<p>@ Midmo, yes its one of the big three awards.</p>
<p>I was just wondering how you received your acceptance and package already? For the poster who said that maybe Cornell could increase your scholarship…there are no scholarships at Cornell, only need based aid. There may be some minor book allowance money given but there is nothing in terms of merit. </p>
<p>As a parent of two Cornell students feel free to PM me with any questions you may have. It has been such a wonderful school for my sons. They are each having an amazing undergrad experience with brilliant mentors. The opportunities they have had are unmatched to any of their friends schools, and my son who is attending MIT is hoping to attend Cornell for his graduate degree.</p>
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<p>Wow, congratulations!!!</p>
<p>I think the student’s choice will be clear after a visit; these two schools have SUCH different feels to them.</p>
<p>Cornell in April is dicey. Could be beautiful, could have that ugly brown snow everywhere. Ithaca takes some getting used to but is worth the effort. I suspect Nashville does not have an ugly month;-)</p>
<p>That’s a lot of loot, and vanderlbilt is a well-regarded school.
If it were me, If I visited there and determined that I could be comfortable and thrive in its campus culture, that money would be hard to turn down.</p>
<p>We have a family friend’s kid who is there now, the school has really drawn him out and he is thriving there socially and academically. I personally would not choose a southern school where they dress up for football games, but that’s just me. And for $30k per year I could be persuaded to keep a more open mind about that too.</p>
<p>For 40,000 I could do a lot of things. Well, at least to get dressed up.</p>
<p>Hey Jamaica, Congratulations on an incredible achievement! Really terrific!!
I’m a bit familiar with one of the big 3 awards from Vandy. I thought it was tuition only - not room and board. Check it out…that may figure into your calculations.
Good luck! Excellent choices!</p>
<p>So monydad and oldfort, would you actually suggest your kids not choose Cornell?</p>
<p>If money was an issue and my kid wanted to be doctor, it would have been Vandy. Since D1 knew she wanted to go into finance, it would have been Cornell even if Vandy was free. D1 did pass up on a full ride at a LAC.</p>
<p>woody, re post 48: The three named awards currently cover tuition and a research stipend of some sort, but all three will add additional grant money if there is calculated need beyond tuition. There is also additional merit money if the student is NMSF.</p>
<p>But woody’s point is a good one and I’ve been wondering about it myself. As I remember it, the award letter spells out clearly what is covered. Presumably jamaica and her family have done the calculations carefully. No matter what, the planned visits are the way to go.</p>
<p>Nashville weather: someone suggested Nashville has no bad months. This winter they had some actual winter weather, but it will be just a bad memory by the time jamaica visits. It will probably be wonderful, complete with lots of blooming plants all over the lovely campus.</p>
<p>oldfort is quite correct that a student wanting to major in finance would find Cornell a far better destination–Vanderbilt does not have an undergraduate business school. But for a premed student, the connections with Vanderbilt Medical Center are a major plus, not just for the formal aspects of the pre-med program, but for medicine-based volunteer activities like the student Vanderbilt Red Cross group. jamaica should be sure to look up groups like that and see if those opportunities seem appealing.</p>
<p>Re: #49:
I probably did suggest D1 not apply to Cornell, though she made her own decisions. I did not think it was the best environment for her to thrive. In retrospect I may have been mistaken, the LAC environment wound up being confining for her. For other reasons, I will probably suggest that S not apply there . He is not as good a student as the other two, and I think he might have a tough time there.</p>
<p>Neither D1 nor D2 applied to Cornell out of high school. D2 subsequently decided to transfer there- her decision, not mine- and thankfully is having a great experience. But Cornell is not the best choice for everyone. </p>
<p>I’m sure Vanderbilt isn’t either. None of the three did/will apply to Vanderbilt.</p>
<p>Everyone needs to try to find the place that seems like it might be best for them, individually. It is not a one size fits all situation, merely because I attended. My interests and situation were very different from those of my kids, and in the end my own experience there included both good points and less good points. As undoubtedly would have been the case at any other institution as well.</p>
<p>Please let me rant.</p>
<p>I have some real problems with morrismm’s comment: “Cornell is an Ivy League. Vanderbilt is what??” I don’t even know how to start addressing this. I’m only bothering to do so out of fear that jamaica may be harboring some similar mistaken thoughts.</p>
<p>Cornell and Vandy are clearly academic peers at the undergrad level. While at the grad level (overall), it’s Cornell hands down, what does this have to do with the price of tea in China? Possibly relevant: their medical schools do happen to be peers. </p>
<p>“Ivy” is a vine and sports conference - little more - something that will be understood by the people that will matter in this poster’s future.</p>
<p>As an academic physician I can guarantee you that jamaica’s undergrad pedigree will matter not one iota in her future. A Vandy BA/BS will garner as much respect as one from Cornell with med school adcoms. By the time that BA/BS has added an MD suffix, no one, I mean no one, will care whether that first degree originated at Harvard, Haverford or Hartford (forgive me Prof. Doolittle).</p>
<p>A pre-medical program anywhere is stressful, but Cornell is probably a bit more pressure-cooked than most of its ilk. Add $40,000 to the mix, and I’d only see going to Cornell over Vandy IF it were clear to jamaica that Cornell was that “right place.” Were that the case, I wouldn’t hesitate to tell jamaica to forsake her name and head - North Face and Uggs in tow - off to Ithaca.</p>
<p>As a frequent visitor, I must say that North Face and Uggs are everywhere you look at Vanderbilt, as well - though not the heavy-duty, winter-repellent lines. 
