<p>I'm deciding between these colleges, and I'm just wondering if the experts here could help me decide.</p>
<p>For UPenn, I selected my major as Bioengineering, for Northwestern and Columbia I selected Biomedical engineering, and for UCLA, I chose Electrical Engineering. I know that Penn has a great Bioengineering program, but I'm considering switching my major (would also be in engineering). I had the chance to visit Penn and Columbia, and I liked both, but I didn't like components of both schools. For Penn, I liked the flexibility of the program but I'm unsure of the vibe I got from the student population. For Columbia, I liked the campus feel and the internship opportunities but I didn't like how restrictive they are. For LA, I liked the campus and its vibe, but I kinda don't want to stay in California, and I'm concerned that it's one of those state schools that are unfriendly to its undergraduates. </p>
<p>I didn't get a chance to visit Northwestern, so any info there would be fantastic! Any help would be highly appreciated!</p>
<p>out of those four, NU has arguably the strongest undergrad engineering program overall. all of its depts are pretty good and the program is very flexible. the "engineering first" curriculum is unlike any others and i think is superior to other typical first-year curriculum. however, it's hard to say if you'll like the "vibe" which is very subjective.</p>
<p>Yeah, I'm a California resident. The out-of-pocket costs don't differ enough for me to make a decision based in financial aid. Well, except for UCLA, b/c that costs only $25,000 for CA residents.</p>
<p>Sam Lee, thanks for the feedback! Now I kinda wish I had visited the school...</p>
<p>What kind of vibe did you get from the Penn population? As a 5 year penn student I can try to tell you if your concerns are accurate or just a fluke of the short visit.</p>
<p>I thought it was too preppy for my tastes. And I mean, I honestly tried to keep an open mind, but everywhere I looked, the people seemed so high maintenance and as much as the presenters liked to stress how diverse Penn is, I couldn't really see it. If I decide to go, I'm sure I would find a few people who were like me, but still, I think I would be uncomfortable if most of the student body was like as they seemed on my visit.</p>
<p>I'd agree Northwestern probably has the best overall academic engineering opportunities and would probably be your best academic fit. The vibe is certainly less intense than east coast peers. But I'd also strongly suggest you visit before considering committing. A flight to Chicago this weekend may well be worth the ticket price. If not, I'd go with your gut reaction, hope the curricular issues don't prove so restrictive, and head to Columbia.</p>
<p>Well, almost 60% percent of Penn's student body is on some sort of financial aid, and as a current student I can assure you that there are a range of people from different social and economic backgrounds. I don't think the people you encountered on that particular day are representative of the student body as a whole. Also, the student bodies at Penn and Columbia are very similar in terms of their socio-economic breakup as well as the sorts of people that are attracted to the two schools.</p>
<p>how did you find that columbia is restrictive? are you talking about the core curriculum? i find that they give you an incredible amount of independence here.</p>
<p>I'd spend some time reading Visit Reports of NU and maybe pick up the college guide that rhymes with growler. I honestly believe Northwestern offers the best overall collegiate experience possible, but to each their own. I will say, though, that except for the small part of malcontents at NU (that every school has) EVERY student I know feels similarly, that is that Northwestern is absolutely amazing. From my experience with my friends at Penn and Columbia, that is not the case (and while I clearly know fewer people at those schools than at NU, I know QUITE a few people.)</p>
<p>Northwestern definitely offers the best overall engineering experience. If you ever want to change your major, there are other top-level engineering programs (like Industrial Engineering if you're more interested in economics instead). Visit the school if you can get the chance. I know the deadline is approaching fast. UCLA will be your second best choice (as a California resident). The Ivies generally do not have good engineering programs.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the advice guys! If I can visit NU, I'll try, but I think the tickets will be rather expensive. :( </p>
<p>lvilleslacker, it just kinda seemed like that on my visit. Maybe when the core is put the use, it's actually not that bad. Actually, I'm also very interested in non-engineering things like political science, so maybe it actually suits me. It just seems like Columbia is a more rigid school in general.</p>
<p>i'm from california as well and am choosing between NU, Columbia, and Penn. I feel the exact same way as you. The vibe at Penn seems kind of snobby and Columbia is too constricting. Everyone at Northwestern is ridiculously nice. I guess it's a midwest thing, but I think it would be great to be part of that community.</p>
<p>Snobby? That's weird...I think here are large snobby factions at Penn (St. A's and ZBT leap to mind), but that doesn't mean Penn is a giant snob factory.</p>