U. not well thought of by Ivy League counterparts

While some University students sing the praises of their school, an Ivy League poll compiled from the 200-question survey of the eight Ivies does not tell the story of glory of Pennsylvania. There is apparently no "be true to your school" bias within the statistics gathered by 12 University undergraduates. Perhaps the most revealing finding was that students in the Ivy League and students at the University both rank the University lowest in the Ivies in terms of academic quality and reputation. When asked, "how pleased are you with your decision to attend your school?" on a scale of one (not at all) to five (completely), the University was at the bottom of the Ivies, with only 38 percent of students saying they are completely satisfied with their decision. University professors received poor marks from their students, who rated them the second least accessible in the Ivies -- only professors at Harvard University are harder to reach. Only nine percent of University students awarded their faculty an "excellent" rating, the lowest percentage in the Ivy League. In terms of the political climate on campus, 37 percent of University students -- third behind Princeton and Dartmouth -- called their school conservative, 46 percent said its ideology is liberal, and 16 percent said University students are more apolitical than anything else. Those who deemed the school conservative would be proud to know that at the University, father knows best. That is, University students are 28 percent more likely to agree with their father than their mother on economic issues. Leaving parents behind, University students often claim that they party harder than any other Ivy. But the poll has proved them wrong, as the University ranked second only to the rowdy residents of Hanover, N.H., at Dartmouth College. But Smokey Joe's and Murphy's Tavern will be pleased to know that they have a loyal clientele. Twelve percent of University students go to bars at least every other night. They might not be as delighted to know that University students are the most frequent users of fake IDs in the Ivy League, with 70 percent of students saying that they have used fake proof. The University is the only school in the Ivies where the majority of students -- 56 percent -- belong to some type of social organization, which includes Greek life, senior honors societies and other groups. And University students, it would seem, are quite good at getting together. The University has the most promiscuous student body in the Ivy League, with 25 percent of its students having been with four or more sexual partners. This relative free-for-all belies a high level of anxiety. According to the poll, University students are most worried about their immediate future of any students in the Ivies. Seventy-six percent of University students say they are "very" or "extremely" worried about getting a job or getting into graduate school upon graduation. Among University students' ambitions is the yearning to serve their country in political office. The University and Princeton University have the highest number -- 38 percent -- of students who are at least considering running for office. The question of whether or not University students are prepared is another story. In a series of 17 questions dealing with current events, United States history and government, only 20 percent of University students got 11 or more right -- which places them in the middle of the Ivy League. College senior Jeff Lichtman, one of the students who created the survey, said many students -- as they handed back the survey -- responded with "thank you for making me feel so dumb." But University students read their newspaper more often than their Ivy League counterparts. Eighty-eight percent said they read The Daily Pennsylvanian, while at the low end, 66 percent of Harvard students said they read the The Harvard Crimson. And University students still have their opinions on issues. Sixty-five percent of University students support allowing gays in the military -- this, however, is the lowest amount of school support for the issue in the Ivy League. Sixty-six percent of University students support the death penalty, which is the highest amount of support in the Ivies. And University students support national health care the least in the Ivy League, with 59 percent of students in favor of the measure. In terms of their own futures, University students were most likely to say that in the future, their families would be more important to them than their careers, 78 percent to 16 percent. Only 30 percent of University students considered their student governmenet effective -- second lowest after Harvard. And in the long run and in spite of everything, University students do not think that tomorrow will bring sorrow. University students and Harvard students are the most optimistic in general about their future.