Opinion Columns
Rebecca Alifimoff | Trying to focus on finals while Paris riots outside my window
This weekend I slunk around the city avoiding protests that I could only half understand
Sophia DuRose | Should I censor my social media to appease admissions officers and employers?
We’ve all heard the stories — someone gets accepted to the college of their dreams or to the perfect job, and then their position is revoked on the basis of a Facebook photo of them holding a Red Solo cup.
Christy Qiu | to all my 'convenience friends': thank u, next
Boiled down, the elementary characteristic of a friend is a person who cares about you. I had ignored this basic trait with my convenience friend.
Kaliyah Dorsey | At Penn, it’s not cool to love — but it should be
I’ve experienced the stress, even in my first semester, of thinking about majors in terms of potential income first and passion second.
Lilian Zhang | I’m tired of justifying why I don’t live in the Quad
I was immediately disappointed when placed into Gregory, a college dorm no one knew the location of — a place that received no frat party fliers under the doors.
Sophia DuRose | I couldn't afford to go home for Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is about gratitude, and I think all Penn students, regardless of financial background, would be grateful for a few more days of break.
Joel Lee | Don’t let your scary childhood piano teacher hold you back from pursuing music in college
I used to dread my piano lessons. Now, music helps alleviate my anxiety when school gets stressful and exercise my creativity.
Lucy Hu | U.S. democracy is stronger than you think
We live in Philadelphia, the birthplace of the world’s oldest democracy.
Michael A. Keshmiri | Nancy Pelosi is the right person to be Speaker of the House
After some internet research, I discovered Pelosi’s unforgivable crime: She has served her country honorably through government service for too many years.
Sophia DuRose | The Kelly Writers House isn’t a cult
Whether an Econ major, a friend of a Penn student, a traveling poet, or a visiting family member, please feel free to stop by and pour yourself a cup of coffee, of which we always have brewed.
Isabella Simonetti | Pay up, Penn: Student tour guides deserve compensation
Prospective students from underrepresented backgrounds deserve tour guides who they can relate to.
Jay Shah | Rediscovering my heritage inside a lecture hall
I started to fully appreciate the other part of my identity beyond boxes on the demographic section on an application.
Michael A. Keshmiri | Politicians have gotten too comfortable with racially coded attacks
We cannot let political leanings stifle our innate sense of decency.
Christy Qiu | Sleep should be a priority from your first night at Penn
It’s like a competition: whoever sleeps the least wins. Functioning with little to no sleep is like a badge of honor, a display of invincibility.
Kaliyah Dorsey | My truth may not be yours, but I still deserve to share it
It is your right, and this is what Laymon teaches me, to own your life.
Joel Lee | Plenty of people think we go to Penn State — here’s why it shouldn’t bother us
If people didn’t know that I was going to a prestigious college, then what was all this work for?
Michael A. Keshmiri | Forsaken: the forgotten Americans of U.S. island territories
Over 4 million people reside in these territories and most Americans are oblivious about their situation.
Kaliyah Dorsey | ’The Hate U Give’ takes black girlhood seriously — we should all take a hint
I’m not just saying that the people with the most power neglect the narrative of the black girl, though they do. I’m saying that we, as a society, fail to take black girlhood seriously.
Lilian Zhang | China’s education system is notoriously rigid, but is the U.S. any better?
I came to the United States so that I would avoid falling victim to an education system based on standardized and rigid deliverance of knowledge.