I too took the “Vanderbilt is what??” line with some offense. It implied, to me, an “Ivy is always better” mentality that I thought was on the wane on the Parents Board. How discouraging to think that my daughter will spend her professional life “explaining” (what Vanderbilt is? Why she went there? Whether she’s a country music fan?) instead of “beaming.” So far that Vanderbilt experience has led to some very nice items on her resume.</p>
<p>frazzled: don’t worry; for the most part, your daughter won’t have to “explain” anything…from my vantage point, up here in the midatlantic/northeast, Vandy has already risen to the top…and I happen to know, offhand, a bunch of juniors who have it heads and tails above Cornell on their prospective lists right now…</p>
<p>nothing wrong with Cornell, if that’s one’s choice though…</p>
<p>The regular decisions have not been released from Cornell yet so I am still wondering how this student is looking at acceptance from Vandy and Cornell.</p>
<p>Jamaica, when you go be sure to speak to students who are juniors or seniors who are biology majors. How did they fare in terms of GPA, and if seniors, MCAT and med school admissions? I know only one of these schools well, so it would be unfair to say it is better or worse than the other, since I do not know many grads of the other school. However, if you find many premeds who did not get into med school, find out what happened? Core sciences too hard? C+ on transcript that really hurt? MCAT too low? I have anecdotes from Ithaca, but I do not think it is fair to judge everything on those. I will say that I think that many people find it hard to find a personal connection with professors at Cornell. You must be proactive, and even then it is not so easy. There is alot of competition. Bio is one of the bigger majors (in terms of numbers of students) and is in both the Arts and Ag schools. I really don’t know what it is like at Vanderbilt. </p>
<p>As to the value of $40,000 to a Dr., I have an MBA, but I am married to an MD, and I help run the business. 40,000, plus interest becomes huge at even rates as low as 5%, as was stated above. I also think the proper analysis is to carry that $40,000 plus interest to retirement age. I you had 40,000 today (versus spending it), and kept all the interest, for 40 years until retirement (assuming a young person, not me, I don’t think I’ll be here in 40 yrs), at even 5%, that would be worth about $282,000 at retirement, of course no tax effect has been taken for this example. It could be more than a year’s salary for some. Free money on the other hand is like winning the lottery. If you receive a $200,000 college education for free, the future value is around $1,500,000. For those financing that 200,000 solely out of personal savings, loans, that 1.5 mil is how much less you or your estate will be (assuming you kept the money at 5% interest - no taxes too.)</p>
<p>good luck to the OP</p>
<p>post 56: Regular decisions haven’t been released from Vanderbilt either, but merit scholarship winners have been notified. </p>
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<p>The issue of ‘connections’ in various parts of the country comes up often when students consider schools that are strongly associated with one region. It is probably a good idea to keep in mind that geographic mobility among young people has increased a lot in recent years. My son (Vandy junior) has lined up a very nice summer internship in San Francisco. I knew the founders of this private firm were Berkeley/Stanford/Harvard grads, but I just discovered that one of the current top managers is a Vanderbilt grad. I have no idea if that particular person even saw his resume, but it seems Vanderbilt is not an unknown quantity outside of the south. (Not a surprise to me, but evidently it is to some.)</p>
<p>I strongly concur with Bala. I am a HUGE parental fan of both schools – for different reasons (obviously). I adore the atmosphere in Ithaca but also the flavor of Vandy’s campus and more laid-back genteel ways. But, don’t let appearances fool you: each year on cc there are posters from Nashville “shocked, shocked” when they receive that C in premed Chem. (Thus, I’m not convinced that Cornell is that much more competitive.)</p>
<p>The $10k differential is only worth it if you walk onto Vandy’s campus and hate it (and collegiate sports, which are part of Vandy’s social fabric), but yet you think you have a new home for four years when you visit Cornell.</p>
<p>As both an grad and parent of a current student at Cornell I think very hightly of the school and the education my daughter is getting. I do think the weather comments are given way too much air time on these forums. My D’s next door neighbor is from Puerto Rico and he is surviving quite well and appears to be very happy. With that said, I would be equally proud if any of my kids attended Vandy. Your decision should be based on your individual fit and preference and if the financial impact makes attending Cornell worth it.</p>