Office of New Student Orientation & Academic Initiatives

Your NSO Daily Digest

Saturday, August 23, 2025

Hello Class of 2029!

Welcome to the fourth day of New Student Orientation (NSO)! Below you'll find more information about today's events including NSO Preceptorials, PennTracks: Philadelphia Walking Tours and An Evening at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

If you have any questions or would like to know more information about any of the NSO events, look for our well-trained volunteers, the Peers Helping Integrate New Students (PHINS), all around campus in light blue and navy blue polo shirts.

Today's Calendar

NSO Preceptorials

View the Full List of NSO Preceptorials | 10am-2pm

Preceptorials are not-for-credit educational sessions designed to highlight the University’s intellectual richness, foster a sense of belonging within our shared community, and help students shape their Penn experience.

The NSO Preceptorials focus on these key areas: Academic Life, America 250, Civic Engagement, Community Building, Cultural Awareness, and Wellness.

PennTracks: Philadelphia Walking Tours

Meet on College Green | 2pm-5pm

Sign up for a tour and join your fellow classmates for free guided tours throughout Philly and discover more about your new home.

View the PennTrack Walking Tours' Maps.

An Evening at the Philadelphia Museum of Art

Philadelphia Museum of Art | 6:30pm-9pm

This is the gala event of NSO that everyone talks about! Enjoy music, dancing, and free admission to the world-class galleries! Dinner is served at the museum. Wristbands and Penn IDs are required for entry.

Read Event Spotlight below to find more details including bus locations.

NSO Speakeasy

Kelly Writers House | 9:30pm-11pm

This open mic night features performances by the incoming class. Bring your poetry, your guitar, your award-winning essay and share your talents with your classmates. Or just come hang out, listen, and check out the Writers House.

Penn Disability Services

If you would like to request any specific accommodations including fully accessible transportation to any NSO event, please contact Penn’s Disability Services.

• PHONE: 215-573-9235 
• TTY: 215-746-6320
• Email: vpul-sdsmail@pobox.upenn.edu

Event Spotlight:

An Evening at the Philadelphia Museum of Art

Philadelphia Museum of Art | 6:30pm-9pm

Class of 2029, join your classmates for a fun and inspiring evening at one of the world’s greatest art museums. Adventure through collections of Asian, European, American, and Contemporary art. Enjoy festive food (Kosher and Halal options available) while taking in a spectacular view of the Philadelphia skyline and tackling the famous Rocky Steps.

Please bring your Penn ID and wear your NSO wristband for event entry. Smart casual attire is recommended. Dinner and dessert will be served through 8:30pm. Free shuttle bus transportation will begin at 6:15pm and will run continuously between the museum and the pick-up/drop-off points listed below. The museum is also within walking distance of Center City and Penn’s campus, and taxicabs/car-sharing services are readily available.

Bus Pick-up Locations:

• Between 37th St and 38th St on Spruce St (Upper Quad Gate)
• Between 33rd St and 34th St on Walnut St (Hill)

To learn more about this world-class institution and explore upcoming exhibitions and public programs, please visit www.philamuseum.org.

If you would like to request fully accessible transportation to the Philadelphia Museum of of Art event, please contact Disability Services (see above).

Dining Café Hours For
Saturday, August 23

Dining café hours throughout the week of NSO can be viewed on the Penn Dining website. The options for today are listed below. 

Brunch: 10am-2pm

Hill, 1920 Commons Dining Cafés

Dinner: 5pm-8pm

Hill, 1920 Commons Dining Cafés

Looking Ahead: Penn Reading Project

All first-year students were introduced to Penn Reading Project and the Revolution at Penn? exhibit through a preview module in Thrive at Penn (TAP). On campus, you are expected to experience the exhibit in person. There, visitors can view political pamphlets, broadsides, maps, prints, manuscripts, and a full-scale replica of a colonial coffee house!

Concluding the PRP will be the mandatory session in Irvine Auditorium on Sunday, August 24, from 10am-3:30pm, where Penn faculty and students will discuss the exhibit and the themes it centers: the sometimes-contentious formation of American history, and the ongoing questions about the place of universities in America, then and now.

Session Times

• PHINS Groups 1-62: 2pm-3:30pm
• PHINS Groups 63-120: 10am-11:30am

Visit the Revolution at Penn? Exhibit

Location: Goldstein Family Gallery, Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center, 6th floor

Revolution at Penn? examines conflicts around the formation, structure, and mission of the university in the era of the American Revolution: from debates about its mission in the 1750s and 1760s, to a devastating schism that tore the school apart in 1779, to eventual compromise and reorganization as the University of Pennsylvania in 1791. Political pamphlets, broadsides, maps, prints, manuscripts, and a full-scale replica of a colonial coffee house evoke the contentious era and provoke new questions about the place of universities in America, then and now.