<p>I am having a very hard time deciding between Duke and Cornell, so I figure I should add workload to my considerations. I was/am not a hard worker at all in high school, so I'm concerned that I won't be able to handle the transition to the notoriously difficult College of Engineering. I have always been been good at understanding concepts, so I haven't had to study much, but I can never get myself to do homework.</p>
<p>How is the workload at Cornell compared to Duke for engineers? I know this is difficult as few, if any, of you have attended both, but perhaps you've gathered an idea from friends at the other school. </p>
<p>A fellow classmate of mine from high school, probably the best mathematically-inclined student in my class, studied AEP at Cornell Engineering and did extremely well without doing a lot of work. He was really active in his fraternity and the rugby team, and partied a fair amount.</p>
<p>One of my really good friends from Cornell was on both the varsity cross country team and in the Glee Club, as well as engineer. He didn't have to work all that much at all either. </p>
<p>Both graduated with over a 3.7.</p>
<p>If you are the type of person who always beats others at chess and can ace the BC Calc exam without studying, you probably won't have to work all that hard. That said, one of the most important things you can learn in college is that hard work pays enormous dividends in life.</p>
<p>Engineering is engineering. It's a lot of work. Varies greatly depending on your major and your particular semester's schedule. Some classes just give a lot of work. Some classes just don't.</p>
<p>engineering is going to be one of the hardest majors at any school, not just at cornell. It surely is a lot of work and u might find the rigor of the engineering classes at either duke or cornell a bit too much in the beginning. my impression is that the kids who went to really rigorous hs and are used working hard tell me that cornell isn't that much harder than what they would expect at college level, while the kids who went to joke hs and did no work usually struggle a bit in the beginning. But, the point is that both Duke and Cornell engineering are gonna be very rigorous.</p>
<p>You should learn chess. It's a pretty valuable life skill to have. Especially for the investment bankers and mechanical engineering types out there -- all sorts of applications from chess to your work.</p>
<p>I really should learn chess. I've just never been such a game guy in any way. I've never had interest in chess or stratego or the Rubik's cube or anything like that.</p>
<p>Workload probably isn't the thing to compare the two schools. The differences between Cornell and Duke Engineering lie in the:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Number of departments:
Cornell: 13 engineering majors, 21 engineering minors
Duke: 4 engineering departments</p></li>
<li><p>Industry connections:
Cornell: Co-Op program. Two TECHNICAL career fairs with over 200 companies each time. At least 2 company information sessions a week during the fall. Outstanding ENGINEERING career services office
Duke: No co-op program. I don't know about the other stuff, but my sense was that Duke does not provide engineering specific offices for career services, etc.</p></li>
<li><p>Research:
Cornell: #1 Nanotechnology center in the country (probably in the world). Millions and millions pouring into engineering for research. Expanding: new CS building, etc. Lots of research in all of the engineering departments
Duke: $$ is all in biomedical research. 50% of the engineering class is BME</p></li>
</ol>
<p>If you want to be a biomedical engineer and continue on to med school...go to Duke. if you want to BE an engineer come to Cornell!</p>
<p>I was choosing between Duke and Cornell and one of the deciding factors for me was the industry connections Cornell had. I felt like Cornell engineering would better prepare me as an engineer. A prof at Duke told me 90% of duke engineering grads go to med school, law school, or straight into a PhD program, which is not what i want to do immediately after I graduate. </p>
<p>I also worked last summer as a research intern at Duke. It was really fun, but after working there it made me realize I made the right decision by choosing Cornell.</p>
<p>Well said Norcal guy: "engineering is engineering", meaning it's demanding and there's tons of work no matter what college you go to. </p>
<p>Your statement about not being able to do homework is of great concern. One can't learn engineering just by reading, therefore problem sets for most courses is what you can expect. No matter how good you are at understanding concepts, this is college and your old methods aren't going to work anymore.</p>
<p>I suggest taking CayugaRed's sentiments that if you're smart & went to a demanding HS, it's not difficult with a grain of salt. Yes, Engineers are involved in many other activities, but graduating from a demanding HS and being smart aren't enough.</p>
<p>I'm the same as you - I don't really like doing homework all that much (although I do make myself do it -I have a 4.0). I'm also looking at going into engineering. I think the key is to find a major, a school, and a program where the homework they want you to do is what you want to do (emphasis on want). For example, I'm looking for a school that emphasizes more hands-on projects and lab work, rather than lectures or stuff out of a book. I talked to a rep from Duke at a college fair, and she said that teamwork and projects are very emphasized. There are companies that even have students build things for them at the company's expense.</p>
<p>Have you checked out Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Cal-Poly, or other schools like them whose programs are more hands-on? They might be your godsend.</p>