Cornell vs Caltech for Bio/Premed

College Search & Selection
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Hi all, I have been lucky enough to be accepted to Caltech and Cornell University (CALS)

Although I am still excited I am also wrought with a lot of areas and fear as I am struggling to make a decision. I’m still in shock about getting into these two amazing schools.

I hope to study Biological sciences / Biology on a premed track

(yes I know both schools do not have a “premed” program, but I hope to take courses and particle in programs related to premed prerequisites and MCAT prep)

I like both schools and I am excited to go visit both (I have visited Cornell 1 time but I have nor yet visited Caltech, but I hope to soon as part of EcosySTEMs and Discotech)

*Note: I don’t really care about social life (it’s not really important anyways) or weather ( I have no preference, I would just dress accordingly ), or campus type (both have nice campuses)I don’t want to make this decision based on superficial, superfluous, or irrelevant factors. I also am scared that I don’t want to regret my decision years down the line.

Also I acknowledge, whole heartedly, that premed is going to be hard no matter where I go. I also know that I have no reference point because the courses in high-school ( taking 3 APs, 6 APs , and 3 APs + 3 college math classes in sophomore, junior, and senior year respectively) are probably considered a joke in college. I am not trying to flex, but trying to be honest with my perspective and experiences and how they might affect my college choices.

Pros

Cornell

Cornell offers a lot more programs in public and global health, micro biology, and biological sciences.The two majors that stand out to me in CALS are Biology and Society and Global Public Health Sciences

My only concern about Biology and society are the required humanities classes. Although I am a “ok” writer, I am not that good in a greater context. I usually have to spend ALOT of time to write and read to understand texts deeper and do well compared to some of my friends. I’m afraid I won’t have enough time for the other rigorous stem classes.

But with the Global Public Health Science major I am afraid that I might have to add additional prerequisites to stay on the premed track. I was initially interested in the Biological Sciences major, but I am scared that it will destroy my gpa. Med schools don’t care about the school you went to or your major: just your gpa, volunteering and shadowing, and relevant research experiences.

Caltech

Caltech has a smaller more intimate academic setting, and many programs such as the FSRI summer research program that is paid for by Caltech. Simply Caltech has less students, so they has more money and resources to allocate to each student. The main thing that attached me to Caltech in the first place was simply its focus on research and abundant undergraduate research opportunities. Obviously there is SURF, but even besides that, I think you would have to actively try to not participate in research in order to avoid it. From classes, it’s possible to meet other students to create close knit research groups, and hopefully write a paper.

Cons

Cornell

Unfortunately, I have not received the financial aid offer for Caltech, only for Cornell which shocked my family and I for being so expensive at 32k per year, when the initial estimate on Cornell’s fin aid calculator was 12-18k per year. After talking to my family we can only really pay 20k per year max and that would still be very tight on us financially.

Caltech

We hope that Caltech will offer slightly better financial aid (with the net price estimate at 20-23k)But I am still waiting on their offer :/Furthermore, Caltech only offers 3 biology centered majors ( Biology, Bioengineering, Geobiology )

Additionally, Caltech’s mandatory first-term calculus class is entirely proof-based and spends the first two weeks on defining the real numbers from scratch (via Cauchy sequences ). Although I took Calc3 + applied calc senior year, I am a little concerned about the “proof” aspects of the math courses. From researching more about medical school admissions the cutoff to look at applications is 3.6 gpa or greater. I am afraid that Med School AOs are probably unlikely to “consider Caltech’s rigor” in admission. Additionally, from initial research it also seems that the curve in some of the core classes is worse because of the smaller class sizes

I would really appreciate any ones insight or advice on making a decision.

Thanks :slight_smile:

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Caltech is a “research institution”. Is that what you are going for? Yes, it’s a very small college, with 200 entering freshman and you will be VERY independent.
The professors lecture, and go back to doing their research, and the exams are developed and scored by graduate students.
You need to be able to be very independent and learn subjects on your own. If that sounds good to you, and you think they will fund you, then go for it.

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Cal Tech is insanely impressive - congrats.

But here’s the thing - if you can’t afford either, that’s not good.

Then what?

You might need to find a lower cost alternative and they’re likely out there depending on your GPA/test scores.

That said, they don’t hold any prestige whatsoever but they would still get you to med school.

Caltech is so amazing and you’re unconcerned with social life that I hope it works out for you.

Cornell is way over budget so you cannot consider it.

Good luck.

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Cornell has a policy of matching FA from other Ivies, MIT, and Stanford. Though Caltech isn’t formally on that list, it’s worth the ask. The premed-equivalent programs in CALS are very strong, and it is clear from your post that you aren’t going to have any problems with your writing. Good luck.

