Transferring (in electrical engineering): Cornell vs. Upenn vs. Swarthmore

jademaster
Wed, 18 May 2016 17:44:47 +0000

I think Swarthmore’s engineering has a very different focus than engineering at most other places. It is less professionally oriented. Just take a look at the description on the engineering department’s front page:

“Swarthmore seeks to help its students realize their full intellectual and personal potential, combined with a deep sense of ethical and social concern. Within this context the Engineering Department seeks to graduate students with a broad, rigorous education, emphasizing strong analysis and synthesis skills. Our graduates will be well rounded and understand the broader impacts of engineering. They will have the skills to adapt to new technical challenges, communicate effectively, and collaborate well with others. The Engineering Department and its students provide to the College community a unique perspective that integrates technical and nontechnical factors in the design of solutions to multifaceted problems.”

You will find a broader social scene, more parties, and also more entrepreneurial opportunities at Penn. If you’re set on EE, go to a school that offers it. Swarthmore is a very collaborative place, and from what I know, Penn is more competitive generally. At Swarthmore, you still need to do division requirements: 3 courses in the humanities (languages are included), 3 in the social sciences, and 3 in the natural sciences. If you do not want to do six credits outside of your major, then I would advise against Swarthmore.

That said, Swarthmore engineers do go on to do great things, but obviously a small department at a small liberal arts school that doesn’t focus exclusively on the sciences would not have much of a reputation in industry. That shouldn’t necessarily stop you, especially if you plan on pursuing a masters’ or doctorate later on. Last year an engineering student was awarded a Marshall scholarship. You won’t be shortchanged on the quality of your education.

As far as overall reputation go, Penn is better known by the public, Swarthmore is slightly more reputable academically for undergrad. This is probably a controversial statement, but Swarthmore alumni have won more Rhodes, Nobels, Macarthurs in absolute number than Penn. This is what I mean by academic reputation. It shouldn’t have any bearing on which school you go to or what engineering program you should choose, but does tell you that the institutional culture at Swarthmore really pushes students to think deeply and profoundly about what the paths they choose to take. This translates to some outstanding figures in government and politics, in academia, in the sciences, and a broad array of fields. Don’t shortchange it because you think Penn has a better overall reputation. Go to the school that you think will push you to be the best at what you do.

Your success at and after college is contingent on what you make of your opportunities and learning. From what you’ve written, Penn seems to offer the most opportunity for specialization and its business emphasis will help in entrepreneurship. If Swarthmore is right for a student, they can really thrive there. But Penn seems to offer more for you.