<p>Is getting into U Penn for CS as tough as it is for, say, business ?</p>
<p>Computer science? Actually, the engineering school has the second highest acceptance rate, at least for early decision, out of all the schools. Maybe, someone else could help you, but I think Wharton is still the hardest to get into.</p>
<p>nope .</p>
<p>no, but they're looking for different kinds of people. as a student in both schools, I can definitely say that those who will do well in CS are not the same people who will do well in Wharton, even though they may end up holding the same jobs when they leave college.</p>
<p>mattwonder, I am really curious as to why you would say that. What type of people do you see being successful in each department at Upenn (business vs CS)?</p>
<p>To be successful in computer science, you need to love math. A real CS degree is lots and lots of math. You've got to be able to think analytically, and you'll often come across problems on a final that you've never seen before. Oftentimes the projects can be very difficult, and you'll face tests where getting half of the questions is respectable. Engineers are smart people, but often too quiet and modest to let you know.</p>
<p>The best Wharton students are good at working in groups. Classes are often easier, but still competitive. As such, people will study exactly the material on a test, but wouldn't be able to have a cocktail-party conversation about the subject. Curves in classes, while not impossible, are generally pretty competitive to compensate for otherwise easy material (accounting isn't really a complicated subject). Wharton students are very ambitious, sometimes to the point where they compensate for incompetence. </p>
<p>Coming out of school, you see Wharton students going into i-banking, consulting and financial areas, but you see CS guys in those places too. The difference is that the top CS guys go straight to the hedgefunds.</p>
<p>The one thing I'd caution is that Wharton isn't exactly the place for entrepreneurship. Starting a financial firm, maybe, but entrepreneurship, while recently added as a concentration isn't really a big attention-getter. See some recent posts by others for other information.</p>
<p>Finally, I've got to highlight that Wharton and engineering are different schools at Penn, not just departments. This means that you're surrounded by other people with similar attitudes, and that can amplify some of the behaviors. While all of Penn wants smart kids who are passionate, SEAS looks for students who are good at science and interested in those areas, while Wharton often wants the over-achiever student-council president but-they're-not-really-that-smart type :-)</p>
<p>mattwonder,</p>
<p>That was a very insightful response. Thank you, I really appreciate it!</p>
<p>The Engineering school has a higher acceptance rate because its a self-selective group of students. Tons of students apply to Wharton or the CAS just to see if they'll get in, but its not like that at Engineering.</p>
<p>CS students are some of the brightest students at Penn, and even average students get better internships than the above average Wharton students. And plenty go to Goldman and the like.</p>
<p>@chocoman:</p>
<p>Let's just say that if it were a person's life goal to work at goldman sachs, he or she would be best off majoring in computer science.</p>
<p>In a nutshell, CS rocks.</p>