1. You are making a comparison between Dyson AEM and Wharton.
2. "math based" is really vague. You'll need to be good with numbers to deal with business and econ for sure. However you won't need upper level math that you will need as an engineer (nothing higher than calc) i expect
3. Cornell is geographically isolated from other big cities but it has its own "city" and towns around it.
4. Regarding recruitment you'll need to talk to an actual AEM major/ Wharton student but I expect it to be something like that
5. I'm not sure if those points are valid for Wharton at all. I highly, highly doubt it's truly cutthroat. As for competency in math, once again you may have to ask an actual, unbiased Wharton student.
6. It depends on who you are talking about and where in the world you are - "street creds" is really, really subjective. Unfortunately I can't get many sources on this but this is the only legitimate site that has such information that I know of Top Universities by Reputation 2012
The "street cred" is comparable in non-wharton penn and cornell - at this level it's honestly up to you to distinguish yourself from the rest, but wharton should still have a small leg up over AEM despite the recent advances it has made
The upper-level AEM courses I took (as a minor) required a decent grasp of calculus. I cannot say anything about it relative to Wharton, but I would say the courses were math-based. Sure, we were learning economic concepts, but those were also expressed in equations.
I don't think AEM is cut-throat at all, but I was a bio major and I didn't really see evidence of cut-throat behavior among the pre-meds, so maybe I am just not tuned into it.
I think honestly UPenn and Cornell have equal street cred, if the "street" is the job market (or grad school market). Beyond that, what your random guy on the street thinks of your university should not matter.
AEM is not cut-throat? LOL. There are a good number of people in the major who are just that. And Cornell as a whole has plenty of cut-throats. The competition really turns some people into demons here.
1. AEM is not cut throat, at least not academically.
2. Don't know about Wharton, but I wouldn't consider AEM math intensive. Even if you do finance and take the advanced undergrad courses, from what I see, nothing requires more than Calc I. That said, especially if you go the finance route, you will still be using a fair amount of math. And if you take some of the upper level Econ courses related to finance/banking, you will be using some Calc II (and I think even Calc III).
3. Ithaca doesn't really have towns around it (I mean technically it's true there are places around Ithaca, but nowhere people go). It's fairly isolated.
4/5. I don't think anything will top Wharton for recruitment and "street cred." AEM is definitely a program that is rapidly rising in reputation, but Wharton will always have that great history.
Pick the school you like. AEM and Wharton both will facilitate more opportunities than you could ever hope to take advantage of in a lifetime. Look at course descriptions for courses that interest you, see what clubs/organizations are available, and decide which type of environment you prefer more.
Thanks for the input guys! I'm really starting to like Cornell more than Penn. I noticed that whenever someone posts a thread like this in the Penn Forum, it is mostly Penn advocates bashing other schools. So, I really appreciate the unbiased opinion. How would any current Cornell students say the environment is? Is Cornell elitist like Princeton? I feel like the calmness of Ithaca vs the hustle and bustle of Phila would be a plus for academics as well.
I definitely chose Cornell in part because of its location in Ithaca...when I visited schools in places with more hustle and bustle (including both Penn and Princeton) I felt like it would be distracting/annoying, whereas at Cornell it is easy to find peaceful places. if you think that could be important to you Cornell would be a good choice.
I don't think Cornell feels elitist...there is not constant patting-on-the-back about being Cornellians just for the sake of it. I think it has a very similar feel to a lot of other colleges/universities in upstate NY.
edit: the thing that ny4chelsea has posted is I believe brand new, so it is understandable that Saugus and others wouldn't be aware of it...but thanks for the info! I have never heard of it before. it would still not be possible for a CAS student to do the AEM minor I did, because it was something entirely different. that program looks extremely cool though.
I think one of Cornell's many unofficial slogans is "elite, not elitist." One could argue that that slogan in and of itself is elitist, but I tend to think for the most part, Cornell is not elitist. Sure, you can find your stereotypical d-bags, especially in certain frats. But I really think it's all about attitude and who you choose to associate with. As for calmness, I'm sure it's easy to get isolated Philadelphia if you get focused on your academics (although maybe not as easy as Ithaca).
