UPenn vs Cornell - Creative writing & personal fit

Denlah
Sun, 29 Dec 2013 20:57:11 +0000

So I’ve applied to both UPenn and Cornell, and I have a good chance of getting in to both (35 ACT, really strong ECs, the whole shebang). My family hardly has the means to visit either, so I want to have a pretty good idea of my preferences before acceptance letters start rolling in come April.

First, as far as I’m concerned UPenn CAS = Cornell CAS in terms of prestige and overall quality. Therefore my choice mainly comes down to fit and my area of study. I want to major in English with an emphasis in creative writing, maybe minor (or double major) in religious studies, and I’m a huge fan of theatre also so a good drama scene is a plus.

I started out leaning toward Cornell (I like its more rural setting and snowfall), but writing the “Why UPenn?” supplement turned me on to UPenn’s offerings. Its English department is ranked #4 (compare to Cornell at #8) and its creative writing courses seemed more fun–though this could just be a matter of clever course cataloging. But UPenn also has the Kelly Writers House.

Is anyone here familiar with the KWH? If so, what’s it like to experience? Are UPenn’s creative writing courses truly great? I heard other posters say that CW was an area where Cornell beat UPenn, so my impressions from the course listings surprised me.

Then, how is Religious Studies at UPenn? Cornell has a religion major, but no department, and that was kind of off-putting. I found more courses tailored to my specific interests at UPenn, but it actually seemed less colorful than even Vassar’s program, where I’ve also sent in my app. Can someone familiar with Religious Studies at UPenn tell me more about the program?

Thanks.

P.S. – I realize I could have asked this before applying, but UPenn and Cornell are good about matching each other’s finaid offers, so I figured I could save some money if I got into both.