Hello College Confidential members,
I am a high school senior at Buffalo, NY that will be either a biology or psychology major with a concentration in neuroscience. I will aim for a Ph.D. I have been experiencing some trouble figuring out which college I want to go to. I’ve been accepted into Binghamton and UB, but I really want to go to Cornell. I’m pretty set on making my college freshman year perfect so I can be a competitive applicant for Cornell’s Human Ecology at the end of my freshman year.
I got a 1350 on my SAT and my high school GPA was a 92.
I have a few conflicts going on right now, because I don’t know which one would be a better fit for me. I am currently leaning towards UB. It’s a safer choice because it’s right at home, and I know many of the people there. I am very familiar with their campuses and have a detailed knowledge of the clubs that interest me. I have also coordinated with some of the staff already.
The main problem with UB is it’s huge class size. I know I want smaller class sizes. UB has a population of about 20,000, whereas Binghamton has 13,000. I don’t know how well I’d do with a UB intro class of around 400 people, without easy access to the professors. Bing is a better school than UB. Its acceptance rate is 40% as opposed to UB’s 60%. In addition, Bing’s graduation rate is higher, with the 4-year graduation rate being 70% as opposed to UB’s 52%. Bing students also have a higher starting salary. Bing’s freshman retention rate is 3% higher than UB’s.
Campus is another thing. Even though Bing’s campus is in the middle of nowhere, it is beautiful and seems vibrant to me. UB’s campus seems less exciting, but it is near the city.
But the thing with UB is that it’s literally at home, and I’m way more familiar with it. Bing is 3 hours away from me. I have been on UB’s campus multiple times, and I think I can genuinely see myself being okay here. I know how to get around, it feels pretty nice. To add on, I am content with both of the school’s ethnic diversity, as they are pretty similar.
One important thing to note is that I’m trying to transfer into Cornell, and I think I have a better shot at this if I went to Bing. I have heard that it is nothing new for a stray Bing student to transfer to Cornell. However, if I went to UB and kept my GPA up and did good volunteer work or research and got good letters of rec from my professors, I might still be a competitive applicant for Cornell. I’m not sure.
To add on, I think I might have good chances to transfer into Human Ecology. HumEc accepted 59% of their female transfer applicants in 2011.
But then again, I’m not sure how much energy I should invest into transferring there. Even though Cornell is an Ivy, with a breath-taking campus, amazing academic programs, and driven students, there seems to be that there might be a dark side. It’s highly competitive there, and I’m afraid that most of the students will spend all of their days and nights studying and trying to keep their GPA from diving. Furthermore, I heard that the social and the academic environment was highly competitive. This is what I’m trying to figure out: are people happy at Cornell? Or is it an institution that coexists with depression, anxiety, and really hard courses that require endless studying? I’m not sure…of course, the professors there will expect you to be on your top game 24/7. Getting research and resources will be competitive. It seems as if Cornell is a better fit for machines made of iron.
I must note that finances would not be an issue for me if I did get accepted into Cornell, as Human Ecology has a SUNY tuition.
When I realized that Bing is a better school and that I should probably go there, I was really upset. The reason behind this is something I am reluctant to say, as it is because of my relationship at home. I really don’t want to leave it behind, as it is very stable and satisfying. I definitely can see a future for it, with at least a solid 2 more years. I can’t imagine finding somebody else, as my boyfriend and I are a very good fit for each other in a way that another SO couldn’t be. Mind you, this is the first person that somebody has ever wanted to commit to me and has made me such a priority.
If I do go to UB, I will be all set in those terms. I’ll have him, at least until he goes to college as well. He’ll be applying to college in 2 years, and when that happens, who knows where he’ll go. He rightfully has the opportunity to go to any institution that he pleases.
But anyways, UB is not a bad university in any regards. It has a strong bio and psych program, albeit having a lot of students in that track. It is a quality research-intensive school.
The transition into college, as well as attending college itself, is going to be hard for me, and I might be better support at UB where I know many good friends attending there, with my family, and with him. At Bing, I might just be alone and in the middle of a foreign university with a weaker support system, amidst students who are more competitive and better than me.
If you have attended Bing, UB, or Cornell, I would really appreciate it if you provided some insider advice.