I want to be an engineer and Cornell is way higher than Penn. what should i do?

Colleges & Universities A-Z University of Pennsylvania
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<p>I know people talk about Upenn but science-wise everyone is talking about Cornell. what should i do? Cornell science and engineering ranked 4 this year after MIT, Caltech and Stanford.</p>

<p>please help. i dont want to get stuck in a crappy science/engineering program </p>

<p>thank you!</p>

2

<p>go to cornell</p>

3

<p>if your goal is to become a full engineer, cornell is a better place for everything except bioengineering</p>

4

<p>Penn engineering isn’t “crappy”, but it definitely cannot compare to Cornell in this regard. I’d go to Cornell if I were you.</p>

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<p>I’m at MIT grad school right now for computer engineering and was hired at Yahoo Research for a year before this and I know Cornell is at least one of the 4 most frequent undergrads of the grad students here and had a huge showing at Yahoo and i imagine Google. If you are choosing for science between cornell and upenn then definitely go to cornell.</p>

6

<p>If you want to be a pure engineer, then go to Cornell. If you want to be an engineer/businessman/doctor/lawyer/other combinations that are more profitable than pure engineer, then go to Penn. You can’t really lose either way :)</p>

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<p>Twitter was created by a Cornell student…enough said</p>

<p>[CollegiateTimes.com</a> - Twitter provides micro-blogging technology](<a href=“http://www.collegiatetimes.com/stories/13461]CollegiateTimes.com”>Twitter provides micro-blogging technology)
[Have</a> You Twatted Yet? | The Cornell Daily Sun](<a href=“http://cornellsun.com/section/opinion/content/2009/04/07/have-you-twatted-yet]Have”>http://cornellsun.com/section/opinion/content/2009/04/07/have-you-twatted-yet)</p>

8

<p>also, my brother is a cornell engineering freshman and just scored a very sweet internship, better financially than any of the 3 i’ve had in college…</p>

<p>not that penn engineering kids don’t have similar opportunities, but cornell is targeted more heavily for engineering careers in general</p>

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<p>I chose to apply Penn ED instead of Cornell ED (where my school placed like 9 kids this year) for some of the reasons already mentioned. If you don’t plan to be a pure engineer, then some of the more reputable Ivies (e.g. HP, Penn, Columbia…not Yale) will offer you a better foundation for mobility across the engineering industry and business. Plus, overall, Penn is just so much better than Cornell for a multitude of reasons (not the least of which is campus life, mortality rate, and employment opportunities). For example, I have a relative who attended Columbia engineering for his BSE and MSE and got an MBA from Stern and is now incredibly successful with a top-flight position with Cisco Systems and swimming in jaw-dropping amounts of money (if that’s your thing). Also check out the career surveys for Penn SEAS and you’ll see that alumni have no trouble finding their way in the job market, whether they go the tech or the business route. <a href=“http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/seas/surveys.html[/url]”>http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/seas/surveys.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>*Btw, in case you’re wondering why I didn’t apply to Columbia…I just liked Penn a whole lot better and the difference in terms of academic reputation is negligible. Plus Penn offers much better flexibility with it’s ‘One University’ policy and dual-degree options…my friend who will be attending Columbia SEAS recently found out that he won’t be able to double up on an engineering degree and a degree in economics, which was quite devastating for him. I definitely recommend you thoroughly check up on Cornell’s policies regarding transfer/dual degree/dual major before you commit to their engineering school</p>

10

<p>Go to Cornell for engineering and science hands down. They are at the forefront right now. I’m trying to transfer to Cornell from Amherst because of its ridiculous science and engineering research. </p>

<p><a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/07/science/07robot.html?partner=rss&emc=rss[/url]”>http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/07/science/07robot.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/31/science/31essa.html[/url]”>http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/31/science/31essa.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

11

<p>tenebrousfire, I don’t know what you’re talking about since Cornell’s bioengineering is ranked 2…</p>

12

<p>^lol according to which source?</p>

13

<p>cornell doesn’t have a bioengineering major so i don’t know what you’re talking about</p>

<p>you can only minor in bioengineering there</p>

14

<p>You’ve answered your own question; go to Cornell. It’s apparently way better than Penn engineering.</p>

15

<p>tenebrousfire, YOU don’t know what you’re talking about. Cornell DOES have a bioengineering major; a bunch of my friends are in it. However, you can only minor in bioMEDICAL engineering, so I think you need to get your facts straight. </p>

<p>nj<em>azn</em>premed, according to the latest issue of U.S. News rankings, if that’s the answer you’re looking for.</p>

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<p>hehehe…well this is technically true.</p>

17

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<p>Then the choice is clear, come to Cornell. </p>

<p>Because this decision is very similar to the one I had to make a couple years ago, I feel obligated to make a comment about your situation. I had to decide between CMU, Upenn, and Cornell for computer science. First of all, congratulations – you have great choices!</p>

