COLUMBIA vs UPENN

Colleges and Universities A-Z Columbia University
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<p>Hey I was accepted for Columbia CC (thinking information health science) and UPenn SEAS for transfer into 2nd year. I'd really appreciate any insight / advice on making this decision.</p>

<p>I've read so much about Columbia and love the campus but I know very little about the student life.</p>

<p>I know that Columbia consistently ranks higher on a bunch of things but I've read some threads which claim there's a very poor community, lack of the "Ivy" feel and such..</p>

<p>Also is anyone familiar with transfer differences? E.g., is it easier to make up the requirements in one school or the other. I don't get a credit assessment for a while so it's a little hard to tell..</p>

<p>Thanks a lot in advance : )</p>

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<p>There are claims that Columbia has a poor community and it is true but only for those who don’t make an effort. I agree its not as open and friendly and bubbly as a state school in Bumhill, Oklahoma but that shouldn’t stop you. Frankly, Columbia is one of the best schools period because it one of few that offers a campus when you want to feel more at home or “rural” as the campus itself is pretty nice and not too hustling and bustling. You have NYC for when you want to have fun. You can never get bored in NYC and there should no excuse for not finding anything to do on a given night. If you prefer the more traditional college scene like frats/sororities we have that as well. So your experience is really what you make of it. To guarantee yourself a good time, you should try to make friends early on and stick to them or join a club sport or some activity with a lot of time commitment.</p>

<p>So in that regard, Columbia is better than UPenn both academically and because NYC >> Philly.</p>

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<p>LOL I think you answered your own thread by posting this in the Columbia forum. Try posting in the transfer forum and see what reactions you get.</p>

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<p>“So your experience is really what you make of it.” </p>

<p>I’d certainly agree. That said, I know two people who transferred into CC as sophomores and really hit the ground running - joining clubs/activities. They’re having a great time here and, provided you’re willing to put yourself out there, you will, too.</p>

<p>All that said, as a native Philadelphian, I’m glad that I decided to go to school in a much safer city. Morningside Heights isn’t without it’s problems - any place with tens of thousands of students will always attract unsavory stuff - but Philadelphia, including University City, seems to be losing its struggle with violent crime. New York City crime stats, on the other hand, seem to be hovering at all-time lows.</p>

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<p>There are legitimate criticisms of Columbia, but I don’t think Penn is any better. They’re both schools in the city, and neither have the “Ivy” feel of Harvard. But Columbia generally ranks better and offers more opportunities, being in a more prestigious city. Certainly Columbia isn’t Amherst; it’s a big school and you’re bombarded with different opportunities, which means that you have to work in order to get a group of friends and find activities and academics that you’re passionate about. I honestly don’t know what Penn is like (though I’ve heard it has a similarly decentralized social structure), so I can’t comment on that. But I don’t think Penn has more “community” or more of an “Ivy” and “traditional college” feel than Columbia. If anything, Columbia is closer to that than Penn.</p>

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<p>How is Columbia better academically?</p>

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<p>why is NYC>> Philly?</p>

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<p>Huuuurl and Phantasmagoric, what are you looking for in response to your questions? </p>

<p>I am not going to respond with a direct subjective comparison of the two schools but I will provide a a quick assessment of both Columbia’s academic strength and a bit about New York City that leads to the claim that its the tops. </p>

<p>Columbia’s academic strength:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>The Core Curriculum, the oldest singular curriculum of its kind: [Where</a> Columbia Beats Harvard: On the Battlefield of Curricula - WSJ.com](<a href=“Where Columbia Beats Harvard: On the Battlefield of Curricula - WSJ”>Where Columbia Beats Harvard: On the Battlefield of Curricula - WSJ). </p></li>
<li><p>Center for Measuring University Performance ranked Columbia in a first place tie with MIT and Stanford as the top US research universities which takes into account total research, federal research, endowment assets, annual giving, National Academy members, faculty awards, doctorates granted, postdoctoral appointees, and undergraduate SAT/ACT range: [Center</a> for Measuring University Performance - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Center_for_Measuring_University_Performance]Center”>Center for Measuring University Performance - Wikipedia). </p></li>
<li><p>US News (flawed or not, it is what it is):
Overall Rank: 4. Columbia, 5. Penn
Academic Reputation (peer assessment): 4.6 Columbia, 4.5 Penn
Fall Acceptance Rate (2009): 10% Columbia, 18% Penn
Retention Rate (2009): 99% Columbia, 98% Penn
Graduation Rate (2009): 96% Columbia, 95% Penn
Classes w/Less Than 20 Students: 78% Columbia, 72% Penn
SAT Ranges of Enrolled Students (2009): 1370-1550 Columbia, 1350-1530 Penn
High School Counselors Rank: 6. Columbia, 13. Penn
Undergraduate Engineering: 26. Columbia, 32. Penn
Graduate Engineering (considered more reputable, based on more data): 16. Columbia, 22. Penn
Economic Diversity: 16% Columbia, 11% Penn
Best Value: 6. Columbia, 15. Penn</p></li>
</ol>

