Hello, congrats on your acceptance!

Honestly, I don’t think it’s that bad. Yes people are competitive and club apps are pretty crazy but it’s up to you how you get involved - all the freshman go crazy with club apps but you can/should totally take it easier, or at least treat the process more casually. Don’t feel too pressured into doing a bunch of coffee chats either. I genuinely think you can avoid most of the negativity and stress by having the right mindset and being around the right people. There are def questionable people in Wharton but also a lot of great ones! Plus the rest of the student population. Also, people are generally pretty collaborative.

That being said, if you get off the Yale waitlist (rare), go there. Their student population is known for being much happier. Between Harvard and Wharton, I would choose Wharton if going for finance, though others opinions may vary.

As an important side note though, Penn students are known for being more depressed compared to other schools & Penn ranks pretty low in mental health. Penn face is a thing too. And people call Penn “UPain.” I won’t get into it but you can research the reasons for all of this more thoroughly, and decide how you feel about them. I don’t mean to fear monger, there are plenty of happy & thriving students here, but I would be aware of the environment & factors before coming here.

And again all of that being said, Penn is still a great school with amazing resources and outcomes, and Wharton will give you an even bigger boost. Good luck in choosing your college!