<p>Okay, I love Penn and it’s my number one choice, but unfortunately it is a reach. Can anyone suggest a couple match/safety schools (i won’t bother posting my stats, just schools that are a bit lower in selectivity than Penn) that are similar to Penn? I don’t have a major in mind at the moment, I am a bit confused, but I like everything about Penn (campus, etc). Better yet, any students who have applied, what were your matches and safeties? I want to start visiting some more schools and need some suggestions!</p>
<p>Similar in Competition: Columbia, Cornell, Duke
Less Competitive: JHU, NYU, UMichigan
Safety: Rutgers, Penn State</p>
<p>I guess Dartmouth, Brown, UChicago, WUSTL are also options but I didn’t really like any of those. Columbia is very similar to Penn in terms of atmosphere and quality of education, but offers less freedom in terms of course selection. You might like the Core, but I personally despise the concept. Duke is just great all around if you’re okay with the location. Dartmouth and Cornell are in pretty obscure locations, but have a surprising amount of brand recognition and successful grads (did you know Dartmouth grads make the highest average salary as compared to those from the other top schools, including HYPSM?). JHU, NYU, and UMichigan are all pretty decent campuses. JHU is a nice campus surrounded by an awful neighborhood (Baltimore), but still pretty safe. You’re probably familiar with NYU and it’s got a decent name despite it’s not exactly being a top notch school. Michigan has a good name, but is really big if you’re into that; plus the location might be far for you though it has been rated the best college town.</p>
<p>Out of curiosity, would you take BC over NYU? They’re essentially the same in terms of recognition/rigor/quality, but wouldn’t NYU be far more convenient for you?</p>
<p>yeah at the moment i would. i would rather have a more defined tightly knit campus oppossed to one like nyu thats more spread out and less distinct. campus feel is really really important to me</p>
<p>In order of competition in the admission process, here are some:
Columbia (New York City), Rice (Houston), Vanderbilt (Nashville), Johns Hopkins (Baltimore), Georgetown (Washington D.C.), UChicago (Chicago), Washington U in St. Louis (St. Louis), Tufts (Medford/Somerville, near Boston), Boston College (Boston), Carnegie Mellon (Pittsburgh), Macalester College (St. Paul), Reed (Portland), Emory (Atlanta), USC (LA), Barnard College (NYC), NYU (NYC), George Washington University (Washington D.C.), Boston University (Boston), Drexel University (Philadelphia)</p>
<p>Okay I don’t know all the admission rates; the order was made from rough estimates… off the top of my head… Don’t grill me!</p>
<p>State universities:
UCs (Berkeley, LA, SD etc.), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Urbana and Champaign), University of Washington (Seattle), University of Wisconsin-Madison (Madison), University of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh)</p>
<p>Wow that’s a lot. But I’m sure you’d find more if you search…
Hope that helped</p>
<p>I would definitely recommend Bryn Mawr as a safety if a) you are female b) you don’t mind going to a women’s school.
Apparently they have a sort of consortium deal with Upenn as well.</p>
<p>Bryn Mawr College does indeed have a consortium deal with Penn, called the Quaker Consortium, in which students from Penn and Bryn Mawr (as well as Haverford College and Swarthmore College) can enroll in courses at the other 3 schools.</p>
<p>I would strongly advise AGAINST considering the University of Chicago if you’re looking for a school that resembles Univ of Penn. While Chicago is in an urban atmosphere, the nature of the school is completely different. I did my grad work at Penn, and I can tell you that fraternity life, sports, using academics as a launching pad to practical success (i.e. pre-professionalization), and very few firm academic requirements are the hallmarks of a Penn experience. </p>
<p>All of this could not be farther from the truth at Chicago. With significant core requirements, an emphasis on intellectualism and learning for learning’s sake, and a more “quirky” student body (think kids who really like exploring the entire city in search of the best coffeehouse on a friday evening), the experience is just completely different.</p>
<p>I would highly, highly recommend using Northwestern as a “match” school. It has a similar campus feel, similar size, a pre-professional air, in an urban area, and an outstanding reputation.</p>
<p>Other good options would be Georgetown as a match, and Wash U or Vanderbilt (both near significant urban areas) would work too. For a similar experience at schools with less selectivity, I’d recommend Boston College (this could be a very good backup), the University of Rochester (not the greatest urban area, but still definitely a city, and the school should get more recognition - it is very good), and Tufts.</p>