I could really use some help. I’m a recruited athlete and I currently have offers to play for Brown and Cornell (basically means the coaches will advocate for me to admissions). I really need help deciding because I don’t have a whole lot of time to make this decision. My first 2 choices are Harvard and Penn, but I currently don’t have offers from them and not sure I will (much more of a gamble). So here is what I am ideally looking for in my college experience, but I realize there may not be a perfect fit. I’m just wondering which you guys think would be the best fit for me.
Proximity to or located in an urban setting (really like big cities like New York City, Philadelphia, and Boston)
Want flexibility in my requirements, but don’t mind a little bit of structure. I really like the idea of the open curriculum though because I have a lot of interests.
Want attention from my professors and be able to build relationships with them. Quality undergrad teaching is super important to me.
I’m interested in either going to Wall Street or law school after undergrad. Which do you think would best get me there? It looks like I would be do econ at CAS at Cornell, but I would have the option of switching into AEM sophomore year. I think AEM is the program I want to be in, but just the way recruiting works, I couldn’t be in it until sophomore year. How different would my freshman year look being in CAS versus AEM? How do graduate schools (law and business) look at an undergrad business degree? I flip flop on whether I think undergrad business is a good idea because I feel like it would be prepare me for Wall Street but not necessarily grad school. I would probably do either econ or applied math-econ at Brown.
I really want to get a high GPA like at minimum 3.5+ but ideally closer to 3.7 or 3.8. This is especially because of graduate school, in particular a really top tier law school.
Which has better/stronger connections to Wall Street? I feel like Cornell might but I may be competing with more people who are interested in this area.
I happened to love the Cornell campus (so beautiful and scenic) and I found Brown nice but didn’t like it quite as much. I hear the food at Cornell is top notch and at Brown it’s okay. Apparently there is a reason their dining hall is called “The Ratty” haha.
The weather scares me a little bit at either school since I’m coming from California, but I think at Cornell is a little worse. However, the differences are pretty minimal. It’s going to be cold and unpleasant probably at both places.
I originally went to a really stressed out, pressure cooker of a high school full of high-achievers before transferring to a school that emphasized building the whole person rather than just academic excellence. I happened to really like this philosophy a lot more and want a balanced experience in college. Not just hard core academics but also being able to balance athletics, clubs, and social life.
I realize neither of these schools have the social/night life of a state school, but I want to have some fun on the weekends. I’m not really sure how I feel about frats/sororities. I’m not really pro or against them. I don’t mind there being a significant presence but I don’t want it to be the entire social life. What I mean is that I don’t want it to be so huge on campus that if I don’t join one, I will have no social life.
I’ve heard there is serious grade inflation at Brown and doesn’t seem as competitve amongst peers which I really like. I don’t mind some stress and being pushed, but I don’t want to be constantly worried about the seemingly endless amount of coursework and feel miserable and depressed. Had this experience in high school before I transferred.
Which school has a better career services office? I don’t want to be left to my own devices to get myself an internship. I want a well-connected school that can help guide me.
Which school has a higher quality of life? This factor is really important to me because more than anything I want to be happy and around other relatively happy students. I know I will get a great education at either school so it’s more about the day to day experience.
I don’t need a “sports is everything” kind of school, but a little school spirit would be nice. Not a deal breaker by any means but because I will be playing varsity tennis, it would be cool if the student body came out and supported. Also, going to a football (or other big sport) game here and there that everyone gets excited about sounds cool.
For peoples’ references, I have taken a visit to Cornell when school was in session. I got to sit in on classes, walk around campus, eat in the dining hall, and meet my future teammates. LOVED the girls on the tennis team at Cornell. Could totally see myself fitting in. I don’t know the coach quite as well but seems like a nice guy and gets results out of his players and they do quite well.
