<p>Hey all, here's an email I sent to my dad's friend who went through the M&T program at Penn.</p>
<p>Basically, I'm torn between applying early to Penn or Duke. I will likely be accepted to whichever one I apply (Hispanic, very high scores/GPA, impressive ECs, first to go to college in US, not international)</p>
<p>**</p>
<p>Really appreciate you helping me out with this.</p>
<p>I'm currently deciding between whether I should apply to Penn (Engineering, if not accepted to M&T) or Duke. </p>
<p>At both schools, I'd be studying either biomedical engineering or mechanical with a focus on aerospace (which Penn doesn't offer). I also would want to pursue a business education as well, however. Penn offers this in the form of the very competitive M&T program, but doesn't allow minors from Wharton normally. Duke allows any engineer to get a minor in business, but it's no Wharton.</p>
<p>So, clearly there are pros to both schools and I'm certain I'd be happy at both schools, but I'm really split and would love some advice/input from someone who went through M&T.</p>
<p>The main concern is that it is a gamble to apply to M&T and that I would be stuck with no formal business education at Penn if I weren't accepted.</p>
<p>Thanks again!</p>
<p>**</p>
<p>I visited both schools and loved them; parties were great. The city life is probably more for me, but I also loved the community at Duke.</p>
<p>If you love them equally then why not choose on price? From what I know Duke is more expensive but may give more aid while Penn is cheaper but with less aid. </p>
<p>If price isn’t a factor then I guess choose the one you feel most confident about applying.</p>
<p>If I was in your position I would choose Penn. That’s just me, but Duke engineering is nothing special. I mean neither is penn, but wharton blows duke business out of the water. You can always double major or just take classes at wharton (not sure if you can do that i would check). I would choose penn. That’s just me.</p>
Just because your Penn Diploma won’t say Wharton doesn’t mean that you won’t get a great education. Penn’s one university policy will allow you to take as many Wharton classes as you can fit in your schedule. Also, keep in mind that you can do your own dual degree if you can maintain a high GPA freshman year (think 3.7+…)</p>
<p>@rocksupper:
Duke’s BME is unmatched by all but JHU.</p>
<p>The bottom line is that the gap between Duke and Penn in engineering (specifically BME and Mech w/ aerospace) is more or less the same as the gap between Penn and Duke in business (Penn>Duke). So if you’re more interested in engineering than business (but simply want a foundation), Duke is probably the better choice. Conversely, if you’re more interested in business than engineering, Penn is the better choice.</p>