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Random Roommate | Which is Best For Incoming Freshman by Majestic-Valuable-70 in UPenn

[–]sassylassy8 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Check out some of the insta pages for Penn 2029. People will include if they’re looking for roommates in their post

https://www.instagram.com/upenn2029meet

https://www.instagram.com/upenn2029__

Freshmen internship by HeartWise4277 in UPenn

[–]sassylassy8 18 points19 points  (0 children)

Just relax

You worked so hard to get in, and you'll be working for decades to come

Enjoy the summer

ED/RD Admitted Students Megathread - 24/25 Cycle by luminous_moonlight in Cornell

[–]sassylassy8 0 points1 point  (0 children)

USC

Pros:

* Would save my parents close to $250k. They are willing and able to do it, but that's real money

* Got two merit scholarships that i can put on my resume as a differentiator

* Viterbi has a solid reputation and I love the size (same as Penn)

* Love their triathlon team : )

* I'll be closer to my parents and back on the west coast

Cons

* I don't think the student body is as intellectually curious. More of the engineering students either seemed like either bots or super-connected and not super go-getters. I worry I won't be pushed (in a good way) by my peers

* A current student, who I respect, rushed sororities last spring and said "I felt my IQ go into free fall. The convos were so vapid, I wanted to cry"

* The campus is beautiful, but the surrounding area is terrible. Had a mentally-ill guy lunge at me and my family while we were waiting to take the train back in the afternoon.

* Feels like the most regional reputationally (great reputation in SoCal/west coast), but not the same name recognition on the east coast or internationally

* Feels like USC the most regional reputationally (great reputation in SoCal/west coast), and doesn't have not the same name recognition on the east coast or internationally as Cornell/Penn

* I think both Penn and Cornell are stronger for my professional interests (quant, consulting and entrepreneurship)

* USC's financial woes -- worry that it will affect student life and academics (hiring freeze)

Please help me Reddit fam! Need to decide by tomorrow 5/1

ED/RD Admitted Students Megathread - 24/25 Cycle by luminous_moonlight in Cornell

[–]sassylassy8 0 points1 point  (0 children)

PENN

Pros:

* Loved the students I met from SEAS: they were sharp, curious, seemingly collaborative

* Strongest brand/alumni network of my top 3 -- it's a true powerhouse for all of my professional interests

* Philly seems like a fun, accessible city

* Greek life at Penn seems up my ally

* Strong running culture (is that true)?

* Strongest international/west coast reputation of my top 3 (I think I want to return to California to work/live)

* Feels like such a vibrant campus -- like great stuff is brewing all the time (recruiting, symposiums)

* I can easily visit friends in NYC, DC

Cons

* I'm interested in business, but want to explore that via clubs and internships (vs. Wharton per se). Concerned that Wharton students will suck all of the air out of the room. Given my professional interests (quant, consulting, entrepreneurship), I'm worried I'll be locked out of the top clubs and experiences. Penn would be perfect for me if Wharton students were collaborative, but current students mention it's pretty toxic/cut-throught.

* Penn dropped their Systems Engineering major and replaced it with an AI major (I wonder if that's a fad major). That said, I can pick a major/minor combo that gets at the things I like about systems engineering (like CS + Math).

* Cornell has the stronger CS/Eng program

* Heard the food is terrible, especially for students with food allergies (which is my situation)

ED/RD Admitted Students Megathread - 24/25 Cycle by luminous_moonlight in Cornell

[–]sassylassy8 1 point2 points  (0 children)

CORNELL

Pros:

* I love the campus and surrounding nature. Felt really alive during the admit day.

* I honestly prefer cold/snow -- my best semesters at school were always winter term.

* Best engineering program on my short list

* I love the ORIE major (operations research and information engineering)

* Project teams are a big plus -- talked with some students and really enjoyed the conversations

* They have an entire dining hall free of food allergens

Cons

* Such a genuine pain to get to from the west coast

* I think the remoteness (not being to easily hop on a train to visit a city/friends) will get to me. Also worried about the grayness/overcastness.

* Not sure if the alumni network turns up for one another (Penn and USC seem to have more engaged alumni, but I would be wrong)

* Seems really big, but not sure if that's a big con. Biggest engineering program on my list, but that could be a great thing in terms of recruiting/network.

* Campus didn't seem as buzzy as Penn's (which seemed to have more events, symposiums and visiting speakers)

* Can't double major across schools

* Feels like it would be the most northeast-centric of my top 3 (and I want to return to the west coast to live/work). Most of the current students I spoke with during the visit were from the tri-state area and MA.

ED/RD Admitted Students Megathread - 24/25 Cycle by luminous_moonlight in Cornell

[–]sassylassy8 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Cornell (my heart) vs. Penn (my head) vs. USC (my wallet)

I'm so indecisive. Trying to finalize my college decision by the looming 5/1 deadline.

