<p>i might be getting ahead of myself, but after receiving a "likely" email from columbia SEAS, i anticipate having to make a tough decision between columbia SEAS and penn engineering. on its own, i believe engineering is better at columbia, but i want to minor or have some sort of education in business, so penn is attractive for that. also, overall penn seems to be on the upswing in terms of prestige, and i have gotten the sense that columbia is falling. of course if i get into the jerome fisher mnt program at penn, this would be a nonissue, but i dont think i will. any thoughts?</p>
<p>mhmm yeah, BUMP.</p>
<p>Well, I would obviously push you into Columbia as a recent Columbia College ED admit. I can tell you that the engineering program at Columbia is gaining prestige extremely quickly as of this moment and my best friend right now at Columbia is one of the teachers of the Gateway Course which all engineers take. I took it over the summer and had a blast.</p>
<p>Columbia's Business School was actually rated higher than Wharton for graduate school (I know not undergrad, but the business school at Columbia is extremely well-known). </p>
<p>I think the reason you say Penn is on the upswing in prestige is because of the US World News Reports Ranking. This is actually the only system where I have seen Penn rated above Columbia and I believe that is due to the fact the editor-in-chief of the magazine is a Wharton grad. </p>
<p>Both schools are excellent, but if you want a more well-rounded education than just engineering (which it seems you do if you want a business minor) then I would recommend Columbia over Penn.</p>
<p>Congrats on getting likely letters to both and either way you will be attending a superb school! Best of luck!</p>
<p>thanks. i actually didnt get a likely from penn, i was just speculating in case i got into penn as well. and yeah, its because of the US News rankings, which are very influential. whether or not they are biased, they are having an impact over where people choose to go to school, which will have an impact on the quality of graduates produced. is it true that the columbia MBA program was ranked higher than wharton's? i find that hard to believe, i thought it was 1-2 harvard, wharton?</p>
<p>i think ill probably do alot of visiting. my cousin is in the premed program at penn.</p>
<p>I am terribly sorry. Wharton is 3rd and Columbis is 6th (must have misread them backwards). Either business school is very good. </p>
<p>Visiting will be extremely helpful in making a decision. Getting a feel for the campus and the students will help a lot. </p>
<p>Columbia is actually the smallest Ivy and has a 7:1 faculty to student ratio, so the ability to meet and get personal with professors is definately there. </p>
<p>If you have any more questions, do not hesitate to ask.</p>
<p>thanks a bunch.</p>
<p>there is no question that Wharton is the best business undergraduate school in the country, if not the world. it ranks first nationally in: finance, real estate, entrepreneurship, finance, insurance/risk management. and Wharton ranks in the top 5 in: accounting, marketing, non-profit management, quantitative studies, business ethics, global management. Also, Penn really works hard to encourage interdepartmental study between the schools, so combining an engineering major with a business minor would work out really well at Penn. </p>
<p>another difference between the two schools is just that Penn is more fun. I cant say that ive partied at columbia, but I have at Penn and it was just crazy fun. it's kinda known as the "Social Ivy," so if youre looking for that work hard/play hard dichotomy, then Penn is definitely for you.
Also, Penn is more into its athletics, and overall has better sports teams then columbia. Penn was the Ivy League Champs in men's basketball and football for instance. theres a lot of spirit at Penn, if thats important to you.</p>
<p>and i dont know how into that columbia "core" idea you are, but if you don't want to have study plato for two years before you start taking engineering and business classes, go to Penn. I mean, i enjoy plato and the classics as much as the next guy, but if you want to start studying the subjects that youre truly interested in sooner, go to Penn, where there are wayyy less requirements. </p>
<p>so yeah, Penn!</p>
<p>"another difference between the two schools is just that Penn is more fun. "</p>
<p>You seem to forget that most Columbia students don't rely on campus parties, as they live in, you know, NYC.</p>
<p>Anonymous, your perception that Penn is rising and Columbia is falling is wrong. Columbia is staying where it always was (top 10 university nationally) and Penn is rising. But even when Penn hits its prime, it is not going to be better than Columbia. Columbia is amazing. Only H,M,P,S and Y are arguably better.</p>
<p>However, Wharton is Wharton...the biggest name in Business education. If you wish to get a degree in Business and you have the opportunity to get into Wharton, go for it. </p>
<p>Personally, as an undergrad, I would chose Columbia over Penn.</p>
<p>I agree with Alexandre. You can't say that Columbia is falling, especially not as far as acceptance rate because Columbia is extremely selective. Last year, Columbia had an acceptance rate of 10% to 11%, making it competitive to the "Big 3 Ivies" as far as acceptance rate. If I were to choose between Columbia and the University of Pennsylvania, I would choose Columbia.</p>
<p>thanks alot. im probably being disillusioned by the feelings of people in my high school (many, many penn ED applicants). ill probably visit, and ask around. asking employers what they think of the two couldnt hurt. i really love both colleges for being urban. im happy that ill be going to at least one of em!</p>