Opinion Columns
Group Think | Is Penn taking too many students through Early Decision?
Is Penn filling up too much of its classes through early decision? Should there be any changes to Penn's admissions policies with regards to early decision?
Jacquelyn Sussman | Put computer science in the core
How am I supposed to discern the world’s inner workings and capitalize on its needs when the education I am getting doesn’t require any understanding of computer science?
Carlos Arias Vivas | The truths we need from campus visits
If we only have conversations that make out Penn to be perfect, once these students come, they will feel deceived. Having these real conversations about Penn to prospective students gives them an in-depth background of what they are getting themselves into if they come here.
Isabella Simonetti | Our responsibility to a dangerous drinking culture
What the University fails to recognize is that, like so many of the issues students face, binge drinking demands immediate attention.
Alex Silberzweig | The dangers of seeing and being seen
As someone whose reflections are based on just under two months of circumstantial observations, I think that there is something perverse about the tendency to dress to impress on a college campus.
Jessica Li | Why are we doing the things we’re doing?
Figuring out the true value of our time and the things we do is essential in discovering what is truly important to us.
Toe the Line: College Republicans | Let's talk about guns
Even in these times, especially in these times, the ability we have to be both profoundly mournful and fundamentally rational is our most valuable asset.
Toe the Line: Penn Democrats | High time for common sense
It is high time for common sense gun control legislation. It’s been high time since Sandy Hook and Pulse Night Club, since Aurora and Tucson, since Columbine High School and Virginia Tech.
Group Think | Why do so many students want to transfer to Wharton?
Why do you think Wharton specifically receives the bulk of transfer requests and dual degree requests compared to the other schools?
Lucy Hu | Remember to love Penn
Now that we’re here, we should pull ourselves out of our bubbles and re-embrace the magic of what drew us to Penn in the first place.
Amy Chan | We won't find home in Neverland
There is a home waiting inside each and every one of us. We only have to know ourselves first to recognize it.
Shilpa Saravanan | The universal and specific value of ethnic studies
Courses in ethnic studies departments, because they’re about real people with real beliefs, can prove entirely fulfilling even to people who have little or no ethnic connection to the culture they study.
Isabella Simonetti | More money, more problems
Socially, academically and professionally students who come from affluent families have a leg up — and that’s worth a conversation.
Cameron Dichter | Is there a right way to respond to tragedy?
Promoting a dialogue on mental health is important but that doesn’t necessarily mean that all attempts to do so are equally beneficial, or even benign.
Spencer Swanson | Reasons for random rooming
Might not the challenges of interacting and learning to live with totally random strangers as we start our university careers have been a valuable learning experience?
Sara Merican | 'Tis the season to support
Instead of always spending time agonizing over how to boost the number of people attending our club’s next event, we should perhaps take some time to go to a friend’s concert or activity.
James Lee | Let’s talk about the 2nd Amendment
When is the last time that we’ve heard from a politician or a public figure challenging the legitimacy of the Second Amendment itself?
Carlos Arias Vivas | The hidden gems of resident dorms
I implore students to get to know their resident advisors or graduate associates on their dorm floors better. They are the hidden gems of support beneath the craziness of being a freshman at college.
Alex Silberzweig | What’s the deal with intro-level STEM classes?
If college administrators want their students to pursue careers in STEM, they should encourage, rather than dissuade their students through accessible courses for underclassmen that actively engage them.