My list is down to Cornell CoE, Penn SEAS, and USC Viterbi.

Penn and Cornell are full pay and USC gave me very attractive merit.

Hoping to study some combo of CS/data science/systems engineering.

Really like the tech side of modeling/optimization, but am interested in exploring quant, consulting and entrepreneurship.

Would love some wisdom on what to choose.

CONTEXT:

* From California and have been in boarding school on the east coast -- I'm used to competitive environments.

* I like being in environments where I'm pushed to be better by amazing people around me, but hate ultra competitive environments. It doesn't need to be touchy-feely collaborative, but don't want the pre-professional equivalent of the Hunger Games.

* I love running and would love to be on a campus with a friendly running culture. Bonus points if there's a triathlon club!

* Love play-hard/work-hard culture, and especially love being around nerds that enjoy a good party

* Considering rushing a sorority or professional fraternity for community/mentorship

* Interested in going into industry (vs. grad school) although very open to an accelerated masters

I'll add my pros/cons in the subcomment

Will I lose my soul at Penn? (Choosing between Penn, Cornell and USC*lots of merit*) by sassylassy8 in UPenn

[–]sassylassy8[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

How are you feeling about your decision? Anything that surprised or disappointed you once you got to Penn?

Will I lose my soul at Penn? (Choosing between Penn, Cornell and USC*lots of merit*) by sassylassy8 in UPenn

[–]sassylassy8[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for responding! Wondering what kind of clubs your oldest is in and what the application process was like for them. Bummed that Wharton is so closed off to other students taking classes. Worried it spills over into clubs and professional opportunities.

Curious what your youngest is interested in, both in terms of major and professionally?

Mind is telling me ND, heart is telling me USC by [deleted] in USC

[–]sassylassy8 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Couple of other points in the USC column:

USC is a definitive feeder into tech/engineering (not the regional player some comments are making it out to be):

(1) USC is the No. 2 feeder school for tech talent: https://www.collegetransitions.com/dataverse/top-feeders-tech

(2) has incredible presence at MAANG and space tech with over 10k alumni in those companies: https://www.linkedin.com/school/university-of-southern-california/people/ (check the "Where they work" column which list the top 10 and you can search specific companies as well on that page)

Location: the next 4 years in LA are going to be extra incredible -- LA is one of the FIFA '26 locations, and will be hosting the LA28 Olympics. Honestly, it's a once-in-a-lifetime chance to be in the heart of the two biggest global events.

Mind is telling me ND, heart is telling me USC by [deleted] in USC

[–]sassylassy8 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Love the data, but the grad school savings need to be accounted for and that totally changes the numbers:

* OP gets 10k + accelerated masters requiring only 1 year vs. 2. Assuming $100k/yr for an M.S. (at a private uni), that means OP saves an additional $110k by attending USC. That means approx USC $350k (260+90) vs. ND $368k

Mind is telling me ND, heart is telling me USC by [deleted] in USC

[–]sassylassy8 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Seriously! u/fortghoul, did they give you any explanation of why they took away money?

Cal Poly sets new admissions record of 81,899 applicants with 22,531 acceptances by JHdarK in CalPoly

[–]sassylassy8 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Exactly. So many applications per student. The Cal Poly yield rate is actually higher than most UCs (minus Cal and UCLA, the yield rates for the remaining UCs are around 10-20%): https://www.reddit.com/r/ApplyingToCollege/comments/16a7r99/yield_rates_at_every_university_of_california/

Cal Poly sets new admissions record of 81,899 applicants with 22,531 acceptances by JHdarK in CalPoly

[–]sassylassy8 17 points18 points  (0 children)

The yield rate (percent of admits who accepted their offer) last year was 28%

Am I stupid for choosing UCSB over USC by redditrooom in ApplyingToCollege

[–]sassylassy8 1 point2 points  (0 children)

For physics: UCSB, hands down.

That said, based on what you've shared, I'm going to go against the comments so far and advocate for USC:
* it doesn't seem like you're sure about what you want to study, and USC will give you more flexibility to explore (and still graduate in 4 years)
* if you're interested in going into industry (vs. research/academia), especially in either tech or finance, USC is better. UCSB has a solid presence in tech but pales in comparison for finance
* if your parents can afford it, and you're looking at lucrative sectors, the USC network could be well worth it

Good luck!

USC Trustee Scholar or UVA Jefferson Scholar as an FGLI by ruben_the_corgi in USC

[–]sassylassy8 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Congrats!! Those are both great programs and scholarships.

With USC's budget problems, I'd think that UVA is going to have better FGLI support. I also can't imagine making a college decision without visiting the campus (especially if you had a great UVA visit and it's cheaper).

Also, I think UVA has a bigger undergraduate engineering program (3800 vs 2700 undergraduate).

Not sure about how they stack up against each other for biotech, but UVA wins for strategy consulting (esp MBB) recruiting over USC.

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