Cornell vs. Duke vs. Dartmouth

College Search & Selection
1

<p>So I was admitted to these three schools, and I'm planning to study chemistry and go on to graduate school. </p>

<p>My main considerations are (1) how good the chemistry departments are, (2) research opportunities, (3) how many required classes I'll have to take to fulfill distribution requirements (I'm not a fan of a liberal arts education), and maybe (4) how many people are getting chemistry majors (after spending four years in a small high school, I'd love to be in a situation where I don't see the same exact people over and over again).</p>

<p>For (1), I know Cornell would be the best place to go, then Duke, then Dartmouth.
For (2), I really don't know.
For (3), as far as I see, they're pretty much the same.
And for (4), again, I really don't know.</p>

<p>I have yet to visit any of the colleges, but as of yet, I really don't have any idea which college I should choose. Could anyone please enlighten me?
Thanks. :)</p>

2

<p>(1) You already know that Cornell’s department is really strong. I can add that the faculty members in the department (at least the ones I know and have experience with) are awesome people.</p>

<p>(2) There are a lot of research opportunities in the sciences at Cornell. Unfortunately, I can’t speak to chemistry, specifically.</p>

<p>(3) Cornell offers more classes than Duke or Dartmouth, so you’ll probably have more flexibly and options that interest you when it comes to filling your distribution requirements.</p>

<p>(4) I don’t know the relative sizes of the majors at each of these, but Cornell is the biggest school, so you’ll have plenty of opportunities to not see the people you’re in class with all the time. I met most of my friends outside of class (in the dorms, through clubs, etc.), so I didn’t see the people in my major a lot.</p>