Cornell vs. Duke

Colleges and Universities A-Z Cornell University
1

<p>(X-posted to Duke as well)</p>

<p>Hi!</p>

<p>So I was recently admitted to both of these colleges and I was hoping for some opinions on what I should pick. I'm interested in Physics/Astronomy and will definitely be going to grad. school after. I will be visiting both for the first time next month.</p>

<p>Has anyone faced this decision in the past?</p>

<p>My major case for Cornell is that it's amazing in Physics/Astronomy (and much better than Duke). My case for Duke is that it has a smaller class size and I prefer that.</p>

<p>Regardless, I would still like to get some general opinions. Anyone?</p>

2

<p>I cannot speak to the specific departments at both institutions but I faced a similar decision last year and chose Cornell after visiting both. It is possible to have small class sizes at Cornell, though maybe not as many. I would suggest visiting both and making your decision based off of which campus you feel will best fit your needs.</p>

3

<p>Cornell’s Physics and Astronomy program is very strong and will probably provide many great opportunities which could be beneficial for grad school. But, Duke’s Physics program is strong as well, I’m just not sure if they offer as much in Astronomy. Duke will still offer great resources in Physics, though. Hopefully the choice will be clear for you once you visit. Both are amazing schools, but they have very different environments (though some similarities).</p>

4

<p>I’m making the choice between Cornell and Duke as well, but for engineering. Cornell is the obvious choice for engineering, but Duke gave me such great financial aid so its such a tough choice.</p>

5

<p>@kalbany I’m pretty sure Cornell is willing to match or beat offers from Duke. My likely letter said something along those lines.</p>

6

<p>I was accepted to Dartmouth and Cornell and even though Dartmouth has a more expensive tuition, they gave me better aid. Do you think I could call Cornell financial aid and ask them to match what Dartmouth is giving me or would that be too forward?</p>

7

<p>Cornell’s website re matching Duke’s offers -
[Financial</a> Aid Initiatives | Financial Aid](<a href=“http://www.finaid.cornell.edu/cost-attend/financial-aid-initiatives]Financial”>Financial Aid Initiatives | Financial Aid)
and
[Appealing</a> Your Aid Decision | Financial Aid](<a href=“http://www.finaid.cornell.edu/special-circumstances/appealing-your-aid-decision]Appealing”>Appealing Your Aid Decision | Financial Aid)
and
[Cornell</a> to Match Financial Aid Offered by Ivy League and Other Peer Schools | The Cornell Daily Sun](<a href=“http://cornellsun.com/section/news/content/2010/09/03/cornell-match-financial-aid-offered-ivy-league-and-other-peer-school]Cornell”>http://cornellsun.com/section/news/content/2010/09/03/cornell-match-financial-aid-offered-ivy-league-and-other-peer-school)</p>

8

<p>Cornell is known to match Financial Aid</p>