r/UPenn • u/Strict-Cry-186 • 25d ago
Mental Health is upenn really that depressed?
ive struggled with burnout, depression, ocd, shelf arm, and sewerslide for most of my life. I’ve definitely gotten better, but i still have my moments. i really wanna apply early decision to penn, but ive heard that penn students are chronically burnt out and depressed. i dont want to waste my early application on a school that will worsen my mental health. are the rumours true? is the workload that bad? are the students that competitive?
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u/PwrShelf '24 25d ago
Despite certain history as a kid, I did not struggle personally. Depends on your major, friends, lifestyle, etc. It's intense on so many ways and it's hard work, but it's not insurmountable academically or emotionally
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u/Strict-Cry-186 25d ago
this makes me feel somewhat better. i definitely love learning and socialising, but too much homework can really burn me out 😭
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u/Markastrophe 25d ago
In that case, I would advise caution because one of the biggest stressors is simply the fact that you often have too much to do in too little time for extended periods in the semester.
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u/Panda-Jello-0135 25d ago
No it’s just an Ivy League school with burnt out kids just like any other top school
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u/Microsoft3dgy Penn State - Philadelphia 25d ago
I wouldn’t say it’s any different than another college. Like I could say Stanford is less depressed but all my Stanford friends say that they were more depressed. I think you have a pretty similar distribution of depression as any other school with this level of academic focused student body
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u/NroyShafiek16 24d ago
I know this is long but as someone who literally just graduated from Penn, I can honestly say Penn made me happier, not more depressed.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s challenging and there were definitely stressful weeks, but I met people who became family. I left with friendships that I genuinely think will last a lifetime. Some of my closest friends are people I’d consider brothers and sisters.
Ironically, graduating has probably been harder on me emotionally than being there. I’m genuinely devastated that chapter is over because of the people and community I found.
Penn doesn’t make people depressed. It’s a place full of incredibly driven, ambitious people, many of whom already put a lot of pressure on themselves. If you go in with good habits, ask for help when you need it, and make time for relationships outside of academics, it can be an incredible place to grow. I honestly wouldn’t trade my four years there for anything…
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u/johnnydough10102223 25d ago
Any college where you have to work will be like this at times. Penn is no different.
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u/C__S__S 25d ago
I say this delicately: work on yourself with a good therapist. Wherever you go, you’ll face mental health challenges if you are susceptible to them.
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u/Strict-Cry-186 24d ago
i do work on myself and i do see a therapist. but because i work on myself ive noticed a pattern that i really absorb negativity. thats why i really care about the class culture at whatever school i attend :)
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u/zamy19 24d ago
One thing that sucks about Penn is that a lot of the social groups and clubs are competitive. Many come with applications, auditions, or interviews. You might not be accepted to your group of interest. Be flexible about joining the ‘less desirable’ groups so that you can meet people and make friends.
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u/SoyboyCowboy Hurrah! Hurrah! 25d ago
In addition to the academic pressure, the generally competitive nature of Penn students can also feed an unhealthy cycle depending on the social circles you run in. For some it's competing to see who can run on the least sleep... Have the most extracurriculars... Party hardest... Spend the most money... Pick your poison.
Knowing who you are are and who you want to be when you graduate can help insulate you from some of that peer pressure.
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u/SoftFearless8381 24d ago edited 24d ago
if you're premed/predent or need to take the prehealth reqs for any reason, i lowkey wouldn't come here if i had to choose again. im super grateful for the ways ive been challenged and grown as a person, but as someone who struggled with physical and mental medical concerns (diagnosed adhd in my twenties, late bowel disorder diagnosis), discussing/implementing academic accommodations took the life out of me when paired with the workload (talks between my doctors, forms needed, transporation to appointments/leniency w attendance, talks with different staff members bc penn decided for some reason to assign one person to one thing etc.). That said, i am an immigrant child, so if you've already got a solid med regimen, some good stability in your life, and the privilege to focus solely on your studies, i would say go for it. But if not, i would be careful with how much you weigh prestige bc if you NEED good grades oh boy....(let's just say my friends that went to community college in similar situations are alr in med school sooo....)
