Cornell University vs. Johns Hopkins University

<p>I know this topic has been discussed several times but its time for me to decide which to ED to. I plan on majoring in Environmental Engineering and according to rankings, both schools are just about the same in that major. I need help deciding which is a better fit for me both academically and socially. I plan on visiting these 2 in the next 2 weeks to make my decision but some early help would be great :)</p>

<p>I’ve done a lot of research on both schools, and if I were you I would choose Cornell. Cornell has a great engineering program (better than JH from what I’ve heard) and is pretty fun as well! Good luck :)</p>

<p>You need to visit. The schools are pretty different. Environmental is one of Hopkins’ best engineering majors (next to mech E and Biomed E and also higher ranked than Cornell. If you might choose another engineering major however, Cornell does offer potentially more research opportunities due to its sheer size). One is in a rural environment while the other is in a urban environment. One is also a lot larger (with 7 or 8 different undergraduate schools. This makes the campus large yet versatile in its offerings). I think you’ll definitely figure it out after visiting - especially after speaking with students. Posters who say one is more fun than the other often did not attend both or have enough experience to adequately judge.</p>

<p>Oh yeah, and then there is the issue of getting admitted. Acceptance rate at Cornell’s engineering school is less than 10% (7% I think), what are your odds at JHU?</p>

<p>You need to visit both schools if at all possible. As a poster noted, Cornell is rural and JHU is city. You can’t go wrong with either choice. jHU, I believe offer housing only for the first two years. I went to grad school in Baltimore, and I really like stuff like the Lexington market. But Baltimore s a very gritty city and, like many old cities, have large areas to avoid. On the other hand, Cornell has a very long winter.</p>

<p>No one can make a decision for you; this is a decision you need to make - that decision will be made in your gut. Get admitted to both and go about visiting.</p>

<p>Cornell Engineering acceptance rates were 15.9% of men and 35.3% of women who applied for the class that entered fall of 2011. </p>

<p>I agree with Blah2009 that the schools are quite different. I was not an Engineering student and have only visited Hopkins, but my outsider’s perspective is that Hopkins was a bit more intense overall. It is a very impressive place, and far more attractive than I had imagined. </p>

<p>Cornell has seven undergraduate colleges offering very different majors, so you will find more variety in the student body than you will at Hopkins. Cornell is centrally isolated, but I never found it a problem as I found enough to entertain myself both on and off campus. The weather at Cornell leaves a lot to be desired.</p>

<p>Have you looked at the course catalogs, not just for your required courses but for any electives you may want to pursue?</p>

<p>I agree with everyone here who commented that you must visit both campuses. They are both lovely places to visit, but spending time among the students should help your decision process. Good luck!</p>

<p>Thanks a lot for the reply guys! I’m visiting JHU this weekend and Cornell in 2 weeks. Does anybody know the engineering acceptance rate of JHU? In my mind right now, I prefer an isolated campus and actually prefer rural landscape after spending 3 weeks in Vermont; however, I will know what I like better when I visit both. Does anyone also know why JHU is better in environmental engineering than Cornell?</p>

<p>Ask each school to explain the benefits of their Env.Eng. program. If possible talk to students and especially professors. Come right out and explain your dilemma. You may be surprised by what they say.</p>

<p>Re Cornell: can students take courses across the various schools? I was under the impression that they could not.</p>

<p>Cornell students can take classes in any of the 7 undergrad colleges. There are over 4,000 classes to choose from. Applications to the Engineering College increased 9% this year, so admit rates fell to 12.8% for men and 31.8% for women. I personally am a big fan of the Cornell setting - a beautiful campus in a great college town. Enjoy your campus visits!</p>

<p>You shouldn’t base it on selectivity as both schools are quite tough to get in. Therefore, you have to be ready in case ED doesn’t work out as intended. JHU’s overall admit rate was 17% this past cycle. The engineering acceptance rate is likely to be lower, as they admit 2-3% more humanities majors. </p>

<p>JHU’s environmental engineering program is pretty top notch because of the faculty who have taught here (especially some of the recently emeritus ones). Wolman (there were two at Hopkins - a father and son and pioneers in water sanitation) and Omelia were absolute legends in their field. This resulted in graduate students who studied at Hopkins under these two eventually graduating and becoming chairs of department positions in Yale engineering and Berkeley Engineering at one point among other universities.</p>

<p><a href=“http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2010-02-27/news/bal-md.ob.ci.wolman27feb27_1_abel-wolman-dr-wolman-druid-hill-park[/url]”>http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2010-02-27/news/bal-md.ob.ci.wolman27feb27_1_abel-wolman-dr-wolman-druid-hill-park&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abel_Wolman[/url]”>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abel_Wolman&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“For Media | Hub”>For Media | Hub;

<p>While these legends are gone, the existing professors in that department are equally impressive.</p>

<p>This was one of Omelia’s prominent former students (Hopkins Ph.D. and elected to the National Academy of Engineering) who founded Yale’s environmental engineering program:</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.yale.edu/env/elimelech/Biography_Page/Biography_page.html[/url]”>http://www.yale.edu/env/elimelech/Biography_Page/Biography_page.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>Where can I find the accept rate breakdowns for the different colleges and/or majors? Is it in the CDS?</p>

<p>Thanks.</p>

<p>Acceptance rates for Cornell’s different colleges can be found on the Cornell website, under the Admissions tab.</p>

<p>^^^^ Nope, sorry, don’t see it.</p>

<p>[Cornell</a> University - Admissions - Overview](<a href=“http://www.cornell.edu/admissions/]Cornell”>Admissions | Cornell University)</p>

<p>This link is supposed to be it, but page does not exist:</p>

<p><a href=“http://irp.cornell.edu/F_Admission.htm[/url]”>http://irp.cornell.edu/F_Admission.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Found a graph:</p>

<p><a href=“http://irp.dpb.cornell.edu/tableau_visual/1483[/url]”>http://irp.dpb.cornell.edu/tableau_visual/1483&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Were I in this situation, I’d go for JHU.</p>

<p>GolfFather, you found it. The colleges are listed to the right of the graph.</p>

<p>Catria, whys that?</p>

<p>Also, how is JHU’s outreach or connections for jobs/businesses compared to Cornell’s. I don’t know this very well but I’m assuming JHU is better at reaching out for its medical field whereas Cornell has the edge being an Ivy League and a majority of its studies to be Engineering?</p>

<p>what do you mean that Cornell has “majority of its studies to be engineering”? Do you know that the college of engineering at Cornell is but one of many colleges and degree-granting programs? Not to mention its graduate programs including a medical school… [Cornell</a> University - Academics - Colleges, Schools, and Faculties](<a href=“http://www.cornell.edu/academics/colleges.cfm]Cornell”>Colleges & Schools | Cornell University)
So, the engineering school is a relatively small percentage of the student body.</p>

<p>I think both schools have great “outreach and connections” because they both have long histories as highly respected institutions and large bases of well-connected and loyal alumni.</p>

<p>Well what I’m saying is JHU’s #1 major is medical at somewhere in the 20s% whereas Cornell’s #1 major is engineering at 18%. Not really implying much, but just stating that factor.</p>

<p>I’d go with Cornell if you like the campus</p>