<p>A bit about New York City:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Safest large city in the US according to the FBI: [NYC</a> Is Safest City as Crime Rises in U.S., FBI Says (Update1) - Bloomberg](<a href=“Bloomberg - Are you a robot?”>Bloomberg - Are you a robot?).</p></li>
<li><p>The New York City Subway is the world’s largest mass transit system by number of stations (easy to get around, accessible to all).</p></li>
<li><p>“The Capital of the World”: [NYC</a> is the Capital of the World](<a href=“http://www.nyc.gov/html/lmec/html/about/nycapital.shtml]NYC”>http://www.nyc.gov/html/lmec/html/about/nycapital.shtml). </p></li>
<li><p>Biggest College Town in US: New York has more colleges and universities than any other city in the country – 85, by one count, with a total of more than 400,000 full and part time students (article below, now dated). </p></li>
<li><p>Best College Town in US (specifically using older ranking from Princeton Review just to indicate this has been since 2000, it is what it is): [New</a> York As College Town (Gotham Gazette, Sep 27, 2004)](<a href=“Albany Reform: Start By Changing the Rules”>Albany Reform: Start By Changing the Rules).</p></li>
</ol>

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<p>@injjektilo haha I did post this on the Penn & transfer boards as well :P</p>

<p>Thanks for all the feedback everyone !! It’s really helpful. Just a quick question about the Core, do you know the specifics wrt getting exempt from the foreign language requirement? What are the placement tests like? That would save me four terms of courses which would be really helpful for a transfer ahaha :P</p>

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<p>beautifulday, I don’t think that having a core makes a school’s academics “better.” In the Center for Measuring University Performance for 2009, Columbia’s ranked with MIT and Stanford, but in the 2010 rankings, Penn is also ranked with them (and in 2009 was ranked with Harvard, whose academics are not inferior to Columbia’s). And the US News metrics between the two are minute differences that don’t speak to differences in quality.</p>

<p>For most measures of academics (like faculty strength, research, top programs), Columbia and Penn are extremely similar, so for all intents and purposes, their academics are equal.</p>

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<p>Anecdotal evidence: A friend of mine graduated from Wharton and then decided he wanted to become a doctor instead, so he came to Columbia for post-bacc pre-med program. His experience here is that in general, Columbia’s students are more glued to and obsessed about their academics (and also more anti-social than UPenn), and the exams are far more rigorous and challenging. Also, Columbia faculty/post-docs/graduates have the highest number of Nobel prizes in the world. [List</a> of Nobel laureates by university affiliation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Nobel_laureates_by_university_affiliation]List”>List of Nobel laureates by university affiliation - Wikipedia)</p>

<p>Columbia is ranked 1 with 97 Nobel prize winners (above Cambridge), while Penn is ranked 21 in that regard, with only 27 Nobel prize winners (below ETH Zurich).</p>

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<p>I just thought NYC was too busy a city for me.</p>

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<p>Yeah. It definitely isn’t for everybody.</p>

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<p>What are you smoking? How the heck is NYC more prestigious than Philadelphia?</p>

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<p>lol 10char</p>

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<p>Lol @upennvetgirl. You’re kidding right?</p>

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<p>New York City is the media and cultural capital of the United States, as well as a center of finance and a major international tourist destination. Philly’s a nice regional city, but it’s just not in the same league as New York. Of course, New York isn’t for everyone, since not everyone likes the big city. But if you do love the atmosphere and culture of a big, vibrant, and extremely diverse city, there’s no place better in the US than New York.</p>

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<p>When I think of the world’s top cities (the ones that hold the greatest possible economic and cultural clout), I think of (in no particular order): New York, Tokyo, Toronto, Paris, London, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Singapore.</p>

<p>Philadelphia comes nowhere close.</p>