Prospective students and their families visited Penn’s campus for Quaker Days — a series of all-day welcome events for the Class of 2029 — this weekend.
Quaker Days ran from April 10 to April 13 this year, with various campus buildings, centers, and programs hosting events. Each of Penn’s four undergraduate schools also organized school-specific programming, which ranged from student panels to academic advising.
Penn released results to its regular decision applicants on March 27, announcing that it had received a record-high number of 72,000 applications. The University did not share its acceptance rate or demographic data for the Class of 2029 — a practice that began with the Class of 2026.
In a statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian, a Penn Admissions representative wrote that over 3,700 students and their guests attended Quaker Days, coming to Penn “from every corner of the U.S. and from nearly 20 countries.”
The Palestra hosted visiting students for both breakfast and lunch. Other events available to prospective students included a tour of the Penn Museum, a spring research symposium, and a student-led panel on diversity.
“Our visitors were undeterred by the rain and enjoyed the opportunity to tour campus, get in the Penn spirit at the Palestra, and hear from current students, faculty, and staff on academics, housing, dining, student life, and more,” the spokesperson wrote.
Incoming students told the DP that they were excited to learn about Penn’s offerings, from student organizations to academics, campus life, and housing.
Jaxson Kaplan-Rudolph, a prospective student accepted into the College of Arts and Sciences, traveled to Penn from Michigan. He told the DP that he hoped to learn more about Kelly Writers House, which is what initially drew him to Penn.
“The Kelly Writers House is the reason that I'm most excited about coming here, because it's just such a unique opportunity,” Kaplan-Rudolph said. “And so that's the coolest part, that open house is what I've been most excited for.”
Another prospective student, Kinga Gul, visited Penn's campus from Delaware. Gul explained that, through tours and meeting current students, Quaker Days gave her valuable insight into what her Penn experience would look like.
“I’m most excited to meet students that are actually in Wharton, just because that's what I applied for and got into,” Gul said. “I think the highlight of my day would definitely be the tours. I really liked just being able to see what the whole campus looks like, and so I was able to get a personal glimpse into the school.”
For Colby Cheng, an incoming Wharton student from Pennsylvania, the Wharton-specific student panel was a valuable way to learn more about Penn.
“I visited once last summer, but I haven't explored campus as much as today,” Cheng said. “I had a student panel for Wharton students specifically, and that was really interesting, getting to hear from the seniors about all their internships, all their tips and suggestions, and all the extracurricular activities that they're involved in.”
Several incoming students expressed that although they were aware of recent federal funding cuts affecting higher education — which include a freeze of $175 million to Penn — they were overall optimistic about the quality of education that they would be able to receive.
“I've definitely seen a lot of headlines about it,” Cheng said. “I am concerned about my education but I kind of put that on the backside, because I know, even if I do come here and there are cuts, I'll still be able to get the education.”
Shannon Katzenberger, an incoming College student from Ohio, echoed a similar sentiment.
“I'm very excited, and I hope that a lot of the programs that the University has continue, and I'm sure that they will,” Katzenberger said. “But a lot of the politicization of education in general and knowledge definitely makes me a little bit nervous, and especially with the nearly [$175] million cut.”
Students accepted to the Class of 2029 through Penn’s regular decision pool have until May 1 to make their final decisions.
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