<p>Let me start by saying Penn’s engineering, with the exception of the biomedical engineering department, is horrendous. Their non-biomedical engineering lab facilities are pathetic, and David Rittenhouse Laboratory, one of their main buildings for engineering students, reminded me of my high school’s facilities (you’ll see it when you visit). Most top technical/engineering firms do not even come to Penn to recruit. If you’re interested in business, maybe you can justify going to Penn for engineering but even then, I think Cornell is a better choice, as many business firms routinely employ Cornell Engineers. About half of the on-campus interviews done at Cornell are for Cornell engineers (source: Cornell Career Services Website) – they are very heavily recruited. At Penn, you could probably say the same for Wharton, but since you will not be attending Wharton, that will not matter. In fact, I would say it’s a disadvantage to not be in Wharton there, for this reason. Engineering is to Cornell as Wharton is to Penn.</p>

<p>Half of all Cornell Engineers do research as undergrads, and many participate on project teams that allow them to gain hands-on experience. Previous projects on these teams have included building real, functioning satellites (CUSAT), building a 100 MPG fuel efficient car (AXP), and building a land-mine detector (CU Minesweeper). I can say with a good amount of confidence that you can’t find experiences like this elsewhere (except for places like MIT, Caltech, etc.).</p>

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<p>You have got to be kidding me. Campus life on Cornell is great, and you haven’t even lived at any college yet to legitimately give advice on campus life. Maybe the employment opportunities are better for Wharton students, but you’re not in Wharton and neither is the OP so that doesn’t really matter. In fact, I would say that it’s bad to go to Penn engineering for the business route. Why? Because the Wharton kids will take your job. </p>

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<p>No, if you want to be a pure engineer, then go to Cornell. If you want to be an engineer/businessman/doctor/lawyer/other combinations that are more profitable than pure engineer, then go to Cornell. </p>

<p>There is zero evidence to suggest that Penn engineering is better than Cornell engineering for becoming a businessman/doctor/lawyer/etc. </p>

<p>Look at these career reports:</p>

<p>[Cornell</a> Engineering : Post Graduate Reports](<a href=“http://www.engineering.cornell.edu/student-services/engineering-coop-career-services/statistics/Post-Graduate-Reports.cfm]Cornell”>http://www.engineering.cornell.edu/student-services/engineering-coop-career-services/statistics/Post-Graduate-Reports.cfm)</p>

<p>TONS of business firms come to recruit Cornell Engineers, as you can see from the reports (Goldman Sachs, UBS, Morgan Stanley, Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, etc. etc.). I myself am an Operations Research and Information Engineering major at Cornell who has an internship lined up with Goldman Sachs Investment Management for this summer. I would also like to add that engineering students can pursue a minor in business at Cornell, at a top 10 business school in the country (although I admit it’s not quite Wharton). But hey, at least you won’t be overshadowed by Wharton kids.</p>

<p>In summary, Cornell Engineering is at least as good as Penn Engineering for business placement, etc. Whatever sort of business placement you can get at Penn Engineering, I guarantee you can get at Cornell Engineering as well (just look at the career reports above). Additionally, Cornell Engineering is a million times better than Penn Engineering for most engineering placement as well. Cornell offers broader career opportunities and is therefore the better choice.</p>

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<p>yes, i know cornell does have a biological (and environmental) engineering major. but that’s not a biomedical engineering major, and penn bioengineering is solely biomedical engineering. </p>

<p>so when we on this board are talking about bioengineering, we’re speaking only in the penn sense of bioengineering = biomedical engineering. when i said cornell doesn’t have a bioengineering major, i was referring specifically to biomedical. this is one major reason why i didn’t choose cornell.</p>

<p>please understand i’m not trying to put cornell down; if i weren’t here, i’d be there, and my brother goes to cornell engineering, so i have much love for cornell too.</p>

19

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<p>I know the OP is aware of this based on a similar thread on the Cornell forum, but I should point out to any others that might be influenced that there are many completely incorrect claims about Cornell in this post.</p>

<p>The objective claims (mortality rate, employment opportunities) are refuted by facts and statistics. Just do a search. The subjective claim (campus life) is postulated by someone who has never gone to Cornell to ever make such an assessment. I really don’t know why people speak with authority about issues for which they have no knowledge.</p>

<p>I can assure you, anything you want to do - any lifestyle you want to live - you will find at Cornell. Its strength lies in its breadth of scope.</p>

20

<p>Wow Penn science/engineering and Cornell’s don’t even compare. Cornell has shot up the rankings and is even number one in engineering physics over Caltech and Berkeley… </p>

<p>[Undergraduate</a> engineering specialties: Engineering Science/Engineering Physics - Best Colleges - Education - US News and World Report](<a href=“http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/college/spec-doct-science]Undergraduate”>http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/college/spec-doct-science)</p>

<p>Everyone I talk to is focusing on a career in either science, engineering, or medicine because of the collapse of the investment banking industry. I think Upenn or at least Wharton was a lot more attractive one or maybe two years ago because it basically fed people into wall street jobs but that angle is gone and i think it will definitely hurt Upenn’s credibility. I got into Penn, Cornell, and got waitlisted at Yale. If I get into to Yale then I will obviously go there but until then its CORNELL BABY!</p>