Cornell vs Columbia [engineering]

College Search & Selection
1

Hello,
First time to ask questions in CC. I got accepted to both colleges: biomedical engineering major and having a hard time choosing between. The COA is similar and manageable for both, ~20k. I will be dorming in both. I intend to apply for med school or engineering grad school after graduation.

Cornell
Pros
Interesting campus, very… green! I grew up in a suburban for my entire life and I would definitely enjoy a rural setting.

Famed(?) engineering, it appears that Cornell is strong in its engineering department.

Accepted to research scholar, RCPRS program, provides faculty connections and extensive research support (which I like as I am a huge research guy)

Cons
Bad weather. I have some friends in Cornell saying about this all the time but also as something to just live with

Looks a bit isolated considering that it is in ithaca, not sure about the disadvantages with this though.

Columbia
Pros
Exact opposite from Cornell, right in the heart of NYC. Also would enjoy living in a hardcore city with many activities. Personal preference problem here, but I would love to hear some experiences.

Also top tier engineering school. Columbia is a pretty small school, but I heard the benefits of internships around the NYC.

Cons
Core curriculum: a pro and a con. It sounds good that it pushes me for other academic interests, but how does it really feel?

Thank you in advance.

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Do you have a 3rd option or are those your 2 Biggest name options & name is an important metric for you?

Engineering at Cornell is intense. Although engineering students at Columbia do a modified version of the Core it is still hard-core humanities. It will be difficult in either program to get the GPA you will need for med school if that’s the route you choose. Doesn’t sound as if you have looked much at the actual differences between the programs- see if that helps distill out a preference. Or go for Option C, whatever that is.

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Only you can answer. Big city vs rural. You will be there four years day after day.

And then the academics. It’s Ivy. Wont be easy.

Good luck.