Penn Engineering

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Pennsylvania
1

<p>Hi all, I’ve been accepted to SEAS, as my backup from the M&T program, but I’m having doubts as to where to go. (I’ve also been accepted to Berkeley (Regents), JHU, Duke, Rice and Northwestern)</p>

<p>So, to any SEAS students on this forum, and to anyone who knows a great deal, or anything about Engineering at Penn, convince me! :)</p>

<p>Or, in all seriousness, this is primarily to those who chose Penn for Engineering, why did you do so? (Over programs that are more, well, well known for Engineering). I know that USNWR isn’t exactly accurate by any means, but I’d just like a hands-on/personal view on SEAS from the inside… :D</p>

2

<p>depends on what you want to do.</p>

<p>if you want to ibank/consult/hedgefund, as a vast majority of penn engineers seem to want to do, obviously the econ/wharton scene is a huge draw for engineers (secretly businessmen)</p>

<p>if you are actually serious about going the academic route for engineerings and actually be a real engineer working on scientific things, penn is still great, but the choice isn't as clear</p>

3

<p>I'm undecided in that respect actually... (Thinking of going the Ibanking route for 2-3 years and then going to Grad School in engineering, being a real engineer :))</p>

4

<p>the interdisciplinary focus is a big draw here, since an engineering student has all the resources of SEAS plus the college, nursing, wharton, med school, law school, etc.</p>

5

<p>i dont know if that route is very realistic.</p>

<p>it seems like two years of ibanking, which is really anti-intellectual, is really gonna kill any academic momentum you build up in erudite field like advanced engineering.</p>

6

<p>im in the exact same position as shrivats is in...im trying to decide between upenn and berkeley.</p>

<p>penn isn't that well known for engineering, whereas berkeley is
and even though im pursuing engineering, I am also very keen on establishing a business background at the undergraduate level. Therefore, the fact that wharton would be right next door at upenn is very attractive.</p>

<p>on the other hand, berkeley's Haas school is nothing to look down upon. Berkeley's top ranking business programs and top ranking engineering programs (especially electical engineering + comp sci) make it just as good an option.</p>

<p>i know this post doesn't rly help u shrivats, but i just wanted to mention some factors to consider...so if anyone can help us two make a decision, please do so</p>

7

<p>With the exception of Bioengineering (which is really top-notch) Penn Engineering is not as strong as Berkeley, but is on par with (and perhaps better than) engineering at Rice. However, the overall undergraduate experience at Penn is far superior to what you will find at Berkeley-and roughly comparable to Duke.
Berkeley is a very large, public school where it is rare for students to be given individual attention or to have access to small classes where they can have discussions with faculty members (you are most likely to find your classes held in large lecture halls with 300+ students). At Penn, over 75% of the classes offered have a maximum limit of 20 students. It is very rare to find a class with over a hundred students (and these are usually the more popular introductory level classes such as Calculus I, Intro to Experimental Psychology etc.) and these too are split into recitations so that you have a chance to discuss and review the material in small groups after the lecture. The chance to be able to engage in discussions with Nobel Laureates and Pulitzer Prize winners in a room with just 15 other students is a rare, and deeply rewarding intellectual experience that is worth considering when making your choice of college.
Penn also has a massive endowment and is far more heavily funded than Berkeley or Rice. This translates into better facilities, better research options, and greater personalized attention from the university. Penn has a student-faculty ratio of 5:1 (I don't have the corresponding figure for Berkeley but given it's size am certain it is very, very far from this). The level of academic advising, individual attention, and opportunities that Penn and Duke can provide their students is just not possible at a school like Berkeley.
Also, bear in mind that Penn has a far more diverse student body. About 10-15% of the incoming class every year are international students, and Penn makes a conscious effort to ensure that it is well represented from every state in the country. At Berkeley, the overwhelming majority of students are in-state California residents. I understand this may not be an issue, but it does help shape the overall vibe of the student body when people come from diverse backgrounds and this does reflect in the academic and social culture of the school.
When the posters above say that as a Penn Engineering student you can take advantage of the interdisciplinary options at Penn and benefit from the other schools, this is not just a blank statement. And it also doesn?t merely mean that you can take an extra class here or there, but instead can really shape and mold your curriculum in any way you like. There is NO limit on the no. of classes you can take outside the Engineering school provided you are able to fulfill all the requirements of your home-school. Many students pursue dual-degrees with the College and Wharton, and in cases where students are unable to fulfill two separate degrees they can always minor in one of the liberal arts. I know a mechanical engineering major who is also majoring in classical studies and thinking of a minor in philosophy or music. Of course you don't have pursue other majors or minors, and can choose to just supplement your engineering classes with other classes that interest you without any other purpose. It is worth finding out whether Berkeley and Rice offer you the same sort of academic freedom, if this kind of flexibility is important to you.
Penn and Duke also place a lot of emphasis on their undergraduates as opposed to Berkeley which focuses more on it's graduate programs (and hence its international prestige). You need to decide on what you value more--the overall strength and characteristics of the school (in my opinion Penn and Duke win this one) or the rankings of specific departments that you are interested in (Berkeley).</p>

