If you were looking for a school that just enjoyed minor celebrations and a little less than what could be called "brouhaha," you may have come to the wrong place.
The University of Pennsylvania is steeped in rich tradition and good old-fashioned celebration -- students here know how to have a good time in some unique ways.
For all of you incoming freshmen, there are a number of traditions, cherished in the hearts of both the faculty and the student body alike, of which you should be aware.
The first comes in the form of a warning -- do not walk across the infamous compass located at the intersection of Locust Walk and 37th Street.
According to the deep-rooted tradition at Penn, the circumspect freshman who avoids the compass will pass his midterms, but the one who disregards this as silly superstition will fail his first set of midterms at Penn -- not a great way to start one's college career.
The next tradition is a bit more lighthearted and cathartic, especially for the average Wharton student. At midnight before the first Economics 001 exam, students gather in the lower Quadrangle to let out an enormous scream of frustration in unison.
In case hundreds of Penn students yelling isn't gratifying enough, a daring few then choose to streak across the Quad.
When football season begins, so does another of Penn's long-standing traditions. When alcohol was banned from games at Franklin Field years ago, students couldn't resist the temptation to continue their practice of issuing a "toast" between the third and fourth quarters of the game. With the new alcohol policy in place, though, they were forced to replace their bottles and glasses with something else -- bread. To this day, students toss thousands of pieces of toast onto the field while cheering, "Here's a toast to dear old Penn."
Speaking of football traditions, if Penn wins the Ivy League championship, you can expect to see rowdy fans storm the field, attempt to uproot the goalpost and then throw it into the Schuylkill River. This mission has, in recent years, been thwarted and deemed unsafe by University administrators -- which could ultimately lead to the implementation of a new tradition.
Another Penn tradition comes in the form of Homecoming weekend, which draws a plethora of alumni to their alma mater for a crowded football game, a series of festivities and an opportunity to remember and relive their college years.
If by the end of the year you feel as though you spent too much of your freshman year studying in the library and partying with your textbooks, there's no need to fret.
Shortly before spring final exams begin, Spring Fling -- a weekend of carnivals, student performances, food and the occasional drink of alcohol -- will take place.
Hosted by the Social Planning and Events Committee, Fling often features concerts by big-name bands. In the past, headliners have included George Clinton, Blues Traveler and Busta Rhymes, as well as bands like The Donnas, OK Go and many others.
And finally -- even though it may not be very important to you as freshmen -- the day will come when the sound of banging canes and the eating of styrofoam hats will be as euphonious and delicious to you as it is to this year's juniors.
This celebratory activity -- known as Hey Day -- includes a class-wide march to College Hall, followed by the appearance of the University president, who then declares that year's junior class officially seniors.
