<p>Hello! I am from Ecuador and I was admitted into both Cornell and UPenn. I want to study physics and/or and engineering and I would like to know all the pros and cons you guys know about Cornell and UPenn in the field of physics and engineering (and as Universities in general). Thank you all for your help.</p>
<p>You might want to visit the forums for these schools. There is a wealth of information on each.</p>
<p>[Cornell</a> University - College Confidential](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/cornell-university/]Cornell”>Cornell University - College Confidential Forums)</p>
<p>[University</a> of Pennsylvania - College Confidential](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-pennsylvania/]University”>University of Pennsylvania - College Confidential Forums)</p>
<p>Congrats on your acceptances! I would choose Cornell personally. Of all the Ivy Leagues, Cornell is the most reputable in engineering and would offer more/better options than UPenn in that respect. You’d be hard pressed to find a school that sends its kids to as many great grad programs and jobs. So, if you’re just trying to evaluate the engineering/physics education you’d receive, I’d definitely say Cornell. </p>
<p>The campuses are very different though. Cornell is in upstate New York in a college town not too close to anything else. It’s weather is incredibly cold and bleak, especially to someone from Ecuador. UPenn, on the other hand, is in a major city, which means you’d have access to everything Philadelphia has to offer (restaurants, museums, shows, anything you can think of). It’s weather wouldn’t be as severe. UPenn sounds like it could be a pretty fun school-- it’s known for being one of the more fun Ivy Leagues.</p>
<p>I agree with michellel that Cornell is a notch above Penn in physics and engineering, especially at the graduate level where research and publication are paramount. Cornell is a physics and engineering powerhouse! On the other hand Penn is strong in those fields too, so either should be fine for an undergraduate. You should consider more than strength in your potential majors.</p>
<p>A student from Ecuador (0° latitude) will find either Philadelphia (40.0° latitude) or Ithaca (42.4° latitude) to have different weather than he is accustomed to. The whole concept of winter will be new. Ithaca averages about 4 Celcius degrees colder than Philadelphia, but I would not characterize Ithaca as “bleak” in comparison to Philadelphia. Ithaca has its charms. Spring, summer, and early autumn can be beautiful there. The Cornell campus is located atop a hill overlooking Lake Cayuga, with two gorges cascading down from the hillside. Cornell Plantations is a wonderful university-owned arboretum adjacent to campus.</p>
<p>Philadelphia is a major city at the center of a metropolitan area with over 5 million people. About 100,000 people live in and around Ithaca, but many of them are students at Cornell or at Ithaca College. Ithaca is very much a fun college-oriented town.</p>
<p>Thank you very much for your comments and help. One question, is Cornell as hard as people describe it?</p>
<p>for physics/engineering Cornell</p>