<p>I was accepted to both of these schools. I know that this is a "high-class" problem...but I was wondering if any one had any insight into the benefits of these respective programs.</p>
<p>How I see it is:</p>
<p>Penn has a more all-around solid education when you include all majors--and is thus viewed as the better school of the two.</p>
<p>Johns Hopkins has a better engineering school. BME at JHU is the best in the world. But I have a hard time grasping what that really means.....</p>
<p>Penn engineering isn't that far behind Hopkins, and its BME program is also in the top 10. Penn has been injecting MAJOR amounts of money into its BME and nanotechnology programs, and plans to spend even more money in the near future (e.g., it just opened a new BME building a couple of years ago, and is about to begin construction of a new $80 million nanotechnology center). It really has set an explicit goal of being one of the very best in the world in these fields, and is "putting its money where its mouth is."</p>
<p>Plus, just a couple of blocks from the engineering buildings, Penn and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (ranked #1 in the country) are spending literally BILLIONS (with a "B") of dollars building all sorts of new research and clinical facilities, with the goal of developing an interdisciplinary and translational (i.e., quick movement from basic research to clinical application) medical research complex second to none. And BME and nanotechnology will of course be major parts of that. And remember, unlike Hopkins, Penn's medical school, dental school, veterinary school, nursing school, hospital, research facilities, etc. are all on the same relatively compact campus as the rest of its undergraduate and graduate schools.</p>
<p>You might also find the campus life at Penn--and the cultural, entertainment, dining, etc. offerings of Philadelphia--more to your liking than Hopkins and Baltimore. But that's a matter of personal preference, and you really should visit both campuses to determine which fits you better.</p>
<p>Another Question:</p>
<p>I actually didn't even apply for the biomedical program at Penn because I was confused whether or not it was a real engineering major or a science major. So I applied as a chemical engineering major. Could you please describe the biomedical program? Is it engineering?</p>
<p>this is our bioengineering program:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.seas.upenn.edu/be%5B/url%5D">www.seas.upenn.edu/be</a></p>
<p>i would have to ask if you really want to be a bioengineer / biomedical engineer, compared to being a premed; i'd say penn is better for a premed, hopkins is better for a diehard engineer (but not by much).</p>
<p>many penn bioengineering students (including myself) turned down our acceptances to hopkins bme to come here, largely because of the overall strengths / appeal of penn as opposed to the particulars of the program.</p>
<p>I will not be pre-med. Thanks for the link.</p>
<p>Tenebrousfire, since it seems you were once in my shoes...could you go into more detail about your experience deciding between the two and now at Penn. That would be awesome.</p>
<p>sure, but first, what are your career goals?</p>
<p>I want to major in engineering, that much I know (my siblings are engineers). I do not want to be a doctor (my dad is a doctor so I have compared the two careers and know which one I like best) Also, I don't really see myself as working in a lab for the rest of my life. So I want an engineering education but maybe I will use it to go to law school or something else non-engineering related.....</p>
<p>i chose penn largely for the people, atmosphere, and campus...</p>
<p>when i came to previews, everyone was so happy, the friends i met with were all pretty cheerful, and most importantly everyone encouraged me to attend penn.</p>
<p>on the other hand, at hopkins my friends were all a tinge depressed, and altogether less enthusiastic that i come; i also was not as fond of the architecture or layout of the campus in general.</p>
<p>Penn SEAS as an undergraduate school of engineering is strong and I would consider it equal in prestige to Whiting at Johns Hopkins. Both schools at the undergraduate level enroll about 1,600 students or about 400 a year.</p>
<p>Here are the main tenets:</p>
<p>1) Overall, Hopkins as an institution is half the size at the undergraduate level. The incoming class at JHU is 1,200 students whereas Penn has four undergraduate colleges is 2,400.</p>
<p>2) Engineering at Hopkins get a lot of attention (they are 1/3 of the class) whereas I feel many engineers at Penn are expected to have some sort of business affiliation with Wharton to get any credibility (like M&T or something similar). Engineers are Penn are only 1/6 of the class and are often found to be overshadowed by Wharton and in some cases the college.</p>
<p>3) Students are 'locked in' to their colleges at Penn. Students who wish to leave SEAS or any college for that matter have to apply to transfer to another undergraduate college at Penn. Students have to then be reviewed by advisors and then admitted to 'internally transfer' or are denied and have to stay where they are. From what I know about Hopkins, this is not the case - students can move freely between the two undergraduate colleges at their leisure even after they declare.</p>
<p>4) I generally think some of the housing is better at Penn (Quad, high-rises) however if you get stuck in Hill or something like Stouffer - god bless. =]</p>
<p>They truly are both great schools they are just different and offer experiences that are different for the undergraduates. This becomes a fit issue from this point on - so visit both if you can. Best of luck - you can't go wrong!</p>
<p>i wouldn't call it being "locked in" with respect to taking classes amongst the 4 schools; i've taken 6 wharton courses and plenty of college classes with no difficulty.</p>
<p>and transfer to the college is pretty easy.</p>
<p>3) Students are 'locked in' to their colleges at Penn. Students who wish to leave SEAS or any college for that matter have to apply to transfer to another undergraduate college at Penn. Students have to then be reviewed by advisors and then admitted to 'internally transfer' or are denied and have to stay where they are. From what I know about Hopkins, this is not the case - students can move freely between the two undergraduate colleges at their leisure even after they declare.</p>
<p>That's very misleading. Sure, it's hard to transfer to Wharton, but if it weren't then every one would do it. Apart from that, it's very very easy to transfer between schools, so there is no "lock in" at all.</p>
<p>And of course, one of the greatest things about Penn is the "One University" policy, which strongly encourages undergrads to take courses in schools other than their own, including the other undergrad schools AND eight of the graduate schools.</p>