Now You Know...• Nine <strong>Penn</strong> alumni, faculty members andtrustees signed the Declaration <strong>of</strong>Independence.• Eleven <strong>Penn</strong> alumni, faculty membersand trustees signed theU.S. Constitution.• The Heisman Trophy is namedafter <strong>Penn</strong> football coach and Law Schoolgraduate John Heisman.• John B. Taylor, College 1907 andVeterinary School 1908, was thefirst black athlete to win an Olympicgold medal for the U.S. (1908).The <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Penn</strong>sylvania is indisputably one <strong>of</strong> America's finestuniversities. Its greatness lies not in its longevity,but in its culture and achievements.At <strong>Penn</strong>, you'll find a historic, Ivy League school with highly selectiveadmissions and a history <strong>of</strong> innovation in interdisciplinary educationand scholarship. You'll also find a picturesque campus amidst adynamic city and a world-class research institution.<strong>Penn</strong> continues to carry on the principles and spirit <strong>of</strong> its founder,Benjamin Franklin: entrepreneurship, innovation, invention, outreach,and a pragmatic love <strong>of</strong> knowledge. Franklin's practical outlookhas remained a driving force in the university'sdevelopment.• <strong>Penn</strong> is the only school in thecountry to have at least onerepresentative on everyU.S. summer Olympics teamsince 1900.• The record nine gold medals<strong>Penn</strong> students and alumni won at the1900 Olympics has never been matchedby another school.• College Hall is one <strong>of</strong> twobuildings that cartoonist and <strong>Penn</strong>alumnus Charles Addamsremembered when he drew the“Addams Family” mansion.• Dr. John Drapertook the first photographs<strong>of</strong> the moon at <strong>Penn</strong>.• The <strong>Penn</strong> Relays is theworld’s largest and oldest annualtrack and field meet.
Flexible OptionsUndergraduate students at <strong>Penn</strong> choose from anincredible array <strong>of</strong> courses. Our online course catalog(www.upenn.edu/registrar/register) makes thatclear. What may not be immediately apparent,though, is the academic flexibility our programs permit.For example, double majors, dual-degree programs,and joint-degree programs enable studentsto pursue a second major in their own or another <strong>of</strong><strong>Penn</strong>’s four undergraduate schools.Submatriculation, another option, makes it possiblefor undergraduates to begin graduate programsat <strong>Penn</strong> while completing their baccalaureatedegrees. Other opportunities for individually tailoredstudy include the option <strong>of</strong> initiating newcourses, called preceptorials. Recent student-initiatedpreceptorials have included such <strong>of</strong>ferings asAstronomy for English Majors, Ways <strong>of</strong> Etiquette inJapan, Australian and American Landscape Painting,Cyberspace 90210 and A Trip to Fallingwater.Admissions<strong>Penn</strong> is among the nation’s most selective and competitiveuniversities. Students who apply for admissiontypically have outstanding records <strong>of</strong> academic andextracurricular achievement. About 95 percent <strong>of</strong> thestudents in each new class have ranked in the top 10percent <strong>of</strong> their secondary school classes. If you wouldlike to receive additional information or an applicationfor admission, please contact our Office <strong>of</strong>Undergraduate Admissions (215-898-7507 orwww.upenn.edu/admissions).StudentsUndergraduates - 9,917; graduate and pr<strong>of</strong>essional students- 8,996. <strong>Penn</strong> received a record-high 18,784applications for admission to the Class <strong>of</strong> 2006. Ofthose applicants, 3,946 or 21 percent, were <strong>of</strong>feredadmission, making the Class <strong>of</strong> 2006 the most selectivein <strong>Penn</strong>'s history and the institution among themost selective universities in America. About 43 percent<strong>of</strong> those accepted for admission to the Class <strong>of</strong>2006 are Black, Hispanic, Asian, or Native American.Women comprise 50 percent <strong>of</strong> all students currentlyenrolled.History<strong>Penn</strong> traces its origins to 1740, when a group<strong>of</strong> Philadelphians established a trust for theinstruction <strong>of</strong> children in a charity school. In1750, Benjamin Franklin combined this trustwith his Public Academy <strong>of</strong> Philadelphia,founded the year before. This institution, charteredin 1755 as the “College, Academy andCharitable School <strong>of</strong> Philadelphia,” becamethe first university in what is now the UnitedStates with the establishment <strong>of</strong> the country’sfirst medical school in 1765. In 1779, it becamethe first university in the country to formallybear the name.Bring It All HomeOne <strong>of</strong> the newest developments at <strong>Penn</strong> involvesbringing first-year students, sophomores, juniorsand seniors together in residential college houses.Of course, that in itself isn’t revolutionary, but this is— Each college house <strong>of</strong>fers its members a point<strong>of</strong> contact with <strong>Penn</strong>’s growing system <strong>of</strong> academicsupport services called “The Wheel.” The Wheelprovides residence-based support in mathematics,information technology and computing, writing,research and library resources. Available services willsoon include other core academic areas as well ascareer planning and placement. Using new technologyand the supportive environment <strong>of</strong> the collegehouses, the Wheel delivers services when and wherestudents need them — typically in each student’sroom and <strong>of</strong>ten late at night, when most <strong>University</strong><strong>of</strong>fices are closed.Undergraduate SchoolsThe College at <strong>Penn</strong>, School <strong>of</strong> Engineering andApplied Science, School <strong>of</strong> Nursing and Wharton.Graduate SchoolsAnnenberg School for Communication, Arts andSciences, Dental Medicine, Education, Engineeringand Applied Science, Fine Arts, Law, Medicine,Nursing, Social Work, Veterinary Medicine andWharton.FacultyTotal - 4,319. Members <strong>of</strong> the faculty haveearned Nobel Prizes, Pulitzer Prizes, andFulbright Fellowships. Six current faculty membershave received MacArthur Fellowships; and21 have received Guggenheim Fellowshipssince 1990. Student-Faculty Ratio 6.4:1.Academics53 undergraduate departments; <strong>Penn</strong> is regardedas a national leader in programs that crosstraditional disciplinary boundaries and combineliberal learning with practical application,such as Biological Basis <strong>of</strong> Behavior,International Studies <strong>of</strong> Business andManagement and Technology.