I am seeking feedback from Princeton/Stanford/M&T current & past students about the pros & cons of the above programs. I am also possibly considering majoring in Econ or finance. So, I would love to see your comments based on :
Which is the most beneficial to a student who wants to intern/work at innovative firms like Google, Facebook, SpaceX, etc?
Kind of opportunities available for research and internships - Difficulty/competition to get these?
Difficulty of maintaining good grades
Ease of getting into management ladder within a few years after 1st software job.
I am seeking feedback from Princeton/Stanford/M&T current & past students about the pros & cons of the above programs. I am also possibly considering majoring in Econ or finance. So, I would love to see your comments based on :
Which is the most beneficial to a student who wants to intern/work at innovative firms like Google, Facebook, SpaceX, etc?
Kind of opportunities available for research and internships - Difficulty/competition to get these?
Difficulty of maintaining good grades
Ease of getting into management ladder within a few years after 1st software job.
@NitikS Sorry…maybe I should have given some intro. I have just been admitted into these programs. Anyone knows that getting into reaches is a long shot. When I applied to these, I liked their program but didn’t expect to be in a good position to compare between them Hence the post…
@anonstem
i ll try to answer your questions one by one:
Stanford, Penn
no need to talk more about the opportunities Stanford provides for working in top silicon valley firms. it is rather obvious. Penn also does well in sending kids to silicon valley and especially the M&T kids do extremely well. The M&T program has a hugely successful, rather small and close-knit alumni network .They have alumni events regularly and there is a whole M&T office at pENN dedicate to providing academic, internship and alumni networking support to m&t students. Many M&T alums have top jobs in silicon valley and are extremely willing to help m&t students.
research on what field? if it is finance research then Penn obviously has the most opportunities available. If it is CS probably Stanford, although Penn and Princeton have great CS departments. In terms of how easy it is, i can only speak for Penn. It is generally rather easy, there are many opportunities available and there is an office called CURF that helps you find research opps on campus as an undergrad.
grades/rigor (easiest to hardest): Stanford < Penn < Princeton
while the business degree from Wharton will def help when trying to jump into a managerial position, I can't imagine a Stanford degree will hurt you in any way. Still it might be easier having a business degree.
Class Size:
Check out the USNews page for each school. In general the distribution amongst different class sizes seems to be similar in all three. in terms of faculty-student ratio: Penn (6:1), princeton (5:1), Stanford (4:1). Keep in mind that at Penn you would also get a lot of additional individualized attention for internships and academics because you would be M&T.
Stanford and Penn are on the more practical side, Princeton on the more theoretical
I can only speak for Penn. Classes at Penn are taught only by professors not TAs. Professors are very helpful and available, have regularly scheduled office hours and are very eager to get to know you and help. I can't imagine it is much different at either Stanford or Princeton. Princeton is esp. known for its undergrad focus and attention.
See above (can only speak for Penn)
Stanford and Penn have many similarities. Both have a great balance of academic and social life, people work super hard but also know how to have fun, there are a lot of parties. Also they are more practically, pre-professionally minded.
Safety: princeton is located at an upscale NJ town. pretty safe. Stanford is also pretty safe. Penn is also pretty safe but it borders with west philly, which is not the nicest area but west philly is being rapidly being gentrified. also there is a so-called Penn bubble and you would have to walk well out of campus to get into the not-so-nice part of west philly, so it is not really an issue.
Penn has a new modern residence hall that is super nice. or fi you prefer traditional gothic style you can live in the Quad. The food is good. I have heard the food at Princeton is a bit better but can't confirm.
According to the College scorecard: Stanford: 86,000 Penn (overall): 79,700 Princeton: 77,900
Specifically for Seas & Wharton dual degree graduates at Penn (both M&T and uncoordinated) the average salary for the class of 2016 was $90,795.
A good idea would be to visit all three universities and decide for yourself. I feel at this level the most important consideration is fit more than anything. Fit is important not only because you are spending 4 years of your life there but also because you are bound to perform better at a place you fit in well.
@anonstem No, but hopefully one day in the near future I will for masters or MBA. It is a really amazing school. One of my closest friends went and he loved it. Penn is also an amazing place. Both very similar schools in terms of academic approach/philosophy and social vibe. While on the whole Stanford wins in terms of overall strength and prestige/name recognition against Penn as whole, the M&T program at Penn is a really unique program that opens a lot of doors and also it is really prestigious in business/tech circles, more or less on par with Stanford. You can’t go wrong here.
Hence the post…