<p>So I've decided that I am definitely going to either Cornell or BC, but I have no idea how to choose. Cornell gave me more money, but BC is a lot closer to home and I've heard BC has a better social scene because it is in Boston vs. Ithaca. Also, people have said to just take Cornell because of its Ivy League status, but I'm fairly reluctant towards the Ivy League due to its reputation of being so "cut-throat." I've seen Cornell twice, BC loads of times, and love both campuses, so thats not an issue. I'm probably going to be a chem major with some sort of a history minor. Any suggestions? Thanks.</p>
<p>I am a BC grad so I am partial to BC, but I think a good thing to do is to email chem professors in both departments and see what they are wokring on and how often they take lab assistants. One project may sway you one way or the other. I was a history major and I had wonderful professors and great courses. Make a pro/con list and see how that plays out.</p>
<p>Cornell offers a pretty very vibrant social scene, admittedly more focused on Greek life, house parties, and Collegetown bars than the City of Boston. But as long as you aren't going to be desperately craving a big city environment, Ithaca is an incredibly fun place to spend four years, and you can spend the rest of your life in cities when you are of the age (and financial standing) to really enjoy them.</p>
<p>And the reputation that Cornell is cut-throat or competitive is just unfounded. The pre-meds at Cornell may be competitive, but not anymore than anywhere else. I had three good friends who studied chemistry at Cornell, and all had no problem getting lab experience/work.</p>
<p>If you consider yourself to be serious at all about academics and pursuing chemistry, attend Cornell.</p>
<p>Wait you received a better offer from the better school and you are having issue deciding? If you want to pass on one of the top schools in the country so you can party in the hipper social scene then by all means go to BC. If you are serious about your future you take the better offer at the FAR SUPERIOR institution (IE CORNELL). Why this is even a decision is amazing. </p>
<p>PRO-CORNELL IS A TOP 15 school in the country and you got a better financial package</p>
<p>wow i wouldn't say bradymoss is immature becuase he/she? isn't jumping at the opportunity to go to a "better" school. Not everyone cares that much about prestige. That said, I would go to Cornell if I were you (but I'm biased, because I'm going to Cornell next year)</p>
<p>Cornell isn't very cutthroat at all.</p>
<p>I think you'll like being a chem major at Cornell. There aren't very many chem majors and they seem to be really close and super-cooperative. During graduation, I saw all of the chem majors assembled on the steps of Baker to take a group photo which was kinda cool (and not something you can do with the 300+ bio majors).</p>
<p>What I meant by "social scene" was more of all the things that Boston has to offer (my dad is from a place near Ithaca and just keeps telling me how much better it would be to be in Boston). I wouldn't say that my being "immature" is what is making this such a hard decision. I know people that have gone to BC, and I know people that have gone to Cornell, and they all love the schools they went to and are wildly successful.</p>
<p>Thank you for the advice. I do have to say that I have been leaning towards Cornell since I got accepted, but have just had trouble making that final decision.</p>
<p>Well tell your father to move to Boston if he likes it so much. Hopefully YOU realize that YOUR future is more important than HIS preferences of where to live. I am surprised how irresponsible some parents could be.</p>
<p>wow UCLA you're very offensive - I'm sure bradymoss's father is suggesting boston becuase he really thinks it would be a better opportunity for his kid. That's not irresponsible at all</p>
<p>While each person is different, I've lived in both Ithaca and Boston (right next to Boston College). </p>
<p>I loved Ithaca for all its quirkiness. I couldn't stand Boston. </p>
<p>Boston is very provincial. But, I didn't go to college in Boston (which is what everybody there seems to do), so it's not an even comparison. I simply couldn't wait to get out of Boston and I love those rare opportunities to head back to Cayuga's waters.</p>
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wow UCLA you're very offensive - I'm sure bradymoss's father is suggesting boston becuase he really thinks it would be a better opportunity for his kid. That's not irresponsible at all
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<p>qft take a chill pill</p>
<p>what's qft</p>
<p>I think living in rural Upstate, NY for your whole life is a bit different than living in a great Collegetown for four years. </p>
<p>That said, I can kind of understand where your father is coming from. Central NY, outside of Ithaca, isn't doing all that hot economically speaking. Cities like Elmira, Binghamton, Watkins Glen, etc. are essentially dying. It's pretty said. You can blame downstate, NYC politicians for that.</p>
<p>But Ithaca is pretty different. The city is the only city actually experiencing population growth throughout Upstate, and there's a bonafide building boom going on by the Commons, with high-end hotels, condos, and restaurants being added by the month. You can thank Cornell for that.</p>
<p>Personally, I think students overstate the importance of being in a city when you are an undergraduate -- especially a high-end college where most of your day to day life is going to be focused on academics, research, and campus life. I lived smack dab between Harvard and MIT for two years and the undergraduates don't really get off campus on a regular basis at all, unless it is for something like volunteering, which you are more than able to do in a small city like Ithaca as well.</p>
<p>And yeah, chemistry majors are pretty tight at Cornell. </p>
<p>As I mentioned earlier, if you are at all serious about academics and pursuing chemistry as a career, go to Cornell. I would only consider BC if cost is a major factor. And the fact that Cornell has a great history department is just a bonus.</p>
<p>qft is quoted for truth</p>
<p>It basically means agreed</p>
<p>and it also means I've spent way too much time on the WoW forums</p>
<p>I think the general consensus is that you should go to Cornell. I think a lot of people go to city schools or schools near cities with the intent of taking advantage of the city, but in reality a lot of students don't really do that. Some do, but many don't. That's one reason I'm choosing Cornell over Northwestern - NU has Chicago but I know that realistically I wouldn't take advantage of Chicago that much. Also, you won't find the incredible diversity of students and top-notch academic programs of Cornell at BC. Go to Cornell.</p>
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qft is quoted for truth</p>
<p>It basically means agreed
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<p>I read it as quite ****ing true, although that essentially means the same thing</p>
<p>You should also consider another significant difference. BC is a Catholic school and Cornell is the original non-sectarian University (some in the 1800's even named it Godless Cornell). These give the two very different feelings that you should consider.</p>
<p>I think most of the posts above are reasonable and make sense, but UCLA "Ph. D." I think you need to step back and cut the absurdity. Some people that don't go to Ivy League schools ARE still serious about academics and DO still care about their future - what a revolutionary thought!</p>
<p>Seriously, there is more to life then prestige, and students can have great opportunities at non top-20 schools.</p>
<p>And no, I'm not a bitter Harvard-reject or something like that. I was admitted to every school I applied to, including a top-10 and a top-20, and I CHOSE BC. And I was even thinking about academics, and my future, when I filled out the reply card!</p>
<p>But now that I'm here, you're right, I realize that as someone ranked in the top 10 in my class of over 2000, with an Honors Program degree from a top 40 national university...I have a dark future ahead of me. (sense the sarcasm, if you will)</p>
<p>To the OP: go where you want to go! you will be there for the next four years, so I sure hope you love the place. both are good schools, but different. ...I recently read a stat that says according to studies that followed students from high school for 20+ years thereafter, "success" (however you go about measuring that) was most correlated to the rankings of the colleges to which you were ACCEPTED, not the school that you actually attended. And based on that fact, I'd say you're in superb shape. Good luck!</p>
<p>obvious choice go to Cornell much better all around</p>