<p>Hey guys. I have a pretty tough decision to make. I got into Princeton, Yale, Penn, and Columbia. I visited Princeton and Yale and their social structures seemed out of place for me, plus I wanted to go to an urban school. So now I'm stuck between Penn and Columbia, both two great urban ivies. Columbia may have the edge academic wise, and I love their core of humanities and civilization, but the campus seems a little cramped. Nevertheless, Penn is more social and "homely" per se, and has a more open ended core, but its campus seems too huge, it seems like forever to get from the high rises to the quad. Both have their drawbacks and their good things. So I'm just wondering which school may be better for a black, law/polisci/history majoring, somewhat social guy, who loves urban cities? Which one has the best balance between the city, academics, and social life (not school spirit but meeting people), and perks like interships and free stuff?</p>
<p>I thought the campus was cramped when I did the tour, but when I spent my summer at Columbia, I thought it was the perfect size; any larger would have been overwhelming for a school in such vibrant a city. Did you try walking around campus on your own?</p>
<p>Both schools have ample opportunities to be very social. However, Penn's social scene is more geared towards fraternity-partying, and Columbia's social scene often spreads out over the city. </p>
<p>City-
Penn and NYC are both great cities, but New York is <em>the city</em>- there is simply no other place like it if you want the ultimate urban experience.</p>
<p>Social-
I would say that Penn has a stronger social community & alumni support if you are looking for the traditional college social scene.</p>
<p>Academics-
Columbia is probably stronger. Also, its student body gave me the impression of being more "intellectual" and "political" as a whole (but obviously you will find many different sorts of people at each school.)</p>
<p>Honestly, in case you didn't get the feeling of this post, both are excellent- you can't make a wrong decision. Columbia I think has the definite edge for what you want to study, though. </p>
<p>You mentioned you were black- this may be obvious, but have you tried talking to black students at both schools? Likely both will say mostly positive things about their experiences, but it never hurts to ask what they think of the black community at their respective schools.</p>