Who is UPenn’s computer science program for? As families look at elite computer science program rankings, it can be easy to hone in on those at the very top of the list. But what if our young applicant is just as interested in product design as they are in Python? Or just as drawn to health care or economics as to algorithms?
At the heart of an Ivy League education is excellence without compromise. Sure, you can go to UC Berkeley for CS if you don’t mind enormous class sizes. And there are great liberal arts colleges for CS, contrary to popular belief: Harvey Mudd is going to provide an excellent and immersive CS experience with good job prospects… but it isn’t exactly a household name, and as an LAC it doesn’t even show up on most national rankings lists.
The value offering of an Ivy experience is the ability to provide everything at the highest level, both in program quality and in customer experience, and the academic value-add doesn’t begin and end with a student’s major: students have a surprising degree of freedom to enhance their education with opportunities in neighboring departments from business and finance to the arts and humanities.
Long story short: the University of Pennsylvania deserves serious attention. It’s not just an Ivy League school with a CS department — it’s one of the only places in the country where your child can build an education as multidimensional as their ambitions.
Penn’s School of Engineering puts its value propositions right front and center:
-An elite, deeply engaged alumni network that exists in decision making roles at top companies across the country and around the world.
-A 13:1 faculty ratio. That’s a lot better than other top programs, like UC Berkeley, which is estimated to have 20:1, although Penn is similarly rigorous. That means more personalized attention and tailored research opportunities for students and their interests.
-Advising support from both a professor and also a graduate student mentor. Students can expect a deeper level of support vs. other top programs, which is imperative given Penn’s reputation for exacting academic standards.
-Students have opportunities unheard of in other programs. They can earn a stipend for their research efforts. They can take coursework in Wharton or any of Penn’s other highly prestigious institutions under its ‘One University’ policy. They can even get tens of thousands in startup funds through the university for successfully validated and market-tested ventures even before reaching out to the alumni network or venture capitalists.
The overall picture is clear: highly self-motivated students who are looking for more than your everyday 9-5 ought to be looking at Penn. Penn mints the third most millionaire alumni in the country, only exceeded by (you may have guessed it) Harvard and Stanford.
A holistic education means something different at UPenn: you’re getting the best student teacher ratio, an education with resources to rival the very best programs out there, and the perks of excellent elective coursework from across the university that schools like UIUC or Carnegie Mellon simply cannot replicate.
Then it’s hard to beat UPenn. If you’re interested in just collecting a nice paycheck from one of the big five and have no ambition to enter leadership: other programs may make more sense. As with any college applications decision: finding the right fit always matters more than things like incremental differences in program ranking.
If you’re unsure of how to make a distinction like that, reach out to us. At Pathivy, we know our kids and we know the programs. Schedule a free consultation with our team to see how you might benefit from college applications advising.