<p>I'm looking at Cornell and U.Penn as my top choice schools. I have not visited them yet but plan to in the coming weeks.
I would like to now which one is a better choice, particularly for someone who isn't sure about what he/she wants to do. I plan on applying CAS to both, however I am open to studying anything from physics to econ to computer science. Which school offers the most flexibility in this aspect? In addition, which school is the "best" if I want to work in consulting/wall-street after? (Keeping all options of study open).</p>
<p>Speaking specifically for Penn, 1/2 of the incoming freshman are undecided. Of the 1/2 who are decided, 1/2 change their major by end of sophomore year. You do not need to declare until then. There is some flexibility in transferring from CAS to the college of engineering. Although there is a risk that if you were to do that you may have missed some basic math and science courses and you’ll need to catch up to complete an engineering degree in 4 years. Transfer from CAS to Wharton is difficult. But some student do successfully transfer. To apply for a transfer there are basic courses that you would have had to have taken – e.g. accounting and certain math courses. If you stay within CAS you’ll have considerable flexibility, enough so to double major if you choose.</p>
<p>I am currently undecided in Cornell’s CAS. I’ve found it to (so far) be fantastic. I was really worried that I would be super stressed and pressured to pick a major, but I’m really not at all. I don’t have to declare a major until the end of my sophomore year, and even after that I can theoretically change it. I’m taking classes in all subjects and even across colleges. I feel like I’m getting the best of everything because I get to take top-notch classes in subjects that really interest me, and some that I had no prior knowledge in but thought would be cool to check out. Everything is super flexible and all the classes I’m taking count towards my distribution requirements to graduate, so it’s not as though I’m wasting time or money by trying out different classes.</p>