<p>I’m kidding, but really, what gives you the right to say that Brown isn’t rigorous? Did you go here and then transfer to Cornell and feel the difference? There’s probably 2 or 3 people that try to use the open curriculum to their advantage and take “easier” classes, but I promise you there aren’t 32 “easy” classes that can last you till graduation. Not to mention that if you call Brown “easy” in front of some of my friends (especially the ones in STEM majors), they will simply laugh at you. I don’t see the list of majors on focal point and call any of them completely easy, especially when I’ve shopped some of the courses for them. Sure, you may call the MCM or English major a “joke,” but a lot of the people that like to talk **** about those majors are people who probably can’t even provide a concise literary analysis themselves, which is pretty LOLzy.</p>
<p>I love it how when movie stars go to school in the city (ala Columbia or NYU), it’s them “balancing work with school by being in the city,” but movie stars at Brown are just “lazy.” Do you even know what courses Emma Watson is taking at Brown? Are you aware that there are celebrities OTHER than Emma Watson that go to other top universities that you could argue are also riding on the coattails of a brand name school?
You don’t have the right to say that.</p>
<p>No offense, but the main reason I did not want to go to Cornell is because of location. I’m a NY native, and had no desire to stay in NY (especially if it was upstate). I visited and didn’t like the size. Maybe I’m a lazy ■■■■, but something about the way the school was set up didn’t feel warm to me. The best part about my opinion, however, is it is individual to me. I bet people visit Brown and think “ew” and visit Cornell and are mesmerized. Because of this, people should visit schools and pick based on FIT. I don’t give a **** if a school has 700 nobel laureate professors for classes I will never take; if I won’t be happy there, I won’t be going there.</p>
<p>Cornell is depressing which many assume means rigorous bevause all the people do there is work…its also not nearly as edgy or progressive as brown and has boring uninspiring students. Brown educates both the mind and the personality of its students. Also cornell is easy to get into and not up with the top as dad2 insinuates…can u say safety to the real ivies</p>
<p>Dad2, I’m not saying one is better than the other, but people like you sure make it lean toward Brown. There are people who transfer to and from all Ivy’s for a variety of reasons. I came to Brown with people from Cornell and Dartmouth, for example. While at Dartmouth one summer I met a transfer from Brown, while I would never want to go there.</p>
<p>People need to stop this “Cornell is an Ivy League safety” talk. Yes, it does have a higher acceptance rate, but there are a good number of people who get into Dartmouth/Brown/UPenn that do not get into Cornell. </p>
<p>If the OP wants to base his decision purely on quantitative selectivity, then he should choose Brown; no question. Brown accepts about half the number of people Cornell does. You have finally gotten what you wanted Brown people: a Cornellian admitting that, in general, it is harder to get into Brown than it is to get into Cornell (though I am sure you already knew that). </p>
<p>However, I am pretty sure the OP did not mention selectivity as a part of his decision because BOTH schools are considered highly challenging to get into; employers aren’t going to hire someone over someone else because they went to a school with an 8% lower acceptance rate. </p>
<p>I do not understand why Cornell/Brown people feel the need to fight over which school is better. There will never be an answer that question. </p>
<p>Visit both schools and then decide which one you like best.</p>
<p>Brown- cooperative environment, happier students, less stress, open curriculum, can take s/nc (satisfactory/no credit classes). Medical school also in Providence.</p>
<p>Cornell- competitive, more stress, beautiful parks in Ithaca. Note the medical school is in NYC, so you won’t be able to go to lectures/seminars as an undergrad. but there are lots of very good weekly seminars here in basic sciences.</p>
<p>I live in Ithaca, went to Brown, and my son is currently deciding between Oberlin (merit scholarship) and Brown. He didn’t consider Cornell because he has heard students ofter feel anonymous and are very stressed.</p>
<p>Cornell is not easy to get into lol, it’s an ivy, prestigious, difficult to get into, and has the best engineering program out of all the ivies. The only reason it has a “higher acceptance rate” is because it’s student body is the largest among all the ivies.</p>
<p>First, I’m embarrassed to see so much outrageous and accusatory analysis of monydad’s posts–he merely provided information that was, to my understanding, quite true, without ever calling one school strictly “better” than the other.</p>
<p>A few years ago, my college decision came down to Brown and Cornell, and the most important factor I considered was how much academic control and flexibility I would have, since discovering my fields of interest was my top priority. While Cornell does indeed offer a more variegated course catalog, Brown offers flexibility and the ability to pursue very unique niches within large subjects, frequently offering courses at the undergraduate level that would generally only be available to graduate students at most other universities. I can attest to this because I transferred to Brown, so I have experience seeing how it compares to another top-ranked school.</p>
