Cornell Engineering Premed? Bad Idea?

<p>According to <a href=“Career Services | Student & Campus Life | Cornell University”>Career Services | Student & Campus Life | Cornell University;
it seems like having a good mcat and gpa gives you a very good chance. No other schools gave such a comprehensive breakdown and left in statistics about students of such poor credentials. They even left in stats about a guy with 3.2-3.39 gpa and 10-14 mcat!
You can’t really compare across school stats because some schools “screen” by having staff discourage students of lower caliber, and for sure that is not reported. Many students screen themselves, seeing how their stats compare to their peers or by losing interest in the premed path. This sort of unreported screenings happen in every school.
I’d say stick a year, see how things go. If you love engineering, chances are that you won’t transfer. Don’t try to overload yourself with harder classes though.
But seriously if you are afraid to commit yourself don’t come to cornell. you would not be worthy of being my competition.</p>

<p>johny</p>

<p>Was at Cornell Engineering earlier this week with my child. At the info session, they mentioned in passing that about 10% do transfer out, so it can be done. We discussed this briefly with a rep (though it may be an alum) last year at a college fair. I ‘think’ you have to ‘apply’ after one semester to the other school. Then you spend a semester in “division of unclassified students” (I know this is how it was when I was there, and it didn’t sound like it had changed). Though this may sound like a PITA, bottom line, I’ve never heard of anyone who wasn’t already flunking out trying to change colleges, and not being allowed to. YMMV.</p>

<p>Tufts, as I recall, was somewhat easier to change out of engineering – I think they said, you fill out the form, and you’re done. Obviously, it’s a fine school, and has a pretty good Med school admit rate.</p>

<p>As to ‘what should you do’ – it’s a tough question. People do, in fact get into Medical school from engineering school – BME might be a good path. I’m assuming that with the top schools, Medical schools are aware of grading policies and take this into account.</p>

<p>On the other hand, if you don’t want to be an engineer, you might be letting yourself in for a semester of hell. Only you can say how much you want to go to Cornell, and whether it’s worth it to you.</p>

<p>I’d like to thank all of you once again for your input.</p>

<p>To sum it up: Transferring within Cornell seems pretty harmless as long as you do it relatively early even for premeds (first year engineering has premed courses). </p>

<p>Also Cornell engineering is pretty much harder than CAS but thats the way at every college. I can’t determine how I will do at Cornell Engineering until I actually go there. So far my HS career has showed that I am stronger at math and science than other subjects (although I do enjoy the humanities and english.) </p>

<p>The problem thats left is that my first semester won’t “really” expose me to engineering since I’ll be taking a lot of classes that aren’t engineering specific (maybe an intro to engineering course but i dunno how representative that is) I think ill make my decision once I get there.</p>

<p>As for premed rates go lets just disregard them until we can find data that is comparable. I’ve sent out an email to the premed engineering society at Cornell asking them for more info regarding CAS vs COE i’ll post more info on this thread when I get it.</p>

<p>Cornell does not have a BME major–its only a minor or a concentration so you would have to commit to a type of engineering.</p>

<p>and you will be exposed to engineering your first sememster. you have to take a seminar course in the field of engineering that interests you and relates to your major. My D had to take it. She had the Chem E one. There are others too. As I recall there was no BME one otherwise she would have taken that.</p>

<p>Johny1: Quote: “Ok my choice in going to cornell has nothing to do with other people wanting a spot at Cornell. I still have a chance at doing engineering (although It does seem low given my current mindset) and I still have an option to transfer into CAS and pursue a major that I really enjoy there. The fact of the matter is that I was accepted by Cornell and my decision to go or not go there has nothing to do with other people wanting a spot or other people deserving it. Quite frankly that is the world of college acceptances.”</p>

<p>John1, looking forward 4 years from now I hope that you find ourself waitlisted for your 1st choice medical because someone with current attitude is holding your “desired” spot</p>

<p>“What comes around goes around”</p>

<p>The issue is, as a freshman engineer, you would have to take some different, and harder, courses freshman year than many would take if they were premed in a different college there.(Or at Tufts CAS). You would have to take calculus for engineers, physics for engineers, and IIRC a relatively hard and time consuming computer class (at least in my day). Whereas most premeds would be taking no computer class at all, and different, and easier, versions of those math and physics courses. And they wouldn’t be taking them all freshman year, when they were also trying to do their hard Bio courses. Actually I’'ve read CC posts where a couple premed types seemed to be taking physics elsewhere, over the summer. An option that an engineer wouldn’t have, obviously.</p>

<p>I don’t see how these can be avoided while you are an engineering college student, even if you transfer at the earliest possible point. And I do not know that transfer, while maybe probable, can be absolutely assured, actually.</p>

