<p>I know that these schools are very different and probably somewhat hard to compare but I would like your opinions on them. I know they both have great academics, but what about people/student life, that kind of thing. What are the major differences? Does anyone think one is much better than the other? I'd love to hear. Thanks</p>
<p>I have two siblings who each attended Columbia and Cornell. I wouldn't say one is much better than the other, although if you are more into prestige, Columbia is more prestigious. As for people/student life, Cornell is more dominated by the frat scene, etc. while Columbia doesn't need to depend on frats for a source of socialization. The major differences are quite obvious! BTW, Columbia College has a core curriculum. Both require swim tests to get your degree.</p>
<p>columbia is better... Plus, its in one of the biggest cities in the world while cornell is located next to nowhere</p>
<p>Ew. Swim tests? I never learned how to swim.</p>
<p>It involves swimming 2 or 3 25 yard laps with no time limit or style requirement. If you can't swim, the University will pay for swimming lessons for you.</p>
<p>just doggie paddle</p>
<p>a swim test? I've never heard of it...it seems kind of archaic and unecessary. I mean, what if you can't swim? Or are really out of shape?</p>
<p>If you can't swim, then you'd just have to take Beginner Swim. Taking that class exempts you from the swim test at Columbia.</p>
<p>Columbia has a swim test just in case all the bridges and boats collapsed in manhattan and you needed to swim to brooklyn or something... The engineers don't have too though</p>
<p>yea columbia engineers are supoosed to be able to invent something to get them across the water :)</p>
<p>I don't get it. It seems like a very silly, old rule that adheres to the principle of "strenght of body and mind" that was prevelant in the olden days of higher education. I mean, I'm in good shape and could easily do this, but there are probably some kids out there that can't. Seems like a lawsuit in the making, anyhow.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Columbia has a swim test just in case all the bridges and boats collapsed in manhattan and you needed to swim to brooklyn or something... The engineers don't have too though</p>
<p>yea columbia engineers are supoosed to be able to invent something to get them across the water
[/quote]
</p>
<p>hahaha, seriously? the engineering thing sounds really cool</p>
<p>MIT has a swim test. :)</p>
<p>Princeton used to have a swim test, consisting of treading water in a pool for 10 minutes, and thats it. The school discontinued the test in 1993, but with global warming potentially threatening the coastlines of the world, including New Jersey, they might have to bring the old test back. </p>
<p>No seriously, its not even an old-fashioned "body and mind thing". Its really so you don't die of drowning. Think about it, the school invested thousands of dollars in your education (tuition only pays half of the cost of your education), how humiliating would it be if all that went to waste because you couldn't swim and drowned? It is perhaps the easiest way to save a life.</p>
<p>no matter how much you try to rationalize it it still sounds ridicilous =p</p>
<p>You need to think outside the box....MAN. ;)</p>
<p>I don't think that it is correct to say that Columbia is "better" than Cornell or that it has more prestige. They are both excellent academic institutions but present different undergraduate experiences --frats are only a minor part (30% of 13,000 undergraduates) of the differences in the experience. Columbia of course, is a city college and activities are dispersed throughout the city. [Just a personal impression but it seemed to me that Columbia is very top heavy with graduate students and has less of an undergradute "feel" to it. At Cornell, the proportion of undergraduates to graduates is much higher.] But NYC is unique, and if you must be in a big city for your undergraduate years, then Columbia is one of many good choices. Some "city people" opt to be in a different environment for undergraduate as they will likely gravitate to cities for graduate school and jobs.</p>
<p>Cornell, sort of a city unto itself, has a more campus focused undergraduate experience. Beyond the greek life, there is a lot to do on campus and in Ithaca (a small city with great restaurants, in my opinon -- shopping could be better -- but there is always online shopping). Skiing is just 30 minutes away and in the winter, you can take it as a PE class (or learn to snowboard) and easily go on weekends. Its campus is set in a particularly beautiful natural setting. On the academic side, it has a larger and stronger engineering department and offers many specialized areas of study beyond liberal arts. That alone makes it an interesting and diverse place. Columbia has the highly respected core curriculum. A great experience for those who are attracted to it.</p>
<p>It really depends on what you want out of college. Anyone deciding between the two should really visit overnight, if possible, and talk to lots of people about their schools. Start reading the online editions of the school newpapers so you can get an idea of what is happening on campus (activities, lectures, concerts, performances, protests, etc.)</p>
<p>being in or out of shape has nothing to do with being physically able to swim. being overweight will not prevent you from staying afloat. and the actual motor skills involved are almost too easy to learn. even if you have no idea what you're doing, it's harder to sink than swim. i really don't see what the big deal is.</p>
<p>and seriously, who has never swum before?</p>
<p>I know everyone thinks the swim test is dumb, but it really is a valuable life skill. It really can save your life. I'm a lifeguard and in some of the in service trainings that I have to do we learn about why people drown. It's usually people who think they can swim, even in shallow areas, but they can't. It's possible to drown from a heart attack in the water or something like that, but it doesn't happen nearly as often. Honestly both schools are doing you a favor by making sure that you can swim.</p>
<p>As far as Cornell vs. Columbia, it really does depend on what you want to do. I mean Columbia is more prestigious, but if you want to do something in engineering for example, Cornell is a much better school.</p>
<p>If you're overweight you're more likely to float, so there is no excuse.</p>