Hi everyone!
I was accepted into the JHU’s engineering school and Cornell’s engineering school. I want to do chemical engineering, but I’m not completely set on it yet. I also want to double major outside the engineering school.
Johns Hopkins allows a really flexible curriculum (lots of double majors), but I know Cornell is a powerhorse in engineering. I also want to go to grad school (or a 5 year masters program).
Which should I pick? (and why?)
Both are great. Pick the one that you like better. Don’t bother with a double major.
Though Cornell’s and JHU’s engineering programs are ranked fairly similarly – and very high – in their USNWR category (9th and 15th, respectively), the distribution curve is pretty steep in that area, with respective scores of 4.2 and 3.8. If you also find yourself appreciating Cornell’s beautiful campus and surroundings, including the college town Ithaca, then a decision to attend Cornell could easily be supported on academic grounds.
The notion that the difference between 9 and 15 in the rankings is in any way meaningful is silly.
One of the purposes of my analysis was to place the rankings in mathematical perspective. The OP can decide if a 10% difference in peer assessment is “silly.” If he got into these schools, which others may not have, he is certainly capable of that.
It is. The USNWR rankings are not some definitive tool in any way and should not be used in this way. Sure, the difference between their scores may be 0.4, but what does that actually mean? What effect does that have on education? Student life? Strength of a program? Career outcomes? There’s no real answer to that, and when you are talking about schools that are both great (both in general and specifically in engineering), it is silly to use such measures to try and draw a distinction.
As an opinion, @SpenceyH, since I hadn’t offered one previously, these schools would be about equally excellent for engineering. If you were interested in using USNWR rankings as a guide, however (which you didn’t state one way or the other), then simply be aware that the absolute difference between 9 and 15 in this case is the same as that between 15 and 31. Good luck with your decision.
Do I need to point out that the difference between 15 and 31 is also silly? Seriously, lighten up on the rankings. There is a lot more to making a college choice than that, especially when the rankings are so subjective in the first place. Rankings do a pretty good job at placing schools roughly into tiers based on their reputation. Depending on which set of rankings are being used, they may also signify different things. None of these things are even remotely definitive, especially when the difference in rankings is so small. If it was the number 10 school vs. the number 100 school, I’d say it is meaningful (for certain things). 15 vs. 31 or 9 vs. 15 is not.
Further, the USNWR rankings attempt to somehow quantitatively measure (with the scores you keep using) a number of subjective and ultimately qualitative properties about a school. It is therefore a legitimate debate whether the scores are even meaningful (and that debate has been had many times).
Cornell is an Ivy. There are networking groups in the working world that are exclusive to students who graduated from an Ivy institution. LinkedIn has numerous groups for Ivy grads, as does Facebook, and cities, etc. Throughout your life you will have access to networking opportunities to get jobs or whatever if you went to Cornell that you would not have if you went to JHU. These Ivy groups are filled with people in powerful positions who could help you one day. Go with Cornell.
Both great schools, and I assume both are about the same cost for you. Have you done campus visits? If yes, did you feel more at home in on place or another?
Cornell costs about 4k more a year for me (16k for 4 years). I did visit both, and I could really see myself in both places. I’m a little worried about the horror stories of Cornell grade deflation (easiest Ivy to get into, hardest to get out of), as well as the isolated location of Ithaca. What do you guys think?
I’ve lived in NY, in a place where Ithaca was an easy day trip. It is really beautiful there… a lovely college town, but not city life if that’s what you crave. One of my hs friends attended Cornell in the 1980s and loved it. At the time (not sure if still true), she had to move off campus as a sophomore… so lots of walking across town (sometimes in “Ithacate”, so sort of frozen sleet). Oh, and HILLS. Also I know a student from CO (land of lots of sunshine) that went to Cornell for Engineering and never complains about the weather. It’s tough academics but great opportunity.
The tone of your posts makes me think you are leaning towards JHU. Go with your gut. Also, I would say that academically you are not going to find them very different. I would focus more on the things that will make college great for you based on your preferences. If you are more of a city guy and can see yourself heading into DC sometimes, taking advantage of the Baltimore harbor area, maybe even taking in a pro baseball or football game on occasion, etc. then use that to make your decision. I think the Ivy thing is not so meaningful, personally. A degree from JHU carries a ton of weight.
If you could see yourself at both places, but think of Ithaca as isolated, then JHU may be the better fit for you. Personally, I look at Cornell’s location as one of its appealing aspects (in general, not in direct comparison to JHU), though, and you couldn’t go wrong with their academics.
Have you gone to visit the schools yet? Do that and see how it feels for you. Look into clubs and other activities that you like to do. Sit in on some classes. Talk with students and professors and visit the dining halls and the gyms and the libraries and see which you prefer. Walk around the campuses and venture off campus a bit. If you play music, check out the practice rooms. Enjoy the experience and then weigh your options. You should be fine in either case so you are in an excellent position to choose.
Thank you everyone! I am leaning towards Cornell because I received the prestigious Cornell Rawlings Research Scholar (2% of students receive it) which allows me to do research starting freshman year with a research account financially sponsored by Cornell.
Cornell is by no means easy to get into, so let me start off by saying congrats! What it comes down to here is personal preference. You have 2 great schools, both with sever grade deflation (you are screwed regardless of which one you choose). Flip a coin and choose the school that you find yourself hoping the coin will land in favor of.
then go for Cornell, that research scholarship should provide you with prestigious opportunities for research which will propel you for grad schools
I would say JHU. Cornell is a very good engineering school, but JHU is a global research powerhouse. They are fairly similar in terms of reputation, but that is largely because Cornell gets a bump for being an Ivy League school (playing football against Harvard doesn’t impress me). The difference between JHU and Cornell in terms of research is large. Check out the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory.
Go to JHU, leaving the academics and the Ivy title aside, Cornell has a beautiful but an isolated campus. JHU campus is nice but the immediate area is bad. Once you leave that there is plenty to do in Baltimore, DC is close by ad NY city is just a 2-hour ride on the train. Cornell is depressing in winter ( leads to too many parties where you land up drunk) and hence the high suicide rate. Everyone I know who went there wishes they didn’t