Can’t go wrong at either. As an employer, I treat grads from these school equally well! Enjoy the 4 years!
I don’t think you eliminated either right, since they made your final two. Good luck in your decision, you’ll do well!
Glad you enjoyed your visit to Brown!! Although it shouldn’t make a difference as the two schools are peers and both great in their own right, USNWR isn’t the only ranking…
You have earned the luxury of having no bad choices.
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With that kind of wisdom at an early age, that’s a clear indicator you will go very far in life. Just keep that attitude in everything you do in life.
I have to say this was a fascinating thread.
All the very, very best to you!
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There are rankings where Penn does better too, World University rankings, Penn is 13, Brown is 60:
And most, if not all, CS rankings have Penn ahead of Brown including US News, as pointed out in the OP. In US News, Penn is 16, Brown 25 for undergrad CS. Here’s another one that aggregates the CS rankings, there Penn at 18 (up from 23), Brown at 44 (up from 48). You could be encouraged by Brown making the list for the first time in 2020 and moving up a little.
I think you missed the point!! I was pretty clear that rankings are irrelevant and posted in support of the OP not focusing on arbitrary third party criteria. I view the schools as peer institutions either of which will give OP a great experience.
As always thanks very much for advancing the conversation!
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" I was pretty clear that rankings are irrelevant"
Ok, but then you posted a bunch or rankings where Brown was ahead. Saying something is irrelevant and then using them is interesting to say the least.
Anyway, I don’t view them as peers in CS, but the OP didn’t get into SEAS CS directly and instead got into their Arts and Science college which the Penn grads here said would be hard to get the CS major in via a double major. So now you’re comparing Penn math/econ and Brown CS which are peer programs, sure.
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I was actually and specifically responding to OPs comment that he had previously allowed the USNWR rankings to alter his views and that they were contradicted by his in person meeting. Certainly worth reading through for context if you have the time.
Now to your claim that the schools aren’t peers in CS I would offer a prior post from @sushiritto…
Not going to debate you but certainly would encourage you to provide the OP with any positives about either school instead of taking cheep shots.
FYI the OP isn’t considering pure CS at Brown but instead the Applied Math/CS concentration with a potential certification in Entrepreneurship from the Nelson Center. You are answering a question neither asked or offered.
Not sure how familiar you are with the scope and flexibility that approach offers but thankfully OP seems to be considering it as they make their decision.
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Enough about rankings please. Suffice it to say that Penn and Brown are two absolutely OUTSTANDING options and,assuming they are equally affordable, the OP should decide based on fit, program for major, etc.
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Her comment was not meant to be viewed as compliance is optional. Posts deleted.
OP once again you are blessed to have two great options both of which will afford you a variety of career opportunities going forward. I will defer to others who are more informed and recent in their experiences at Penn to comment about your opportunity there.
Specific to Brown the CS kids seem to do well in terms of career opportunities…
“A comparison done on median early-career salary data of over 5 million graduates from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard resource, shows that one year after graduation, Brown CS bachelor’s degree graduates have a median salary of $141,100. The median debt of these graduates, at $12,871”
In addition, as you have pointed out the open curriculum will allow you to either customize a concentration or pursue the well traveled applied math/CS combo while adding an entrepreneurship certification if you desire.
Once again congratulations and good luck.
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Can you share this specific reference or link? This will be interesting beyond this thread. I’m looking at these scorecards now but do not see the type of specific salary data you present. Thanks.
And here is the ROI calculator…
I take it all with a slight grain of salt and hardly think it worth comparing schools within striking distance of one another because ultimately the individual student will drive outcomes. It does however seem to offer a framework for deriving peer relationships.
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Thanks. Right after I posted, I found it. BTW, Penn’s CIS degree is listed at $197,810; CS at 137,229.
I’m not sure I believe any of these numbers but all are good!
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Now I understand. The scorecard ‘salaries after completion’ are actually 3 years after completion. Maybe they changed what they report. Your data is a couple of years old. The Brown number is higher now at $184,762.
Clearly, Brown has a strong, flexible program. Given the OP’s situation, s/he would need to twist himself into a bit of a pretzel to achieve the Penn CS degree. Doesn’t seem worth it.
Penn wants you to apply to the school where your major is. I’ve seen this gamesmanship approach to getting into Penn before with students applying to CAS and then trying to transfer into Wharton. It’s not a good situation for the student. And, at least for internal Wharton transfers, they’re as rare as hen’s teeth.
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The scorecard data is also for students that have been on financial aid, which is typically about 50% of students so you have to figure out half the population is missing in the data.
@DadSays “Penn’s CIS degree is listed at $197,810; CS at 137,229.”
What’s the CS degree, I thought Penn only had the CIS in SEAS?
Ok, let me rephrase. We’re done with the scorecard and any sidebar conversations. Any future posts should address the OP.
Questions by users other than the OP on how to analyze data should be its own thread
Most colleges have readily accessible lists of available courses, and it can be useful to review them.
I don’t know Penn’s link, but Brown’s is cab.brown.edu
Edited to add: use the prefix CSCI to find the courses in the CS department. I don’t recommend using the drop down that shows courses in a concentration – that semed to be too restrictive when I looked.
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ROI comparisons are troublesome for two primary reasons:
- students largely choose their major/vocation, and
- There are large differences in the cost of living – and salary for the same job, as a result – in one city/state vs. another. So the $130k in NYC is going to look better on the ROI test than $100k in Wisconsin, but it doesn’t necessarily yield a better lifestyle.
This ^ right here.