<p>I am currently at Colby, but am considering a transfer to Cornell. Which is a better school? I am pre-law, and don't care much for the size of the schools. I want to know what the consensus is on the two schools in terms of prestige, law-school opportunities, academics, and such.</p>
<p>And to make it easier for the apathetic: if you got into Colby and Cornell, which would you attend?</p>
<p>There isn't enough info. in your post to make a recommendation as to whether Colby College or Cornell Univ. is the better school for you. These schools are quite different in many respects leading one to believe that a decision between the two wouldn't normally require outside opinions. Do you have a guaranteed transfer option to Cornell? With respect to law school admission there is no significant difference between the two schools.</p>
<p>if you are prelaw, then relative prestige between these two highly-ranked colleges doesn't matter; only gpa does.</p>
<p>Yes, I am a guaranteed transfer.</p>
<p>As a student with a guaranteed transfer option to Cornell Univ., it is easy to understand your indecision between two very different but highly prestigious schools. Turning down an Ivy League school is hard. Assuming that there are no financial aid concerns, then I recommend that you accept the guaranteed transfer to Cornell as it is a larger, better known & more prestigious school than Colby. I often assist students considering transferring from their current school by unequivocally recommending that they fill out one or two transfer applications; this usually forces the student to face the real issue as to whether it is the school or the student in need of "growth". Your situation is different in that you have already identified Cornell as a first choice school and have an acceptance in hand. It would help to know to which colleges & universities you applied last year, as well as to know which schools you turned down in favor of Colby and why. Small, isolated, cold weather LACs can be great if the student is involved in intercollegiate athletics or studies abroad for a year to break up the monotony which almost inevitably sets in after the sophomore year. You might get the best of both worlds as you will have experienced a small, prestigious LAC, while entering an Ivy League university with the ability to avoid the large class introductory courses. This is not an easy decision, but unwavering, clear cut direction is often a highly effective way to force the student to best evaluate the alternatives.</p>
<p>I have a daughter who is a senior at Colby and a son who is a freshman at Cornell, so I find it interesting that you are deciding between the two schools. I don't think you should let perceived prestige influence your decision - the schools are both wonderful but they are so different. Colby's strengths are Cornell's weaknesses, and Colby's weaknesses are Cornell's strengths. Therefore, I think you should make your decision based on "fit" - do you want a small, nurturing environment or do you prefer the diversity and energy of a large university? As a parent, I feel that if my son gets half the academic experiences at Cornell that my daughter got at Colby, I will be very happy! The problem isn't that Cornell lacks the opportunity for students to connect with faculty, research, internships, etc. - it's that a student must be pro-active to initiate contact (and it's easy to avoid.) In contrast, at Colby, it's hard NOT to connect - especially when so many of your peers are involved in interesting projects. My son loves Cornell but I don't think he has talked individually to a professor in the six months that he's been there - and I'm not aware that his friends have, either. (By the way, he did get into both Colby and Cornell, and he chose Cornell.) Good luck with your decision!</p>
<p>Anyone else?</p>
<p>maybe consider curriculum differences....evaluate them and try to see what it is you really want to get out of your undergraduate years...</p>
<p>You must have 2 threads going for the same question. So, I'll post basically the same thing here as I did in the other:</p>
<p>I was a transfer student into Cornell and as one, you bypass most of the freshman massive lecture hall classes. I had plenty of very small classes with many very accessible professors - 10-20 students in a class. We had extensive discussions where everybody participated and got to know the professors very well. </p>
<p>It is obviously a bigger campus, but it's gorgeous and full of so many different types of people. It's quite exhilarating. I'm not comparing it to Colby as I don't know anything about Colby. I just think it can be as intimate and personal as you want it to be. Don't let freshmen scare you off. You're past that impersonal period.</p>
<p>I agree with you, applejack. I also came in as a transfer student and had a very different experience than most freshman would describe. Classes do get considerably smaller and you will have the chance to connect with your professor.</p>
<p>yes..Cornell is huge...but don't be hesitant to come because of the size. I can't make any comparisons to Colby since I know nothing about the school. But like I said....decide what it is you really to get out of your college career and choose the school that you think can provide you with you want the best...</p>
<p>Even though you can make a large university small, there's no way it will feel like a small (1800+ student) liberal arts college. Cornell is more "prestigious" than Colby, but in my opinion the difference in prestige is not so large. Colby is less well known nationally, but it is extremely well respected by graduate schools and it has a very active alumni network that offers lots of help to Colby grads looking for jobs. Are you happy at Colby? If so, I think you should seriously consider staying there. However, if you are looking for something different, Cornell is a great school and I doubt you'd be making a mistake.</p>
<p>bump ^^^^^</p>
<p>i think this question is kind of dumb. (not to be rude)</p>
<p>cornell is the obvious pick. it is a better school. with more options and courses of study. better prestige. higher law school acceptance rate. if you get the chance to go there..then ditch colby. go to cornell.</p>
<p>Is this topic flame? The fact that anyone would legitimately ask this question blows my mind.</p>
<p>^^guys (and gals), get off your prestigious horse. Some downsides of Cornell are: it's size; tough grading in the sciences; sink or swin mentality. OTOH, a LAC offers a more inimate and nuturing setting which some kids need. </p>
<p>For pre-professional wannabes, grades and test scores are (nearly) all that matter. Colby is not Podunk State U. A 3.8 from Colby will beat a 3.4 from Cornell practically every time (assuming LSAT is the same).</p>
<p>full disclosure: Personally, I really like Cornell, but it's too big for my kids. For the size, they might as well go to Cal or UCLA at half the price.</p>
<p>thanks for the comments so far. keep them coming.</p>
<p>Maybe the followinging thread will be helpful to you, as this is the question you need to answer for yourself:</p>
<p>Why do you keep asking for comments - I'm not sure there is anything new to tell you, that hasn't already been said. If you want to share something about yourself - your interests, what learning environment you prefer, how anxious you are to leave Colby and transfer to someplace new - maybe we could give you more relevant advice.</p>
<p>thanks for speaking on behalf of the collective whole collegemom, but I think others may have opinions on this topic other than yourself and a couple others. why are you asking me why I am asking for more advice? you must be a clinton supporter.</p>
<p>"why are you asking me why I am asking for more advice? you must be a clinton supporter."</p>
<hr>
<p>Huh? What in the world does this have to do with....</p>
<p>They are both good schools, but i would choose Cornell University. If you don't mind the workload, you will see that Cornell has a lot to offer and considering you want to be a lawyer, Cornell has an excellent law school! =]</p>