<p>In terms of location, atmosphere, and level of comfort on campus, I strongly prefer Brown, though Cornell is quite beautiful (during the early summer, at least). This should be a secondary factor when making your decision, and you will probably have intuitive opinions of your own after visiting both campuses.</p>
<p>To recap, I made my choice based on what was most important to me–having flexibility to explore different disciplines while also developing a strong specialty in a particular field. While these two approaches to academics may seem contradictory, I have been able to pursue both at Brown as a result of the Open Curriculum. For this reason, I have been able to achieve much more here than what would have been possible elsewhere.</p>
<p>In making this decision, I encourage you to think critically about the most important thing you want out of college, while secondarily considering location, atmosphere, and general campus vibe. Both schools offer good post-graduate opportunities, and I hope your visits help you make an informed decision.</p>
<p>“First, I’m embarrassed to see so much outrageous and accusatory analysis of monydad’s posts–he merely provided information that was, to my understanding, quite true, without ever calling one school strictly “better” than the other.”</p>
<p>My son just returned from 2 days at Brown (ADOCH and STEM presentations). He talked to quite a few students (7-8) who were specifically deciding between Brown and Cornell, and they all told him it was going to be Brown. Perhaps it was just an usually great presentation or perhaps Brown is just more fun, but it seems a lot of kids were sold this week.</p>
<p>I, likewise, have talked to several people at Cornell Days who were deciding between Brown and Cornell, and they were saying Cornell. Either way, both of our anecdotes are meaningless.</p>
<p>Statistically speaking, people choosing between Brown and Cornell pick Brown more often (I do not have an exact statistic, but I remember hearing something like 35-40% choose Cornell and 60-65% choose Brown in terms of cross admittance – once again though, these are not exact statistics). </p>
<p>Either way, your decision should not be based off of the decisions other people are making for themselves. You should only be focused on yourself, and what you want. That is what college choices should always come down to.</p>
<p>My older daughter is graduating from Cornell this year. She feels she’s had 4 best years there. I have frequent Cornell’s forum, and read many posts there by current students. My younger daughter is a a junior in high school, she will be visiting Brown in a few days with her dad. I am here because of her interest in Brown (not in support of Cornell). I think school forums on CC is a great window to a school. I have to say, based on response on this forum, I am not impressed. I will wait for D2’s feedback.</p>
<p>Monydad has 2 daughters who went to top tier LACs, and one ended up transferring to Cornell later. In that respect, he has been open minded about schools outside of Cornell. </p>
<p>Cornell and Brown are both very fine institutions, but very different. It does come down to fit. To say one is better than another is over looking at each institution’s strength. On Cornell’s forum, most posters use numbers to back up their statements, but not on this forum. Maybe that’s the difference?</p>
<p>^ Admittedly, Brown’s CC presence hasn’t felt very representative of Brown’s population to me.</p>
<p>With that said…I don’t know anything about Cornell except that it was too large for me to consider but that I have a friend who was very happy after transferring there. I’d imagine they tend to attract very different types of students, based on location, the majors unique to Cornell, the Open Curriculum at Brown, etc. If one is lucky enough to be able to choose between the two of them, one can’t really go wrong, as long as one puts in the thought. If it still feels like a toss-up, then both would probably be very good options. The Open Curriculum was vital to my decision, and I know that’s the case with many students. Cornell has very good programs, particularly in Engineering. If one is bright enough to get into Brown and Cornell, one will be able to get quite a bit out of an education at either place. And that’s really something that can’t be objectified with numbers.</p>
<p>^^Look, if you can read monydad’s posts and honestly understand them to reflect an openness toward both schools, then I don’t know what to say. I think that I and the others who have responded here have done so only with respect toward Cornell and only after serious baiting by monydad. I’m not sure where in our responses you see unilateral support for Brown and rejection of the idea of ‘fit’; to the contrary, it’s exactly that sort of unilateral (though half-assedly-disguised) sort of support for Cornell that let to the reaction that some of us have toward monydad.</p>
<p>To the extent that you’re looking for information about fit but want numbers to back up people’s responses, you’re not going to get what you want. The whole point of fit is that it isn’t easily represented by numbers.</p>