Huntsman vs Princeton

Changel
Wed, 07 Apr 2010 08:25:22 +0000

Hi all,

I’m in the same situation as geekmom’s son - choosing between Princeton and Huntsman @ Penn. From last year’s HS class, I have 5 friends at Princeton and 2 at Penn (1 in M&T, 1 econ major in CAS), and I’ve also done a lot of reading and some participating on the Huntsman & Penn facebook/admitted students forums. Those are my sources, no articles or stats, but hopefully the following info will be helpful. Before I post though, I wanted to really thank kafkareborn, as well as other Penn & Princeton students/alumni for their positive contributions. I think CC is about helping each other and sharing info, and yes, trying to back up w/ sources/be as accurate as possible, but not necessarily about the need to be 100% accurate, and definitely not to challenge others who are posting what they know with good intentions.

That being said, here’s what I’ve learned/am feeling so far about Princeton and Penn:


Curriculum. Penn has much more pre-professional focus. You have pre-meds, pre-laws, and Wharton’s infamous pre-business. In Huntsman, like in Wharton, you are on a pretty rigid business track. You have the intl studies major at CAS which definitely strengthens the liberal arts component of the program, BUT you have many requirements to fulfill (not undo-able, as several classes count for 2+ requirements), so it’s not really like a traditional liberal arts (freedom, exploration, random amazing classes in obscure subjects etc) that you might find at Princeton. Hence, Princeton, on the other hand, really emphasizes the “liberal” aspect of liberal arts, haha. From alumni, I get the feel that Princeton really encourages you to try all different subjects, and that these subjects are often presented in interesting/disguised ways as well. lol. And from videos, it seems like EVERYBODY is always changing their major at least once -.- but maybe thats just videos…? I feel pretty set on what I want to study (econ/business/intl relations), but then again, who knows right? Because many of these people in videos/blogs etc (Princeton that is) seem to be driven, motivated people, so I’m assuming they had plans for themselves as well, and STILL were persuaded to change/discovered new interests. So that’s something to think about - how interested/set you yourself (/child) are on pursuing business as a career.
Academic resources. Professors at Princeton are undisputed-ly top notch, with a low faculty:student ratio and of course, the many Nobel laureates.


** *I do have a question here - how easy is it to get access to these professors (the top scholars, politicians, Nobel winners), especially in freshman/sophomore years? And relating to a previous point - what percentage of students actually switch majors? Why do they switch? Is any consideration given to career interests, or do most students go by “interest” level? **

Anyways, back to what I was saying; I initially wondered why I hadn’t heard that much about Penn’s Nobel-winning faculty and text-book-authors. I asked a friend (current Penn '13) and I think he put it really well: Penn professors, especially Wharton professors, do not win Nobel prizes. They do not write text books. They are not often politicians. But they teach you how to be successful in business and how to get a job, and when you are ready to graduate from Wharton, you will. get a job.

To me, it makes sense - Wharton graduates go on to run businesses, to engineer (accidentally? by turning a blind eye?) financial crises, but at the end of the day, that Wharton education can get you to a lot of places you want to go in the business field. (And of course, it’s up to individuals to decide with what morals they want to use that opportunity). I’m sure that many Princeton undergrads go into successful business careers as well (financial sector is actually 2009 graduates’ most entered industry -http://ocsweb.princeton.edu/pro-flip/Main.php?MagID=1&MagNo=1, as cited by others) , but I think Wharton and esp. Huntsman really prepares you specifically for finance/consulting, since you’re actually getting a practical business education. (Princeton offers a “certificate”, similar to minor, in finance, but no business).


Location/atmosphere: Philadelphia is a bustling city. Princeton is a quieter town. I think there’s quite a difference there. I’m visiting both next week (Princeton’s first Preview weekend, and then Huntsman Day @ Penn) and while there are definitely advantages to both Philly AND Princeton, I think most people prefer one location to the other. In terms of people atmosphere, I’d say that Penn is definitely more career-focused, whereas many students at Princeton may be more interested in really learning and broadening their knowledge. Princeton’s student body is smaller (4900 undergrads?) than Penn’s (9700 undergrad alone), but Huntsman is also a special program of 40-45 students per class (160 to 180 total), in which I think you get more personal attention in terms of advising.


** *Question about that (mostly to Princeton students): would you say it’s hard to stand out amongst the ~1250 undergrads in your class, especially when it comes time for job applications/grad school/summer opportunities? I’d imagine it to be greater competition from similarly educated students. Additionally, how easy is it to receive personal attention (academic counseling, career preparation services, etc?) **

That’s all I have to say (haha). Hope it’s not too long that it becomes tedious, but it’s definitely a tough decision. Parents - if you wouldn’t mind sharing your son/daughter’s names (perhaps privately through PM), I’d love to get to talk to him/her on facebook or even better, at preview days!

Additionally, Princeton/Penn students - I would really LOVE to hear your opinions/responses to any of my comments and especially questions. Thank you very much!

Just a note, all this information is posted to the VERY best of my knowledge =P. If you’re able to clarify/correct something, please do! But I will not reply to any posts that are unnecessarily negative or attempting to challenge some point - my sources are cited above :)