8

<p>I applied early to Penn Engineering (Mechanical Engineering) and will be attending Penn this fall. I had similar questions and thoughts to you guys and thought I'd share since I've researched the subject immensely.</p>

<p>Here's four of the main reasons I chose Penn:</p>

<p>a. Location/Campus
I have lived in California all of my life and so, I wanted to experience somewhere new for college. I visited several schools on the east coast and in California and Penn stuck as my favorite. The campus is right in the middle of Philadelphia, yet it has it's own large campus with a strong college vibe. It felt like a perfect balance between the opportunities of a city and the community of a collegetown. </p>

<p>b. Flexibility/Interdisciplinary
Penn offers great academic flexibility. At a school like Berkeley, if you're doing engineering, you're doing engineering and virtually nothing but that. Also, it's very difficult to change majors and even more difficult to get a dual degree. At Penn, even if you're an engineering major you have the flexibility to take a wide variety of classes, change majors, and dual degree. It's great to know that if I discover a new passion, there will be little red tape that will stop me from pursuing it. At Penn, 23% of engineers dual degree!</p>

<p>I am planning on going to grad school for engineering. I think it would be very beneficial for me to have a wide skill set from my undergrad years and then more specialized engineering knowledge from grad school. </p>

<p>c. Good Social Life
Penn has an excellent social life. College isn't only a time to study, but also a time to have lots of fun. Compared to Berkeley (or Cornell, my close second to Penn), I knew I'd have a lot more fun at Penn.</p>

<p>d. Entrepreneurship/Business/Innovation
Although my first priority is getting an engineering degree, in the long run I do think I will be going into business/entrepreneurship. I am highly considering getting a dual degree with Wharton. Penn offers really cool business-related engineering classes/programs. </p>

<p>One really awesome thing is the Weiss Tech House: <a href="http://www.tech-house.upenn.edu/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.tech-house.upenn.edu/&lt;/a> . The Weiss Tech House is located in SEAS and is pretty much a student hub of innovation and entrepreneurship. I'm really into advancing technology and so the tech house seems like an amazing place to go to. One of their premier programs is Pennvention. It's this big competition where students showcase inventions.</p>

<p>Another cool program Penn has is Engineering Entrepreneurship: <a href="http://www.seas.upenn.edu/ent/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.seas.upenn.edu/ent/&lt;/a> . There are two Engineering Entrepreneurship courses and also an Engineering Entrepreneurship minor.</p>

<p>I was also a bit concerned about Penn Engineering since it's not the most known engineering school. However, when I looked at the big picture, I realized that Penn is the best choice for me. Penn certainly has top-notch students and professors. In fact, even though the acceptance rate for SEAS is the highest of the four schools, the SAT scores for SEAS are the highest. The smaller environment of Penn Engineering also makes professors and research more accessible than Berkeley or other large engineering schools. Also, look at the salaries and grad schools of Penn Engineering grads: <a href="http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/seas/seas_surveys.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/seas/seas_surveys.html&lt;/a>
Compare it to Berkeley's: <a href="http://career.berkeley.edu/Major/Major.stm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://career.berkeley.edu/Major/Major.stm&lt;/a>
You will see that they really aren't all that different. </p>

<p>If you can, visit the colleges you are considering and see for yourself which one you like more. Walk around, take the tour (there's also an engineering tour for Penn), talk to professors, and take a peek into the labs. Nothing can beat the campus visit.</p>

9

<p>here are the four main reasons I chose penn:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>not gorges like cornell</p></li>
<li><p>not murder capital of the world, hopkins</p></li>
<li><p>I can't count because I went to public high school in the same state as hopkins</p></li>
<li><p>to make retentive lists of why i want to go to penn</p></li>
</ol>

<p>jk</p>

10

<p>
[quote]
There are two Engineering Entrepreneurship courses and also an Engineering Entrepreneurship minor.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>despite my negative remarks regarding penn engineering in several other threads, I must agree with you. The engineering entrepreneurship course is soooo freakin awesome. IMO it's one of the best courses I've ever taken.</p>

11

<p>this post was so useful to me THX everyone</p>