Dont go by the ranking of the university University of Pennsylvania
- DikshaIndia

- University of Pennsylvania, USA
- Masters in Biotechnology Program
- Postgraduate
- 2010
Advice I would like to give to other students would be do not go by the ranking of the university; choose the university according to the program in which it excels.
I had to give GRE and TOEFL as part of my admission process. I prepared by myself. Yes, I did use the services of an educational counsellor. I needed f1 visa. My visa interview was very good, it was fun though because in my case my interviewer didnt ask me many questions and it was easy going. It was easy to get tickets and I took Lufthansa. I enjoyed my half of the flight, which was business class, but when it got converted to economy class from Frankfurt to Philadelphia then it was horrible. The airline offered a student fare. I landed at Philadelphia international airport and it takes approximately twenty minutes to half an hour depending on the traffic to reach to the university. I was allowed to carry two suitcases of 23 kgs each and one laptop bag and one hand bag. I didnt face any immigration issues at the port of entry. The university didnt offer a meet and greet service at the airport.
There are no scholarships offered by my university but yes one can apply for TA/RA.
I am happy with the way my program has been structured. Professors are good. Lecture halls are pretty good and very spacious. Library is huge and is having wide variety of books.
Till now I was living off-campus but from the next semester I am moving to the graduate dorm (university accommodation). There are plenty of sports facilities. In my batch almost everyone was able to find a part-time job in the university. Penn is a huge campus and there are lot of activities to do where people can socialize. Night life is also very good. This entire city, Philadelphia is very lively. Weather is very hot during summers and very cold in winters. We have Rangoli, an Indian association at Penn. They celebrate all the events such as Diwali, Holi, Republic Day and all the other festivals.
University doesnt have any placement cell but yes it does organizes career fairs and has a career center where one can get help with resumes and cover letters and other questions related to career. It is not easy to get a job here for an international student. I dont know the exact number of the organizations, which attend these placement events, but yes the number is quite a lot. There is an alumni society in the university and is pretty active. I have no idea about if the alumni can help with the placements. It is difficult to get work permit over here for international students.
Located in Pennsylvania.
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Ranking for this institution
- SHJT: 14
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