<p>I'm looking for some insights on these colleges, pros and cons, sort of (?) I'll apply ED to one of these, but right now I don't know which one. Maybe you guys can help me decide?
Share absolutely anything about these college.
For example, Cornell's in a great collegetown, Columbia is in NYC but has a smaller campus, UPenn is very social. Anything! I'm an intl' student, most probably will major in engineering, and aid is important but not a precondition.</p>
<p>Go to Penn, it is the s h i t. End of discussion.</p>
<p>lol ok thanks.</p>
<p>Ithaca is a great college town. Collegetown, next to the campus, has a few good restaurants. Cornell has the best engineering program of the three. Cornell has a small town/small city environment. Cornell’s campus is beautiful. Columbia and Penn, are, of course, urban campuses, Cornell is the best fit for an engineer.</p>
<p>If you’re determined to apply ED to one of these schools, you must know a lot about all of them already. So what is the common thread that makes the three of them stand out to you? </p>
<p>My guess: Ivy League + decent engineering + better-than-impossible admissions odds (hence no HYPS) + attractive social/physical environment. In that case, and if you are really determined to apply ED only to one of these 3, then my recommendation would be Cornell. It has the best reputation for general engineering of all the Ivies, and is the least selective of all the Ivies.</p>
<p>If you want a tip-top engineering school and you are willing to roll the dice with an early application option, even if admission odds are still remote, then consider Stanford. A number of other schools are not only less selective than any Ivy, but also have stronger engineering programs than any Ivy (with the possible exception of Cornell, or in a couple of specialty areas). Examples: Berkeley, Georgia Tech, Michigan.</p>
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<p>Are you kidding me? Have you heard about all the suicides at Cornell? People are calling it the “suicide school.” Ithaca is seriously the most isolated, depressing college town I’ve ever visited. One of my high school friends transferred out of there after his first year.</p>
<p>I would take either Columbia or Penn.</p>
<p>Cornell Engineering is a terrific school and highly selective. For the Class of 2014, the middle 50% SAT range for the class just enrolled is 1410-1550, and 96% of students graduated in the top 10% of their HS class. Ithaca is an idyllic college town, often considered THE best in the country. Every suicide is a tragedy, but the suicide rate for Cornell is at or below the national average for colleges.</p>
<p>If FA is a consideration then be advised that Cornell does not meet 100% of need for international students, even though it is need blind. Cornell has the best engineering school of the ivies.</p>
<p>Cornell will certainly offer the best overall engineering program of the three but if bioengineering is your interest, Penn or Columbia may be better options with HOP and Col Pres around the corner. </p>
<p>Ithaca is not my exactly my vision of the “idyllic college town.” The region is shrouded in gray, overcast skies and cold and snowy for months out of the school year - it’s downright depressing then. When late April hits the are is beautiful, but school’s out in one month. Come fall term, there’s a window of about 1 1/2 to 2 months when the weather’s very good as well. But, overall, the location in an area of upstate NY that hold on to clouds, cold and wintry precipitation is not “idyllic.” Downtown Ithaca has seen better days as well. The pedestrian mall has plenty of boarded up stores and those that are left are tired and of little interest to the student body. Cornell is big enough to make its own fun. Most kids know well enough to spend their free time on campus.</p>
<p>Penn and Columbia have great, compact campuses and easy access to the rest of their respective cities. NY has a lot more going on than Philly, but is more expensive. The area that surrounds Penn (and Columbia less so) leaves a lot to be desired. Crime happens with a bit too much regularity. Exercising caution is paramount after dark. Be advised.</p>
<p>two comments on Cornell …</p>
<p>First, it is not a “suicide school” … there was a cluster of suicides this past year … before that it had been years since there had been a suicide … and the suicide rate is at or slighlty below average for college age young adults. This is urban myth #1 about Cornell.</p>
<p>Second, the weather is not that bad. It is in the northeast so there are 4 seasons including winter and spring (mud) season … however the weather is quite similar to Boston and a tad worse than NYC (Philly would be even better). Ithaca is at the bottom of Lake Cayuga while the “lake effect” which creates much tougher winter conditions hits above the lakes … so Syracuse, Buffalo, and Rochester have much tougher winters … while Ithaca’s is pretty typical northeast weather. If you a sun worshipper from San Diego the grey and snow may get you down … but it will be about the same as if you attend any of the non-PA IVYies. Worse winters is urban myth #2 about Cornell.</p>