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Did you keep the details of the Cornell NPC estimate? That could provide support for more aid (assuming the NPC inputs were accurate) when you talk with their FA staff. Are your parents divorced, own real estate beyond a primary home, or own a business? All of those things can lead to inaccurate NPC estimates, as can forgetting to include assets, trusts, adding 401k deductions back to income, etc.

If CalTech is affordable, it doesn’t seem Cornell is an option, assuming the $32K is the final number…how would your parents be able to close the gap from $32K to $20K (and you say the $20K is already a stretch)?

Do you have any other affordable options?

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the guy I work with who did his PhD at Caltech said once that he wouldn’t wish a caltech undergraduate experience to anyone.

You have to REALLY WANT TO GO TO CALTECH to be happy going to caltech.

Cornell, on the other hand, is a very balanced experience - large and diverse, many options. And one can make is as intense as one wants to be.

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IMO, a Caltech undergraduate experience is far superior to that of Cornell (or most other elite colleges). Its academic experience obviously isn’t for everyone, but Caltech treats its undergrads far better (graduate students there often complain that they’re treated as second class citizens) and gives them the kind of autonomy and resources few other colleges do.

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College is a lot more than just studying …

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I wasn’t talking about just academics.

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I am going to have to go ahead and disagree with you there … but these are opnions only and we’ve provided them …

Good luck deciding OP (my guess is OP will pick caltech - the name is just too difficult to give up)

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Finances are important for every family. Since you said “premed”, finances are even more important. However, tight things might be now and for the next four years, if you get to medical school finances are going to get even tighter.

Do you have other options that would be less expensive? If so, what are they and what would they cost?

There are a lot of universities that are very good for premed students. If you got accepted to Cornell and Caltech, then you are a very strong student and seem likely to have other more affordable options.

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OP may change his mind about medical school - many kids do … 1/3 of my incoming freshman class were pre-meds … only 30% of those ended up applying to medical schools …

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Does your family have equity in your primary home? If so, it may negatively affect your FA package from Cornell, but not from Caltech. You’ll likely receive a better FA offer from Caltech if that’s the case.

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I apologize for not clarifying earlier in my original post.

I was also accepted to WashU (Bioengineering) and USC( Environmental Health )
However, both are even more expensive than Cornell’s initial financial aid estimate, 38k and 35k respectively. I applied REA to Harvard back in November, so I was not able to apply to USC by their scholarship date :confused:

@DadTwoGirls

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I can’t find any recent data and the stuff I did find I am not a 100% sure of its accuracy, but it had a median GPA at CalTech in the 3.4-3.5 range. I would find that risky. Med school admissions will not give you the slack that a PhD program will due to the rigor of the curriculum and the strength of the peer students. I don’t know if this is offset by an increase in MCAT preparedness.

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For others reading this thread, this is incorrect. The deadline for merit at USC is early, but not binding. Therefore the OP could have applied before the deadline.

You may apply for scholarships or special academic programs with an early deadline at another institution, public or private, if the timing is proven to be a necessary aspect for consideration, and the outcome is non-binding.

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Is the 2nd quote from Harvard?

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Yes

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In an earlier thread, (if I got this right) it looked like you were intending to also apply to Ohio State as an in-state student. Did this happen? Were you accepted? If so, then what would it cost?

I agree with @dimkin that most students who start university as premed end up changing their mind. However, it would seem unfortunate to attend a university where the cost of the university is going to make medical school unlikely even before you show up for the first week of classes as an undergraduate student. Also, running up excessive debt can be a problem even for students who have a major that leads to a solid career with a bachelor’s degree.

And I do think @David_D you are correct to be aware of “Caltech’s rigor”. I had experience at a similarly rigorous university (MIT) and it is something to think about. You need to want to do it. I do not think that Cornell is much different in this regard.

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I am also concerned that the OP’s hesitancy re: CalTech’s rigor might mean that it is not the correct school for them – especially if they need to maintain a high GPA for possible medschool.

OP, do you have any other acceptances where you would be happy to attend?

Or—there are still some schools with good, automatic merit for high-stats students that are still accepting applications. University of Arizona is one and their deadline to apply for thie coming fall is May 1, 2023.

Also, OP, if the financial aid you were offered at Cornell is so far off from your NPC, please double-check both your NPC data and your FAFSA/CSS Profile data. The award should be close to your NPC unless your parents are divorced, or own a small business, and the NPC didn’t ask about that. If there is a large discrepancy, I recommend that you or your parents contact the financial aid office to ask for a review to determine why there is such a large discrepancy.b

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