<p>hey guys, as much as I love you all and Cornell, (and I know it's a little late) I just found out i got into columbia off the waitlist today.....still don't know if i'm gonna go though I originally decided on cornell. where do you guys think I should go? for those that chose cornell over columbia, what was your reason (I'm a biochem major w/ premed)?</p>
<p>Hope you cross posted this on Columbia..</p>
<p>You KNOW we are all gonna be biased here. lol.</p>
<p>Honestly the environment in terms of physical location, attitude, and character is so different at both schools. I would say there's no compelling academic reason to choose one over the other...both are going to be awesome for your major. So it comes down to NYC vs. Ithaca and I would imagine you would want to consider that the people at Columbia will be more intense and high strung while the people at Cornell will probably be more laid back (this has nothing to do with intelligence or prestige...just the feel of the campus and the types of people who go to each school).</p>
<p>i was choosing between Cornell engineering and Columbia seas, and i ended up picking Cornell. it was an extremely hard decision, but theres a lot of factors that go into it. the lifestyles at both schools are EXTREMELY different, as well as the academic personalities. to chose what lifestyle best fits you, you should visit both schools and see what you like. i personally liked Columbia's feel and life a little more than Cornell's, but i still thought Cornell's was amazing.</p>
<p>as far as academics, Columbia is extremely liberal arts centered. although this isn't bad, especially for engineers (you're in CC, so you'll have an extremely loaded core curriculum), it took that professional edge off of the college's feeling. Cornell is just more focused on what you want to study and for getting you prepared, all while still making you a well rounded person. columbia is awesome, but i think that it really depends on what you want to learn.</p>
<p>for me, the deciding factor was that Cornell's engineering program is more reputable for what i want to do. i'm PRETTY sure that Cornell has a much better chem program over Columbia, but not sure about biochem. it's a really hard decision, but you can't go wrong either way. as long as none of the schools feel WRONG (Columbia felt better, but again Cornell didn't feel bad at all), go with what is best for you</p>
<p>hope that helped, despite my engineering take on it</p>
<p>Go to Columbia...I'm transferring from N.Y.U. to Cornell and I'm going to miss the city immensely.</p>
<p>^ why are you doing it then if you dont mind me asking? NYU is a good school....</p>
<p>Depending on what type of atmosphere you like, either school could be fine. I honestly think that Cornell would be better for undergrad, and maybe Columbia would be fine for grad, just because Cornell focuses on undergrad and Columbia on grad. We've already discussed the city campus vs. Cornell's campus quite a lot on other threads, so look there and think about what kind of activities you enjoy when you want to relax.</p>
<p>As for bio, well, Cornell has pretty much a whole school devoted to it. It is also much easier to do undergrad research here. I know that at Columbia, a lot of the professors don't like undergrads and won't have them in the lab.</p>
<p>Elgguj - I've absolutely loved my time at N.Y.U. and going to school in the city has been an amazing experience. While N.Y.U. is a very good school, it does not have the major I want to study. I'm transferring to Cornell because I want to study I.L.R.</p>
<p>Well, first off...Congrat.
For Biol. sciences, Cornell is stronger. But if you want to pursue ranking, Columbia is slightly higher at the moment. But who knows by the time you are looking for a job. But either way, both schools' reputation will serve you well. If you want to go into the Wall Street after biochem., Columbia might give you a slight edge due to its location.
But, if your ultimate goal is medical school, the most important factor in choosing is which of the two would offer you a chance to get a higher GPA. To be honest, you are not there to get an education but merely use the undergrad as a stepping stone in that case. It's crass and uninspiring to think that way, but absolutely pragmatic. So look at the grade inflation/deflation of both schools and choose accordingly.
Of course, there are otherwise the minor factors such as urban vs. rural, student characteristics, social setting, campus atmosphere, etc. etc. But they all pale compared to whether you can get into med. schools or not eventually.
But just in case if you plan to stay in the science field to do graduate work or bioengineering, Cornell might give you a better preparation.
You can't lose with either. On the other hand, there are also many med. students who went to lesser schools in order to get higher GPA and a better chance to stand out. They get to go to medical school at the end. Those might be the smartest ones afterall. ;)</p>
<p>I wouldn't make a college decision based on the "I want to live in NYC" argument. Yes, NYC is awesome. You can work and live there for the rest of your natural life. Go to a collegetown, it's a once in a lifetime experience.</p>
<p>oh ok FBI...fair enough. i was hoping you werent doing it just for the ivy title. It's silly how many people here sleep better at night just because theyre at an "ivy."</p>
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oh ok FBI...fair enough. i was hoping you werent doing it just for the ivy title. It's silly how many people here sleep better at night just because theyre at an "ivy."
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<p>At least the athletes have good reason to, being exhausted from their practices and what not. Division III sports isn't quite the same.</p>
<p>Biochemistry at Cornell is fantastic. I would weigh the pros and cons of a core curriculum with the pros and cons of being able to get a more in-depth educational experience. Breadth versus depth.</p>
<p>And I couldn't see spending the formative years of my life in a city built for adults, but that is just me. So student culture should play a role as well.</p>
<p>cuculici1- what do you think about "the core" at columbia?</p>
<p>Cornell will give you a more authentic college life experience. I don't know where you're from, but being from the city, it's nice to get away and go some place completely different. It'll give you a different perspective on life.</p>
<p>since both schools are obviously good academically, u should choose based on fit. which campus do u like better? also, keep in mind, cornell and columbia have vastly different social scenes from each other. the general consensus is that cornell is called the 'social' ivy, and columbia is usually referred to being not so social, since the school is in the middle of NYC and students don't gel with each other as well, but they tend to go out to cities in small groups and such. In short, Columbia's social scene would not be what anyone considers "traditional" college feel, which Cornell provides. I am not saying one is better. Some do like the city feel better, but others prefer the traditional college atmosphere and social life. hope this helps.</p>
<p>^^Penn is considered the social ivy, but agree with the rest of your post. OP: Forget the academics (bcos they are both outstanding), it's BIG city or not.</p>
<p>Are you from a big city yourself? I'm from a mid-sized town, so not being in a big city isn't such a big deal for me. (And, Ithaca itself, believe it or not, is more urban than my town!) I visited my friend at Columbia last year. He's ok with the school, his only real complaint being lack of undergraduate focus, but he absolutely loves the city. It seems like he goes out to concerts and interesting restaurants every week, and I think he's really enjoying the city. On the other hand, my friends from the city tend to appreciate the environment here, especially since they've lived in the city most of their lives.</p>
<p>I vote for the argument that you'll have your whole life to get a great job and live in a big city. Odds are, this will be your only time to live in a quintessential college town with waterfalls, wineries, funky hippie downtown, etc... at a point in your life when being in a college town can be embraced for all it's worth.</p>
<p>That's a personal decision though that no one on CC can help you with.</p>
<p>well, to give you guys a little personal background I am from a suburb of the LA area, so I know what a big city is like. NYC is a lot more population concentrated though, so it has a different feel..........and I like the core a lot it should give me a well balanced, broad liberal arts education that will offset my biochem and premed requirements....</p>
<p>Also, if things could not get more complicated I also got off the Duke waitlist today.......So now it becomes DUKE vs. CORNELL vs. COLUMBIA. This college search never ends, I swear.</p>
<p>haha..ur soo unlucky !</p>
<p>I had to decide between some pretty good schools too(for premed) and the things that I really focused on were majors, the actual visit, research opportunities, professors ,etc.
And yes, cornell is definitely more pre-professional than Duke and Columbia which is good for us premeds</p>