<p>So, I have finally reached the biggest decision in my life so far. I was accepted into Cornell (Engineering School) and UChicago. I don't have preference between the college town vs. big city. I am looking to go into business, economics, finance. Cornell engineering has the Operations Research and Information Science Engineering, and chicago has, well, Chicago Economics. 'Nuff said. I am a very social person, but perhaps am looking for a lot of intelligent people to be around, but love a party every weekend. The small classes at Chicago appeal to me, and the prestige and job recruiting appeal to me at Cornell. I will probably have 20k debt after Chicago, and maybe 10k at Cornell due to come engineering scholarships. Engineering is not what i want for a career, but the major i mentioned earlier is business-ish. I could always transfer to another school at Cornell also if i wanted. Cornell is close to home, whereas Chicago is about 9 hour drive (NY resident here).
I am most concerned with job recruiting/grad school, debt, and overall experience.
I know the decision is ultimately up to me, and I have visited both and might re-visit, but any info is appreciated!!</p>
<p>You should be concerned with the fit too since they are really different schools. Chicago is a very eclectic school, while Cornell offers both the eclectic, and any other diverse student type you can think of.</p>
<p>I think the major differences between Cornell and Chicago will boil down to the Core Curriculum, the size and diversity of the student body, and the city vs. college town atmosphere. </p>
<p>You obviously will not receive the Core at Cornell unless you explicitly seek it out for yourself in Arts. Some students do this. Others explore a bit more. In Engineering, and especially in ORIE, you would have the chance to take a fare number of elective courses. </p>
<p>The main difference between ORIE and economics at Cornell is that ORIE requirements will be a lot more mathematically rigorous, even more so than Chicago Economics. But there's a lot of overlap between the two programs at Cornell, and a lot of Economics majors actually double major with Math and concentrate in ORIE. Similarly, a fair number of ORIE majors take a lot of math and economics courses.</p>
<p>I'm a bit biased, but I'll also caution that Chicago economics isn't all that it's cracked up to be, especially as an undergrad. Even the graduate students at Chicago are famous for not getting a lot of attention and support from their professors. That's the Chicago style. At Cornell, you will get as much attention and interaction from your professors as you desire, and interested undergraduates who seek independent study or research projects with profs will be amply rewarded. Every friend of mine from Cornell who wanted an independent research project got one.</p>
<p>I think the proper way to characterize the student body between the two different schools is that you can have a Chicago-type experience at Cornell, but not vice versa. If you want to debate in the dorms until late at night, you can find that at Cornell, especially if you fall into the Risley or Telluride circles. But if you want a big party scene at Chicago, you will have to take the Red Line up to Northwestern. Same for varsity athletics. </p>
<p>The final difference is going to come down to Chicago vs. Ithaca. I think that Chicago is one of the best cities in the world, and Hyde Park is really unlike any other neighborhood in the first world. It's kind of a college town within a huge city, but really a fantastic intellectual climate. Ithaca on the other hand is a great college town, maybe not as great as Burlington or Madison, but it definitely has its fair share of charms. Swimming at the Rocks at Chicago is fantastic. But so is swimming underneath the suspension bridge in Fall Creek.</p>
<p>I have a couple of good friends who went to Chicago for undergrad, and know a lot of Cornellians who are not at Chicago for grad school. Both are excellent schools, and it should really come down to which school you feel more comfortable at. But better job prospects, less debt, and a Division I hockey program can't hurt, either.</p>
<p>So that's my two cents. But I'm obviously biased for Cornell.</p>
<p>I actually ended up choosing between Chicago and Cornell, too. Other than "fit", another major difference between the schools is the academic structure/calendar. Chicago is on the quarter system, while Cornell uses semesters. This means that you have the opportunity to take more classes at Chicago, but at a quicker pace. This difference in academic structure also brings about two very different academic calendars. At Chicago, school begins in late September (I believe that it was September 25th this year) and gets out in mid/late June. At Cornell, school begins in late August and gets out in mid/late May. The schedule may not be an important factor for you, but it can be frustrating to sit at home for an extra month when all of your friends have gone off and started to experience college life and to still be in school when most people have started summer vacation.</p>
<p>I wouldn't choose either Cornell or Chicago for just the gross quantity of classes you can take due to the quarter or semester system. You can take more or fewer classes in a quarter, or classes can be partitioned to compensate for being 2/3s the length of a semester long class, etc.
As a PhD student studying economics at a top program, and an alum of Cornell, I have to say that Chicago very well represented, and they are truly incredible students. But they also have the same concerns that have already expressed here. One PhD student was advised by Nobel Laureate Gary Becker. I remarked that it must have been really cool, and he said, "He's so damn old he really doesn't care," before expressing his concern with collegiality at Chicago in general. They also stressed that you have to thrive on the intense competition to do well and stand out. But if that's your cake then it's pretty obvious that Chicago can get you far.
Cornell's more chilled out.</p>
<p>OP, my best advice is simply visit both schools. UChicago and Cornell are so vastly different, you are bound to like one place much better than the other. Socially/ academically/ demographically, the two schools are completely different from each other. Also, look at each school's campus and judge for yourself where you would feel more comfortable and happier at. Personally, I wouldn't consider Chicago over Cornell, but that's just me. Cornell is a place where you 'work hard and play hard,' but Chicago isn't a place like that. Hopefully this helps.</p>
<p>Chicago's unofficial motto: UChicago- where FUN comes to DIE.</p>
<p>Most of my engineering friends (not necessarily ORIE) have gotten great (and high paying) jobs in business fields. I don't know much about them since I'm a bio major, but they all seem to be ridiculously happy with their job offers and many are considering going to business school in a couple years anyway. I was actually surprised to see how many engineers beat out the AEM majors for business jobs.</p>