<p>Going into senior year, I am completely torn on which one I want to ED to. I've struggled over this for many months now and I've read through almost every thread comparing the two schools, but I still can't decide. I know some might say to just apply RD and see which I get into, but I know that it would probably come down to this decision anyways, so I might as well decide right now. I don't have the means to travel all the way to NYC/Phili to visit, so I can only go off of brochures/websites/what I've heard. I would probably do econ/IR at Penn or econ/Math at Columbia, and I would greatly appreciate some opinions on Pros/Cons of both that might help sway me. In my mind right now, here is my list:</p>
<p>Penn:
Pros - (One Univesity, easier to double major, presence of IR major, supposedly greater community/campus, quad)
Cons - (too pre-pro for my taste and not enough focus on academia, influence of wharton on campus)</p>
<p>Columbia:
Pros - (more intellectual feel, joint econ majors, NYC, practically guaranteed singles at John Jay, unifying core)
Cons - (supposedly less of a community on campus, bureacracy, more "independent" attitude in students)</p>
<p>I'm posting on the other forum too.
On that note, which school has better food in dining halls? :)</p>
<p>Wow your cons for Penn are exactly why I love it :p. Please realize before I say anything that my opinions are obviously biased in favor of Penn as it will be my alma mater in four years :). First of all, in terms of campus vibe/environment, I found that Penn was hands down the better of the two. In fact, I really hated almost everything about Columbia’s campus (i.e. the confinement, the facilities, the location, and even to some extent the people I met while I was there). Columbia just didn’t click for me at all. It was the complete opposite with Penn and it’s hard to say why. There were just a whole bunch of things that felt right about Penn. It really comes down to how you feel while you’re walking the campus itself, so it’s a shame you won’t get to visit either one. Academically speaking, as I’m sure you realize, Penn and Columbia are virtually identical. You’re right in thinking that Penn is slightly more pre-professional and Columbia more academic. However, when it comes to Economics, I think a degree from either college will be treated the same way in both professional and academic circles. In terms of food, no one can tell you anything definitive about Penn b/c it’s switching services this year. The expectation is that the food will be good, but again no one can really know. I would recommend, unless you think you really need the ED boost, to apply RD and see what happens.</p>
<ul>
<li>intellectual feel depends on the peers with whom you spend time</li>
<li>plenty of penn kids go to nyc on weekends</li>
<li>having wharton around allows you access to a lot of great resources and career options</li>
<li>penn has less of an urban feel than columbia; it’s quieter and more peaceful</li>
</ul>
<p>If you want a single at Penn as a freshman you can get it. Many of my friends had singles freshman year. Most kids here want to have a roommate freshman year though. Probably has something to do with us being social and a community vs a bunch of individuals.</p>
<p>I’m sure if you’re an econ major at Columbia you’ll see a ton of investment banking wanabies. At Penn you’ll see more, but you don’t have to intereact with them at either school if you don’t want to.</p>
<p>I had to make the same decision as you when I was a senior (wanted ED boost because 25 kids from my high school did Penn ED and 5-10 Columbia ED) and went with Penn. I felt the people at Penn were more friendly. I also knew a bunch of people at Penn and most were very happy with their experiences. I didn’t know too many people at Columbia so I can’t comment on how happy/unhappy they are. The one thing that really got me though was the fact that Penn’s campus was completely open while Columbia’s had a huge gate around it. I don’t know why, but that never really sat well with me.</p>
<p>I made the same decision as you when I was in RD. A big reason that tipped me over the edge was that I had a lot of summer college credits and AP credits that I would credit for at Penn-and not at Columbia. Personally, the core was my biggest reason for loving Columbia…and most people seemed to hate it/dislike it on my tour. I also felt like the people at Penn were friendlier…and that the people at Columbia were a bit nerdier/less social. not to bash columbia, but most people seemed to want to get off campus as soon as possible at Columbia…I heard “I have my classes only on Tuesday and Thursdays so I have two internships 9 to 5 for the other 5 days!” at least three times." I wanted a school that actually had people on campus. That’s purely my own opinion though, I suggest visiting both again. (Also-I’m a pre-frosh and got a single!)</p>
<p>I always felt Columbia is an ideal grad school…the very same attributes that make it such a great grad school contribute to its being less than my ideal of undergrad (with a strong on-campus community, etc)</p>
<p>Wharton is a great resource, professionally and even intellectually. If you’re into IR, there are some courses in Wharton that are part of the College IR major (such as international finance, international comparative management, global politics & multinational firms, etc). And having taken some of them, I can say they are not only interesting, but unique to Penn. You won’t find them without a business school.</p>
<p>Penn also lets you take courses in the Law school as an undergrad, and there are many a great interational law scholars at Penn (alas one of my favorites, Burke-White, is on leave as the State Department requested his services…)</p>
<p>okay, at columbia they make u take things like classical studies and aristotle 4 the core.</p>
<p>also, just so u know, i didn’t visit any schools b4 applying, so that’s fine. even though ppl say that our cafeteria food isn’t good, we’re getting a new provider that’s supposed to be really good. it’s also relatively easy to get singles at penn if u want them. there are tons of residential programs and housing options which makes penn really unique. hope to see u on campus in 2010! good luck!</p>
<p>I would say ask people you know that have gone/are going to both schools to give you a good idea of how the school from a student’s perspective. Try to ask people who know you as a person so they can give you good advice on which to choose.
I’d say if you want a super intellectual feel, go for Columbia though Penn students are also academically-driven.
It sounds like you like you’re leaning towards Columbia.</p>