<p>I live in Florida, but have been dying to go to UPenn for the past few years. I visited Penn recently and fell in love, but this past weekend I went to UF and stayed with my friends in their dorm, and I have to say it was one of the best weekends of my life. The campus was just as amazing as Penn’s, everyone was so nice, hot girls, party and fraternity scene was just what I wanted, etc… But Penn was very similar to me in that sense. My question is, if I am admitted to both schools, is it worth it to go to Penn. At UF I would be going for free due to prepaid, scholarships, and bright futures. At Penn, I have some money to pay, but I do not think that the FA will be that good. So let’s just pretend I want UF, is it a very respected school as long as you graduate near the top of your class. I will most likely go to grad school either way, so I was wondering if Penn is worth the money and if UF is a good school. Thank you guys!</p>
<p>It would depend on your family’s financial situation and how much more Penn would end up costing you over UF.</p>
<p>UF is a great school and if you do well there no grad school or employer will look down upon a UF degree.</p>
<p>UF is a fine school, but I wouldn’t base your entire decision on one weekend at UF. I’m sure Penn is fun as well, you just saw a different side of it than you saw at UF. Not to mention, there are top schools with party/greek scenes that dwarf Penn’s by a long shot…</p>
<p>Penn has great need-based finaid, but it depends on what they determine your “need” is. Pretty short on merit money.</p>
<p>UF is not UPenn, but it still is very selective. If money was equal, you should definitely go to Penn. If you don’t get the aid you want, I would suggest UF, especially since you have plans for grad school, which will rack up more debt. If you’re going to grad school, employers will mostly only care where you went for grad school. UF definitely doesn’t have the same academic acclaim Penn has, so if it was affordable, pick Penn. </p>
<p>Of course this is all based on the chance you do get into both. Good luck.</p>
<p>It may depend on what you want to do afterward.</p>
<p>If you want to work in investment banking, Penn would be better recruited than UF. But it could be the other way around if you want to work in engineering in Florida.</p>
<p>Penn has very good financial aid. If you get in, I think you should go due to the increased opportunities there.</p>
<p>UF is a mediocre large state school in the south. </p>
<p>Penn is a top ivy league private school in the northeast.</p>
<p>These are not peer schools. You should go back to Penn and see if you have a better experience. If not, there are a significant number of schools in between Penn and UF that you could go to if you are concerned about going to a good school.</p>
<p>Penn is better and 10x harder to get in. So, its pointless to decide without even applying to both.</p>
<p>I believe that I have a decent shot at getting into Penn. Of course, I cannot predict anything. But, I know I will get into UF. I am not basing just the weekend…UF has always been an option, but just overshadowed by the thought of going to UPenn. </p>
<p>I am going to apply early decision to UPenn regardless. Though, if I am not admitted, should I go to another top 20 school (such as cornell, duke, or dartmouth) if I am planning on getting an MBA (or possibly even doing a dual-degree MBA-JD) or should I go to UF for undergrad where I know I will have an amazing time, be debt free (actually make money), and get a great state school education?</p>
<p>I know it sounds like I am buttering up UF, but I feel as if it has some academic acclaim. Wouldn’t most agree that it is a top 15 state school and a top 45-50 University? And does the actual school you go for undergrad (assuming I am going to UF or anything ranked above it) actually factor into grad school admissions, or do admissions center around where in your class you graduated, GPA, and Gmat/lsat/whateversat scores?</p>
<p>Thank you so much for your feedback!</p>
<p>By the way I am planning to study business, but I am actually not applying to Wharton undergrad…I will shoot for Wharton for grad school as my top choice when the time comes around. Would going to Penn increase wharton grad chances?</p>
<p>OP, no you’re not buttering up UF. UF is ranked around 50 in the nation and 17 for public universities. “Informative” isn’t very informative by calling UF “mediocre.” I’m interested in what his or her definition of mediocre is. The fact he/she lists locations is indicative of a stereotype he/she likely possesses where people in the south aren’t as intelligent as those from the north.</p>
<p>There’s no argument Penn is a better school than UF and harder to get into. I don’t think being a business major changes anything from my previous post. Good aid=Penn. Bad aid=UF. Grad schools look more at GPA, internships, research, etc. than where you went to school. However, if the school was ranked really low, then it will likely matter. But because UF is just outside the top 50, you won’t be handicapped too much. UF sends tons of students to good grad schools every year.</p>