<p>I'm applying to Cornell as a transfer student (Fall 2010) and I can't decide whether to major in AEM or simply Economics. Does anybody have information on:</p>
<ol>
<li>Competition in admissions for both</li>
<li>Advantages/disadvantages of each major</li>
</ol>
<p>Thanks :)</p>
<p>This is a decision I made when I applied for spring 2010 so I’ll chime in:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>As far as I know, AEM is one of the most competitive programs at Cornell with like a 9 or 10% acceptance rate. It’s very selective and “fit” based. You really need to demonstrate in your essays why AEM is the best possible program for you. Since it’s in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences which is a contract college, you get lower tuition if you’re a resident of NY.<br>
CAS is also very selective (9.4% for fall 09) and I think econ is one of the most popular majors there.</p></li>
<li><p>AEM is more like a business major and, since it’s located in CALS, you have a different set of requirements to fulfill than CAS econ (for example you need bio 1 and 2 in CALS, in CAS you’ll need a foreign language). CAS Econ is more theory based and is similar to taking econ in a liberal arts college and is probably better preparation to study econ at the grad level. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>But both are very competitive and great programs; it really depends on your goals.</p>
<p>it is more about what you wanna do after college than what you can major in</p>