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<p>I already got wait listed to my top school and it has nothing to do with karma. If someone else got accepted then good for them. They deserved it and they have the right to do whatever they want with it. Even if they don’t use their opportunity to its fullest potential it wouldn’t bother me in the slightest bit. Thats life. They beat me in the admission process and thats all that matters. There are so many kids who work hard and want to go to Cornell or other ivy leagues. There are so many kids who might even deserve these schools more than me but they didn’t work hard enough apparently to get accepted or they did and they got unlucky. But either way, being mad at the person who got accepted is the dumbest thing I heard. You should instead be mad at yourself for not coming with a good enough application or you should be mad at the admission committee that denied or wait listed you. </p>

<p>LOL?</p>

<p>And its only one introductory engineering course first semester. And the bio for engineers is the same as that for CAS. The first chem is pretty much the same as it is for CAS I heard its not that much harder. So basically engineering first semester sounds good.</p>

<p>you have to take math the first semester and the math IS harder. Even if you got a 5 in calc BC, you take the next calculus class in that series. 38% of that class did not pass last semester and many of those kids had 5s on calc BC while in high school. </p>

<p>so, you are taking a lot of time consuming and competitive classes simultaneously. Most freshman engineers take 18 units. and of course there is the required PE class and the swim test!</p>

<p>Johnny,</p>

<p>Have you decided what school you are attending yet? May 1st is getting closer and closer.</p>

<p>I haven’t visited Carnegie Mellon and I don’t know If I will. I got a good vibe from Tufts and Cornell. I procrastinate a lot and have terrible time management so I don’t know if Cornell is good choice for me since I hear it takes a lot of hard work and motivation to do well. I felt like Tufts had a more peaceful environment and the classes weren’t as intimidating. I visited a Cornell class and it was huge. I don’t know if there are any advantages of having huge class sizes vs a small class size. In a small class you’ll be able to get a more intimate experience with your professor and you can ask more questions. This way you don’t have to go to office hours like you would at Cornell. </p>

<p>Cornell’s campus was absolutely amazing. The landscape, the buildings, and the dam were extraordinary. I also enjoyed the food. </p>

<p>I haven’t made up my mind yet, but Tufts is not a bad option. I tend to be a more relaxed and less competitive person. And recently I’ve found myself losing motivation to do work. I know Tufts is quite rigorous (contrary to what monydad said) as well but I’m hoping I get out of this spell.</p>

<p>[Cornell</a> Installs Suicide Barriers On Bridges (PHOTOS)](<a href=“HuffPost - Breaking News, U.S. and World News | HuffPost”>Cornell Installs Suicide Barriers On Bridges (PHOTOS) | HuffPost College)</p>

<p>yikes!!!</p>

<p>No I haven’t chosen yet.</p>

<p>If Cornell didn’t make its school so da-mn difficult you wouldn’t see those suicide rates.</p>

<p>I don’t understand the point of having a very difficult engineering school in comparison to other engineering schools. You can learn just as well with an easier curriculum maybe even better. A lot of people lose hope when their grades go straight down first semester.</p>

<p>Yep engineering in cornell is pretty tough, or so i’ve heard.
If you’re considering bypassing those suicide barriers before you even go, I suggest you look elsewhere</p>

<p>I would want the engineer that designs my artificial heart or the bridge I cross every day or the car I drive in to attend a rigorous engineering program. Cornell’s really teaches one how to think like an engineer while at the same time learning all of the foundational knowledge you will need to be effective.</p>

<p>“If Cornell didn’t make its school so da-mn difficult you wouldn’t see those suicide rates.”</p>

<p>Exactly. When there were zero suicides at Cornell every year from 2005 thru 2008, it’'s because they made the work ridiculously easy in those years. How else can one explain how Gomestar could graduate from Cornell ? No coincidence he attended during that very period. When you put two and two together, the obvious just jumps out at you. </p>

<p>And if the long term rate there is below national averages for college students, that’s not the point. The point is they were high in 2010, so the work must be that much harder now. Whereas you never hear about anything like this at a place like, say, Tufts, so the work must be much easier there. Just like it was, obviously, at Cornell from 2005-2008 when they actually even let Gomestar graduate.</p>

<p>Some psychology PhD goofballs try to complicate it to sound important, but in reality the whole phenomenon is just that simple. There is no such thing as a “cluster” phenomenon, it is just a linear response to “them” ratcheting up the work. That’s it.</p>

<p>^^</p>

<p>I’m glad you agree!</p>

<p>… So by logic you should matriculate elsewhere, if that’s how you feel about the university.</p>

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We try to keep this fact quiet at home. It helps me sleep better.</p>