<p>i'd agree w/ the moderator and rank it brown then penn then cornell</p>
<p>but you'll get all kinds of advice on these boards because they're all great schools (congrats!)</p>
<p>Great Guru -</p>
<p>the deposit for Cornell last year was $400.</p>
<p>great...my father's almost forcing me to choose UPenn, saying it would increase my chances of getting into, say, Harvard or Yale's master programs...and improve my career prospects over-all. Brown seems so much cooler, but the STUPID USA TODAY list seems to prove his point.... -_-</p>
<p>Parents can be so close-minded....its upsetting...</p>
<p>They think that with a 2100 SAT score Upenn and Brown (which my parents say they hadn't even heard of) were almost certainties, and that I should have aimed higher.</p>
<p>Brown's film program is not the best. Don't know about the others.</p>
<p>GG, your father needs dose of reality if he thinks there is a significant advantage in Penn over Brown when it comes to getting in top grad schools. That's the worst use of minute differences in rankings of which I've ever heard.</p>
<p>I would go with Brown or Penn in this case - Cornell is more known for engineering and the hard sciences than mathematics and econ, if I'm not mistaken. Brown is very liberal/"crunchy", while Penn is very pre-professional/diverse/"city livin'"</p>
<p>Brown is giving me a $35000 Financial Aid package, Upenn is giving me a $16000 package. My parents earn $10000 annually (taxable income). I would say Financial Aid has already decided for me, but my father thinks I should appeal UPenn's award...It's weird that they expect me to pay $30000....</p>
<p>Ivies usually match financial aid packages from other ivies. Talk to their financial aid office ASAP.</p>
<p>Professionally and academically, all three schools are the same. They have very different environments. Read up on those and assuming that your financial aid appeal is successful, make a decision based on where you think you would be the happiest.</p>
<p><em>bump</em> 10 characters</p>
<p>Can you visit Brown during ADOCH? I wanted to go, but I don't have the money to fly out there (I live on the other coast). I asked the admissions people and they said they lack the funding to fly me out there, which is disappointing since all the LACs I've gotten into offered to pay for my airfare and other transportation costs to visit during their special events.</p>
<p>I'll probably just have to go to my local admitted students reception. I think you should definitely visit the schools and decide afterwards.</p>
<p>Youve gotten some very good advice on this thread: the bottom line is that they are all great schools. Your success in life and career options will depend on what you do with your undergraduate education rather than which of these three schools you attend. In terms of career success, the difference in ranking of these schools in US News is inconsequential. Your fathers contention that youll be more likely to get into Harvard or Yale for graduate school from Penn than from Brown is just not true. </p>
<p>That is not to say that the choice makes no difference: where you go to school will determine some of your lifelong friends (perhaps even your spouse!), the professors who most inspire you, and the path you take toward your goals. But being different does not mean better it just means different.</p>
<p>I take it that you are an international student unable to visit the campuses you are interested in, and are thus trying to make a decision based on objective criteria. But the decision is not going to be found in rankings either in U.S News or in College Confidential and its a mistake to look for it there. Its very tough to make these decisions long-distance, without being able to visit, attend classes, soak up the atmosphere and talk to other students and to faculty. But even when you have these opportunities, the final decision often hinges on a random event like a conversation you had there, a person you met who you liked or didnt like.</p>
<p>Heres my advice.
Id agree with eliminating Cornell great school, but isolated location.
Re Penn vs. Brown: Brown is smaller, attracts students who like the more free-wheeling curriculum, Penn more urban (though with a lovely green campus), and tends to attract more career oriented students. But these are broad generalizations you will find both types of students in both places. Although the Penn student body is larger, the campus is small, and you constantly run into people you know as you traverse it so I dont think you can say it will be less friendly than Brown. And as for fun - one of the reasons for Penns high ranking in US News is that Penn students love it there. It has much higher ratings for student satisfaction than, say, Harvard. (Penn is noted among the Ivies for its active social life.)
Financial aid: Your father is correct you can appeal this, and see if Penn will come closer to Browns offer (By the way, last year there were many posts by a student who got nearly a full ride offer from Penn, but longed to go to Brown as I recall Brown ultimately came close enough for him to follow his heart if you are interested you might find this on the Penn or Brown archives.) But the financial aid package would not be a bad basis for a decision do you really want to start life with a huge debt for college education to attend Penn over Brown? If your father is able to get over his unfortunate notion that a Penn education is an advantage over Brown, even he might see it this way.
Waitlist: this is a longshot. Last year Stanford had a high yield amongst their accepted students and took almost no one off. They wont start admitting people off the wait list until May, after the deposit is due at your chosen school, so youll have to pay whatever it is (last year Penn was $200).</p>
<p>If you talk to the Penn financial aid department, I'm sure they'll consider adjusting their offer. Let them know that you really want to be there, and tell them about your package from Brown. Either school is a great choice, so follow your heart. I can tell you that I'm really happy at Penn, and I'd highly recommend it, but it again both are great schools.</p>
<p>"my father's almost forcing me to choose UPenn, saying it would increase my chances of getting into, say, Harvard or Yale's master program"</p>
<p>Nothing could be further from the truth. It will make no difference at all, not even a tiny little bit. The grad schools will care how you did, and they will not care which of these schools you attended. </p>
<p>Since none of the posters knows you, it is not responsible to say "eliminate Cornell". There are lots of happy successful Cornell grads. Just ask yourself "urban vs rural", then "big city vs small city", "open curriculum vs not", and these sorts of questions. </p>
<p>Try to go where you will enjoy your time, and do not worry, you will get an excellent education at any of them.</p>