<p>Hey everyone, I've been agonizing over this decision for the past few days and after consulting parents and friends and alumni, I still can't reach a resolution. I want to major in Comp Sci (as of now anyhow), and my choices are Cornell, UMass, Dartmouth, and Barnard. I don't want to sound whiney or unappreciative, because I know that all four are really good schools and I'd probably be happy going to any one of them. That said, it's still a tough choice particularly since I'm feeling extreme pressure from my parents to make a decision quickly (don't ask why, it doesn't make any sense to me at all).</p>
<p>I've pretty much narrowed my choices down between Cornell and Dartmouth, but I'm having trouble differentiating between the two. Location isn't that much of a factor because they're both fairly isolated and become icicles in the winter. I'm not that interested in partying, although an easy-going social atmosphere would be nice. Not that interested in frats either. Academics would be my first priority, with a friendly culture close behind.</p>
<p>Any help at all would be deeply appreciated. Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>Cornell and Dartmouth are both awesome, so you should visit both campuses to determine which one suits you better. From what you said, I think Cornell is the better choice for the following reasons:</p>
<p>1) Cornell is amazing (top 5 nationally) in Computer Science. </p>
<p>2) Hanover is smaller than Ithaca, and Dartmouth is significantly smaller than Cornell. So overall, I think you will find more diversity and variety at Cornell. At Dartmouth, the fraternity and party scene plays a greater role in social life than at Cornell, although it plays a significant role there too.</p>
<p>I agree with Alexandre. My vote's for Cornell, but it really depends on what you're looking for in a school. If ~20k students is better than <10k for you, then Cornell is probably your best bet.</p>
<p>there's a girl on these forums (sorgirl) who, i believe, cited the big drinking/frat culture as one of the reasons she transfered from Dartmouth to Cornell. </p>
<p>I'll be honest, the frat scene is also large at Cornell too. But, you also have 20,000 total students on campus, the diversity also provides so much more to do and see than just the greek scene. This is one huge advantage to Cornell's size. Heck, I havn't been to a frat party in a year and a half, and it's great!</p>
<p>Dartmouth is much more LAC-like with lots of attention focused on undergrads. Its a truly special institution with very friendly students and a tight-knit culture. The D-plan is terrific (sophomore summer, i.e. camp Dartmouth, probably the best study abroad in the top 25) and the lack of TAs also adds to the undergrad focus that makes Dartmouth unique. Are you going to Dimensions? That's the best way to pick the school in my opinion.</p>
<p>in general, choosing between these schools is usually a tossup, though I want to point out that Cornell is particuraly strong in computer science. I don't know where dartmouth's program ranks. </p>
<p>Bill gates donated $50M for the building of a new computer science building on the Cornell campus, pretty sweet.</p>