<p>I'm a Biology major and I am majorly confused as to which school to pick, Cornell or Brown. The financial aids are very similar. On one hand, Cornell's biology program is higher ranked and it is only 3.5 hours away. When I visited, the people were extremely nice and I got a really good vibe from the school. Cornell is known for being cut-throat competitive when it comes to acedemics though. On the other hand, Brown's curriculum is so flexible which is nice because I have so many other acedemic interests such as philosophy. I also believe that my personality better matches Brown's. Brown's bio program is also really good, but much lower ranked than Cornell's. Brown is 7.5 hours away for me. Such a hard decision... </p>
<p>If you’re looking for ranks, then Cornell it is (I would say this regardless).
You talk about the amount of hours it takes to get to each… Seems as though you don’t like your family much (“is only 3.5 hours” vs. “is 7.5 hours”) - if that’s the case, then you should go to Brown.</p>
<p>About the cut-throat competition, face it - most people will be like that. I’m slowly starting to learn that lesson (help someone out, don’t get help back) and you probably will too soon enough. You will have that one friend at college (roommate?) who you can trust, but as for the rest, screw em’. They’re not going to be the billionaire, now are they?</p>
<p>Do you want to double major? You can do that at Cornell, too (warning: bias)!</p>
<p>Just remember to not think that everyone out there is going to help you out. People are evil inside >.< Only saying this because of your good personality. :D</p>
<p>I disagree. Most biology majors, from my experience, are super friendly. They will not spoon feed you help/answers, but that wouldn’t be good for your education anyway. The biology department is difficult no doubt, but is supportive and rewarding. As a freshman, I did research for both semesters and I am continuing research over the summer.</p>
<p>Also, I am doubling majoring in biology and english. cornell is great for the liberal arts too!</p>
<p>You should def. go to Brown. Although i love Cornell, Brown is really less hard on competition, and it really hurts not to be able to ‘explore’ other subjects, such as philosophy for example.</p>
<p>these are all opinions. what facts could explain the cut throat competition? its all about perception. there isn’t a formla stating if a school fits a certain stereotype. And the people on Brown’s forum were much more open receptive to my question where as I’m being critized on Cornell’s. I think I’m heading to Brown</p>
<p>Duffer, best of luck. Brown is a great school. Was just attempting to point out there are a lot of rural legends concerning Cornell that I, as a current student, don’t believe to be true. Again, good luck!</p>
<p>"… it really hurts not to be able to ‘explore’ other subjects, such as philosophy for example. "</p>
<p>Yes like biology majors are precluded from taking any courses besides Biology…</p>
<p>ArarVen is really trying to work that waitlist.</p>
<p>“these are all opinions”"
What did you hope to get here besides opinions? What would be a
fact" about “cut-throat competition?”. Is there a quantified cut-throat meter someplace?? What can anyone possibly say, when you heard something elsewhere, and that is “fact” to you?</p>
<p>I guess its possible that bio majors at Brown do no work whatsoever, and the entire class waltzes into Harvard Medical school anyway. But let’s pretend you take a bunch of really smart, highest motivated students in, and all of them want to go to Harvard Medical School, and you tell them only 10% of them will get in there. Doesn’t it seem implausible to you, on its face, that this will not create a certain amosphere? I certainly find it implausible. But I never attended Brown.</p>
<p>" I’m being critized "
Where? Please reprint the post where you were criticized. I read only some posts where people express a view of the university that differs from your preconceived one. I don’t see any post that criticized you.</p>
<p>monydad, I think your post was a pretty BIG criticism, and quite insulting (as an adult, you shouldn’t belittle a college senior just because he/she doesn’t she the world the way you do). Even if the OP wasn’t criticized before, he/she was definitely criticized now by you. Good job.</p>
<p>your quote:
“Yes like biology majors are precluded from taking any courses besides Biology…”</p>
<p>This isn’t critizing me? Are you serious, its totally belittling. </p>
<p>my quote:
“there isn’t a formla stating if a school fits a certain stereotype.”
your quote:
“Is there a quantified cut-throat meter someplace?? What can anyone possibly say, when you heard something elsewhere, and that is “fact” to you?”</p>
<p>you’re literally critizing me about something that we agreed on. You’re so arrogant that you critize me when youre explaining why I’m not critized. Please formulate your argument before you rant aimlessly to us and waste our time. You’re not doing much to glorify Cornell, unless you plan on making it filled with ignorant, irrational people.</p>
<p>“This isn’t critizing me?” Correct, it wasn’t. I addressed it to the comments of ArarVen, who IIRC is trying to get off the waitlist. It wasn’t addressed to you at all, and I referred to Ararven explicitly in my post. I wasn’t criticizing him either. I aassume he was joking.</p>
<p>When you posted “what facts could explain the cut throat competition?”
I read that too quickly out of context, and responded to that. I apologize.</p>
<p>But you found fault with the posters on this thread prior to my post, and you concluded that they were criticizing you too. If you attend Cornell, I am quite certain you will encounter other people who disagree with you on some point or other.It is a very diverse university, and people have many diverse views. If you are inclined to take the type of views expressed in post #2- 9 as if they were personal criticisms then perhaps the best match for you is elsewhere.
Because it is not unusual to encounter disagreement there.</p>