<p>I cant seem to decide which one is better, i am an undeclared engineering major at the moment! ummm what else, i want to transfer to Stanford next year if possible. Need help, thanks!</p>
<p>tough call....but id pick duke...but i think they all come down to preferences...</p>
<p>They're all good schools. One doesn't stand out as better. The choice comes down to fit -- they each have very different personalities, settings and social scenes. Where do you see yourself fitting in better?</p>
<p>man, you've got to tell us more... you basically just listed three schools and told us to pick.</p>
<p>Are you a college student now? Why would you attend one of these three great schools (Duke, U Penn, Brown) and then transfer after a year to Stanford? </p>
<p>blackeyedsuand and screwitlah are right-you can succeed at a very high level from any of these schools so fit should definitely be your driver and frankly, we have no idea what you are looking for.</p>
<p>because stanford is slightly better, duh.
I think this person is a senior who got rejected from stanford and now has to choose between duke/penn/brown.</p>
<p>haha sorry! </p>
<p>a) Stanford is my dream school------> where i am waitlisted
b) I am an engineering major, but i dont really wanna do engineering at Grad level
c) I amazing engineering colleges on my liste Harvey Mudd, UMich, CMU
d) Prestige is a factor
e) I am an international, and i want to get to know people not become a loner, i heard that duke is very Exclusive?</p>
<p>Why are you transfering? Jesus, just go to the freakin' college and stay there. I don't see whats the whole deal with transfers. If your going any of those three colleges with the mindset that you dont care and your leaving next year, gluck finding friends.</p>
<p>chill!</p>
<p>first of all i am not sure if i would transfer to Stanford if i like one of those colleges! Right now my issue is deciding between upenn, brown and duke. Or maybe just penn or duke. I dont really care about the location as long as the college and the experience is great, which i know you would say is the case everywhere, however i heard that duke is more exculsive so it is harder to make friends, True or False?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Duke has some exclusive, monied groups, but so do most schools. I'd cross off Penn where I would only attend for Wharton. Duke and Brown are really different. Have you visited?</p>
<p>whats so bad about penn? i have been mostly a bit confused between penn and duke. Duke is in North Carolina and i am not sure what to expect from there, plus i am international and i am not sure if ill be accepted so easily, i am not the party type. Penn, well penn is an ivy league which is a big thing where i come from but for me its not that big of a factor.</p>
<p>IMO, Duke is more respected in the States. No one knows Penn's an ivy and most Americans confuse it with Penn State. Phila is not one of America's most loved cities either.</p>
<p>Duke has long been the ivy of the South and is now just plain a top undergrad school with lots of opportunities. It's better recruited by business if you're not at Wharton. Lots of really smart kids compete for their merit $$. Lots of $$ at Duke, there are "elite" greek houses and some old Southern comforts.</p>
<p>More people, IMO, love Duke. Really loyal alum with strong networks. Kids I know at Penn are there for Wharton but don't love the school.</p>
<p>Now Brown is another beloved school and if I wanted a great liberal arts unstructured program I'd go there in a heartbeat.</p>
<p>
[quote]
IMO, Duke is more respected in the States. No one knows Penn's an ivy and most Americans confuse it with Penn State.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>This may be true to the average American. But then again, the average American couldn't name the current Secretary of the Treasury. The average American couldn't name you 3 world leaders... or 3 world capitals. Basically, the harsh reality is that the average American is pretty ignorant. The average American isn't going to ever earn a 6 figure salary... etc.</p>
<p>And continuing with that line of thinking, you are right - your average American hasn't ever heard of Penn or for that matter, Brown, Dartmouth, Amherst or Williams -- just like your average American has never heard of Exeter or Andover or Deerfield (in other words some of the best schools in America). Your average American has never heard of a lot of things... and not just obscure things, I'm talking about world class things like Chateau Margaux or Patek Philippe.</p>
<p>So, yeah, Duke's name recognition may be higher than Penn's to the average American (e.g. at your local bar) -- but this is hardly due to Duke's excellent academic program -- let's face it, 99% of this general name recognition is on the back of Duke Blue Devils Basketball, Coach K, etc. I've said this before, but it bears repeating again. Duke's academic reputation suffers (perhaps very unfairly) from the fame of its basketball program... it's almost like the impossibly gorgeous girl with incredible figure who is also smart enough to be valedictorian - people either overlook her intelligence or just assume that she can't be that bright (but, maybe-just-maybe, that person flaunts her sexuality a little too over the edge) - and let's face it, Duke does a very good job leveraging every single ounce of fame and $$$ from its basketball program - perhaps too good of a job in hindsight (i.e. when do you cross a point where a sports program starts to flex its muscles to the detriment of other considerations? perhaps Duke is at that point...)</p>
