I am currently deciding between Michigan Engineering and UPenn M&T. I plan on majoring in Mechanical Engineering at both schools, and at Penn I will be doing a dual degree with the Wharton School. My career plans mainly revolve around medical device entrepreneurship and private equity.
Under normal circumstances most people would say UPenn M&T, however currently UPenn will cost 11k year excluding work study, whereas Michigan gave me a full ride ($0 COA with work study replaced by scholarships) because of merit scholarships combined with financial aid.
Is Penn M&T worth the additional cost, especially since I would most likely graduate with 15k in student loans?
I feel as though Michigan Engineering is much better than Penn Engineering, but I also feel as though Wharton has some unparalleled opportunities, especially in the M&T program.
UMich also has a dual degree program https://michiganross.umich.edu/programs/bba/dual-degrees. Given your interests I’d go with UMich. I think M & T is more beneficial for business students, although I do think your earning potential after M & T would make your loans a non-issue.
@allnighter21 I can’t really give you advice. I know Penn very well. My D very, very seriously considered UMich for ME and ultimately got good money elsewhere.
A few things I do know:
Penn M&T is very challenging. I know a number of students that have done it and from my observation it is stressy. You have to be in to win. That said, it is known to be a super-competitive program and I’m sure that rep does not hurt you getting noticed. A friends kid who is doing it now has interned for 2 huge tech companies already.
Michigan Engineering appear to have much better “big toys” than Penn CEAS. If you are interested in big, hands-on build stuff engineering, UMich appears to have more opportunity to play with stuff (whether or not undergrads really can, I dunno. They made it seem like you could. Current students would be good to talk to about that.)
Penn/Wharton has a great line to NYC and VC money. I’m sure Mich does too, but if you are thinking start-up or own small engineering firm, and you don’t want to stay in the Mich area, Penn would be a good bet.
15k is not crushing debt for someone graduating with marketable skills, but free is pretty nice too. Hate to say it, but you really can’t go wrong. If you think you can handle the stress and want to get heavily recruited upon graduation and are looking to get into management or your own business, the Fisher program is probably just a bit more unique/impressive.
@allnighter21 I would say M&T for sure given that the level of debt is not big at all.
While definitely UMich has a higher-ranked engineering department the different for undergrad is not substantial. especially given Penn’s greater undergrad quality and resources available. Also given that you are interested in medical device, life sciences entrepreneurship Penn engineering might actually be a better choice due to its slightly stronger bioengineering department as well as stronger hospital, medical school and overall biomedical scene.
As for Wharton of course it is the top place for undergrad business.
Now M&T is not just a Penn engineering and Wharton degree combined (which is already pretty neat), it is much more than that. The level of individual attention and guidance that M&T students have is really second to none. There is an entire office at Penn devoted only to the M&T program, with many counselors, coordinators etc. Also the M&T alumni network is super close knit and there are many alumni events organized throughout the year. much intimate networking with such a close-knit and super successful alumni network an go a long way for recruiting top jobs and making really valuable connections.
If the best was higher i would definitely say go for UMich but 15k over your entire college career is not significant, especially given the opportunities you will have as a Penn M&T graduate.
“Also given that you are interested in medical device, life sciences entrepreneurship Penn engineering might actually be a better choice due to its slightly stronger bioengineering department as well as stronger hospital, medical school and overall biomedical scene.”
Btw, has a top ten medical school and biomedical engineering program. They are both plenty good.
Actually rjkofnovi, it took the OP a whopping 4 days and 19 minutes!
Penn95’s comments about Michigan are obviously off the mark. Michigan and Penn are peer institutions. Penn is not better for undergraduate studies, and it does not have more resources. Also, I don’t think that #8 vs #10 in Biomedical Engineering or #5 vs #8 in Medicine qualifies as a slightly better either. That makes them roughly the same in those departments.
That being said, given the OP’s interest in entrepreneurship and PE, the Wharton factor should be considered. It does not get better than Wharton when it comes to PE. Assuming finances aren’t going to be too much of a problem, and I don’t think they will be, Penn M&T was the right decision in this case.
