which is better for premed Cornell or Columbia? Im not sure which one I should go to. And which one is easier to get good grades in. I know and acknowledge the fact its extremely hard to get good grades in both, I just want to know which one is slightly easier to get good grades. Knowing that the average student that got into medical has a 3.7.
If you are looking for easy grades, you picked the two wrong schools. Surprised that University of Chicago wasn’t among your choices. 
I hope you have the option to choose next week! You can get a great pre-med education at either and it won’t be any easier at one or the other. More importantly, where would you be happier? Ithaca is spread out, rural, and small-townish. Morningside Heights is compact, urban, and cosmopolitan. Will you enjoy the Core Curriculum? Do you want to be in a frat? How important is “school spirit?” What interests do you have outside of school?
Joining a frat does interest me.
Having more premed majors in Cornell concerns me due to the fact their will be more competition for grades and other extracurricular activities in the field.
Overall, graduates of Columbia average a GPA of 3.42 and Cornell a 3.36.
About 12% of Columbia grads from 2015 went to med school, while more than 20% of Cornell grads (averaged over 2012-2016) went.
And both those numbers are quite useless, as there is no meaningful way to tell how you will do (assuming you have those choices, which is a big assumption- there is another student on CC right now who was flat out rejected ED by Cornell but has a likely letter from Columbia. #justsayin).
Both are very demanding schools, GPAs vary quite a bit across majors, the Core at Columbia really suits some students- but not others, the vibe at the 2 places is really different- some people take to Cornell, others find it a long, hard slog. Being in a place that suits you will matter more than any stats- as you will be more likely to shine. Averages are just averages.
In the meantime, as you are asking for advice, if you reallyreallyreally just want to be a surgeon, I wouldn’t choose either of them. I would go to whatever your safety school is, be a superstar there, get the GPA and the recs and go to med school. But somehow I suspect that you won’t be taking that suggestion!
@mansou123443 they are both rather grade deflated by ivy league standards. you will have a hard time getting a 3.7-3.8+ at both. Most people choose Columbia over Cornell but the schools are so different that i think you should consider what environment you prefer.
I agree with Penn95. Both schools are full of high achievers, which make them very competitive. Neither school is known for grade inflation. Having said that, it’s significantly harder to be admitted to Columbia – which, in turn, makes the school more desirable to admits. Columbia is also a to choice for students who want to study in an urban campus with City of New York at its door step whereas Cornell has a second-to-none pastural environment.
“Having more premed majors in Cornell concerns me due to the fact their will be more competition for grades and other extracurricular activities in the field.”
Columbia is more competitive and cut-throat than Cornell, so if that’s a concern, I’d go with Cornell. Outside of the comments on campus which probably should carry the most weight, the other factor is what college is better if you get out of pre-med. If you stay in stem, Cornell is probably the way to go, if humanities or social science (econ, international relations, poly sci), go with Columbia.
Admittedly I don’t’ run into a lot of Cornell grads and even less Columbia ones, but the Cornell ones seem to have enjoyed their experience better. If you live in the northeast you’ll probably run into more alumni from these two schools and can get a better indication.