As of right now I’m planning on majoring in mathematics and I would like some input. How would Cornell compare to NYU for someone like me? What would place into better graduate schools, what would give me better opportunities, and so on. I know Cornell is normally regarded higher than NYU but from my understanding math is one of NYU’s strong points. Thank you!
bump…
You will find good math departments in all kinds of schools. My niece went to Rowan in NJ and is now at Princeton for her masters.
In the east, Rutgers has a very good rep in math.
Which school makes the most financial sense for you, and which do you prefer on other grounds? For undergrad, the school doesn’t matter too much. In terms of grad programs, both Cornell and NYU are highly ranked, with NYU being a real applied math powerhouse, so you can’t go wrong with either of them.
Where you go undergrad doesn’t matter for grad school as long as you have a good GPA and have done something productive/worthwhile at your UG school. Math is a pretty general type of program where you can receive a solid education for it mostly anywhere.
NYU’s undergraduate math department is incredible. Cornell’s is strong for sure, but NYU’s is truly elite.
I’ve heard the same thing. NYU math department is up there.
Actually, math is a fairly broad field with many subareas when one gets to the junior/senior (or graduate) level. Different math departments can have significantly different subarea emphases. This includes whether they emphasize various pure math areas, various applied math areas, or pre-professional preparation (e.g. for actuarial or high school teaching jobs).
It really depends what math class you’re taking right now: Precalculus? Calculus AB? Differential Equations/Linear Algebra?..
I agree with ucbalumnus above that Math is NOT a “pretty general type of program”, except for Math Education.
Thank you all, and I apologize for the late responses as I have been busy. I’m taking precalculus at the moment, and going into BC calculus next year, and although I am not doubting your opinion, I do not understand why that would matter as my school only offers six math classes in its total high school curriculum. I know NYU is stingy, but do they ever award scholarships? Applied math seems to be where I want to head. Does this change anything?
Also, should I throw Carnegie Mellon in this mix? How would it stack up compared to these two?
For a less expensive alternative check out SUNY Stonybrook.
Very tough major. Mechanical in the early levels then very abstract. If you are a genius, then MIT & CIT. Rutgers, my alma mater has a complete program.
It matters because some kids who ask about math were taking calculus in the 9th grade, and they need special college programs, whereas for kids who like math and are on the regular track there are way more possibilities. 
Would you apply through EOP/HEOP?
You are advanced by a year, which is fairly common. The issue with super-advanced students in math (the ones who take calculus BC in 11th grade or earlier, followed by college sophomore math in 12th grade or earlier) is that they may run out of math offerings at smaller math departments (such students often want to take graduate level math courses as undergraduates and pursue graduate level research as undergraduates). But that may be less of an issue for you, unless the math department is very small.
But note that applied math covers a lot of things, and small math departments may not cover all of the various things that math can be applied to. Math intensive courses in other departments would also interest applied math majors. Examples may include mathematical economics, mathematical biology, theoretical computer science, operations research, probability and statistics at an advanced level.
I would not be applying through EOP/HEOP. So what do you recommend then, as far as providing the best opportunities?
@ucbalumnus, my S16 took a small college off his list because of the small number of offerings (he finished BC either end of sophomore year or first semester of Junior year, I forget).
Both Cornell and NYU are reaches due to the sheer number of qualified applicants they turn down.
SUNY Stony Brook, Binghamton, or Geneseo, would be safeties (as would Beloit if you wish to go for a private college out of state). In-between, many colleges would offer you sufficient math offerings, so you’d have to look into their possible specializations.
Will you be full pay, need merit aid, or will you need need-based aid? Have you run NPCs?
(If not, you can do so on NYU, Hamilton, Cornell, Beloit, and SUNY SB. These would likely give you a range of numbers that you can then run by your parents.)
@MYOS1634 I would most likely be need-based. NYU’s net price calculator puts me between 25K and 11K of aid offered (I am on the border of 99K yearly, and under is 25K and over is 11K). Cornell, a much more favorable option, puts me around 35K yearly. Thank you
Therefore, you’ll need to target
1°colleges that meet 100% need (this, by the way, is a website for first gen students, and it includes lots of useful information)
http://blog.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/blog/colleges-that-meet-100-of-student-financial-need/
2° colleges where you rank well above the top 25% threshold
3° SUNYs
What do Beloit, SUNY SB and Hamilton results indicate?
Ivies have more money than most colleges, so their NPC results tend to be more generous than most. You also need to know whether SUNYs will be affordable.
Run the NPCs on every college that sounds good to you. No need to waste time preparing an application for, and payigng the application fee, for a college you won’t be able to afford.