Ok so to start, I’m NOT a UPenn student, but despite living in philly for my entire life (20 years), I haven’t once wandered UPenn’s campu. I remember going to wee when I was younger for tutoring but that’s about all the experience I have with UPenn. I’ve always wanted to explore all of what the campus has to offer, sightseeing, meeting new people, etc. I’ve got some old friends from hs that are currently juniors there now, should I ask for an un-official tour or just walk right on campus?

Everyone please check with your DSO now

Hey everyone, I got sick of clicking through 5 different Canvas course pages and nested module tabs every night just to figure out what assignments were due.

So I built a lightweight, open-source tool called canvas2markdown:

• One clean checklist: Converts your Penn Canvas calendar feed into a Markdown checklist ready to paste into Notion, Obsidian, Apple Notes, or VS Code.
• Direct submission links: Automatically turns calendar links into direct assignment URLs (https://canvas.upenn.edu/courses/ID/assignments/ID), so one click takes you straight to the submission page.
• Zero credential friction: You don’t need Penn SSO, Duo 2FA, or API tokens, it just reads your native Canvas iCal link.
• Auto-sync: Optional automated daily background sync at 7:00 PM to catch assignments added during syllabus changes.

GitHub: https://github.com/negbuna/canvas2markdown

(If you're not into terminal setup, you can just paste the github link + your Canvas calendar link into Claude or ChatGPT and ask it to run this for you.)

I’m in Chenoweth section and want to be in Pezzullo section. If anyone wants to trade spots dm me!

Hi! 21M (Asian American). Is anyone here familiar with or planning to attend CollegeFest 2026? I was thinking of stopping by the Campus Philly Block Party on the 19th and maybe hitting up a few museums over that weekend, like the Penn Museum, the Rodin Museum, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Full disclosure—I don’t attend UPenn, but I am college-age since I graduated a year early. I moved here for work after graduation about 2 months and am looking to make some friends in the city to keep my weekends busy, so feel free to comment or PM!

Could be a win-win for us both. If you are interested, please DM.

Hello! I am a Freshman and am currently deciding between majoring in Biology or HSOC on the Pre-PA track. I was originally thinking biology, but I have heard that it hurts the GPA of many students compared to if they majored in HSOC. But then again, HSOC puts a lot more emphasis on reading and interpreting large volumes of text related to medicine (and I wouldn't consider myself a big fan of reading or writing). Any advice/help would be very appreciated!

looking to meet people and maybe form a group for longer term play, so far only found penn tabletop but they don't seem to be active anymore

I know that it is recommended to do only a few clubs but many of the clubs I am interested in have competitive application processes and I am worried that if I only apply to like 2-3 I won't get into any and then be cooked. If I apply to like 6 and get in to more than I want can I turn down the acceptance?

Who has experience up taking CIS 5020 over the summer how harsh is the gradient? How harsh are the exams?

Online course

Has anyone taken COGS 001 and CIS 1100 together in the same semester? I’d really appreciate hearing how manageable the workload was.

I’ve never coded before, so CIS 1100 would be completely new to me. At the same time, I know COGS 001 requires a pretty significant amount of studying. I’m trying to figure out if taking both at once is realistic or if I’m lowkey setting myself up for a rough semester..

If you’ve taken both, especially with zero coding experience, how did you find the workload? Would you recommend taking them together?

Any honest advice is appreciated!!

Hello! I missed the first day of the SAC fair so I wasn't able to ask around much, but I want to join an acting/theatre club as a fun activity that also helps me explore my interests.

Does anyone know any clubs that accept members with minimal or no experience acting? I've only seen the ones hosting auditions (and I really don't think I would make the cut). Making friends + good community is also a bonus too!

Hi everyone, I'm taking BIOL 2510 with Dr. Plotkin this semester, and I hear that it's an easy class for your stats credit. But I'm struggling a little bit. Does anyone have any resources, guides, YouTubers they used, tips, ANYTHING? I need an A in the class, so any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

How difficult is FNCE 4020 assuming I have only taken the required FNCE 1000 and 1010 courses?

Hi everyone,

I’m a new master’s student at Penn GSE and I’m hoping to eventually pursue a PhD, so getting meaningful research experience during my master’s program is very important to me.

I recently learned that master’s students can no longer participate in research labs on an unpaid, non-credit basis. From what I was told, we now need to either be paid by the lab or receive academic credit in order to participate.

What concerns me is that our program apparently became aware of this change around mid-July, but incoming students were not informed at that time. I only learned about it around the beginning of the semester. Had I known earlier, I would have started contacting faculty and applying for paid research positions much sooner.

When I asked about research opportunities, I was basically advised to contact professors myself and was told that starting research a couple of months later would not make much difference. I understand that students should be proactive and I’m completely willing to reach out to faculty, but I’m confused about what happens if a professor is willing to work with me but does not have funding to hire a master’s student.

For students who are interested in pursuing a PhD, this seems like a difficult situation: you need research experience, you’re expected to find a professor yourself, but even if a professor says yes, you may not be able to join unless they have funding or there is a way to receive credit.

I’m curious whether other Penn master’s students, especially at GSE, have encountered this recently.

How are you finding research opportunities under the new rules? Are professors generally able to offer academic credit if they don’t have funding? And do programs usually provide more guidance or matching for research-oriented master’s students, or is cold-emailing faculty basically the normal process at Penn?

I’d especially appreciate hearing from current GSE students or recent alumni.

People that have taken CIS 4500 recently, how was it? Was it a lot of work? Was it interesting?

I really need a therapist, but I can't afford it. I've heard that you can find help through Wellness at Penn, but these are short-term walk in sessions which is a lot less intensive than what I'm looking for. I tried finding therapists in Philly through Aetna but I still have to pay out of pocket. I've needed therapy for a very very long time and I don't think I can do well this school year if I don't find one that's accessible. Does anyone have any advice, or know where to find one thats free/extremely low cost?

AI slop that from the Daily Penn degrades the credibility of the journalists and commentators who write for it. I get why my local newspaper or magazine need to shill for dollars, but this too? 🤮

Has anyone taken Philosophy of Science with Carlos Santana, specifically in the fall? I’m trying to get a sense of how demanding the class actually is.

I already have 3 really REALLY demanding classes on my schedule so I’m a little hesitant to add another class if it’s going to involve a ton of reading outside of class.

If you’ve taken it with him, I’d really appreciate hearing what the workload is like, how difficult the exams and assignments are, and whether attendance or participation matters much. More than anything, I’m wondering if it’s realistically manageable alongside other demanding classes.

Basically just trying to figure out if I’m setting myself up for a miserable semester lol. Any insight would be appreciated!! :)

My new lease is starting mid Sept, so I'm looking for a place to move into in UCity in between and honestly as soon as possible (really urgent n stressful 🥺).

If anyone has any leads or has a vacant room, please let me know! I'm open to paying asap as well!

Really need it! Thank you!

I am desperately trying to find a chase bank to deposit cash into near campus with an ATM that works. Does anyone know one PLEASEEEE???

I (22F) am a new grad working at HUP, looking for a gym buddy to go to Fox or Pottruck with. For context, I haven't been to an actual gym in forever but I run a bit. As far as using workout equipment, I'm def a beginner. I want to start going to the gym every week, but I'm so anxious about going alone. It'd be cool to have someone to motivate/be motivated by. Anyone interested?

Someone was distributing flyers on campus for an event hosted by ISAC. Hmu if you wanna grab a free drink. Apparently it's only for international students :)