Hey guys I was just accepted off Cornell’s spring wait list for their College of Arts and Sciences and I have no idea what to think. I had planned on going to Rice in the fall, can anyone give some advice about the similarities and differences between the two? I’ve also heard that starting in spring will kill my social life, is this true? Are there any other downsides? Thanks! :))
Rice is over Cornell regular. I am surprised … just because its ivy league you are asking this question ? Ivy league does not mean much other than the top 5 Ivy league schools. Cornell acceptance rate is higher than Rice. Move on. Consider yourself lucky to be admited to Rice!
What makes Cornell so special/so much better than Rice that you’re willing to be an entire semester behind everyone else?
@TinTintoo I am not considering Cornell “just because its Ivy League”. It is an excellent school and I am attempting to determine whether or not I would be happier there.
@2015bl I am a little concerned that Rice may not have the same resources of a university thee times the size. Then again, I would definitely receive more attention from Rice due to fewer students competing. Cornell also has a significantly higher ranked program in my major. It comes down to my visit to Ithaca though.
I think if you’re still waffling after your visit, the deal breaker should come down to financial aid. However, if you’re able to comfortably afford either, or will be receiving around the same aid, things get a bit more complicated.
First thing, the rankings between the two schools are really going to be negligible. I know it’s hard to get that into your head right now, but the top 20 or even 30 (maybe even beyond that) schools or so all end up gaining the same kind of prestige recognition amongst employers, or grad schools if you’re going down that path. However, if you do decide not to go to grad school, a big difference will be the location. That is, Rice will offer more opportunities in the South while Cornell will be in the Northeast. Where you want to remain in the future may depend on this.
The actual transitioning of transferring over the spring would be quite awkward, I would imagine. Personally, I wouldn’t be too concerned about your social over at Cornell after transferring, as despite missing one semester, you still have 3.5 years or so to make friends and I’m sure you won’t be the only mid-year transfer there. I don’t know too much about Cornell but I trust that they have a pretty nice student body community and you’ll have no trouble finding your niche. However, it might be very strange at Rice, to be here for half of a year, then be gone. It would be weird to make all these friends here (which given my experience, you will make a ton of friends really quickly), then leave them. It would be equally as weird trying to avoid contact with everyone during your semester at Rice so that you won’t be as sad when you do end up leaving. This is something to think about.
I’ve only read your two posts and from these two, it sounds like you’re leaning towards Cornell, if just ever so slightly. I think you’ll be happier at the place your gut feeling tells you, but do keep in mind that having to transfer over midyear, while it may not kill your social life at Cornell, it just might at Rice, in some form or another. It’s up to you to decide if you’re willing to go through that.
Perhaps the best option, and I don’t know if it’s possible, is to see if the you can make a non-binding acceptance. That way you can go to Rice and then if you end up really enjoying your semester, you can back out from transferring and just stay at Rice. Given the business of schools though, this might not be an option. Good luck on whatever you end up deciding on.
Rice is a high-power research university with more resources any undergraduate could take advantage of, so I would not worry about fewer resources. And, like you said, the small-school atmosphere and undergraduate focus may actually make Rice’s resources even more accessible than Cornell’s. You have two great options in front of you (you can’t go wrong with either), so visit both schools and really think about what you want from a university (small school? smaller classes? Frats/residential colleges? More attention?)
Cornell is a great school as is Rice. You are going to have a great option either way. One thing that is profoundly different between the two is climate and location. Rice is much hotter and located in a major city. Cornell is much colder and located away from any big city. So you have all of the great amenities of a major city and Rice is a beautiful campus oasis in the middle of it. Cornell is a true college town and not just a college that is among many other things in a major city. You need air conditioning in Houston during the summer and early fall and late Spring, but the winters are mild. You have to layer for several months at Cornell but don’t have as many months of hot weather. All things being equal, these could be some things to consider.