Hi, I have a guaranteed transfer option to Cornell my sophomore year. I have to maintain a 3.3 GPA (with no classes under a B). However, I don’t think where to go for my freshman year. I lived in NY. I’m stuck between Binghamton SOM and a local community college.
I can save money from going to CC, but I don’t know if it’ll look bad to employers. However, Binghamton’s SOM is really good but I don’t know how tough the curriculum is. I’m worried if I will screw up in one class and lose the transfer.
@PurpleTitan Thanks for your answer! I was just worried in terms of internships and stuff. I want to get one the summer after sophomore year, but by then, a majority of my grades/credits are from the CC, not Cornell.
CC: cheaper, but if you do not meet the GPA requirement to guarantee transfer to Cornell (or choose not to transfer there), you need to apply to transfer to other schools the usual way to get to a school to complete a bachelor’s degree.
Binghamton: more expensive, but if you do not meet the GPA requirement to guarantee transfer to Cornell (or choose not to transfer there), you can stay there and graduate from there.
If you transfer, it is the school that you take your junior/senior courses and graduate from that matters to employers.
I’m bucking the tide here and suggesting going to Binghamton. The guaranteed admission to Cornell is a great program and I am positive there will be other students at Binghamton who will be moving over to Cornell with you Sophomore year. Cornell is huge and it would be nice for you to have a more similar Freshman year before going there as a Sophomore.
Also, there is a chance that you will decide to stay at Binghamton for all four years instead of transferring, I’ve seen that happen. That is not an option at a community college.
If you do decide to go to a community college please confirm that attendance there is accepted for your guaranteed transfer because I don’t know anyone who has done that. It doesn’t mean it isn’t possible, I just want you to make sure that it counts.
I would choose Binghamton. First, you’ll get the important “dorming” experience that’s especially educational for freshmen. Second, the course rigor will be better and thus prepare you better for Cornell (although there’ll be a step, it’ll be smaller to manage). Third, if for some reason the Cornell plan fails, you’re in at a very good SOM and you don’t have to worry about transferring.
Do you have APs? Which ones?
You’d need to complete Math 221-222, or 222-304 (depending on your having AP calc or not), Econ 160-162, CQS 112 (stats - unless you have AP Stats, in which case take a Science class toward the Cornell requirement), Management 111 (intro class), Intermediate foreign language 1&2, plus phys ed and 2 gen ed classes based on Cornell’s first year program (probably Composition 2 or, recommended, an honors “writing” seminar, plus Philosophy - because I have a feeling that Intro to philosophy at Bing will be a bit easier than intro to philosophy/ethics at Cornell and this way you’ll be done with that requirement). The program above does not match exactly the 1st year for BBA majors, but is closer you what you’d need for Cornell; it assumes a 5 in one English AP and one AP in science.
Someone else posted this exact inquiry. I’m glad to see others feel the same way I did with the other student that posted. Binghamton is the clear choice in my mind.
I normally don’t advocate that students attend cc if they are ready for college. But some 4 year colleges seem to be setting students up for this bad option. If you absolutely want to go to Cornell, then the option that makes that most likely is to attend cc, for all the reasons posters have already mentioned. You are not going to stay at community college but there is a possibility you can end up staying at Binghamton. If you want to be absolutely sure you end up at Cornell, going to community college for that first year will make that far more likely. If you are neutral about where you graduate from, then Binghamton may be the better choice.
If you go to community college you will continue to be strongly motivated to go to Cornell. If you go to Binghamton things can arise that could result in a change of plans. A lot can happen in a year. You could go to Binghamton and meet someone who you don’t want to leave, meaning you might stay because of a relationship rather than because your career goals changed. The two schools are less than an hour apart but that is a big distance for two people used to seeing each other every day.
Binghamton has grade inflation but they also have a lot of programs that are mandating that students get above certain grades in order to beat out peers to get into certain programs, transfer into the programs they want, or stay in certain programs. That means that Binghamton students are a little like high school juniors taking their SATs and clawing for every point in their classes in anticipation of applications for whatever. There was more discussion about points and grades then course material sometimes. Welcome to High School Part 2 at Binghamton U. No Binghamton isn’t the only school like that but few exceed Binghamton when it comes to grades being the primary motivator for students wanting to be issued that efficient and effective degree. The fact that students are often comparing their grades with the exact same kids that they compared their grades and scores with when they were in the same high school together does not help the situation. Courses in SOM may use a curve or another strategy to decrease the number of A’s. I don’t believe other courses do that since there was a lot of grade inflation. But if you have to take courses in your major, check out if they are courses that use that strategy.You could load up on ones that guarantee A’s. That’s a common way to choose courses at Binghamton.
All four years will be part of your college education and experience. If you think Binghamton will offer a better overall experience than a community college – and most would – then I think you should strongly consider Binghamton.
There are two threads about this same topic. I am not sure if the OP is the same person. In the other thread someone said that in SOM classes, only about 10% of the students can be assigned A’s. And only 15% more can be assigned an A-. If the OP has to take SOM classes to get into the program OP wants, and if the OP needs a 3.3, that may be tricky, especially if the 3.3 is needed in SOM classes. If that is true, CC is the OP surest bet. I’m surprised that SOM does this since grade inflation was out of control at Binghamton University. Has it changed across the entire university?
I was just worried in terms of internships and stuff. I want to get one the summer after sophomore year, but by then, a majority of my grades/credits are from the CC, not Cornell.