<p>I was accepted to both Penn and columbia this year and I’m currently part of the Penn class of 2014. Why? Because i knew that I would have a much better time at Penn. In terms of the social scene and partying, Penn>>>Columbia. Yea, people bring up that Columbia is in NY, there are better clubs/bars, etc., but in terms of people, Columbia is much more nerdier whereas Penn is more well-rounded. Plus, good NY clubs are expensive as hell. At Penn you have a way better frat scene and much more school spirit. Plus more kids who are down to party.</p>
<p>I know students at both and visited both and I even had people at Columbia tell me that if I’m looking for a good party scene and academics, I would be much happier and better off going to Penn. Everyone at Penn on the otherhand was more like “Dude, are you kidding me, come to Penn”. I think that kind of shows the happiness of its current students.</p>
<p>Penn’s admit rate is about 18% last year, which is far below Ivy standard.
Most Penn’s students are mediocre because it is not that hard to get into Penn.
Penn’s CAS is NYU, UCLA level school.</p>
<p>gugupo, if you think Penn is such a mediocre school, why do you keep posting on the Penn threads?</p>
<p>The stats of Penn admits are very similar to those of Columbia admits. Penn has a higher admit rate because it is a bigger school; Penn has 9,768 undergrads, Columbia has 5,766 undergrads.</p>
<p>In terms of faculty/grad students, that may well be right . . . which is to say that Penn, NYU, and UCLA are all amazing. </p>
<p>I get disgusted when the know-it-all 16-20 year-olds here disparage institutions that took hundreds of brilliant, dedicated people generations to build. Why don’t you go accomplish one or two things in life that aren’t tests (i.e., games) that someone else has set up for you? The toilet paper at UCLA has more claim to respect than gugupo and his ilk do.</p>
<p>Does anybody pay the gupogo any attention anyway?</p>
<p>Anyway, Penn is, for most students, a better undergraduate experience than Columbia. That’s not saying Penn is a better university than Columbia…it’s not (they are presently equal by any reasonable measurement but Columbia can point to a more prominent history…hence the oodles of nobel prizes won by people who have been dead for half a century). I’m pretty sure Penn and Columbia are tied for Nobels won this decade…</p>
<p>gugupo was rejected from penn, everyone. That is why his only posts involve Penn and are constantly negative. Sorry, gugupo, maybe you could apply as a transfer student, although since you were already rejected once, I’m sure you would be rejected again.</p>
<p>Back to the OP (and away from this silly debate about 2 terrific schools) - you might want to go back to the coaches you’ve spoken to at Penn and Columbia and ask them about the possibility of receiving a likely letter. Although it’s terrific that they said you should be able to get in ED, the coaches are not the Admissions officers and don’t make the final decision. When applying to the Ivy’s as an athlete, likely letters are what really matters. If you use up your opportunity to apply ED to one school and then don’t get in, you may have lost your opportunity at the other school as it may have filled its roster through ED. So if you were my S, I’d want a likely letter. Lots more info available about likely letters on the Athletic Recruit subforum under Admissions. Good luck!</p>
<p>I am gugupo’s mom. Please forgive him. He doesnt have a job or any friends (even our dog wont go near him), and he has nothing to do but spend his days writing nonsensical posts on this board. His team of doctors has explained to us that he has obsession-related anxiety based on the fact that Penn rejected him 13 times, but Im not so sure. Im leaning more towards possession as an explanation. </p>
<p>Youll notice that our little, carefully-restrained gugupo registered in May. It takes him about a month to move from denial to the anger stage of crisis management after he receives a Penn rejection. But dont fret. The restraining order has almost expired and he will soon be able to apply to Penn again, so his attitude should be improving at least until next May.</p>
<p>Columbia has for decades been a bit more academically selective/rigorous than Penn, although Penn has come up considerably in the past several years. If you are a more “intellectual” type, that might tip you toward Columbia, also New York is inarguably a more happening (and safe) place than Philadelphia.</p>
<p>My S graduated from Penn and now works in NYC. Granted NYC is a more happening place, but it doesn’t have to be where you spend your college years. To take advantage of what NYC has to offer, it takes lots of $$$. I am glad he didn’t go to NYC as an undergraduate.</p>
<p>To the OP, my son also played sports at Penn and he found that students at Penn are more supportive of their sports team.</p>
<p>Students at Penn more supportive of their sports teams? To say the least! Sports are a big deal at Penn, and they are pretty much a non-deal at Columbia.</p>
<p>gugupo: You must have really wanted to save that money, since months after your rejection, you continue to try to seek revenge against Penn because you wanted to go so badly. And, gugupo, maybe you should try Penn’s Extension School-- it seems like with that admit rate, you might just get in.</p>
<p>Sigh…I tend to not care too much about threads like this debating over the relative merits of all excellent school, but I always thought there was semblance of some decent discussion here…</p>
<p>gugupo is indeed a mighty ■■■■■ unwavered by the beckoning of reason…may I ask where you actually are college wise? (Found an excellent post where he claims Northwestern, Carnegie Melon, and Penn are all about of the same caliber…)</p>