<p>Uptil a week ago, I was almost certain that I wanted to go to Cornell, but one of my professors said that Cornell's academics are extremely hard.
GPA is very important for me since I'm a transfer and need to get into Medical School.
I've heard that the Cornell campus is gorgeous, and the dorms are great.
But I've heard that the students at Brown are friendlier.</p>
<p>Please Help, I'm looking for a good balance between academics and campus life! Any advice is welcome!</p>
<p>I've found most Cornell students to be very friendly. </p>
<p>The part about Cornell being rigorous is true though. If you feel you aren't readily for tough academics, I suppose you can settle and go to Brown.</p>
<p>It's not the academics that scare me, it's the grading. Is the grading exceptionally hard and is the environment cutt-throat?</p>
<p>have you even applied to both schools yet?</p>
<p>yes, actually, and gotten in as a transfer. I've paid the deposits to both schools as well, so that's a $1,000 out of my pocket. I've even picked a dorm at both the colleges, and am in the process of registrating for courses. But my family is pushing for me to make a decision quick, obviously, I can't attend both colleges during the year, however much I'd like to. :)
Lol, you can say I've been putting off making a decision for a month now, but Cornell orientation starts in two weeks and I'm quickly running out of time. :(</p>
<p>I would say that the difficulty of Cornell has been overblown.</p>
<p>"I would say that the difficulty of Cornell has been overblown."
How so, norcalguy?</p>
<p>As in it's not THAT difficult to get a good GPA if you work hard. Of course it's difficult. But some of the phrases you have used: "exceptionally difficult," "cutthroat" tend to be too extreme.</p>
<p>Lol, sorry, I get the point. Sometimes, there seems to a general public opinion that going to an IVY is synonymous with an 180 IQ. I haven't been in that sort of academic environment before, and I'm excited and terrified at the same time.</p>
<p>Just wondering, since you're a transfer, have you taken all of your premed reqs or do you plan to take them at Cornell?</p>
<p>Lets see, I've taken Orgo I, Bio I, Physics I & II, Chem I & II, Calc I. Mostly basic science courses. But I still have Orgo II, Biochem, Physiology, Psychology, Anatomy left. I've been recommended to take them my senior year so it won't kill my GPA while I'm adjusting to a new environment. But in terms of GPA I can afford to take a little hit. I have a 4.0 science GPA so far.</p>
<p>What's the color of</p>
<p>Kipling, go for fit. You will do best academically if you are happy where you go. Both schools are amazing academically. Cornell students are down-to-earth, tolerant, approachable and laid back. So are Brown students. Both schools have nice campuses, but Cornell's natural setting is stunning. Providence is a city, Ithaca is a town. Both are strong in the sciences, and yes, Cornell is tougher on the grading. However, as many have pointed out above, the grading is fair and not that difficult. If you study hard, you will maintain a good GPA.</p>
<p>If you are at all interested in neuroscience, I would go to Brown. The academics of both schools will be comparable, so I would base my decision on other factors, e.g. location, food, etc.</p>
<p>Brown is more discussion oriented. Their students have a lot of fun in classes and competition isn't as intense. I'd say that Cornell would better prepare you for pre-med but you'll have more fun at Brown. Brown will still prepare you well for med school though. You'll have to put in a lot more work at Cornell and the pressure and stress are going to be higher than at Brown. As a future med student, it's imperative that you be trained rigorously in pre-med so choosing Cornell over Brown wouldn't be a bad idea. BTW, what school are you transferring from?</p>
<p>From Alexandre
[quote]
Kipling, go for fit. You will do best academically if you are happy where you go. Both schools are amazing academically. Cornell students are down-to-earth, tolerant, approachable and laid back. So are Brown students. Both schools have nice campuses, but Cornell's natural setting is stunning. Providence is a city, Ithaca is a town. Both are strong in the sciences, and yes, Cornell is tougher on the grading. However, as many have pointed out above, the grading is fair and not that difficult. If you study hard, you will maintain a good GPA.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Haha, that's almost exactly what my mom said. Well, actually she said something about following my heart. Unfortunately, I'm just so split between the two. I've probably changed my mind a hundred times, and I'll probably chane it a hundred times more! :(
But thanks for your advice, it's always nice to hear the voice of wisdom. Perhaps, I should make this decision with my head and not my heart.</p>
<p>From pokemaster
[quote]
If you are at all interested in neuroscience, I would go to Brown. The academics of both schools will be comparable, so I would base my decision on other factors, e.g. location, food, etc.
[/quote]
Well, I was thinking more towards a humanities major. I figured I'll be doing alot of science in Medical, might as well try my hand at theology or philosophy. I've heard Cornell has great food, maybe I should follow my stomach instead, lol!</p>
<p>
[quote]
Brown is more discussion oriented. Their students have a lot of fun in classes and competition isn't as intense. I'd say that Cornell would better prepare you for pre-med but you'll have more fun at Brown. Brown will still prepare you well for med school tough. You'll have to put in a lot more work at Cornell and the pressure and stress are going to be higher than at Brown. As a future med student, it's imperative that you be trained rigorously in pre-med.
