<p>Hey everyone :) </p>
<p>I got accepted into Cornell and Columbia but i can't decide which school to attend. Can you guys please help me with a few questions: which of the two is better, why cornell > columbia or why columbia > cornell?</p>
<p>Thanks a lot guys!</p>
<p>It really will depend on you. Columbia was the school I applied ED to and Cornell is the school I’m eventually attending. Despite the huge differences in setting, curriculum and so on, it’s ultimately possible that both schools would fit you perfectly. At Columbia, you’ve got to ask yourself how important an urban setting is and evaluate if the Core is a commitment you’re willing to make. At Cornell, you’ll have to be prepared to be quite a while away from any major city and adapt to the college town environment that is Ithaca. I’m oversimplifying things, of course, and there are lots more considerations that you’ll have to make, but rest assured that there’s no ‘wrong choice’ here and that whatever decision you make, there’s a bright future waiting ahead for you. Good luck!</p>
<p>I choosed Cornell over Columbia because of location. I did not feel comfortable in that urban environment.</p>
<p>I remember reading someone here say that you can live in a big city your whole life, but you only get to live in a college town once</p>
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<p>Bingo. </p>
<p>The other thing about Columbia is the Core. Now, you can take all of the Core classes that Columbia teaches at Cornell, but the difference will be that they will only be comprised of students interested in the Core. At Columbia, every student has to take them, so that changes the classroom experience a bit.</p>
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<p>:)</p>
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<p>You have an interesting point there CayugaRed2005. I did apply to Columbia hoping to be a part of a community where everyone would be able to discuss Plato or Machiavelli and you’re probably right in saying that’s definitely different from most other places where people who take Core-ish classes are those who have a special interest in the subject at hand. That said, it’s a matter of personal preference of whether you want your interest in the classics etc. to be a niche sort of thing or if you want it to be a major aspect of your school’s identity and so on.</p>
<p>also, what is your major?</p>
<p>Not entirely sure yet; physics or something along that line most probably.</p>
<p>I’m so frustrated now :/</p>
<p>IMO The core is the single best reason to apply to Columbia, and the single best reason not to. It constitutes a very significant block of classes out of your undergraduate experience, with a defined curriculum. I cannot imagine someone applying to Columbia who did not affirmatively relish the prospect of undertaking the course of of studies represented by its core curriculum, since it is such a significant part of your education there. On the other hand, my D1 and D2 did not want this particular course sequence imposed on them and did not apply.</p>
<p>By contrast, Cornell CAS has conventional distribution requirements typical of the majority of arts & sciences colleges.</p>
<p>The NYC location can be a benefit, or it can be a detriment. My D2 did not prefer NYC as a place to be a student, and is happier in Ithaca. she found everything in NYC to be very expensive, better enjoyed by a working professional than a college student.To the extent the city drew people off campus, the quality of campus life and the student experience is commenurately diluted. Still, NYc is a great place and has its adocates.
Ithaca is a great college town, there are those who love it, though also some who don’t.
You have to walk outside a lot at Cornell, even when it is snowy or rainy, and some whiny people complain about that. If you are likely to be one of those whiny people this could be one, hopefully minor, consideration.</p>
<p>Someone has alleged that Columbia has smaller classes, I don’t know if that’s true overall, it might pertain to what he happened to take. You could look into it if you care.</p>
<p>Cornell has the breadth and depth provided by its seven undergraduate colleges, this may be a consideration if some of these additional fields taught at the other colleges may be of interest. Many if not most people wind up taking courses at more than one college there, because they find something else of interest. Columbia has plenty of courses too no doubt, just not so quite many specialty programs.</p>
<p>Cornell has great departments in the physical sciences, and their offerings are amplified by great departments in engineering. </p>
<p>Columbia has become hyper-selective in recent years, to the point where it may be a much bigger deal to be admitted there now than it was when I was a student. This circumstance can create an environment where a number of people there think they are wonderful. Perhaps you will like keeping company with such people, perhaps not. But it would certainly be nice if other people, such as evaluators, presumed you were wonderful.</p>
<p>Of course you can also be wonderful from cornell, but those people inclined to this sort of thing may think of themselves as yet more wonderful.</p>
<p>Columbia job office tilts heavy to Wall street, so Ive read on CC, good news is they do pretty well there I think. still, at the end of the day there’s probably very little you can do from one school that you can’t do from the other, destination-wise, if you are good enough.</p>
<p>My daughter fell in love with Columbia when she visited it, yet she ended up applying and being accepted Early Decision at Cornell.</p>
<p>The reason: the Columbia Core. After much reflection, she decided it was not for her. She wanted a more conventional curriculum with greater choices. </p>
<p>I think this is a common reason for not choosing to apply to Columbia.</p>
<p>flip a coin.</p>
<p>i’m sure columbia can offer smaller classes b/c the core is required for all students…</p>
<p>kind of like how FWS (freshmen writing seminars) are small b/c everyone is required to take at least one…</p>
<p>I don’t quite understand this logic… If a class is required by everyone, aren’t there going to be more students in each class?</p>
<p>Not if a school makes a conscious effort to keep those classes small. I believe that’s what campuscsi intended in his comparison to Cornell’s first year writing seminars.</p>
<p>Thanks a lot guys! 
I guess it can’t go wrong with either school and I hope I wont regret – and instead try to live every moment to its fullest at C or C, no matter what turns out to be my ultimate decision. That said, keep the influx of posts guys; i’d really like to see more of both schools before finally hitting submit this May 1. </p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>I’m gonna go visit Cornell this weekend. I’ll let you know how it goes for me!</p>
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<p>yeah thats what i meant!
I think Cornell does try to keep “sections” small though. Not sure how other schools do this. I know some state schools have optional sections.</p>
<p>Hmm. Really split now :/</p>
<p>hmm well i applied columbia ED because i love the city, and dont mind the core. but i messed up my app (and maybe thats why, who knows) i got rejected. but i learned from my mistakes and fixed my cornell (and other) apps and i got accepted there. once i visited, i realized that cornell was just as good as columbia academically, even if the acceptance rate is much higher.</p>
<p>at any rate, you cant go wrong with any of the schools. you’ll get a great education and a great career out of any of those two places. you should visit and see where you think you fit in better, and you would enjoy spending 4 years of your life</p>
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<p>Not really… Cornell University rejects well more than 8 out of every 10 applicants. Columbia rejects very close to 9 out of every 10. So there is actually only a relatively small difference in the two acceptance rates. Many students end up being rejected by Cornell, and accepted by Columbia, the reverse frequently happens as well of course.</p>