(This is my first post on CC!) I was fortunate enough to be admitted by both Penn M&T (likely letter) and the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon. My career interests are mainly in computer science and possibly physics/math (the latter would be academia/research careers). Additionally, I have become less interested in business since I originally decided to apply to M&T.
However, while it may seem that because I am not very interested in business, M&T would not be a good idea for me, I still want to consider M&T, as it is a very prestigious program providing many resources to its students.
With this in mind, I would greatly appreciate if you could give me a comparison between the academics at the two schools, mainly in computer science; and/or the research opportunities at the two schools, in computer science/physics/math. Also, is there a high success rate of transferring from M&T to other top schools, such as MIT/Stanford/Harvard?
They are both excellent schools, but the experiences will be somewhat different. You really need to visit both schools and see what is right for you.
My impression is that students who are very focussed on Computer Science will typically choose CMU. Students who have broader interests such as combining Computer Science into an integrated program along with other interests, such as science, mathematics, networks, operations and information management, or sciences are more likely to choose Penn. Often a student’s interests evolve and Penn gives students good flexibility to shift among related fields.
The research opportunities at Penn are extensive during the year and also during the summer, but I can’t compare that to CMU. In general, Penn students have a high ability to transfer to other schools, but tend to stay at Penn because they like it. You are also free to take graduate courses as part of your undergraduate degree, as long as you meet the prerequisites.
As far as work load, DD is currently a CS major at Penn, and reports that she averages about 40 hours per week of homework on a non-test week. Adding in the scheduled class, recitation, and lab time, and she spends about 60 hours per week on school. It is challenging but manageable, and allows her to have some balance between academics, social activities and a couple of clubs and some volunteer work. She manages her schedule very efficiently. I do not know how that compares to CMU.
I think it is also important to visit and decide where you feel more comfortable socially. I can’t really compare these because I haven’t been to CMU and I don’t know your personality. There is a lot more to college than just academics. You will be there a long time.
M&t is def more prestigious and it leaves open way more options. You might think you are certain about what you want now but once you get to college things might change( as they do for most people) Penn and especially m&t will leave any possibility still on the table. I d go with m&t.
Hey,
i got a friend who got into both these programs too. PM me and I’ll give you his email and you can correspond with him. I think he’ll guide you excellently. Thanks
Thank you both very much for your responses.
@ivies13578 , I was under the impression that M&T would leave less room for different options, since I would be required to get one degree from the business school with several core requirements and one degree from the engineering school.
Could you or someone else let me know if I am thinking about this in the wrong way and how there would be more options in M&T (in terms of research in different fields, potentially different career choices, more course options, etc.)? Thanks for your help.
@ Fortunate2015 I think he means that if your interests change and you only want to major in business or only want engineering you would have the ability to do that.
You are correct that M & T is 46 credits, I think, so that is already a busy 4 years.
Are there any others who could offer input on what might be the better choice? From a social perspective, what are some differences between the two colleges? Does one college have a greater diversity of interests in the student body than the other does? Again, thanks for all of the help!
Carnegie Mellon and Penn are both great schools. You have a very high class problem.
For a social perspective, Penn tends to attract students who are sociable. They call themselves “the social ivy” and that tends to attract sociable students and becomes self-perpetuating. There is a work-hard, play-hard mentality. They want to get a great education, and they also want to be happy, and enjoy their four years at Penn.
Penn also tends to attract students who have diverse interests. Students are afforded a significant amount of flexibility to take classes in any school, apply to dual degree programs, double majors, minors, study abroad programs, and various scholar programs. Penn provides especially great opportunities for students who are high-functioning or talented across a range of subjects to explore those talents.
Regarding research assistantships, at Penn you may apply for research assistantships in your school or other schools and students often have assistantships for professors in other schools, if they have an interest in a particular subject.
@fortunate2015 i agree with @ivies13578 that m&t is definitely way more prestigious( you have people rejecting mit, princeton and even stanford for m&t) the quality and reputation of the program is really top notch and the alumni network unparalleled and very close knit-so it is a huge help for finding a great job, internship and also for career advice etc.
penn has a more well rounded approach to engineering and in general regarding ugrad education than cmu while still being intense. Penns signature isnits combination of liberal arts and professional/technical/practical education. The different undergraduate schools are more integrated than at cmu, interdisciplinary study is a signature characteristic of penn. Also overall quality of the student body is prob better at penn and also there is more diversity of interest since you have many different areas where penn excels and is highly ranked amd also cause it is an ivy.
Penn has a very nice social life, after all it is known as the social ivy and it is true. What i like about the people at penn is that they are hardworking and competitive in the classroom but the overwhelming majority have interests outside of class( almost everyone is involved in at least one club or some extracurricular activity- it is like part of the penn culture) and also they now how to socialize and have fun from time to time. So your social life would def be better at Penn than CMU while still getting the full on intense academic experience of a top university. Also i feel M&t is really as legit as it can get. Like there are really no schools/programs that I would choose over m&t (the only that would come close would be Stanford and still it would be a big dilemma)
@fortunate2015 Also forgot to mention that compsci is the second most popular engineering major after bioengineering at penn and also the most rapidly growing so in a couple of years will def be the most popular. Placement in major firms ( google, Facebook, apple, microsoft, amazon etc) is great. Comp sci is pretty much at the center of things at penn and one major proof of that is Penn Apps, the biggest college hackathon in the country organized by Penn compsci students twice a year. Major companies sponsor the event and students from all over the world attend and it is a great learning and networking opportunity with fellow students and even more importantly with the major sponsors who are looking to recruit for internships/full-time jobs.
Good luck with your decision!!!This is really an amazing dilemma to have. You cant go wrong either way!
@Keasbey Nights Yes for the class of 2018 CIS>BE but I think if you take in consideration all of the current Penn SEAS undergraduates then BE>CIS. But it is only a metter of time before CIS>BE overall. Probably by next year Cis will be the most popular engineering major.
@fortunate2015 i am not a CIS major (but I am a SEAS major) so I don’t claim to be an expert on this. However judging from Penn’s overall culture my guess would be that the focus is more on practicality and application. Penn has a very entrepreneurial, pre-professional/culture. this is not to say that CIS instruction will be weak on theory, I mean theory is the foundation of everything but at Penn students tend to wanna go one step further and apply the theory practical issues, rather than learn theory for the sake of theory. Again this is not not say you will be at a disadvantage at Penn if you are more interested in theory rather than applications. The program itself will give you top notch theoretical instruction. just saying that at Penn you will meet a lot of people who will wanna apply this theory.
@Penn95 Yeah, this wouldn’t surprise me either. I know a lot of upperclassmen BE majors that aren’t even happy with the major, and I know a lot of BE-turned-CIS students.
@TwoTravelin yes, I am visiting for M&T Day! May I know the choice your son is looking at?
@Penn95 Thanks for these comments! The focus on practicality/application vs. theory is I think a notable difference between the Penn and CMU programs then, since CMU, I believe, tends to focus heavily on theory. I actually like a heavy focus on theory and might consider some CS research in college (which CMU would apparently be better for).
With respect to the Wharton part in particular, would it be very laborious (and not worthwhile) for a student not very interested in business (except perhaps the quantitative part, i.e. the Statistics concentration in Wharton) to get through the core requirements?