Cornell, UPenn, Northeastern, and UMaryland for Engineering? Worries about GPA, rigor, etc.

Colleges and Universities A-Z Cornell University
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Hi y’all. I think I’d like to enter Bioengineering or Chemical Engineering. I’m interested in research in drug delivery, bio-sensors, biochemical engineering, nanotech, and bio-materials. Not so much prosthetics, tissue engineering, or medical devices. I’m not sure that entering industry is the best choice for me; I’d like to be involved in research. I’ll probably pursue grad school.

I was accepted into Cornell, Upenn, Northeastern, and Univ. Maryland.
Got no finaid from all except Northeastern (for which I’d have to pay a little over half tuition). I don’t live in the state of Maryland. My family can afford all colleges, but I’d like to pay my parents back for at least half or work while studying to defray the cost. It is very important for me to secure employment. Not sure how things will work out since I think I’d need higher credentials (grad school edu)

I loved both Cornell + Upenn’s Campuses. Northeastern felt kinda small, but I enjoyed the cities of Philly and Boston. Even though Cornell was in a rural setting, the campus is very charming, and Ithaca commons has a nice vibe ^^ I haven’t visited UMaryland.

If students or graduates from these schools could chime in about some of the following concerns, I’d really appreciate it!


~~~Would it be a waste to go to UPenn for engineering? They are more known for Wharton and The College. Both schools are great opportunities, but I hate to feel that I'm rejecting Cornell because "it's too hard" while Penn engineering (engineering in general) is just as tough. People keep telling me that Cornell is THE place to go for engineering, but UPenn is also strong, offers a great liberal arts selection, and is very close to home (1 hr)

~~~Penn offers a "Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering" major, whereas the other schools do not. They may offer "Chemical Engineering", and I'm sure all schools offer concentrations within ChemE for bioeng, but would the "Biomolecular" tag associated with Penn's degree be a big benefit for me?

~~~Northeastern, Penn, and UMaryland all offer "Bioengineering", whereas Cornell only offers either "Biological Engineering" which seems to be more related to agricultural sciences (?) and "Biomedical Engineering", which I don't think fits my interests all that well... is this a concern? I need to know that if I switch out of one major, I'll be able to find another I'm passionate in. 

~~~I've heard that there are opportunities (though highly competitive) in research to receive grants that cover one's whole grad-school education at various universities around the nation. All schools offer good undergrad research opportunities, but will any give me a greater chance of securing these grants/fellowships? Are there grants which are given to a greater # of students, as well as those that are reserved for an extremely select few?

~~~Maryland and Cornell are the two more highly-ranked engineering schools I'm considering. But can someone speak to the rigor of Northeastern and Maryland's programs? Why aren't NU and UPenn's programs ranked higher? Or are rankings not indicative of anything meaningful at all?

Thank you all so muchhhh!
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Cornell has the best engineering school in the ivy, but it is also the toughest. If you want to go to grad school, it is absolutely important that you maintain a good GPA. You can’t expect the admission officer to know the rigor of the school. I don’t know about how industry view GPA.

If money isn’t a issue, I wouldn’t even consider Northeastern. It is a decent school but the reputation is nothing compared to the other 3 (especially outside of the Northeast). In my opinion, Maryland isn’t very a strong engineering school. I think it is more like a science/math school than an engineering school. I always though Maryland has a good overall reputation, but I’m biased because I lived in Maryland for a big chunk of my life. So once again, if money isn’t a issue, it will be up to Cornell vs Penn.

In terms of Cornell vs Penn, Cornell definitely have a better engineering program. If it were grad school, I probably pick Cornell. However, this is undergraduate, so it isn’t just all on the engineering program strength. Overall reputation, Penn is better. Penn has also slightly easier than Cornell. Penn also have a strong emphasis on interdisciplinary study. However, the most important aspect in my opinion is the small student body and small student to faculty ratio there. At Penn, you will have smaller classes, more personal relationships with professors, and therefore, have better undergraduate research experience. Both Penn and Cornell are very oriented toward Undergraduate Research. Cornell also has a beautiful campus (top 10 in US), while Penn has the ugliest in the ivy, but Cornell is freezing. It is also located in a college town rather than a big city. So there are less experience outside of campus.

In the end, between Cornell and Penn, you really can’t go too wrong with either decisions. They are both excellent schools. I personally would go to Penn because of its small classes and better reputation.