During the same conversation all first-year students find themselves in, state follows directly after name. Students, myself included, wait expectantly for one of four common answers: Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, or California. Penn’s student body, while diverse, leaves many geographical regions underrepresented in their class.
When I reveal I am from West Virginia, home to Penn students few and far between, I get one of a few responses:
I haven’t heard that one yet. Are you the only one? (No, I am not.)…