Exploring Community

A big part of your college experience will be the communities you join, so we encourage you to explore the opportunities Penn offers for you to explore your interests and connect with others outside the classroom.

College isn't just about academics! The communities you'll join and the place you'll make for yourself within them will shape your time here in important ways. Our community is an exceptional mix of cultural identities, socioeconomic backgrounds, religious beliefs, sexual orientations, and more.

We embrace diversity in a way that enables students to be who they are and to learn and grow by interacting with others. Maybe you'll continue to engage in a passion you've always had. Maybe you'll step outside of your comfort zone and discover new ones. Whether it's celebrating your culture, immersing yourself in the arts, focusing on your wellness, or getting support, there are numerous resources and hubs on Penn's campus to help you find your place.

In fact, community is so important to us here at Penn that our application supplement asks you to respond to the following prompt:

How will you explore community at Penn? Consider how Penn will help shape your perspective, and how your experiences and perspective will help shape Penn.

To help you consider this question, we encourage you to explore some of the resource centers and hubs at Penn, many of which are part of Penn's University Life division. You can find these and many others in the sub-navigation on this page. In addition to the listed centers and hubs, you'll find some of the more than 700+ student clubs and organizations to create your own path as you learn and grow on campus and in the incredible city of Philadelphia!

Look around. See what excites you. And if you don't find what you're looking for? Our students are constantly forming new clubs that align with their interest. Because this is Penn, and here, we find a way—or we make one.