Yale SCEA vs. Penn ED?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Pennsylvania
1

<p>Assuming I'm a competitive applicant (2300+ SATs, 4.0 uw, valedictorian, decent ECs, etc), I've been really debating my options. I've visited both schools and fell in love with both of them, but I'm leaning more towards Yale. On one hand, I want to apply ED to Wharton and get it over with, but I'm afraid I'll always wonder "what if I applied to Yale?" if I get accepted to Penn. But there's also a nagging fear that if I apply RD, I'll get into neither and end up at my state flagship (which is very good, but once again, I'll ask myself "what if I applied ED to Penn?"). I'm going with the idea that ED Penn gives me an edge in admissions while SCEA Yale does nothing. </p>

<p>Complicating matters, I hope to go into business, so Wharton should clearly be the better choice. However, Yale with its grand architecture, vast libraries, and residential system is equally attractive. It's intangible, but I think it's just as integral as the academics when it comes to the undergraduate experience.</p>

<p>I'm also running out of time to decide. So what do you think?</p>

2

<p>Applying to both of these school is a lottery. My son 2 years ago with the same stats as yours applied early to Yale and was deferred and ultimately rejected. Applied to Penn RD and was rejected there too. In fact he was rejected from all the Ivies he applied to.</p>

3

<p>It’s ultimately up to you and what you prefer most. </p>

<p>If you want to do business, Wharton is great but you could go there for an MBA later. </p>

<p>You get a small boost if you apply SCEA to Yale like you do at Penn. Both schools though are extremely hard to get into though.</p>

<p>Yale is probably once in a lifetime for you and you could get a second chance at Penn by going for an MBA later down the road. Consider that. </p>

<p>My D is at Penn but that was definitely her #1 choice.</p>

4

<p>I had the same problem with choosing between Stanford SCEA and Penn ED. I ultimately decided on Penn because if I got into both schools I would choose Penn over Stanford, so I decided to make that easier. For me, I had to ignore the greater prestige that Stanford has (on the West Coast at least) and focus solely on the schools themselves.</p>

<p>Yale SCEA has no boost, they defer most applicants to RD</p>

<p>Good luck with your choice, but the truth is that when choosing between this caliber of schools that you can’t really go wrong :)</p>

5

<p>I would go with Yale SCEA, for given your stats it would be better off for you. You can always go back to Penn for MBA later on</p>

6

<p>“leaning towards yale”
i think you have your answer :)</p>

7

<p>

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<p>Grand architecture and vast libraries are not practical reasons to decide a college. You may see some grand buildings everyday but may not study in any of them. People don’t need huge libraries in the digital age.</p>

8

<p>Yale yale yale</p>

9

<p>"If you want to do business, Wharton is great but you could go there for an MBA later. "</p>

<p>Heartily seconded.</p>

<p>And if a future MBA is in your plans, majoring in business as an undergrad will only introduce redundancy into your education. </p>

<p>If you are set on going into business, there are quite a few majors that are common precursors for future MBAs and self-styled masters of the universe. PP&E (Politics, Philosophy & Economics) at Penn is the obvious example. International Relations is also popular with aspiring tycoons. Ultimately, however, if you intend to pursue an MBA you can major in pretty much anything. ([Which</a> Undergrad Major is Most Preferred by the Top MBA Programs?](<a href=“http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2009/11/20/which-undergrad-major-is-most-preferred-by-the-top-mba-programs]Which”>http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2009/11/20/which-undergrad-major-is-most-preferred-by-the-top-mba-programs)) Just make sure to take and excel at a few business-relevant math classes. </p>

<p>Students are recruited into top companies all the time on the strength of their Ivy pedigree and academic achievement, regardless of their major. There’s no need to rush headlong into business as an undergrad. Knowing that, perhaps you will find the Yale/Penn choice easier.</p>

<p>And if you <em>are</em> dead set on doing UG business, consider Babson College as a safety app.</p>

10

<p>Both great schools, toss up</p>

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<p>Wow! Thanks for the feedback! I think I’m applying early to neither and letting admissions decide for me (or not). Gotta take a risk now and then :)</p>

12

<p>I’d advise that you apply early to one or the other—it will increase your chances significantly. It’s up to you to choose which one, but personally I would go with Yale. I’d be applying there too if my stats were slightly better.</p>

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<p>Doesn’t SCEA Yale not give you any advantage? I know ED would, but I don’t think I love a school with ED enough to apply, and I feel like I would be rather narrow-minded… I’m not sure…</p>

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<p>Yale’s SCEA admit rate is about 14%; total admit rate is around 7%. And Yale doesn’t have ED, just SCEA. Still, it’s fine if you don’t want to apply early.</p>

15

<p>As tough as it is to get admitted into the top schools that you’re considering, you should take advantage of applying ED or EA to your favorite. ED / EA rounds almost always give you a better chance of admittance than the RA rounds. Penn has ED and not EA; Yale has SCEA (EA) and not ED…advantage Yale if you’re unsure as it’s not binding like ED is at Penn (aside from financial aid factor “outs”).</p>

<p>Your “2300+, 4.0 UW, valedictorian, decent EC’s” makes you attractive to the Ivies, but certainly not a lock. There are a lot of Ivy applicants with your first three items out there, and more than a lot with much better than “decent EC’s”. And don’t forget that admissions also looks at hooks (to your disadvantage if you don’t have any), # of times you took SAT to get that 2300+, SAT2 scores, leadership, essays, interviews, apparent passion toward their school, etc.</p>

<p>I agree with post #2 that applying to these types of schools is like playing the lottery. If I were in your shoes I’d increase my chance of admittance by applying ED or EA round…effectively buying more of those lottery tickets.</p>

<p>P.S. Pasted from the chart we made for DS last year, since you seem like you’re leaning toward Yale (with our goal being to not break the rules and not miss deadlines): “Yale: SINGLE CHOICE early action, so if early action then you CANNOT apply ED or EA to any other colleges. If apply EA Yale, CAN apply to early rolling admit elsewhere though, or ED #2 (NYU) or any public EA.”</p>

16

<p>If you like Yale more not only because of the architecture or what not, then I think you should be confident SCEAing for Yale.</p>

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<p>Thank you all so much. I ended up applying ED to Wharton, since I decided that my case wasn’t strong enough for Yale, SCEA or not. Since Wharton is my second choice, I thought it would be more practical to apply (with a higher chance of getting in) than possibly giving up both schools for a CHANCE at Yale. Someone with similar stats applying to Yale SCEA from my school also convinced me. So I’ll see how it goes. I’d be happy at both places and I supposed I can’t go wrong :)</p>

18

<p>Then I hope to see you in Huntsman Hall :)</p>