<p>These are 3 great schools … Cornell is unique among the three because of the location … so to me seems to be either the obvious choice or the obvious one to drop. If you want an urban experience for college both Columbia and Penn can provide that for you (Cornell can not) … and if you want a collegetown experience and great access to nature Cornell can provide that while the others can not.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>I know for a fact that Cornell’s [chemical] engineering program is great, from a friend who’s in it. Columbia’s really amazing since it’s in the wonderful world of Manhattan (and Barack Obama went there!). Penn is cool because it just is. Philadelphia is an amazing city, is not so overwhelming as NYC, and has a great college town atmosphere in an urban setting. Yeah, there’s more crime to be found there, but it’s one of my favorite Ivies.</p>
<p>I’m going to major in Biochemistry or Genetics. SO what college is the best amidst of these 3?? I’m an International Student, too :)</p>
<p>Cornell is probably the best if you are going to go into engineering</p>
<p>The suicide rumor at Cornell is nothing but a rumor. When i visited Cornell, I absolutely fell in love with Ithaca. It’s a lovely community and a great college town. Also, its rural enough that you get a nice breath of fresh air every once in a while, which you wouldn’t find in NYC or Philly. That being said, I live in a suburb of NYC and I love the city, so I wouldn’t knock Columbia. I dont like Philadelphia much, but I’ve never been to Penn.</p>
<p>I was in Ithaca just this summer, I don’t recall any large number of 'boarded up stores"; if there were some only the greatest naysayer would leave with that as the overall impression. All the restaurants surrounding the commons were teeming with students and life; on the commons proper there were variously live bands or dj-type free music playing, with audiences hanging out enjoying the scene. I attended a concert right off the commons of one of the legends of old-time music who was playing there; several others famous in this genre were in the audience. There had first been a screeening of a movie he’d made, elsewhere next to the commons, but I didn’t catch it.</p>
<p>I may go back up in October, because the one memory etched most permanently in my
mind was those glorious Fall days when it is about the most beautiful place I’ve ever lived. I loved it there.</p>
<p><a href=“Unexplained Bacon's Photo Galleries at pbase.com”>Unexplained Bacon's Photo Galleries at pbase.com;
<a href=“http://www.cornell.edu/tours/scene308f.html[/url]”>http://www.cornell.edu/tours/scene308f.html</a>
<a href=“http://www.vidoemo.com/yvideo.php?i=dXNOUXZQcWuRpbTVGVlU&wele-to-ithaca[/url]”>http://www.vidoemo.com/yvideo.php?i=dXNOUXZQcWuRpbTVGVlU&wele-to-ithaca</a></p>
<p>D2 transferred from NYC to Cornell and has had a better time in Ithaca. There are similar posts on CC from people who transferred there from NYU, e.g… Being a college town, not an investment banker town, the things there are to do in Ithaca are geared for a student budget. You can eat at the restaurants, not walk by them wistfully.</p>
<p>NYC is one of the great places, but it is best enjoyed and appreciated when you have plenty of money. On a student budget she didn’t dig it, was the report I got. YMMV and all that. Also, if you ultimately work in a big city, going to school in one leaves too little transition from a college experience to the subsequent work place; it just seems like more of the same. Ithaca is no way or shape anything like NYC but many find it to be a good place to spend their college years. Some don’t agree, and also as I just reported some don’t prefer NYC as a college town either. So as far as that goes, just decide what you may prefer, for you.</p>
<p>If overall University reputation is most important to you, go for Columbia. Otherwise, Cornell seems to be the best fit (although, I’ve heard it gets awfully depressing up there).</p>
<p>A gorgeous campus in a wonderful college town. With a multitude of outdoor possibilities [Cayuga Lake, 3 state parks nearby]. Everything in town geared to and affordable to students, who comprise much of the population. Cornell and Ithaca - uniquely captivating, not depressing.</p>
<p>Thanks everybody for your post! Everything boils down to the location and the weather (to some extent), I gather. The picture most of you have been painting about Cornell is one that will definitely deter me from applying there. Suicides, solitude and boredom aren’t really a student’s top preferences.
Columbia and UPenn seem very alike from the discussion above, just that Columbia would be more expensive because of the cost of living in NYC. Are there any other major differences between these colleges? (Academically, I know these colleges are all great).</p>
<p>"Suicides, solitude and boredom aren’t really a student’s top preferences. "</p>
<p>No kidding. These would hardly be D2s preference either, but she is having a blast in Ithaca. You are allowing yourself to be misled by giving great credence to people who have not lived there.</p>
<p>But, as you say, it’s your life.</p>
<p>I haven’t been to any of these colleges, and this forum is my sole connection to these colleges. So you mean, everything stated about Cornell’s isolation is apocryphal and should be disregarded? Can you tell me more about your D2’s experiences? And how do those experiences relate to those of students at Columbia and UPenn?</p>