My Experience at Penn:
My semester at Penn was also my last semester of my undergraduate degree. As such, I wanted to take challenging classes and expand on topics which I had not been able to study in Switzerland. The wide range of classes offered and the excellent professors made this possible. I decided to take four classes ranging from Internet Law to the Philosophical Problems of Journalism. Overall, the classes were extremely interesting and their small size allowed me to interact with other students and professors. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic cutting my exchange from four and half months to eight weeks, my time at Penn was definitely the highlight of my Bachelor's degree and allowed me to better understand new ideas and different opinions, especially coming from Europe. The eight weeks I spent in Philadelphia have left me with a large number of memories, both academic and personal.
I think the experience I will keep with me in the future is my first weekend at Penn. I had just landed six days earlier and didn't really know anyone, but with a group of other exchange students, we decided to go to New York for the weekend. Traveling with a new group of friends was extremely exciting and helped me get to know them quickly. Overall, while the academics are the reason I went to Penn, I think that the people I met had a larger impact on me. Meeting new friends, students, and professors was extremely enjoyable. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic and the difficulties we faced helped solidify the relationships I made at Penn.
Highlights:
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Visiting the U.S. for the first time as a U.S. citizen
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Navigating the American academic system coming from Europe: Interactive classes and actually talking with professors was a major change from the Swiss university system. I deeply enjoyed what was a new experience for me and realised that it was what I had been missing back home.
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How to quickly settle in at Penn
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Traveling around the U.S
