34th and Walnut Street crosswalk at night

Penn Admissions Blog

Bursting the “Penn Bubble”
Kelsey | October 25, 2017

With a super busy clinical schedule and classes, it seems impossible at times to escape Penn’s campus, which is such a shame because Philly is such an amazing city (in my opinion, the best city to be a college student in)! However, I’ve made it my mission to take advantage of my wonderful location and get off of campus as much as I can. Here are a few of the fun ways I escape from campus and relax in Philly:

1)    Through my sorority! My sorority plans a lot of coordinated events that allow us to get off campus and explore. For example, we go apple picking at Linvilla Orchards every year, and regularly have date nights and formals at clubs in Philadelphia. Also, we have volunteering and service events to help Philly residents in need. 

2)    Exercise. And again my sorority. Philly has the country’s #1 runner friendly trail, the Schuylkill River trail. I’m the type of person that likes to run off my anxiety, and Philly has been the perfect location for this. When I get bored of the Schuylkill trail, I like to run into Rittenhouse square and look at the dogs. I also have a group chat of girls in my sorority that like to work out together, and through my sorority sisters I’ve explored a number of group exercise classes in center city like barrefit and FlyWheel. Sometimes I make a date out of it by walking over together and going through some of the more residential and picturesque streets in center city.

3)    Work! Since this past may, I’ve started working as a gallery assistant at Lindsay Rapp Gallery, a private art gallery in Center City. This is my home away from home, and truly my major escape from the stress of being on campus. Every weekend, I take the SEPTA into Old City for the afternoon and talk to customers and help Lindsay (the artist) with various tasks, such as making marketing decisions and organizing her social media. Her work is so light and beachy, which is such a nice escape for me especially when the weather gets cold and finals are approaching. Being in center city and seeing the diverse group of people who live and work in Philadelphia helps me put my stress from school into perspective; school stress is only temporary, and one day I will return to the “real world” of people going to work and living their lives, not worrying about schoolwork.

About the author
Kelsey

I'm a bona fide chai tea latte lover hailing from Rockville, Maryland, a D.C. suburb. I am in the Nursing and Healthcare Management dual degree between the School of Nursing and the Wharton School of Business. When I'm not at clinical, in class, or preparing for clinical, I'm taking care of business as the President of Student Nurses at Penn. On the side, I'm a member of Wharton Women, the Wharton Undergraduate Healthcare Club, and Zeta Tau Alpha. I'm a gallery assistant at Lindsay Rapp Gallery in Old City on the weekends, and this is my happy place to escape to when I'm stressed. For fun, I like running, dancing (I still take a ballet class!), exploring Philly, baking study cookies with my roommates, and looking at pictures of cats (or if I'm lucky, actually being with one).

View all posts by Kelsey
Meet The Penn Admissions Bloggers