<p>I have narrowed my choice between those two schools. I know that Umich enjoy a high reputation in engineering, but I only obtain a master’s degree. Somebody say that Upenn’ engineering is weak, but the Ivy brand is very appealling to me. I don’t know what to do now.</p>
<p>The real question is how you feel about your advisor and the area of research, and the level of support (financial and otherwise) that you will enjoy at the two programs.</p>
<p>The schools’ reputations will matter differently depending on whom you are talking to - non-engineers will be impressed by an Ivy, engineers will not. If you are going to be an engineer, then the prestige of the Ivy will matter little. If you are thinking of management, or some other non-engineering career, then the Ivy might be worth a little.</p>
<p>between those two schools, location is also a factor</p>
<p>UMich—you gonna be dealing with massive snow and coldness and corn field for two years</p>
<p>UPenn—Philly is not the best city but at least it’s big, you could anything you want there, also it’s hella warmer</p>
<p>to me would be Penn no doubt 
engineering treats the “rankings” the least (compare to law/med/bus)</p>
<p>UPenn of course…
Don’t listen to those guys who tell you that reputation is useless beacause,
ironically their standard to judge whether a program is good or not is based on the reputation of the program.</p>
<p>cosmicfish, stop saying the stupid things like Ivy is not strong in Engineering,Ivy is not good… OK? Only stupid guys like you will not be impressed by Ivy, moreover, you are not an engineer at all</p>
<p>No, most knowledgeable people recognize that the Ivy League (minus Cornell) isn’t very good at engineering.</p>
<p>I think people are getting a little carried away with defending their own school’s honor. As a Michigan alum I am certainly a little biased for my school, but I think it’s fair to weigh the options.</p>
<ol>
<li>Michigan is extraordinarily well regarded all around, and especially in engineering. Their engineering school is ranked by US News as #9, while UPenn is #30. The Michigan Electrical Engineering program is #6 in the country ([Michigan</a> Engineering | Rankings](<a href=“http://www.engin.umich.edu/about/rankings.html]Michigan”>http://www.engin.umich.edu/about/rankings.html)). While I don’t put much stock in rankings, it is something to think about, especially as a graduate student. While people outside of Engineering may be more impressed by UPenn, people in the field will be more impressed with Michigan. And anyway, isn’t it about your education, not about what “people” will think about you?</li>
<li>Ann Arbor is beautiful. It is a great town and has a great atmosphere. The only corn I’ve seen is at the supermarket. It is up to you if you want to live in the suburbs or a city, but I personally don’t think that should be your primary reason for choosing a grad school.</li>
<li>Think about what your research focus is and if there is a specific faculty member you want to study with. This is extremely important for your own development as a student, so this should get some thought.</li>
</ol>
<p>y1justin: “cosmicfish, stop saying the stupid things like Ivy is not strong in Engineering,Ivy is not good… OK? Only stupid guys like you will not be impressed by Ivy, moreover, you are not an engineer at all”</p>
<p>All right… I am not sure how I merited a personal attack, but let’s go for it.</p>
<p>The Ivy League is not strong in engineering. It’s not. Social sciences, humanities, business, medicine - all great. Engineering - not so much. I am talking on a tight scale here, of course - most of the programs in the Ivy League stay in the top-50, and there are some top-25 programs as well, and overall those are still pretty good. But the big schools for engineering, the consistent top-10 programs, are not Ivy League.</p>
<p>Also, every school with a graduate program is #1 in at least something, however narrow. Again, if that something is what you want to do, that is where you go, whether it is Ivy League or Bush League. But the top engineering schools have more of those top areas, and usually in more cutting-edge areas, which is why they get the rep.</p>
<p>Out of curiosity, by what do basis did you decide I was stupid? What makes you think I am not an engineer?</p>
<p>The most important thing remains the fit with the department, advisor, and field of study. If you find that match at an Ivy, go for it! But the name will not carry much weight in the engineering world.</p>
<p>Ah, I see you are in the process of deciding between Columbia and UPenn - explains the defensiveness. You also indicated in another post that you were looking at an MBA down the road - that is where the Ivy name will have an impact. In the hardcore engineering world, not knowing your specific subfield or who you studied under, Ivy league just does not count for much.</p>
<p>Mr. Zoo has obviously never been to Univ of Michigan. I work here in Ann Arbor and I hardly ever see corn fields. It’s a small city (~100,000). This isn’t the middle of nowhere. Southeastern Michigan is the most concentrated population in the state.</p>
<p>Don’t let the Ivy League name cloud your mind. Everyone knows Michigan has a superior overall engineering program than Penn. Sub-fields/departments are more important at the graduate level.</p>
<p>Thanks all.