<p>The point? I don't think people should make their college decisions based on what your average American knows. For those people who will matter (academia - grad school, corporate America, etc.) they KNOW. The last point is not to confuse wide spread name recognition (i.e. familiarity) with prestige - I've posted that on length in previous posts:</p>
<p>Neither do I but he noted that Penn being an ivy was important where he lives.</p>
<p>As an international who doesn't like partying, I'd stay clear of duke. Brown and Penn are both Ivy Leagues, and while close, Brown is considered somewhat more prestigious. Both school's students seem to love their schools. I'd stay clear of Penn b/c they seem to focus all of their attention on Wharton, while at Brown that isn't an issue. You'll find much mor einteresting people at Brown, too.</p>
<p>Brown is not considered more prestigious than Penn, I'm sorry. And Penn doesn't focus all their attention on Wharton, CollegeConfidential does. And honestly, you'll find different kinds of people at Brown and at Penn. You'll find artists at both places, partiers at both places, nerds, etc. Penn, IMO, comes right after HYP (side by side with Columbia).</p>
<p>I have tons of international friends at Penn, and they all really love it. Don't pick your school based upon what people tell you here. Visit the schools, read up on their philosophies and the way they're set up, and you'll make the right decision.</p>
<p>Harvard = Yale = Princeton
(slight drop)
Penn = Brown = Columbia = Dartmouth
(slight drop)
Cornell</p>
<ol>
<li>Penn does NOT focus entirely on Wharton. Wharton undergrad is only 500 out of the 2500 kids in each class. 1900 kids in every class (nearly 80%) cannot and definitely aren't shoved aside by the administration. I am a current international student in the liberal arts school at Penn and have had a terrific experience. Shahwaiz, you can pm me if you have any questions. Penn's college of arts and sciences has the third highest yeild in the Ivy League (tied with princeton at 66%).Engineering and bio/med is Penn's new focus and theyve been pouring millions into these areas the past few years. The newly completed Skirkanich Hall (one of the most advanced biotechnology facilities in the world) stands as a testament to this. Penn has recently acquired over 30 acres of land on the east of campus and almost all the development planned there is in engineering and the life-sciences.</li>
<li>Penn's engineering curriculum gives you remarkable flexibility and allows you to enhance your experience with liberal arts and business classes. Penn has a 'one university' concept where you can take as many classes as you like at the other undergraduate schools. </li>
<li>Differences in "reputation" or "prestige" are practically negligible between the three schools, and if anything will be affected by the region you are in. In the southern United States, a degree from Duke will carry more weight. In the Northeast, Penn and Brown would. In New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania in particular--Penn has far more clout than the other two. On the west coast, of course, Stanford reigns supreme. Nonetheless, wherever you choose to go, a degree from any of these schools will be highly respected. Since you are an international student, like me, I understand why you feel an Ivy League degree will be more beneficial--and I do agree with you. Penn has the largest no. of international students in the Ivy League=largest no. of international alumni=max. international alumni connections for networking. </li>
<li>What suze said about recruiting at Penn is absolutely FALSE. Here is the link for the employment and salary data College of Arts and Sciences:
<a href="http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/college/2006cpsurvey.pdf%5B/url%5D">http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/college/2006cpsurvey.pdf</a>
And here is the link for Engineering:
<a href="http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/seas/survey2006.pdf%5B/url%5D">http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/seas/survey2006.pdf</a>
All four schools at Penn are heavily and equally recruited and Penn Career Services makes sure of that. After the Nursing School, Penn SEAS kids earn the highest salaries, then Wharton, and then CAS. Also, partly because of Wharton, almost every major firm in America and several international firms come to Penn's campus for recruiting (making it the #3 most heavily recruited after Harvard and MIT) and they take kids from all schools. The fact that it's so close to New York also helps. </li>
<li>As for the people at Penn "not loving" it there, this is again absolutely false. Penn has recieved the HIGHEST no. of Early Decision applications in the Ivy League over the past 3 years running (that means, more kids are willing to declare penn as their #1 choice in a binding contract than ANY other ivy). And Penn fills almost half it's class early, so clearly the overwhelming majority of kids DO really want to be here. And again, a 66% yeild is not going to be possible to maintain IF PEOPLE DIDN'T WANT TO BE HERE.
Feel free to pm me if you have any specific questions about Penn. I am an International Student Ambassador, so it's my job to help out.</li>
</ol>
<p>And how exactly does Penn career services dictate what employers want??????????? Try finding non Wharton Penn guys on Wall Street, and it's not for lack of trying.</p>
<p>I spent a week at Brown during the summer and found Providence pretty limiting for a college student. The same would go with Durham, so if you are thinking about location at all, I think Penn is a no brainer. Also, if I am correct, I believe Penn is the most balanced between social life and work...Brown and Duke may have more partying</p>
<p>All of that said, I do have a bias toward Penn because I am trying to decide between Penn and Northwestern.</p>