<p>Browisng through CC posts, I found that many of you were debating between CMU and Penn (for engineering). For those that chose Penn, perhaps this will make you more comfortable with your decision:</p>
<p>Cmu is a great school… I live in the Pittsburgh area, and I’m always up in Oakland to visit friends at UPitt and CMU friends right down the street. The campus is pretty and the students are driven. However, CMU does have its downfalls, as many threads have pointed out.</p>
<p>If a severely thorough education is what you crave, CMU can deliver. But you ought to expect exactly that when you arrive on campus. Because CMU’s engineering cirriculum is so rigorous, many students have to work their butts off to get that 3.5, becauseCMU is known for a rather harsh grading system. By the same token, social life for many eventually wanes to near non-existence. All of my friends at CMU (both male and female) moan and groan about how sometimes there just isn’t much to do, either a) because they need to study to stay on top, or b) everyone else is studying, leaving you companionless. These traits are not unique to CMU; other schools of the same caliber will demand much the same time and work, e.g., MIT and Johns Hopkins. </p>
<p>Penn, on the other hand, will deliver a damn fine education as well as some fertile ground for a social life. Engineering kids everywhere are nerdy, it’s a given. But, from what I’ve heard, at Penn theres just so much more outside of the engineering realm in which you can take part. Apparently, Penn engineers are the most down-to-earth on campus, or, as some may say, “not as nerdy as other universities’ engineers.” Plus at Penn, you have the freedom to work with your personal cirriculum. Flexibility within your major is key… something that might be a hassle at another school. I dont know about anyone else, but this was a very attractive trait to me. It’d be nice to take major or minor in Arabic or some other interest of mine in addition to my engineering classes, or take a class in Wharton to get my feet wet in the business world, etc. In addition to a very thorough engineering program (that is often underranked), Penn offers an environment that will provide the necessary resources to pursue any interest you may have, and I feel comfortable in that fact alone.</p>
<p>So if you are still having doubts about your decision, worry not! CMU is a fabulous school: I won’t deny it (and no one else should). Excuse me for generalizing… bu it just seems as though you can still get a fantastic engineering education at Penn (almost, if not totally, equivalent to that of CMU) and still enjoy those four years of your life during which you are free to pursue whatever social or academic goals you may have. It takes a certain student to study at CMU, and likewise at Penn. It all depends on who you are socially, really. And should you want that severely thorough education that CMU can deliver, know that Penn (or any other school) can deliver the same, that is, depending on how much work YOU put in to it!</p>
<p>This is getting way long and boring, but I hope that at least one SEAS student who chose Penn over CMU feels just slightly more comfortable with their decision having read this. I’m up at CMU ever weekend, and I love the place because I’m there so often. Quite simply, I just wouldn’t want to study there for four years. No offense, CMU kids! I still think you guys rock!</p>