wharton sophomore Dennie Zastrow was applying to Penn, his parents encouraged him to select Wharton to boost his chances of finding a good job. Two years later, it's that career-minded focus that's driving him to get out.

Zastrow, who is currently trying to transfer into the College, said he was turned off by Wharton's emphasis on finding the right internships and jobs as early as freshman year.

"You shouldn't come out of high school and learn how to be an investment banker," he said. "You should get a firm base of knowledge and learn how to think."

Still, he knows that majoring in Political Science won't offer him a break from thinking about the future for long.

Penn's pre-professional atmosphere - influenced not only by Wharton, but also the Engineering and Nursing Schools - is distinctive and, for better or for worse, many students say it has affected their undergraduate experience.

For some, it's been the elective courses they've taken; for others, it's been the groups they've joined.

But for almost all, students' career-mindedness has put early pressure on them to be thinking about where they're going after Penn and what they need to do to get there.

College senior Eve Richer said this aspect of Penn culture has become more apparent as she has gotten older.

"By senior year, to not have a track - you feel like a lost soul a little bit," she said.

When Richer tells people she wants to live abroad next year, they are a "little surprised or confused" by her plans, since she's not following one of the more traditional post-graduation paths for Penn students.

Even those who have plans sometimes feel the pressure.

College senior Nellie Berkman already knew she wanted to participate in Teach for America, but watching her classmates go through On-Campus Recruiting interviews led her to submit her teaching application earlier than she thought she would.

Continued...

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