U. holds recruiting sessions for Phila. students

Twenty Philadelphia high school students glimpsed University life for a brief time last weekend. They came to campus, they watched a promotional video and University admissions officials hope they will now apply to the University. In a recruitment program targeted directly at Philadelphia students, the 20 students and their parents got the chance to learn more about what the University has to offer. "It's a beautiful campus," said John Crankshaw, a senior at Father Judge High School. "I've always heard that Penn is a really good school." Last Saturday was the first of three scheduled visitation days. October 24 and November 14 are also open to prospective Philadelphia students. Each day's events include the showing of an informational video, a presentation by a University admissions official followed by a campus tour lead by current University students. Interested students will also be given the opportunity to stay the night to experience University life on November 8. The hour-long information session last Saturday was led by Admissions Officer Janet Kobosky and three student panelists. Residential living, courses, University life, financial aid and admissions were discussed. One panelist said her first few weeks at the University were both pleasant and exciting. "It [was] all that I thought it would be, and nothing I thought it would be," said College junior Katie Lee. "I've been exposed to different cultures and lifestyles that I never knew existed." Many parents had questions concerning the admissions process at the University, to which Kobosky replied, "admission to Penn is competitive and selective." And she said the admissions department asks two teachers and a guidance counselor to write recommendations on behalf of the student. The admissions department is also interested to know what a particular student might contribute to the University community, she said. "We take around half of the Philadelphia students that apply," Kobosky said. Kobosky also discussed financial aid at the University and explained that "financial aid in the Ivy League is based on need -- demonstrated financial need." She stressed that there was no attachment of money to grades or talent. She also focused on the availibility of aid from the Mayor's Scholarship Program. This program is available for Philadelphia city residents that demonstrate financial need, Kobosky said, but the students have to be admitted to the University first. Last year, there were 167 Mayor's scholars, and approximately the same number have been accepted this year, Kobosky said. Those students receive their money in forms of grants, loans or a combination of both, she added. Following the discussion, the students and their parents were given a tour by two of the panelists. The tours included visits to the Quadrangle, Franklin Field, Locust Walk and Furness Library. "This is gorgeous," said Althisca Gathers, a senior at Philadelphia High School for Girls. "I don't think that I could study here, I think I would just look around." This year, the University has increased its efforts to attract applicants from the Philidelphia area by adding more schools to the recruiting agenda, Kobosky said. More Philadelphia high schools are visited than any other city's schools. "We take a larger percentage of applicants from Philadelpha than from anywhere else in the country," Kobosky said. She also said that there is more recruiting is being done at public schools than at private schools. "We are visiting every public high school, magnet schools and every comprehensive high school in the county," along with other types of high schools, Kobosky said.

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