Welcome Penn Class of 2025!
Once again, congratulations on starting your new journey at Penn!
New Student Orientation (NSO) is just around the corner from August 25-30, and our staff wants to provide you with pivotal information and tasks that need to be completed before you arrive on campus. Over the next few weeks, you’ll need to complete Phase One of Thrive at Penn (TAP), our mandatory online orientation program which includes the Penn Reading Project (PRP). Below you'll find more information about TAP, PRP, and more.
If you have any questions regarding NSO activities, please feel free to contact us at provost-nso-ai@pobox.upenn.edu.
- NSO Staff
Thrive at Penn (TAP)
Phase I: Live Monday, August 2; Completion Required by Friday, August 20
Phase II: Goes live Monday, August 23; Completion Required by Monday, August 30
Phase III: Goes live Tuesday, August 31; Completion Required by Friday, September 3
TAP is an online orientation program that readies incoming students for their Penn undergraduate career. TAP prepares students to make healthy choices as they begin their university experience and provides information about resources available to support student success. TAP is also designed to provide opportunities for the incoming class to meet and interact with their classmates in small orientation groups led by Peers Helping Incoming New Students (PHINS) orientation leaders. These PHINS Orientation Groups (POGs) meet both virtually through TAP and in-person during New Student Orientation (NSO).
Throughout your undergraduate career, TAP will be available through Canvas, Penn’s learning management system. At your own pace, you’ll be asked to complete each phase of this mandatory program before the respective deadline.
Penn Reading Project (PRP)
Phase I (August 2-August 20): Read Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, engage in online group discussion, and complete writing assignment.
Phase II (August 27): During New Student Orientation, you will watch the PRP Prep Session online and meet with your small group for an in-person discussion about this year’s selection.
The Penn Reading Project is now in its 31st year of introducing the incoming class to academic life at Penn! The Provost, the Council of Undergraduate Deans, and the Office of New Student Orientation & Academic Initiatives are pleased to announce that this year's selection is August Wilson’s extraordinary play Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, a fictionalized story with a real-life protagonist: Gertrude “Ma” Rainey, a legendary Blues singer and musical entrepreneur.
Spend some time in the next few weeks reading and thinking about the play, all found on Canvas. Along with Wilson’s text, you’ll find a collection of supporting resources put together by the Penn Library. Note that there is also a short writing assignment on Ma Rainey that you will need to complete and submit through Canvas by August 16 at 11:59 ET.
You should also use this time to virtually discuss the play and its themes with the small group of your Penn classmates and a PHINS orientation leader you are part of through Canvas.
Once you are on campus, you will meet several times with this group during New Student Orientation, including on Friday, August 27 for your 60-minute, in-person discussion with a member of the Penn community—upper-level undergraduate, graduate student, faculty, and/or staff—serving as a PRP Group Facilitator. In preparation for these discussions, each facilitator receives a copy of their group's writing submissions to help shape the conversation.
The PRP selection for 2021 is now available through the TAP 2025 Canvas page. All incoming first-year students are required to participate in PRP.
Gateway Testing & Health Reminders
As a reminder, all immunizations are still required. Additional immunizations this year are COVID and Flu. All documentation of immunization was due July 1 through the Student Health portal. Students should upload them here no later than August 8.
Gateway testing (or arrival testing) is an important public health measure to quickly assess and minimize the introduction of the virus in our community. Every student who will be enrolled during the fall semester and coming to campus for classes or other academic requirements is required to be tested once upon arrival to campus. This test must be completed through our own Penn Cares testing system in order to be compliant with their Gateway Testing requirement.
Survey of New Students (SNS)
You recently have been emailed with a unique link to your name to take the Survey of New Students (SNS). If you have not already completed the SNS, please do so as soon as possible!
The survey will take 20-25 minutes to complete, and it will provide us with invaluable information as you embark on your Penn career.
Your feedback is essential to us, and time is running out. Complete the SNS today!
Penn Alumni Interview Feedback
Each year, Penn alumni reach out to thousands of prospective students to get to know them, and to help them get to know Penn. Did you receive an interview when you applied to Penn? If so, we want to hear about it!
If you want to share about your interview experience, fill out this quick 3-minute survey to tell us about your Penn interview experience. You can also record a 60-second video selfie to share a memorable moment from your Penn interview or to let us know what you're looking forward to most at Penn!
Upcoming Penn Parent Panels
You and your parents are invited to join us for a series of virtual panels for incoming Penn families! These panels will feature University leadership who will offer insight into the academic, cultural, and social resources available to help support you as you begin your Penn journey. More information and links to register can be found below!
Connect with NSO!
- Join the Penn Class of 2025 Facebook Page
- Follow us on all our social media channels to keep up with NSO!
- Explore our website and what we have to offer
