Help with the most difficult transfer decision? (being a "do-gooder" at Penn v Brown)

NervousandScared
Mon, 25 May 2015 19:53:49 +0000

Didn’t want to end up starting another one of these threads but I am having a really difficult time deciding. I ended up wanting to leave my previous school because of my strong interest in international/economic development and nonprofit work/ social enterprise management. The school didn’t have much coursework or programs available for either. Below, I’ve listed the pros and cons of Penn CAS and Brown, the schools I’ve been accepted to. Any extra input you guys could impart would be really helpful!

Brown
Pros:
-The open curriculum, pass/fail system, and generous drop system and the noncompetitive atmosphere that come out of it are everything I could want in an academic experience. I want to be able to explore college-level physics without killing my GPA. I want to be able to focus more on learning for the sake of learning despite knowing how GPA plays a role in my future. I am a self directed learner who is far more motivated and thrives when being able to make my own decisions.
-Stronger in development economics I believe. It has more development economists than Penn CAS’s econ department (although Penn has a few amazing people in this field too of course).
-Has it’s own development studies program that I’m interested in pursuing. All of the classes look amazing and I would be so excited to take them.
-I’m also interested in its Applied-Math econ program, which looks amazing, as well as its Public Policy program. I’m super excited to try classes in like all of these lol.
-Since I was accepted into the spring semester I could finish up a research project I had begun with a professor at my current school, or at least go farther with it
-I like a lot of the stereotypes I’ve heard about the vibe…despite being an ivy for instance, investment banking isn’t as popular or dominant amongst the student body as it is at its peer institutions. Finance is something I’ve expressed interest in myself for its potential application to development, but I never want to feel as if there is social pressure to go into it like I have heard there is at other schools
-Providence is a lovely place, as is RISD. I would love to take art classes there!
-Smaller size possibly means closer interaction with the professors, as well as the smaller graduate school population in proportion to undergrads

Cons:
-So many (admittedly somewhat similar) concentrations and classes there I want to explore, but I was accepted as an incoming Spring sophomore, giving me very little time to explore their courses before declaring a major.
-As a spring transfer I’m afraid of how adjusting socially will work out…unlike Penn, I don’t really know anyone there and there doesn’t seem to be as active of a transfer student organization. That being said, the few students I’ve managed to talk to who know of spring transfer students said they were well adjusted socially.
-It’s a very long drive from where I live
-Sometimes I fear that the laid-back may translate to laziness? People I know who go there claim most students there are hard working though.
-I was glad to hear from current students that the courses are challenging, but it seems to have a reputation as a “lazy ivy” because of its open curriculum and pass fail and drop policies. Its ranking is a bit lower because of this

Penn
Pros:
-Much closer to home and the demographics of the population seem much more like home.
-Larger alumni base and apparently higher ranked. Yes I know this should not be the be all and end all for my decision making, but it’s definitely something I’ve noticed
-The size has its benefits…I think the school would feel a bit closer to the real world because of the sheer diversity offered by its size. Theoretically, it would be much harder for me to not find a group I fit in with when there are this many people. This also counters negative stereotypes I may have heard about the student body, since really how can you generalize such a huge number of people?
-I can start in the Fall which may be more convenient
-It seems to have a larger and more active transfer community and more transfers period. They seem to take an active part in making sure transfers adjust and integrate into the community. I also have high school friends who go here already, so all this means I won’t be socially dead as a transfer.
-I could potentially pursue a dual major with Wharton, which would give me more practical skills and knowledge involved in social enterprise work or nonprofit finance work. Of course it’s no guarantee I’d make it, but based on what others have told me about the academic requirements I think I have a decent shot.
-It has an international development minor and its International relations major allows a focus in development…so even though opportunities to take classes in development are less than they would be at Brown, it’s still a substantial improvement to my old school and might be enough to satisfy me
-There are a LOT of preprofessional nonprofit consulting clubs that are actually really well run…definitely something I’m interested in.
-The campus is prettier than Brown’s and it’s near a bunch of delicious, cheap, food trucks.
-I hear students are super intense about not only their academics, but their extracurricular activities as well…just generally something I would love to see since I am the same way.

Cons:
-I might end up majoring in Econ at CAS (but very well may end up majoring in IR instead with a focus on development), and I hear a lot of them feel overshadowed by Wharton students and that even in just Econ CAS there’s a huge social pressure to get into the finance industry. I’ve heard a couple of negative comments about the professors
-I’m just not a fan of the curves I keep hearing about. Based on what friends from my high school told me, it’s still not too difficult to get A’s if you work hard, but it’s the principal of it that I disagree with…I feel like if a class has more intelligent students one year who have mastered the material, it makes sense for more of them to get A’s than if you had a class where more of the students didn’t try as hard
-Competitive environment may either drive me crazy or make me stronger…maybe both? It’s definitely something my high school should have gotten me used to by now.
-Class sizes seem larger on average than Brown’s
-Gen-eds…granted, it could be worse since its gen-eds are still kindof flexible, but it’s certainly no open curriculum
-Not a fan of Philly in general
-I’ve also heard that students are a lot more focused on how classes will look or add to their resumes than how their classes will add to their knowledge, help them grow as human beings, or satisfy their intellectual curiosity

I guess another thing that has made this decision difficult is that Penn is known for pre-professionalness and kids being sure of their career path or post-grad life while Brown is known for being more like an lac where a lot of kids are encouraged to explore and it’s considered more normal to not know what you want to do…I’m not sure exactly where I fall in this spectrum myself sometimes, but I’d wager that I’m just a little closer to wanting to explore and not knowing what I want for my future yet (even though I have some obvious ideas of interests I wish to pursue).