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<p>Oh please. So Penn and Michigan are just a couple of easily confused “football” schools? You know, you’re right. Since HR types and engineering managers have no clue about the reputations of Penn or Michigan maybe the OP should just go to Penn State since it’s probably the cheapest option.</p>
<p>Now that’s funny.</p>
<p>ABSOLUTELY PENN, and here’s why: Philadelphia is a great resource, the campus is gorgeous, it has a booming social scene–that’s why they call it the “social Ivy”–, going to an Ivy League university looks great on a job application, Penn is very involved in research and allows its undergrads to take part. I could go on forever. I am not saying that UMich isn’t a good school, I’m simply saying that Penn is better ;)</p>
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<p>I don’t think goldenboy was suggesting it matters a hoot what the common public thinks. He clearly stated earlier in the thread that both are top notch schools and will be recruited and known by HR and engineering managers; simply was making a point as to the ignorance of the masses (which applies certainly to all schools), but that shouldn’t have any effect on job prospects.</p>
<p>I love Michigan and Penn personally and think you can’t go wrong with either choice. I would wait to compare financial aid offers as Penn may end up considerably cheaper depending on your circumstances. It may not be, though. I’d also consider the fact that your interests may change or you may drop out of engineering (nobody thinks it’s going to happen to them, but about 1/3 of engineering freshmen don’t graduate as engineering grads). So, you need to make sure that you’d be happy at the LSA school for each respective institution. Penn may get a bit more recruiting in the finance/consulting world, but at Michigan you’d be just fine too. And who cares about small differences in engineering rankings. They mean squat in my opinion in this particular instance. Both schools prepare you well and have top notch faculty and students. We’re not comparing Michigan with SW Missouri State here.</p>
<p>I’d definitely recommend choosing based on fit. If you want a school in a good college-centric town with thriving sports scene situated in the Midwest, then Michigan is great. If you want a more urban setting that is perhaps a bit more international in flair and diverse geographically and has the Ivy tag, then Penn is a great choice. And I’ve never seen anybody so obsessed with a single school as rjkofnovi is - brings up one other school in particular in basically every thread. Very odd to me…I’d also note that both have pretty good social scenes. Michigan’s may be a bit more prevalent simply based on the size of the school and the sports scene, but Penn also is a pretty social atmosphere.</p>
<p>My advice is to wait for financial aid offers (if applicable), compare costs, and choose where you think you’d be happiest after hopefully visiting both.</p>
<p>“And I’ve never seen anybody so obsessed with a single school as rjkofnovi is - brings up one other school in particular in basically every thread.”</p>
<p>Gee, I wonder why? Try perusing the Michigan boards here on CC.</p>
<p>Fit Fit Fit Fit Fit Fit Fit Fit Fit Fit Fit Fit Fit Fit Fit Fit Fit Fit Fit Fit Fit Fit Fit Fit Fit Fit Fit Fit Fit Fit Fit Fit Fit Fit Fit Fit Fit Fit Fit Fit Fit Fit Fit Fit Fit Fit Fit Fit </p>
<p>Oh and F.A too, when you get admitted for real.</p>
<p>my advice is to go for financial aid, then fit. (which i would imagine would place Penn ahead of Michigan.) Michigan’s a great school, but there’s no point putting yourself in debt for it over Penn, all other things being equal.</p>
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<p>Totally depends on income bracket. For a full-pay (which is roughly half the undergrads at both schools), Michigan OOS is cheaper and offers a superior engineering credential, except possibly in biomedical where it’s close. If the OP has a low EFC (i.e., is “high need”) then Penn is likely to be cheaper. I say “likely” because you don’t know until you see the FA offers. So I say go with fit and finances or finances and fit, in whichever priority makes sense to you. For educational quality, you can’t go wrong.</p>