collegebound5

What are the differences between Penn and Columbia. I know this is a Penn forum so I expect the answers to be pro Penn but am just wondering

Rudess

Penn is in Philadelphia.
Columbia is in New York.

adf8

Academically, it depends on the major. Both schools have their strengths and you probably want to consider your possible major when choosing. You'll get an excellent education at either school no matter you major in though.

Socially, there are some similarities and a lot of differences. Both schools have large international populations and both have fairly large student bodies. I think Penn is probably the more social school and has a more tightly knit community, while Columbia students are less social and more independent. Then there are the differences in location. New York is a better city and Morningside Heights is a better neighborhood, although I think the area around Penn has a lot more culture. Morningside Heights is pretty gentrified. Good luck with your choice!

YankeeBoy115

I got into both Penn and Columbia, and I'm choosing Penn to get away from living in NYC for even longer...

NYC is a very hectic place. I want to get away for a while... Take a vacation from this place.

People who live in more isolated places tend to like Columbia because it's in NYC, and is very lively. People who live in NYC tend to shy away from Columbia in most cases, because they think it's too lively.

But in the long run, it's what you prefer, and what you plan on studying, but not as much because both schools are amazing academically.

JohnnyK

Knowing your major would help, as would what you want out of college.

Venkat89

Penn was a Quaker who founded the state of Pennsylvania.

Columbia is a country in South America and is the largest producer of cocaine.

chaotic

That's Colombia, Venkat. :]

45 Percenter

"Colombia, Venkat"----> is that near Bogota?

truazn8948532

INternationally, Columbia is wayyyyyyy more prestigious than UPenn. $10 says no one on the streets of Europe will know what Penn is. Columbia on the other hand has a stunning international rep.

If you got into wharton go to Wharton if you're 100% sure you wanna go to finance. If Penn CAS, go to Columbia because it will offer better Law school/medical school placement plus more internship opportunities in NYC. Research at Columbia is world-renowned (most nobel prizes int he world- Penn's not even close). And it's Columbia University.

But iono cross admit rate 59% chooce Columbia over Penn. More or less even. Matter of preference i guess. Social life at CU is lacking tho.

truazn8948532

UPenn? Isn't that a state school?

collegebound5

Thanks. I have haerd that Penn has a very good social life. Columbia is lacking. What is it like at Columbia - socially that is?

mboyle1988

About Columbia's prestige:

Berkeley was the fourth school in the US fifty years ago (after HYP.) Princeton was a level below HY. Duke was not even heard of. Stanford was below all the Ivies. Cornell was unequivocally better than UPenn.

Prestige changes. It's a stupid reason to choose a school anyway.

BobbyPires

depending on what kind of person you are, Columbia's Core Curriculum might be good or bad for you depending on your experiencesin high school; if you're the type that just is "good at verything", whether it be math, science, humanities, and you wanna continue that sort of educaton Columbia might be the place for you. but if you consider that you've had enuff of that sort of education and you just wanna focus on one thing or two, Penn might be the better place.

I hear the Core Curriculum can be a bit stifling in terms of your education options

neutralnuke

gee I got waitlisted at both Penn and Columbia, so I can't really encourage to pick either one...erm-not that I would give advice based on ulterior motives

truazn8948532

Mboyle1988---

In the 1950's Harvard University and Columbia University were considered the most prestigious institutions in America. While Berekely, Yale, and Princeton were certainly prestigious- in the mind's of academia and the general public Harvard and Columbia reigned supreme.

To back up my claims:
During the first half of the 20th Century Columbia and Harvard had the largest endowments in the country.

By the late 1930s, a Columbia student could study with the likes of Jacques Barzun, Paul Lazarsfeld, Mark Van Doren, Lionel Trilling, and I. I. Rabi. The University's graduates during this time were equally accomplished - for example, two alumni of Columbia's Law School, Charles Evans Hughes and Harlan Fiske Stone (who also held the position of Law School dean), served successively as Chief Justices of the United States. In the '50s, Dwight Eisenhower served as Columbia's president before becoming the President of the United States."

There was an article in the Times of the 1950's expounding upon the prestige of Columbia University. Not only did it have the largest endowment, it also owned Rockefellar Center and had the best economics department in the world. And to this day, Columbia holds the largest patent income of any University and holds the most Nobel Prizes.

Now what really sunk columbia out of the HYP realm was during the 1960's when Columbia students rioted and literally bombed the army/navy off campus. New York City went to hell during the 70's-80's and Columbia went down along with it. It wasn't until the mid 1980's that Columbia began her ascent again. Today, Columbia is regaining much of the ground she lost during that period.

But other than that-- yes I agree with you. Prestige is one of the most significant reasons to choose a school mainly because most of the people who think one school is unequivocably better than the other don't really matter. But I do have to say however, that Columbia places better in Law/Medicine and Investment Banking (unless you;re from Wharton).