<p>I trying to decide between these two schools
but i am still uncertain about how there engineering programs compete </p>
<p>Can anyone help me compare the two programs?</p>
<p>I think Princeton’s engineering program is stronger, but negligibly so! Therefore unless you have a particular type of engineering you want to go into that is only offered at one, (e.g. the ORFE program at Princeton) you should base your decision on other factors. :)</p>
<p>What engineering?</p>
<p>let’s say chemical?</p>
<p>Well according to US N&W Report, [Princeton</a> is in the top 10 best undergraduate Chemical Engineering Programs](<a href=“http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/engineering-doctorate-chemical]Princeton”>http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/engineering-doctorate-chemical). </p>
<p>But this does not mean that Penn’s program is not good. However, I would personally go with Princeton because I looked into their program and really like the different certificate programs you could pursue within the ChemE program! :)</p>
<p>Princeton engineering is severely under-rated. Penn’s engineering programs, while good, aren’t. Also, Princeton will generally provide you with more opportunities, and a better undergraduate experience.</p>
<p>First of all, don’t listen to Princeton Dreams unless he offers you something balanced, because he’s unfortunately ■■■■■■■ before (as you can see, he is still a high school senior and isn’t even from the area, so he doesn’t actually know what he’s talking about).</p>
<p>Have you looked at all the other threads? I’m sure there are more with lots of balanced perspectives.</p>
<p>Penn and Princeton are very different schools with different feels, and honestly, once you get past the top 25 ranking, it doesn’t make a huge difference where you study engineering (if you do well), unless there is a specific professor you want to do research with.</p>
<p>Penn has an amazing undergraduate experience, which is probably very different from Princeton’s. I would probably say Penn has a better social life than Princeton’s, from what I’ve heard (people at hyp always say they have awesome social scenes, and then people from penn visit and find it lacking). Princeton has eating clubs, which can be a plus or a minus, depending on what type of person you are. Penn is larger and in the city, with lots of things to do. Princeton is obviously more isolated, and that 90 minute train ride to NY will seem a lot longer when you actually have work and extracurriculars to occupy your time. However, Penn DOES have an actual campus, and it’s pretty awesome.</p>
<p>Another thing to note is that while many engineers do actually go into engineering, many end up doing consulting or even banking after they graduate (I have no number on this, I only know people anecdotally.) Though, I think I might have read somewhere that this is an issue with engineers at all the top schools, actually, so it probably happens at Princeton as well.</p>
<p>A lot of it really depends on what you’re looking for out of the college experience, and also, if you visited the campuses and got a feel for them or not. (People seem to love Princeton’s campus when they visit, but it just felt like a bigger version of my high school and I wanted something different, for example…plus, they’re known for their “super active alumni” which, while nice, isn’t what I want to be the distinguishing factor. Every top school I applied to had a special feature that you noticed while their, and alumni didn’t hit it for me…so I didn’t apply to Princeton).</p>
<p>Engineering will be very difficult whether you go to Penn or Princeton.</p>
<p>***Just realized you had started that other thread on swat v. Penn, and it honestly seems like you prefer Penn. If that’s what you feel is right, go for it. Don’t go to Princeton just because it’s part of the “hyp”…I mean, if you changed your mind based on the factors that you seem to like Penn, then sure, go to Princeton, but you seemed to really want to go to Penn.</p>
<p>Of course, for bioengineering, Penn is the clear choice.</p>
<p>On another thread kiditkid said he/she (sorry I don’t know your gender…) wants to do mechanical.</p>
<p>scribbler91: you were right about the latter… and i am female :P</p>
<p>I am interested in mechanical engineering
only after decisions came out did i realize that i am interested in Product Design Programs
(im still glad that i am going into Mechanical engineering because i want to come from an engineering POV if i were to become part of Penn or Stanford’s product design grad programs later - but that’s long time away)</p>
<p>i guess i was just wondering if Penn has the type of mechanical engineering program that would get me the kind of “hands on” practice needed to explore that field. </p>
<p>i do not want to become on of those people who end up going into consulting or banking after i graduate. I want to design and build… to innovate! </p>
<p>which school would be the best for me?</p>
<p>So I know nothing about Princeton’s engineering program, but obviously Penn has a Master’s program in Product Design. I’m assuming there <em>are</em> classes you can take as an undergraduate, and the resources are available for you to do research with relevant professors and so on.
I also know there are some classes that you for sure can take as an undergrad–for example, there is MEAM (which I’m assuming is what you’re going to be studying) 415/515 that is actually crosslisted with OPIM in Wharton, and that class is specifically called Product Design.</p>
<p>(And kind of random, but my friend in CBE loved the few MEAM classes she has taken and has actually thought about switching engineering majors because MEAM classes seem to suit her better).</p>
<p>Like I said, I know nothing about Princeton, but it sounds like Penn has the resources to get you the experiences you want before you even do a Master’s (plus, there is sub-matriculation as an option as well).</p>
<p>And I mean, I’m sure you heard about the Penn Engineering robot that threw the first pitch at a Phillies game =) That was faculty and an undergraduate student, so you obviously have really cool opportunities available.</p>
<p>kiditkid,</p>
<p>I noticed this statement on a web page describing Penn’s Integrated Product Design Master’s Program:</p>
<p>
</p>
<p><a href=“Master’s Programs | Penn Engineering Graduate Admissions”>Master’s Programs | Penn Engineering Graduate Admissions;
<p>Given Penn’s One University policy, even as an undergrad in SEAS, you’d be able to take classes in Wharton and the School of Design (Penn strongly encourages undergrads to take courses in different schools within the University, including Wharton and the School of Design). So you’d probably be able to put together an undergraduate curriculum that is somewhat similar to, or at least an introduction to, what’s offered in the Integrated Product Design Master’s Program.</p>
<p>In fact, you might even be able to sumatriculate into the actual IPD Master’s Program:</p>
<p>[Penn</a> Engineering - Submatriculation](<a href=“Majors”>Accelerated Masters in Engineering)</p>