I have only visited Brown during the summer so I couldn’t really get a feel for what it is like to be a student there. Stayed in one nice freshman dorm in East Andrews, but I hear a lot of the others aren’t as nice. Also, didn’t really like the whole communal bathroom thing with girls and guys sharing, but I’ll live. I know the coach a lot better and really like him as a person, but not sure he gets the same results with his players. A lot of the players don’t improve and may get worse in college which is kind of a fear of mine. The facilities honestly weren’t as nice either, but it wasn’t a huge problem for me. Also, I haven’t gotten to really meet and interact with the girls on the Brown team so I would really be going into the unknown. I realize that I will be spending AT LEAST 3-4 hours with these girls everyday plus meals and whatever else so liking them is important. I’m sure they are nice and I can make do even if they aren’t, but I know for a fact I really loved the Cornell girls.
I really want a school where people help each other and collaborate, and the culture isn’t cutthroat in the sense that the students aren’t hoping their peers fail or do worse.
Also (sorry to backtrack) I am not dead set on studying econ. I also have a lot of interest in psychology and a little bit in theater arts (acting and playwrighting) and political science/government. I am also willing to explore and maybe try out a class in philosophy, public policy, public health, sociology, or international relations to see how I like it. My major may very well change. Not a huge fan of the sciences like chem and physics. Would like to stay away from these areas in college if I can.
I also hear the dorms are nicer at Cornell on the whole, but I could be wrong. Just want to be comfortable and happy in my room after a long day 
Also financially, they are both going to match each other and will be roughly the same so not a huge concern for me.
Hope I was really clear and gave enough information. ANY help would be so appreciated about which one I should choose. If anyone has any questions or needs anything clarified, I would be happy to do so
You need to figure out your priorities. How important is the education and finding a good fit academically? How important is getting better at tennis, and having good facilities? How important are the dorms? Your post is all over the place. Are you willing to trade a lesser tennis experience for a better academic experience or the other way around?
Tough call:
Open Curriculum - Brown
Urban - Brown
More laid back - Brown
Familiarity w/ team - Cornell
Campus - Cornell
Food/Dorms - Cornell (at least, you are more familiar…)
Maybe if people can comment on the Wall Street/Finance pipelines at each school, that could help you make the decision. There is a Wall Street Oasis thread comparing Dartmouth, Brown and Cornell (Google it) – you might want to read that.
Both are awesome and it sounds like both offer things that would result in a great experience for you.
I would definitely put academic fit over tennis. I would definitely emphasize culture/classroom fit more than comfortable dorms, good food and nice facilities. I am really looking for the best overall experience. More than anything I want to be happy in college. @me29034
I know it’s a tough call because they both offer things I really like. I’ll check out the thread. Thanks! @prezbucky
Go to brown. Many at Cornell strongly dislike their social lives and you can easily become a fit on any team. ALSO, brown heavily inflates their GPAs so expect a 3.5+ definitely. At Cornell, there is heavy deflation.
I don’t know Cornell well, but I know Brown very well. It actually sounds like what you’re looking for. There is always stuff to do on campus, Providence has some (not a ton) of night life, and Boston is an hour away on the train. Cornell is quite distant from any airports and travel to and from there is not easy. Transportation to and from Providence is plentiful and easy, especially if you fly in and out of PVD.
The Brown curriculum is super flexible and allows for study across any and all disciplines. You could double (or even triple) concentrate in Econ and in other areas. You may want to seriously look at the Program in Business, Entrepreneurship and Organizations (BEO). Students who want to “take a risk” and take a course outside of their comfort zone or one that may be an academic stretch, can always take a course pass/fail. (Any course that is failed whether taken S/NC or for a letter grade never shows up on the transcript.)
Brown is very laid back and students are genuinely collaborative. The food is good and varied, and there are lots of “cheap eats” around campus (on Thayer Street).
Some of Brown’s facilities are old (historical) and a bit worn, but many of them are modern and new. They will be putting in a new performing arts center in the coming year.
Based on your description, I think you could be very happy at Brown (though I don’t know anything about the Tennis team).
Good luck!
Brown’s in a city, fairly close to Boston, open curriculum, has a lot fewer grad students, and from what I understand it has more grade inflation than Cornell. Sounds like it meets more of your criteria.