D has been accepted at both. Is a science/math type major. We visited Cornell and really liked it. Wash U is flying her out next week so I won’t be seeing it. Both have beautiful campuses ,though the edge, I think, goes to Cornell there. Academics I would guess are close.
Things about Wash U that may be better; We live in Cal , so it’s easier to get to. Smaller so perhaps more personal. A collaborative environment, not cut throat or competitive. Also #1 rated dorms and high rated food. Overall high rate of happiness among students.
Cornell obviously has greater name recognition to some and provides more of an overall college experience. Better college town, more so called school spirit maybe and nicer natural surroundings. More diversity. I suspect more “electricity” or buzz/energy on campus. Less coddling and transition away from dorms aids in growing process. What else am I forgetting?
What about study abroad, getting in to grad school or finding a job post graduation. And alumni networking.
Any correcting of my preconceived notions or adding to what’s better at either school would be appreciated.
Thanks!!
We looked at a couple of other small LAC’s in Pennsylvania on our trip and flew from Oakland to Baltimore. Then drove around. So as far as knowing the best, most direct way there, it didn’t help us.
There was a recent thread about traveling from CA to Ithaca on the Cornel sub-forum.
It’s not that easy.
Fortunately people don’t have to do it that often.
A fair amount of people do it though, actually. 11-12% of Cornell students are from CA.
Depending on which is better /cheaper, best ways might be:
fly into Syracuse (connect from elsewhere) then get car service 1-1/4 hr;
-fly direct into NYC airport, , cab into NYC, Cornell bus from NYC to Ithaca campus
Some other options may be better if you are renting a car.
Current students can pretty easily get rides into NYC, in which case can get plane from there.
There are competitive students and cut-throat students everywhere. And certainly, at Cornell you cannot make any generalizations. There are seven different undergraduate schools/colleges, each with a different feel. I went to Cornell (way back when) and visited WashU on a college visit. I think Cornell is way more diverse in every way. WashU seems like a bastion of affluence. It was very “manicured.” Almost too much perfection for my tastes. Cornell has a certain wholesomeness to it that I didn’t see at a lot of the other colleges we visited.
Thanks brantly. But I guess it’s not really denied. My daughter said she heard it from Cornell students. But she conceded that’s not such a bad thing sometimes. That’s the real world.The only other negative she heard was about grade deflation. Honestly I hadn’t heard of either at Cornell. Researching it online I found no evidence. Do you have any experience with that? Not sure which way she’ll go. I’m trying not to push. Just maybe guide a little! I hear what you are saying about Wash U though. Could be a little too generic, tidy and light on pulse.
“I guess it’s not really denied. My daughter said she heard it from Cornell students”
Cornell students have denied it right here on CC in the past. I’m too lazy to go hunt for examples now.
There are a lot of curved classes, and some tough courses. It does not follow that people are refusing to work together or burning people’s homework.
But with 14,000 students it can be expected that a range of behavior exists. Everyone at Cornell is not the same. It could be your daughter heard it from someone there that everyone else there hates.
I can’t fully address grade deflation other than to say that I think the Cornell of today is a kinder, gentler version of the Cornell I attended. My son took Macro Econ last semester, in the same building and probably same lecture hall that I took it in thirty years ago. IIRC, our semester grade was calculated based on two pre-lims & one final exam. Nothing else. My son’s semester grade also included a 10% weighting for weekly on-line quizzes that the students could take twice w/o penalty, and another 10% for class participation measured via the iClicker. So, as long as a student showed up and did the work, he should be starting with 20% of his grade at close to 100%.
Now, many classes are curved so the abilities of one’s classmates affects your exam grades, but I don’t recall an exam ever being curved down.
Re: traveling to Syracuse airport. There are shuttle bus options for perhaps $25 (I think!) at the holidays. Students also post on Facebook looking for others to share a taxi/
If flying to NYC airports, once in NYC, the university’s Campus-to-Campus bus is a very luxurious bus option. Still not an easy trip to fly across country, travel into Manhattan via bus, train, or taxi, and then take four hour bus ride to campus.
To me, Collegetown has lost some of its charm, but the greater Ithaca area is absolutely lovely, as is the campus itself.
I have read many posts on CC about how tough some professors are about giving extensions due to family emergency or illness, how difficult it is to get professors to write recommendation letters, or get help after class. I’ve had two kids go through Cornell, and I am just amazed how helpful their professors have been at various circumstances.
D2 had a major internship interview this past week. Right before the spring break, the potential employer told D2 she needed two recommendation letters from her professors. She contacted two professors right away and both professors said yes. Both professors sent her their LOR without any reminder from her.
D1 was very sick her freshman year. All of her professors gave her extension on her papers and prelims. They also met with her privately when she couldn’t make it to class.
D1 had questions about a prelim she took (she didn’t do too well), so she emailed her professor. Her professor emailed back right away to say he was catching a flight for a conference he was attending in Europe, but would respond to her at his next stop over.
D2 is doing an independent study along with a senior thesis. She is getting a lot of attention from her professors with the topic and receiving a lot of guidance.
My two nephews are from CA. They go home for summer and winter breaks. They get a ride to NYC and fly out of three airports in NYC.
@mojojohnson no, I can’t help with info on grade deflation. I think it’s a fool’s errand to try to make a decision based on word on the street about such things as grade deflation, cut-throat-ness, etc. It’s a large school. WasU is med/large. Visit both campuses. She’ll have a gut feeling. Don’t fight the gut.
As far as travel, clearly St. Louis would be easier. For Cornell, the easiest travel path is direct to Newark (EWR) then catch a connecting flight EWR to Ithaca. Cab to campus from Ithaca Airport, about 10 minutes.
" IIRC, our semester grade was calculated based on two pre-lims & one final exam. Nothing else."
My recollection is no doubt worse than yours, but I think in my class we also had graded assignments in recitation, a general recitation grade, and a term paper. Depended on the professor I guess, as always.
Those classes served me well, years later I placed out of the economics sequence in my MBA program by re-reading Samuelson.
My D will be attending Cornell in the fall. When we visited Wash U last year both my D and I mentioned that the dorm area of campus reminded us of Main Street Disney!
My nonsensical point is Wash U has frequently either been referred to or refers to itself as “the Ivy of the Midwest”, I have never seen Cornell being referred to as the Ivy of anything else, or the Harvard of Upstate NY, choose your moniker. That is because it is in the Ivy League and that says it all.