<p>I was recently admitted into both Cornell and Vanderbilt. I am receiving a full scholarship at Vanderbilt. I will have to contribute about $10,000 anually at Cornell after scholarships, grants, etc. I really like both schools. I want to study biiology and was told that both schools have a very good biology program. Can I please get some suggestions. I dont know what to do. Any suggestions?</p>
<p>Hmm…Vanderbilt is free and therefore a better return on your investment.</p>
<p>From a financial perspective and a careers perspective, it’s a no brainer.</p>
<p>The only question left is - would you be happy living at Vanderbilt for 4 years?</p>
<p>It gets REALLY cold in Ithaca. That might factor into your decision.</p>
<p>Lots of cool stuff going on in Nashville.</p>
<p>vanderbilt-hands down, it’s a really great school.</p>
<p>i would go to vanderbilt. 
that’s an incredible accomplishment though! congratulations!</p>
<p>Cornell is an Ivy League. Vanderbilt is what?? Your college choice is on your resume for the rest of your life. Do you want to keep explaining or beaming.</p>
<p>vanderbilt free ride > cornell 10k per year, especially if the student has to make up the difference.</p>
<p>Cornell is not Harvard, Yale, or Princeton. It’s Ivy League, yes, but not quite on their level. (I graduated from Cornell, and one of my kids is a student there now. I love the place, but I have no illusions about it.)</p>
<p>Vanderbilt, like Cornell, is a nationally respected university. Cornell ranks higher, but not drastically so. </p>
<p>To some extent, I think your decision should be influenced by where you would like to live after you graduate. In the south, Vanderbilt is a well-known name. In the north, not so much. </p>
<p>The $10,000 difference also matters a great deal, especially if you would have to go into debt to pay for Cornell.</p>
<p>Both universities are well known, and exceptional schools. US News and World Reports ranks them nearly identically (Cornell is 15th and Vanderbilt is 17th).</p>
<p>Where will you be happier? Visit them both, and if possible spend an overnight at each. Then decide.</p>
<p>
Ummmm … a highly respected, highly selective university in a thriving city, with a world-class medical center, outstanding faculty, talented student body, and rising national reputation? As fogcity points out, the US News rankings don’t separate them by much. It’s up to the OP to decide, but I wouldn’t consider two lousy spots worth $40,000. Most people who hire Ivy League grads will at least have heard of Vanderbilt - they won’t be saying, “Vanderbilt is what???”</p>
<p>Northeastern parent of a Vanderbilt grad here. There are perhaps more gracious (to say nothing of accurate) ways to indicate that one considers Cornell a better choice than to imply that Vanderbilt is the anti-Ivy.</p>
<p>Many years ago I faced a similar decision and chose the money. I ended up at Cornell and initially felt my career may have suffered from the choice. But now, when I look back on it, I believe my years in Ithaca provided an education I could not have found anywhere else and my life is better because of it. . . .So who knows! Keep asking questions . . . Inform yourself. . . .Do some research. . .Then trust your instinct. We all have a little voice we listen to when making choices and we can only hope that voice is smarter than us. Such is life. The only way the voice can be smarter than you is to continue the inquisitive path of constant questions, and then one must just cross one’s fingers. Our advice may help or may not. Keep it in perspective. You’ve got two great schools and something great will happen at either one. Embrace it and go with it. Good luck!</p>
<p>If you were going into finance then I would say Cornell. Since you are going to study biology, I assume you would be going to graduate school, then I would go with Vanderbilt if it’s going to be cheaper. Even though they are very different, North vs South, I would tell my kid to suck it up to save 40,000. I am also assuming you were admitted to Cornell’s CAL, not A&S? In that case I would definitely pick Vandi over Cornell.</p>
<p>Those two schools: Ithaca vs Nashville, rural vs city, north vs south, ivy league vs frats/sororities (that’s a plus or negative, depending on your perspective), $10K or free, check out the size of the schools too. I think Cornell is very focused on their grad programs, probably much more than Vandy. Both good schools, but very different. I suggest you visit, if you can.</p>
<p>I disagree with Cornell is very focused on their grad programs. UG get a lot of attention from real professors. Cornell also has a large Greek life.</p>
<p>WOW…Thanks everyone…please keep sending any suggestions you have…thank you.</p>
<p>Academically it’s a toss-up. Financially Vanderbilt clearly wins. So the real question is there anything about Vanderbilt that you do or don’t like? Location, campus social life are obvious differences. I only know them by stereotypes, but I’d dig a little deeper. Have you visited either place or will you visit them? </p>
<p>If a PhD in biology is in your future - you shouldn’t have to worry about the cost of grad school.</p>
<p>I will be visiting Vanderbilt in two weeks and will be visiting Cornell in early April. I would like to go to medical school after my undergrad studies. Don’t know if that makes a difference.</p>
<p>^Med school is expensive. I’d definitely favor Vanderbilt.</p>
<p>Visiting is a good idea. Vanderbilt is located within the city of Nashville, about a mile and a half from the downtown. It is surrounded by restaurants, shops, coffee shops, yet it is a very peaceful, compact campus. Personally, I give it very high marks for having all of the advantages of an urban campus, with few of the disadvantages. Cornell has a very different setting. If ambiance is important to you, a visit should help you decide.</p>
<p>If you are personally financing the difference in costs, your future plans are significant. I don’t think it is a good idea to tack an additional 40K onto medical school debt.</p>
<p>I am biased. My son attends Vanderbilt on a merit scholarship, and is now a junior. He has no complaints whatever, has never regretted his choice for a moment. He isn’t a southerner, isn’t a member of a fraternity, does not particularly like country music, but none of that has mattered; Vanderbilt has served his interests extremely well. To top it off, he will graduate debt-free with a good deal of money still in the bank. </p>
<p>Enjoy your visits, and congratulations.</p>
<p>Vanderbilt’s med center is right next to campus, a plus if you are looking for the exposure of volunteering at a real clinic. While Cornell has an excellent Biology program, its med school is in New York City.</p>
<p>I had sons at both schools; they are very different kinds of people, and so I think of the two schools very differently, but PM me if you want more information. There are some things that shouldn’t be said in a public forum.</p>