I was fortunate to be accepted to UPenn and Brown. I plan to major in CS.
UPenn
At Penn, CS is in the engineering school. I was denied from a Penn dual degree program where you could combine a CS major with a major from arts and sciences. However, I got into Penn arts and sciences (my second choice since I thought this would give me more options).
Pros
I know prestige is not everything but is UPenn more prestigious than Brown for CS when it comes to employers? I know Wharton and some of the dual degree programs are def more prestigious but I was unsure for CS.
Perhaps more academic rigor
More of a startup/innovation culture
Cons:
To major in CS, I would have to either do a double major (would do math/cs or econ/cs) or transfer to the engineering school. This seems kind of difficult to do. Would it be a risky move to attend UPenn?
A lot more requirements for a CS major. Even more requirements for a double major. Also, if I transferred to the engineering school, I would not be able to transfer back if I decided to do pre-med last minute or something.
A relative of mine goes here and he strongly dislikes the social atmosphere and the lack of intermural sports
Brown
Pros
Permits students to major in CS from arts and sciences or engineering. Super flexible curriculum if I change my mind.
Did not expect to get in here at all, so I am not familiar with the quality of the CS department compared to UPenn. But from the looks of it, the Applied Math/CS curriculum seems amazing.
Also, the CS major here seems more collaborative/low stress than UPenn. Compared to many of the UPenn students I know, Brown CS students seem to be much happier.
Undergrad focus
Less requirements for CS/easier grading - I could even take honors/graduate level classes if I really wanted to without worrying about the grade
The people I know from my school that go here absolutely love it. Can’t say the same about most other schools
Cons
Lack of startup culture–it seems to be more “laid-back”. I would def not describe myself as laid-back lol.
Lack of academic rigor or perceived lack of rigor by employers?
Less resources/research opportunities?
No GPA is calculated - this is a bit strange to me and it could be a red flag to employers
If access to the CS major is easy at one school but difficult at the other, that is a point strongly in favor of the school where you can actually do the major you want.
Penn is absolutely pre-professional. Brown is absolutely not. They both give you great opportunities – I am unsure that there is any tech role that is accessible from Penn and not from Brown. Very different vibe. You should go wherever the fit seems better.
Not sure why you think Brown lacks academic rigor. Because of the freedom of choice in curriculum? Don’t confuse the two. Brown CS and Brown in general are quite rigorous.
One of my kids did CS at Brown, TA’ed as an undergrad, had interviews in the fall of senior year with major Silicon Valley companies, and continues to work and play with what they call the Brown Mafia," in CS. Several of them are doing a start-up.
I would be careful about making decisions based on misconceptions. Both are excellent schools. It seems it would be easier for you to do CS and also take classes outside of CS, at Brown.
I feel like UPenn def fits better. The CS major problem is the only thing that gives me pause. But from what I’ve heard from UPenn students, adding a second major from CAS or transferring to engineering isn’t that difficult.
Didn’t think I would get in as a CS major in engineering. There are way too many qualified CS applicants. For most of my schools I applied for other majors and got in. My friends who have similar qualifications to me all applied to engineering/cs and got rejected everywhere. Also another reason is that I had tons of history related ECs/awards and I thought they would not be appreciated as much in the engineering applicant pool. Also I want to pursue humanities subjects asw in college so CAS would offer more flexibility. My strategy def has pros and cons but I think it was the optimal strategy in the end given that none of my classmates got into their top choice.
My bias is to attend the school where you are assured that you can study the major you want. So although I’m a proud Penn alum, I’d give the edge to Brown in your situation (unless you do the research and can feel very confident that you can study CS at Penn).
Brown seems like a better fit since you have other academic interests. Penn has gen eds. So with an intense major like CS, plus gen eds, there might not be much room for humanities. At Brown you can take what interests you, with the caveat that that freedom comes with intense advising.
Uh-oh. You gamed it out and it worked…or did it…
CAS → SEAS transfers are not easy. To major is CS at Penn, you’ll have to pull that off - a lot of moving parts in play for that. And as mentioned above, it’s a pretty serious program. Look deeply into whether that path is one where you’d be happy. If the transfer doesn’t work out, you can minor in CS from the College.
I’m a Penn alum, also, but you should look closely at Brown.
You can major in cs from arts and sciences from CAS as long as you have a arts and sciences major. I would either do Econ/cs or math/cs double major at UPenn which I would do anyway if I went to Brown. Brown does have the app math/cs double major tho which I heard is very good.
I just visited UPenn today and I really liked it. I talked with some seniors who are doing the Econ/cs double major from CAS and they said it was perfectly feasible. I planned out the schedule for this and it seems like it will work out without me needing to transfer to engineering. I will also have room to take some history classes (of course not as many as if I went to Brown) but I don’t plan to major/minor in history so I think it should be fine.
I see. You’re talking about CS as a second major. I did not understand you were planning this. Still, two majors is not easy. Good luck with your decision.
Adding cs as a double major with Econ or math is actually really common at UPenn. I know several people doing this. But then again, I see your point. It won’t be as smooth of a transition as Brown.
You seem to perceive Brown as less rigorous, laid back and maybe less prestigious? I don’t think you have really explained your preference for UPenn. Most of us are saying Brown. But go with your gut. I will say again, cannot say enough about my son’s experience in CS at Brown. Excellent summer internships, job offers, and a secure and happy work life so far.
Let me also add to what others are saying here that you don’t need a double major like Math or Econ. The CS is sort of necessary if you want to go into tech, but if you have a bunch of course work in Econ/Math – you don’t even need a minor, that will suffice to make the transition to hybrid jobs, or even go into jobs that are strictly non tech.
You asked UPenn vs Brown and people are saying Brown (even some UPenn alum, no less), but you keep arguing how UPenn is better or whatever concern they have isn’t an issue. Maybe you really didn’t know when you posted, or maybe you were hoping we’d all confirm your preference, but based on all the justification you’re throwing out it really sounds like UPenn is where you want to go.
