<p>Well I have quite the decision and I will be visiting both shortly. Does anyone else have/had this decision on this board? M&T is so unique, but I feel as if UPenn's reputation is taking a hit this admission cycle (note the use of cycle..meaning it will improve). Anyways what would you do? Princeton Financial Engineering with a certificate program or UPenn M&T? Persuade me please. </p>
<p>By the way price is not an issue. I can't believe I have this decision, but it is one I am glad to have.</p>
<p>I would say Penn… Penn’s recruiting is always top notch and you will do well out of M&T because it is so unique. My cousin is an alumni from M&T actually. His salary is astronomical (he did well) and his job is secure even in this climate. </p>
<p>Don’t choose a school based on prestige, or otherwise you won’t like it and won’t do well. Judging from your post you seem passionate about M&T. I personally would go with that, because it seems you would be happiest there.</p>
<p>M&T is more competitive than Princeton, isn’t it?
Of course Princeton has a way lower acceptance rate than Penn but M&T is extremely selective. Good job! :)</p>
<p>Visit both though and see which one you’d like better.</p>
<p>Be very careful. M&T might be more selective than Princeton, but once you matriculate, your options are SEVERELY limited. You must be absolutely certain that you want to do engineering and business.</p>
<p>I personally would choose M&T. I’ve visited both campuses, and although some say philly is not the best city, I prefer it over NJ. There’s just so much more to do and explore. Also, consider the benefits. From what I’ve heard, people in joint-degree programs enjoy special benefits, including recruiting, alumni network, and course selection. In M&T, you’ll have not only one adviser, but three. These advisers can get you out/in of almost any class you want to take, while at Princeton this might not be true.</p>
<p>Also, at M&T, you’ll get to meet cool people like me :)</p>
<p>M&T is an amazing program. Penn is an amazing school in its own right, and Philadelphia is definitely a more exciting place to spend your college years than Princeton. And since Princeton’s administration is apparently hellbent on turning Princeton into mini-Yale by stifling all that makes it uniquely Princeton…</p>
<p>*granted, you could certainly do worse than being a mini-Yale…</p>
<p>The dilemma posed by “Why me?” is one DD is faced with. She has been accepted into the Penn M&T program and at Princeton. She liked the M&T program itself, but didn’t care very much for Penn as a whole. Princeton is Princeton.</p>
<p>Points to ponder, as I see it:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Wharton business is #1, no question. However, Penn Engineering while good is not GREAT (per rankings at least). Since M&T combines Wharton & Engineering, is the engineering side of the equation perhaps weaker?? Any thoughts?</p></li>
<li><p>Princeton has an array of certificate programs, for e.g., the certificate in sustainable energy – of special interest to DD. These certificates allow a student to differentiate oneself, much like M&T differentiates a student from the standard Wharton graduate.</p></li>
<li><p>True, Princeton does not have a business school, but one simply cannot go wrong with the top notch liberal arts offerings at Princeton. There is a reason that Princeton is #2 (used to be #1 ahead of Harvard until last year).</p></li>
<li><p>Princeton has a REAL focus on undergraduate education. We visited five of the Ivies last summer (all except Brown, Cornell and Dartmouth) and found that unique emphasis on undergraduate education to be true only at Princeton. The student body speaks for itself – I believe it is the only Ivy with significantly more undergraduate than graduate students. That said, we understand that M&T students also get a lot of special attention. Thoughts on this, anyone???</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Like “why me” cost is not an issue (well, both Penn and Princeton will break the bank, but we’ve been planning for this). So we are extremely fortunate to have this choice, but it is not going to be easy!!!</p>
<p>Thanks in advance for any thoughts on either Penn’s M&T program or Princeton, and especially a comparison of the two.</p>
<p>The question I would ask is what do you want to do after you graduate. If you are interested in financial services/consulting, being just another Princeton student will not put you in as good of a position as being an M&T student. M&T students have their pick essentially when it comes to post-graduate job options unless you are weird/ugly and can’t interview well. M&T would offer you a special niche and unique benefits while at Princeton you would just be another number in comparison. If you want law/med/engineering/academia I would go with Princeton though.</p>
<p>After I graduate, I want to be involved in the mechatronics/prosthesis industry (possibly with R&D or management). I might also want to get a Ph.D. in an engineering field with hopes of being involved in the same field. Basically, I wouldnt want to work in finance, investing, or anything on wallstreet. Would M&T be a better choice because it would give me more experience with the business side (management/entrepreneurship) of the engineering industry or would Princeton Engineering with some certificates be better for me?</p>
<p>Cornell would certainly be better if you want to do engineering. It is easily the best engineering school and you can take lots of business classes in AEM.</p>