Cornell COE vs Columbia SEAS

Colleges and Universities A-Z Cornell University
1

<p>I'm considering using an ED for one of these next year and my research hasn't been going well. I've heard that Columbia is harder to get into and more prestigous, but I've also heard the same thing about Cornell. The only thing i know for sure is that Columbia is in the city and Cornell isn't.... If i can't make up my mind I'll have to RD both and more than likely ill get rejected from both. So...how do you think they compare, and how are they different?</p>

<p>If you feel like reading more...here are my stats and stuff...
About Me:</p>

<p>My plan is to major in mechancial engineering but also take pre-med classes in case I decide to be a doctor later. So here are my stats. BTW, I live in Maryland, I am an over-represented minority, Male, not poor or rich and am a rising senior at a competitive public school.</p>

<p>Stats:</p>

<p>SAT: 2300 (760M, 740V, 800W(10E))
SAT II:
Chemistry: 800
Math 2c: 790
World History: 680
GPA: Unweighted 3.95/4.00 (Got a B in english this year)
Weighted: idk, more than unweighted...i took mostly G/T and AP classes.
Rank: top 10ish/435
AP: (10th grade) US gov and pol (5)
(11th grade) chem (5), calc ab (5), world history (4), and english language (4)
(12th grade) physics (both of the C ones), english literature, and calc bc
EC's: (Not great)
-National Honor Society (did my community service requirements for this)
-Maryland Technology Honor Society (didn't do much)
-Future Business Leaders of America (didn't do much)
-Piano (umm...yea)
-Tae kwon do (black belt, demo team)
-An internship at NASA last summer
-Will Volunteer a ton at a hospital this summer (like 132 hours)
-Enrolled in a tech-magnet program at my school where i go to an applications and research laboratory and have a 2-period class there (we built an electrathon vehicle, its like a battery-powered racer that we can drive around in); will do a different project next year, maybe a robot
Teacher Recs: Pretty average (i dont do anything class) not bad, but average
Essay: Will be okay, im not really great at writting, i only got an 800 on the SAT cuz i aced the MC, but i'll work hard on it (I'll probably talk about my experience building an electrathon car with my class)
Other: Perfect attendence throughout high school, (that's all i can think of now)</p>

2

<p>i don't know about getting rejected, but Cornell Engineering is definetly stronger than Columbia's if you want to go solely off of rankings.</p>

3

<p>Let me start first by evaluating your chances...</p>

<p>You have a strong chance at Cornell ED.</p>

<p>Your Scores are fine (what happened at World History? But, I doubt that would matter too much because your applying for Eng).
Your academics is good too.</p>

<p>Your ECs aren't bad either. The NASA intern shows a passion for Science, which will go well with ur Major.</p>

<p>Now, I touch upon Cornell ENG vs Columbia.</p>

<p>For Engineering, Cornell is far better. Getting into Cornell ENG is tough (It has the highest Median SAT Scores of all Cornell Colleges). All candidates are good. Don't let the relatively high Admission rate fool you; It's because of Self Selectivity.
Apart from ENG, Cornell has a lot to offer, in the form of a huge array of courses. When you graduate from COE (provided u make use of the available oppertunities), U graduate with more than an Engineering Degree...
As for Cornell being in the middle of nowhere...yes; Ithica is a bit remote, but the Campus more than makes up for it!</p>

4

<p>Columbia for Engineering? LOL</p>

<p>CORNELL!!!</p>

5

<p>Yea, on second thought, Columbia Engineering is TTT</p>

6

<p>TTT?
(10 char)</p>

7

<p>TTT (Third Tier Trash) is a not-quite-politically-correct term.</p>

<p>SEAS isn't quite there, but it's not top notch either.</p>

8

<p>........deleted</p>

9

<p>Cornell has a far better program.</p>

10

<p>It depends on what you prefer.</p>

<p>Columbia is in New York City. Life is focused on the city, not the campus. Cornell is in a nice college town in the middle of nowhere. Life is focused on the campus and its immediate surroundings.</p>

<p>At Columbia, you would live in a dorm for all four years. At Cornell, you would most likely live in a dorm for only one or two years.</p>

<p>Columbia has a small, inconspicuous Greek system. Cornell has a large and thriving one. (However, if you don't like the idea of fraternities and sororities, you can still be quite happy at Cornell. More than half of Cornellians do not join Greek houses.)</p>

<p>Columbia has the Core, and as an engineering student, you would take half of it. Do you like that idea? Is the Core one of the things that attracted you to Columbia in the first place? Or would you rather be at Cornell, where the more conventional curriculum allows you much more choice (but perhaps, less intellectual coherence) in terms of your non-engineering courses?</p>

<p>Columbia is a bit more diverse in terms of the racial/ethnic mix of its student body. Cornell is way more diverse in terms of the academic and professional interests of its student body (it has seven undergraduate colleges, five of which have no equivalent at Columbia).</p>

<p>Columbia is arguably a more intellectual place (because the majority of the students are liberal arts majors, and not just liberal arts majors but the sort of people who would voluntarily come to a place that has the Core). Cornell is arguably a more pre-professional place (because liberal arts majors are in the minority and the curriculum is more conventional).</p>

<p>Cornell students go crazy about ice hockey. Columbia students do not seem to be aware that sports exist. </p>

<p>The food at Cornell is unusually good. There are conflicting reports about the Columbia food, but of course, there are plenty of other things to eat in NYC.</p>

<p>You can probably think of other differences yourself, but this list should serve as a starter.</p>

11

<p>ice hockey...hmm...i'm having second thoughts...lol.</p>

<p>Thanks, that was very helpful.</p>

12

<p>Columbia engineering isn't as pure as Cornell's. Columbia's program is bogged down by a bit of a liberal arts influence.</p>

13

<p>I don't know how you can possibly say that Columbia is any more or less "intellectual" than Cornell.</p>

<p>Some kids get REALLY into sports at Cornell, but some kids don't care about it at all.</p>

<p>Visit both. Avoid generalizations. Cornell particularly has a large student body and you're not going to find any common element among them, other than the fact that they're all Cornellians.</p>