<p>My son has got admission into Jerome fisher program and into Oxford univ UK. Going for comp science major. All the advice seems to point to Jerome fisher program at Penn. however Oxford is rated far higher in all rankings for comp science. Any advice from students or parents undergoing JFProg at U Penn or those with knowledge of Oxford</p>
<p>I showed this post to one of my classmates, his response follows:</p>
<p>The two are not even comparable, while Oxford is more prestigious than Penn, Oxford’s comp sci department is fantastically mediocre. compsci is not taught very well in UK schools or emphasised as a proper A level subject and as such the compsci at Oxford is only special because of the Oxford moniker, the actual content is surprisingly not very rigourous and most of the top US uni’s have better compsci departments (than any english ones) and a better syllabus (this includes penn). That may have surprise you because of the “ratings,” but to be honest they are simply wrong, at my school the best students at compsci applied to the US or wished they had, which is interesting since I went to a very English public school. In addition the typical criticism of Oxbridge applies, Oxford and to a greater extent Cambridge are more theoretical than practical (though for Comp sci I really don’t rate British Unis very highly anyway). There is much more freedom within the penn compsci department too to create a more uniquely tailored education and the extra compsci events such as Pennapps have no equivalent in Oxford. As a final consideration M&T compscis have fantastic job opportunities at the end, much better (perhaps surprisingly) than Oxford comp scis. As for social life, if this interests you, Oxford isn’t too bad, I have a decent time when I visit my friends back home but Penn is simply better. If you’d like to get in contact with me during Penn preview days or sooner I would be happy to continue the discussion
- A British M&T who made a similar decision</p>
<p>Thank you. That was incredibly helpful. Is there a way my son can reach you/ talk to you.( we could call or email as per ur convenience).
He is veering towards Oxford under the impression that the course is more rigorous and will give him a better grounding in comp sci.</p>
<p>Sent you a PM with contact information</p>
<p>So here are some more thoughts we are considering. Just for perspective we are from India so both places Uk and USA are equally expensive. Other points we are considering are
- 4 yr master at Oxford vs dual degree bachelors in 4 yrs at JF program. 2. Reportedly. The grounding in fundamentals of comp science is very strong at Oxford vs a breadth of finance, stats etc JF along with the comp science. 3. An option of doing the Oxford progr and then moving for masters to the USA. Has the benefit of getting both continents experience. Of course this could happen the reverse way too except you don’t get to work at UK after studies so easily so it’s easier to do undergrad at uk and grad at USA.
A key debate we have been having is as follows. Is it better at undergrad level to build solid foundations in an area of interest (in this case comp science) rather than spread oneself thin by exploring various courses ( the basic diff between us and uk/ Indian systems). The corollary to this is given the interest in getting deep into comp science is the JF prog better or Oxford…( on factors like : curriculum, relevance, faculty, and practice opportunities during study ).
Appreciate any comments or thoughts</p>
<p>A good dilemma to have - hopefully I can help out some. I have done a lot of reading about the M&T program, have talked to a few people in it, and know a thing or two about Oxford computer science. </p>
<p>M&T blows Oxford out of the water - 10nisman94’s exactly right. A degree from one of the world’s top undergraduate business program along with engineering, all with the connections and opportunity the Ivy League offers? There’s no contest. M&T is one of the most competitive undergraduate programs in the United States, and has a stellar alumni network and recruiting relationships with Silicon Valley, Wall Street (pretty much anywhere you want to go). M&T also opens to the door to pretty much any grad school opportunity anyone could want, although from what I hear fewer M&T’s end up going to grad school right away, and wait until they have some experience working. I hate to say it, but I think an opportunity to do undergraduate business work is worthwhile if it’s in M&T. Going to grad school in the U.S. might sound like a good plan, but in terms of opportunities post-college/grad school, M&T takes the cake. I can understand your thinking about being spread thin in M&T, but from the people I talk to, it seems as if students are able to balance things, and the program is designed such that courses fulfill requirements for both degrees, so things aren’t too burdensome.</p>
<p>10nisman94 is also spot on about Oxford: its computer science program is absolutely not all it’s cracked up the be. It’s good, but even UPenn’s engineering program (which is easily top 25 and nothing to sneeze at) is better in terms of academic rigor and post-graduate opportunities. The ratings are completely wrong, regardless of what others say. Penn’s computer science department is on the rise as a powerhouse, and will definitely jump in the ratings in the coming years. A computer science education from Oxford will likely be highly theoretical, with less emphasis on preprofessionalism. UPenn’s program combines preprofessional education with liberal arts, and engineering there is quite an experience from what I hear.</p>