I know absolutely that Umich has a higher quality engineering program than Upenn. However, I will obtain a master’s program and I think a bigger city may provide me more opptunities for internship during summer vacation because of financial problems.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I can’t tell if you’re just a huge ■■■■■ or not. All your posts are in some stupid thread like “Harvard v Yale” or “WHICH IS THE BEST IVY?”</p>
<p>can’t tell if you’re just a huge ■■■■■ or not. All your posts are in some stupid thread like “Harvard v Yale” or “WHICH IS THE BEST IVY?” </p>
<p>I’m doing that because I’ve ask one question but people, some people are always talking about “just don’t go” because reputation is useless. Yes, if you and cosmicfish, are just reasoning or comparing Ivy between those school with good reputation in engineering in US&World News like you do in this thread not like you do as in many threads where op just want an answer but you just tell us : don’t go it’s not good ,ivy is not good. If you didin’t apply for Ivy… please…just stop telling people Ivy is not good just because you don’t like it.</p>
<p>sunneptune, Michigan engineering students do not have problems obtaining summer internships. In fact, you can find Michigan alumni across the country and around the world. I meet students everyday who come as far as California and China. Ann Arbor is a very pedestrian-friendly city (I walk almost everywhere I go in the city.) If you’re worried about the cost of moving, why don’t you contact the school. Penn might be an Ivy League school, but their engineering program is not first-rate. Good luck.</p>
<p>tenisghs, thank you. I am a student from China. It’s hard for me to visit each campus personally and talk to people directly. So it’s difficulty for me to make a final decision. Most people (including my parents)around speak highly of Upenn but they don’t learn about Umich. Thank you for your suggestion again~</p>
<p>Sunneptune, some people speak highly of UPenn overall (it has Wharton) but did they talk about its engineering program? If the answer is no, then be very careful. Talk to any prospective U.S. employer about Michigan engineering, and you will receive overwhelming praise. </p>
<p>If you’re still uncertain, I was on North Campus yesterday (where the Engineering schools are located) to visit the Art, Architecture and Engineering library. I saw LOTs of Asians. </p>
<p>This link should help you: [Michigan</a> Engineering | Recruiting and Admissions Home](<a href=“http://www.engin.umich.edu/gradadmissions/]Michigan”>http://www.engin.umich.edu/gradadmissions/)</p>
<p>sunneptune, you made the right choice, myself is from China too.</p>
<p>for the rest of you guys… decision making for us is different, considering many of us will go back to our home country, so the school’s reputation in OUR country is actually more important, UPenn is at least 10X more famous than UMich in China (yes I know it’s because of non-engineering reasons)</p>
<p>also job opportunity is crucial to us (upon graduation if we dont get a job uncle Sam flies us back to china), yes Ann Arbor may not be on corn field, but cmon 32% of that town’s popular is UMich students… so speaking of opportunities Philly stands out also. </p>
<p>with these two considerations, the choice is obvious.</p>
<p>Mr. Zoo, I understand your cultural reasons. However, if the OP wants an engineering education rather than something to brag about to her folks, Michigan is the better choice. You keep focusing on the city of Ann Arbor when many U-M students pursue national and international internship opportunities and have few problems getting permanent jobs. If Michigan is so “unheard of” in China, then there should are a lot of Chinese (mainland and American) on campus. However, if it’s essential for the OP to attend a school based on prestige rather than a superior engineering education, that is their decision to decide. Good luck.</p>
<p>tenisghs, I side with Mr. Zoo. Chances are these Chinese students will get jobs in China and therefore they should pick a school based on what Chinese employers know more. Yes it may be a technically inferior program, but it’s still more well-known in a place where name carries a lot more weight than it does here.</p>
<p>Mr. Zoo - I agree with your reasoning. Assuming that you like your advisor and research focus at both schools, I would go with the better rep. In the US engineering that would be Michigan, but it does not surprise me that the UPenn name travels farther!</p>
<p>Having grown up in PA, I would not necessarily agree with the pro-Philly slant… big city, but one of my personal least favorites on the east coast. Again though, that is personal.</p>
<p>If the concern is the government sending you back to China, then you should go to UPenn. Just because you are in a city does NOT equal more opportunities, especially in Philadelphia. UMich has a fantastic reputation and I have never heard of a UM Engineer not getting a job with a very high salary right away or in the middle of their studies. A good friend of mine interned at IBM and GE for two summers and pulled about 30k at each. There are always job fairs on campus and there are multiple specifically for Engineers. I would encourage you to call or e-mail an Engineering adviser at UM.</p>
<p>The OP should highly consider my and wolverette’s advice.</p>