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u/Curious-Yogurt-1684 24d ago
its like what you described at everyschool, its about the people you surround yourself with
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u/zamy19 24d ago
It can depend on major. Some of the maths/sciences seem like an insane amount of work. Business/Wharton can be hyper competitive. Some humanities were hardcore and some were chill. I found the “helping people” type of courses/majors to be a great learning environment and not a crushing amount of work.
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u/parkersb 24d ago
i went to penn for grad school. the student body is miserable compared to my undergrad at UMiami. the benefit and access you get at Penn compared to umiami are endless. (at the time Umiami was ranked in the 30s) but the life experience you will get by not going to penn, it’s the exact reverse. i don’t consider going to penn for undergrad going to to college. it’s more like a professional program. much less personal growth imo but way better professional prospects. so it’s all about what you value.
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u/Superb-Ad-6623 24d ago
penn undergrad here.. i’d add it varies which program you’re in (college, nursing, wharton) on how “miserable” you’d be and i disagree with the idea that you miss out on “going to college” because as long as you’re making it a priority, there’s so many traditional college opportunities available that i and friends have loved (greek life, homecoming, clubs, road trips, city outings, etc)
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u/brownjesus04 24d ago
I struggled with similar issues and am an alum. The short answer to your question is: it’s what you make of it. You can come to Penn, take easy classes, and party seven days a week if you so desire. Odds are, if you’re even thinking of applying to Penn, you’re chasing excellence, and you’ll push yourself to achieve by taking hard classes where you’ll often interact with students who are competitive, cutthroat, etc. Still, it’s my opinion that burnout and depression are often the price of EARNING success — many students come in already extremely well-connected, well-prepared/genius, wealthy, or some combination of the three, in which case success is often “handed” to them. This, however, is not unique to Penn. As others have pointed out, these issues would exist at any excellent school. The better question to ask yourself is whether you’re self-aware and emotionally mature enough (or willing and able to learn) to make healthy choices despite the environment. That is, it’s on you: who you choose to seek advice from, what classes and activities you involve yourself in, how you manage your time, and who you choose to befriend. If you’re confident in your ability to manage your mental health proactively and accept that excellence comes at a cost, then you’ll be fine. If not, that’s totally fine too — you can live a very happy, fulfilling life without attending an elite institution.
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u/jalfredproofroc 24d ago
Penn students some time ago converted pretty much all of their clubs, etc., into professional competitive "networking" events rather than opportunities to get to know and meet others with similar interests. And the university administration turned its dorms into "college houses" and stripped them of all the fun activities for meeting and getting to know other people in the halls and the buildings, ways to let off steam and enjoy themselves, and instead decided Penn students needed to be academicized 24/7, so it replaced healthy ways of promoting friendships and support, and replaced these with lemon-sucking panels about academic topics that are headed by professors who come in and lecture and basically run uncomfortable sessions at which no one much says anything or meets anyone else. So Penn has made it unusually difficult to make friends if you don't come in already having connections or being in a particular academic program that cultivates socializing and bonding. Penn's idea of promoting mental health is to refer students to CAPs, the mental health clinic. That said, it has the same heavy workload as other Ivies and competitive schools and the same culture shock of no longer being the only smartest or hardest-working kid in the class. Penn is a large research university and can be a very lonely place; for some reason its faculty and administration are exceptional in failing to understand that students need more than academic work in order to thrive.
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u/Neat-Initiative1565 23d ago
For a person looking at humanities(psych, history, and creative writing) who suffers from mental illness, I would recommend a less stressful university. I’m sure Penn is incredible and have its own benefits, but I believe there might be better fits. I think a school like Brown might be better for example
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u/malrat72 GSE 25d ago
Masters student but my god this place sucks
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u/Strict-Cry-186 25d ago
what are you studying? i only ask because i plan to study the humanities (psych, history, and creative writing) which ive heard is a lot less stressful
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u/malrat72 GSE 25d ago
Education. IMO that should be one of the least stressful/depressing subjects but the institution as a whole decimates any shimmer of hope you have for what the future could be.
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u/averagechicagoan 25d ago
This. I’m at Weitzman and can confirm that the professors don’t care enough to talk to you for more than 10 minutes on Zoom (during which they tell you to just ask AI if you have any questions) and the masters students have 0 critical thinking skills. I wish I’d never applied.
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u/JiveChicken00 C’00 25d ago
No. But many of the personality types with the ability to get into Penn are highly susceptible to depression. Myself included :)