[/quote]
Do you mean that Brown has smaller classes. I would expect so since they have a smaller undergrad population. And I do like classes that have more fun. Do Brown and Cornell have straight "A, B, C" grading, or do they have "+" and "-" too? What University do you go to, WingardiumLeviosa? I can't believe I actually typed that out! Mind if I call you "Wingy"?</p>
<p>BTW: Harry Potter rocks! But the end of Book VI was disheartening. :(</p>
<p>Do not worry Kipling, I have looked into the heart of Severus Snape and seen goodness. He has his personal agenda (don't we all), but he will not let us down. I am sure he has something up his sleeve. </p>
<p>As for the humanities, I strongly urge you to look into Cornell. Cornell is amazing in the humanities.</p>
<p>Did you visit both schools during the school year (summer doesnt count)? Do you have a feel for both places? I don't know what the curves are like at Brown, but you can get good grades at Cornell if you work hard. They wouldn't have accepted you if they didn't think you would do well. Also, Cornell does have + and - in their grades.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Brown is more discussion oriented. Their students have a lot of fun in classes and competition isn't as intense. I'd say that Cornell would better prepare you for pre-med but you'll have more fun at Brown. Brown will still prepare you well for med school though. You'll have to put in a lot more work at Cornell and the pressure and stress are going to be higher than at Brown. As a future med student, it's imperative that you be trained rigorously in pre-med so choosing Cornell over Brown wouldn't be a bad idea. BTW, what school are you transferring from?
[/quote]
Have you been both a Cornell and a Brown student at some point? I don't know how you can make such a comparison unless you have attended both institutions. The humanities courses are small at Cornell.</p>
<p>I've met dozens of cornellians at random places since I got accepted in early December. Every single one I've met has been exceedingly friendly, offered to answer questions, yadda yadda yadda, asked about me and my interests, and seemed extremelly enthusiastic about the school. I've seriously never heard a negative opinion from a cornell student on anything except possibly the weather :D. (which is not that much different from the northeast, may i please add that haha)</p>
<p>As for brown, it's a cool place, i've never studied there but i've visited alot, my parents are grad. alums. In terms of providence being a city, don't get it confused with NYC or anything like that. Kind of how one shouldn't get Ithaca, the rural town, confused with my uncle's farm in Kansas (I don't even have uncles who own farms, much less live in kansas, but you get the point).</p>
<p>All I can say is that i'm hella hella excited for cornell, everyone seems so nice and fun and awesome and I would say without a doubt you will have an awesome time when you join us on august 19. :D</p>
<p>Bus seriously, you've just gotta decide which you feel happier at, more satisfied at, etc. You'll love either one most likely, unless the school's environment has by chance some fatal flaw, so hurry up and get your ass to college, bro!</p>
<p>PS: we have the best food in the country @ cornell. :D I sincerely hope to see you in late august...</p>
<p>Also: Just a stat: Cornell as an 89% acceptance rate for it's graduates who apply to med school who have a 3.4 or higher GPA.</p>
<p>I read the thread you posted in the brown forum on the same topic. I think the real issue here is not academics. The schools are for all purposes equal. I remember "nanosecond" being used to describe the difference in the other thread and then someone coming back and ranting about how one school has better such and such departments by ratio than the other. Forget it.</p>
<p>Are you going to have a better chance for a top med school at the school that's a "nanosecond" better (which i'm not saying is cornell or brown), or at the school where you're happier and will be more satisfied with your work, enjoy life more, and have a more exciting 4 years?</p>
<p>It's past the academics at this point and onto the character of each school. I see that most of the people on this thread haven't said too much about brown. Sure we could have said "they smoke mad pot," but that's a stereotype. Most of the kids here don't know too much about brown, and most of the kids at brown don't know too much about cornell. All of us will be like "pick out school it's better!" and then throw some random negative stereotype rumor about the other school. Cornell isn't cutthroat (im convinced i've read hella threads on it here and no current student has talked about his computer being destroyed or notes stolen. As one guy put it "it's alot easier to form a study group and bring 5 students' grades up than to sabatoge everyone's work and bring 40 students' grades down" or something like that). </p>
<p>Someone said "providence is a better environment." For whom? and "better" in what sense? Ithaca is out there, but it's not THAT far out there, and you're with 12000 students within 2-4 years of your age and another few thousand grad students: hardly being ALONE if you ask me. "better" is a subjective quality. Ithaca would certainly be better than providence for the really outdoorsey student, what with the crazy awesome waterfalls a few minutes drive from campus. Providence beats ithaca in other regards. what's better for you is the campus environment you feel more enjoyment and satisfaction at.</p>
<p>Notice I haven't really said much opinionated about brown. I think most of the people on this thread hasn't. It's not that we lack things to say, it's that we know it's probably not a good idea to spout rumors that "you'll get murdered in providence they've thrown the bodies in the river for years" (my parent's joked about that, haha). We know that that's a stereotype, and for the most part isn't true, just how cornell isn't actually cutthroat and isn't actually isolated and unbearable.</p>
<p>these threads have resulted in people listing the benefits of their respective schools, which will be useful in your decision, but you're still at the same place you were when you started if you ask me: which school should I pick? so pick, but don't pick cornell because we say so or brown because the brownies (is that proper to say? :D) say so. Pick cornell for the reasons and facts we give about cornell or brown for the reasons and facts they give about brown. Above all, pick for what YOU want, and for yourself! good luck!</p>