<p>I have always wanted to go to Duke( I got in!!! :D) , but I applied to Cornell as a reach school, and I got in ( diversity acceptance letter). My parents want me to go to Cornell ( b/c its an Ivy). I want to major in Chemistry (might change that to Chemical engineering, not sure). Which school is better for me??? Help me !</p>
<p>Don’t know much, so all I can say is that Cornell’s Chem Engineering is better than Duke, well, at least rankwise. And tell your parents that the name Ivy will mean less and less in the future. Congrats!</p>
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<p>Duke doesn’t have ChemE.</p>
<p>Cornell’s (graduate) chemistry program is ranked in the top 10, while Duke’s is 43rd. I’m sure those rankings have at least some effect upon the undergraduate programs at the two schools.</p>
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Hearing this always makes me cringe. I could never have gone to school in NYC, and I hated Brown when I visited, though I liked it on paper. Ivy status means nothing when selecting a college.</p>
<p>singh2010 is correct that Cornell has the stronger program. It also has fewer undergrad majors, which would work to your favor. On the flip side, most chemistry majors go on at least for a MS, and Duke would serve perfectly well for that. They’ve finally moved chemistry out of Gross Chem (appropriately named) into the new French Science Center, which is extraordinarily nice. I’m not sure how well the department does in placing graduates, though it does quite well with pre-meds.</p>
<p>I’m actually very fond of both schools, and I wavered between them in high school. Duke got the pick because moderate weather won out, but obviously that does not deter many people.</p>
<p>You’re likely to do better when you’re happy with where you are. I think you’ll be fine at either school, but it sounds like your heart is set on Duke. </p>
<p>Either way, congratulations on two wonderful acceptances.</p>
<p>it being an ivy doesn’t matter when you’re choosing between it and duke. it would matter maybe if you were choosing between cornell and a state school</p>
<p>Both have similar name-recognition, but Cornell’s chem is probably a bit better. However, it is also colder and the two atmospheres are very different.</p>
<p>yeah i regret not applying to duke :(</p>
<p>Cornell’s Chemistry program is one of the best in the world. The facilities are top-notch, and the Department does great work in placing its graduates into top grad schools and industry. As an FYI, I was a student lab assistant in the Chemistry department back in the 1980s, and they didn’t skimp on anything.</p>
<p>I was majoring in chem at Cornelll (I’m switching majors) but I actually think their chem program is really really good. They have a TON of research that’s pretty easy to get inolved in if you’re interested. and as a chem major you can take the honors track, which gets you out of the 500+ person classes for gen chem and orgo that all the pre-meds and 4 billion bio majors all take, so you’re in smaller classes with only chem majors right from the beginning (they are harder than the general classes though). the facilities are awesome because the graduate departement gets a ton of funding because it’s really big, which also means the TA’s are really good. Also I think it’s an advantage that there are so few chem undergrads because you really get to know the professors and the other chem students. aaaaalso there’s a special chem lounge that has sweet computers and chairs and couches and free hot chocolate…bonussss</p>
<p>Cornell, silly, unless you are insane for sports.</p>
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<p>And it’s not like the Big Red is a slouch in sports – hockey, lacrosse, wrestling, basketball, etc. I would actually argue that Cornell has a better all-around sports program.</p>
<p>If you’re serious about chemistry, I would go to Cornell. The other thing to keep in mind is that Cornell is opening up its new physical sciences building (chemistry, physics, engineering physics) this year. Probably the best facility of its kind in the country:</p>
<p>[To</a> return to A&EP site close this window.](<a href=“http://www.aep.cornell.edu/eng10_offsite.cfm?URL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.news.cornell.edu%2Fstories%2FSept07%2FPSB.fence.html]To”>http://www.aep.cornell.edu/eng10_offsite.cfm?URL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.news.cornell.edu%2Fstories%2FSept07%2FPSB.fence.html)</p>
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Trying to sell an Eskimo a refrigerator, eh?</p>
<p>Duke is very solid in basketball, lacrosse, tennis, golf, volleyball, and cross country, and it’s no slouch in other sports (yes, even football is slowly regaining ground). Cornell has a few good strengths, as you noted, but it’s simply not in the same league as an all-around athletic powerhouse.</p>
<p>I would look very carefully into where the two departments place graduates. It is extremely easy to say that a department has “great placement” or has “incredible resources,” but what does that really mean in practical terms (for either university)? After all, academic quality does not always equate to job placement. Minnesota and Rochester have much stronger econ programs than Duke and Dartmouth, but the latter two are targets for financial firms while the former are not. Don’t rely too much on hearsay and rankings - do your own research.</p>
<p>There are plenty of significant differences between the universities. Enough, I feel, that academics should be far from the deciding factor.</p>