Choosing between Yale SCEA and UPenn ED

PennCAS2014
Wed, 12 Aug 2015 13:11:37 +0000

Both are obviously great schools. I was also interested in politics (though primarily I was interested in history) and I chose Penn over Yale for a couple reasons

1. One University Policy- Being able to take classes in almost all of Penn's undergrad and graduate schools meant I had access to the most flexible, interdisciplinary curriculum in the world. I was able to supplement my history and poli sci courses with Business and Public Policy courses from Wharton, Legal history courses from Penn Law, graduate courses in Government at Penn's Fels Institute of Government, and do research with some of the brightest minds in the world on issues about which they were extremely passionate. Those opportunities are not available at any university with fewer course offerings in such a diversity of subjects or at a university with more onerous obstacles dividing disciplines and schools.

2. The Social Atmosphere- Penn being the Social Ivy provides an incomparable social experience. Students take their downtime as seriously as they take class and that was extremely important for me. I wanted to be surrounded by people who were able to put away the books at some point and talk about sports, movies, television, Kanye West and Kim Kardashian. Yet, when it was time for class, I wanted to be surrounded by the best and brightest minds while discussing everything from Socrates to geological formation at mid-ocean ridges (geology was a great course). Penn students combine extreme intelligence with the laid back attitude and unpretentiousness that I so desired in a college experience. That is truly hard to come by in elite higher education.

3. Campus-City Balance- Penn's beautiful campus can make you feel as though your in a quiet suburb and yet you are literally on the doorstep of America's 5th largest city. The perfect balance between Penn's campus life and the opportunities in the city of Philadelphia make for an awesome undergrad life. The ability to do research, volunteer, or take on an internship in Philadelphia all while being involved in campus life and class is something that is unique to Penn. Other city campuses are too far from the center or downtown regions of their city to create this same balance. While other city campuses are in towns you could barely characterize as a real city. Philadelphia is the perfect size for a college student who wants the traditional college experience without having to sacrifice the art, culture, food, nightlife, concerts, and experiences of living in a world class city.

Also, on a side note, while Yale is obviously famous for their political science department, Penn’s poli sci is nothing to scoff at. And the opportunities from Penn are endless. I worked for the federal government (along with many of my peers) and I always felt as if Penn was able to provide me with the resources necessary to find the opportunities in Washington DC or city government for which I was looking. The Penn in Washington program has a healthy presence in DC and keeps students engaged with one another and the alums who have gone on to great jobs in government and beyond after graduating.

It’s also true that Penn’s computer science department is better resourced than most other programs in the nation. And it’s true that no other Ivy League school could provide you with a comparable undergraduate education in Finance. But the possibility of blending an education in politics, finance, and computer science is probably a realistic possibility only at Penn.

Can’t go wrong either way, though. Good luck!