<p>I was all set on Cornell ED but the kids on the CC board seem like complete tools (such as gomestar who walks around the board like a discontent detective). </p>
<p>What do u guys think?</p>
<p>Duke>>>Cornell?</p>
<p>Much depends on what you would like to study, what kind of undergraduate environment you'd like, what part of the country you'd like to experience - that kind of thing. Certainly, a bad idea would be to base such an important decision on the personalities of the posters on a message board :)</p>
<p>^ Agree with Dr. G above.</p>
<p>You can't say one school is better than another for every individual because it depends on what you are looking for. They're both great schools, anyways. But I'll try to give a (somewhat) unbiased comparison according to my understanding. My knowledge about Duke is obviously better than Cornell, however.</p>
<p>Size: Cornell is twice as large and thus has more schools and programs. So, if you're interested in hotel administration, agriculture, architecture, industrial and labor relations, or human ecology, choose Cornell because Duke doesn't have those programs (there is an architectural engineering program, but it's not traditional "architecture"). Cornell also has a lot more engineering departments than Duke, so if you want to major in engineering physics, choose Cornell. You may also like the fact that Duke has 6,000 undergrads instead of 13,500 - depends on your preference. Both campuses' physical size are huge though.</p>
<p>Academics: Both schools are recognized as having top-notch academics, but obviously some departments are known more in one place than the other. I wouldn't base too much on a particular departmental rating, though, because you might change your mind about what you want to study. Unless one school doesn't have it at all. Also, look for particular programs that you'd be interested in and research opportunities. Duke is great for science and engineering research opportunities for undergrads - don't know anything about Cornell in that regard.</p>
<p>Weather: obviously, Cornell is freakin cold. If you like warm weather, laying outside, playing sports, or going to a beach nearby, Duke will make you happier. As the saying goes, Cornell has the highest suicide rate of any school because it's cold and they have a lot of pretty bridges to jump off of (I don't know if this is actually true, but I've been told it by a bunch of people). </p>
<p>Sports: Duke>>>>Cornell unless you are a HUGE fan of hockey and hate basketball, soccer, field hockey, lacrosse (although Cornell is good at lax too), golf, tennis, and cross country. But, seriously, Duke basketball really unites the student body, and it's a LOT of fun to go to games, etc. It also connects you to the school for life as an alum since you always cheer for a perenially fantastic b-ball team. This is honestly probably the reason I chose Duke over Penn and Columbia. I wanted to go to a school where there is a lot of school pride and I can continue to show that pride throughout my life and feel a connection. Penn students at least went to football games, which I liked, but Columbia sucked in that regard and I got the feeling people could care less about being united as a school. I think Cornell is probably better than Columbia, but not even as good as Penn. And it's on a completely different level than Duke.</p>
<p>City: Durham - decently large, poor, high crime rate, a fair number of bars and restaurants, but not a metropolis by any stretch of the imagination, southern (but on Duke's campus you feel like you're in the north with just better weather), warm, near Chapel Hill and Raleigh, research triangle for internships. Duke's campus is not immersed in the city, however. Ithaca - cold, in the middle of nowhere, that's about all I know.</p>
<p>Social life: Probably similar? Not really sure. Both have greek systems. Cornell's campus is more isolated so I bet more stuff happens on Campus there whereas things happen both on and off campus at Duke.</p>
<p>Food: I hear Cornell has good food, but don't really know.</p>
<p>Dorms: No idea how they compare.</p>
<p>Facilities/Campus beauty: Duke's campus is amazing. But you can decide for yourself by visiting.</p>
<p>Types of students that go there: can't really generalize, but I also chose Duke for the fact that it wasn't an Ivy League. At Penn and Columbia, I ran into a bunch of students that were down to earth and nice, but there was also a minority that felt they were superior b/c they go to an Ivy League school. Some people say the same thing about Duke students - that they're elitist, but I found most people super laid back and down to earth. It's all relative, I guess, and there's no objective way to actually measure it. Both schools are large enough that there are plenty of cool people.</p>
<p>Recap: Duke wins on sports and weather. Depends what you're looking for in academics, social life, city, campus, etc. And I'll even give Cornell the victory in the food category to be fair, although I have never been to Cornell....so I am probably a bad person to make the comparison, but I tried anyways!</p>