<p>Any opinions?</p>
<p>I'm having a really hard time making up my mind for the early between those two schools</p>
<p>Do you like the cold?</p>
<p>I don’t think there is much of a difference in terms of academics. There will be, however, a fairly big difference in terms of student culture. Cornell is a much more diverse school than Duke in terms of student activities and what students do on the weekends. Have you visited both?</p>
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<p>Huh? Have you attended both schools? I can tell you that Duke students participate in HUNDREDS of different activities and have a wide array of experiences and opportunities on the weekends. I’m sure it’s the same at Cornell. This is not a reason to choose Cornell over Duke. They’re both national universities that have a very geographically and ethnically diverse student body. You’ll be able to find your niche at either university. Really, it comes down to personal preference. Both are great and academically fairly similar. </p>
<p>Visit both and see what where you think you would enjoy your experience more. Cornell is in the Ivy League in the NE in a much more isolated city with long cold winters and a much larger undergrad student body (2x) than Duke. Duke, obviously, is in the ACC in the South (hot summers, mild winters) in a medium sized working class city in the Research Triangle with a big-time athletics scene, particularly basketball. (I realize Cornell has a few very high quality sports teams, particular hockey and lacrosse, but they don’t compare to the intensity and national exposure of Duke basketball; mostly, just because they’re not as popular nationwide as college basketball. But Cornell is a LOT better than most Ivy League schools in this regard). If you like skiing, watching hockey & lacrosse, Cornell might be a better fit for you. If you like biking/camping/outdoorsy stuff, watching basketball, Duke might be a better fit. (I bet there’s a lot of outdoorsy stuff up near Ithaca too, it’s just too cold to do that stuff for a fairly significant portion of the academic year). Those certainly aren’t the only factors to consider, but just a starting point. Econ is one of the most popular majors at Duke - students get recruited by all the major banks (Goldman, JPMorgan, Citigroup, Merrill Lynch, etc.) and consulting firms (McKinsey, Bain, BCG, Booz Allen, etc.). I’m sure it’s the same at Cornell. Both schools have a decent sized Greek scene. You can’t go wrong with either as they’re both great. Good luck!</p>
<p>^cornell has a ton of outdoors stuff too. The COC sponsors what are basically free outdoor trips during the year, and you can climb/hike here until november, and restart in mid march.</p>
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<p>I acknowledged that above. I was just pointing to the fact that the weather permits perhaps 6 months (being generous) of outdoor activities during the academic year at Cornell, while affording 9 months at Duke. Certainly not one of the most important factors to consider…just throwing stuff out there to get the OP thinking about what’s important to him/her since I don’t know what is…</p>
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<p>I seem to remember having a great time snowshoeing and back-country camping many a January in Ithaca.</p>
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<p>No doubt, but due to size and student culture, the Duke experience will be more homogeneous than the Cornell experience. Does Duke have an architecture program? Does Duke have a horticulture program? Does Duke have 3,000 engineers?</p>