<p>I am deciding whether to apply to Rice or Cornell for early decision. I've been told by my guidance counselor and others that I have the grades to be accepted (not for sure, though) to both Rice and Cornell. I know that cornell is ranked a bit higher in the us weekly national rankings, but i also know that those rankings tend to be subjective. I've been debating over this issue with my mother for quite some time now. She believes that I should go to Cornell because there will be more graduates in my area (i live in NJ) who will be able to help me in the future. She also believes that Cornell is a much more respectable school regarding job applications after college. She believes that being an alumni of Cornell will help me get better jobs because Cornell is a bigger and more well-known school. However, since I am going to be pre-med in college and because Rice had a 90% acceptance rate to med school last year or the year before, I believe that Rice will be better for me in my future profession. Can anyone give me some information about why Rice is better or worse than cornell?</p>
<p>I know of three students, one my friend and the other two are friends of friends whom are transferring from cornell to rice this year.</p>
<p>Look here's what I think (and my opinion is worth as much as a grain of salt). You Mom's got a point when she talks about the "big name" schools have the status when it comes to a name and getting a job. But, that aside two things that pop into my mind</p>
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<li> So what!!! A few generations ago, the Ivy schools names got people jobs, but now people have many more choices. For instance, if you're planning to go on to graduate school, then that will and should be the best school you can find..........so the undergraduate school doesn't matter as much. This is especially true for jobs that demand/require graduate education (what doesn't).</li>
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<p>On the other hand, if you want to land a job with just a undergrad degree, then perhaps a "big name" school would be best. </p>
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<li><p>Forget the ratings and go with your gut. Where do you want to live for 4 years? What environment? Cold or Hot? Big or Little? City or Town? Evaluate both schools based on tangible things important to you. Perhaps you want to get away from the home scene?</p></li>
<li><p>Your Mom wants the best, but she's off base on the respectable idea. Rice and many other schools want to help their students find a job. But, some schools are better in some areas of learning/education. For instance, Rice is hot in engineering and music. So, there will be more interest in those areas and more chances for jobs....or graduate school offers. Also Rice is in a big town (probably the petro chemical of the world) and is adjacent to one of the largest medical center's in the US. That's great for jobs and pre-med.</p></li>
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<p>What do you think now?</p>
<p>I applied to and was accepted to both schools and decided to come to Rice. It is interesting how often the Cornell vs Rice questions seem to rise (maybe it is just their strengths in engineering). Anyway, Rice is kind of a hidden gem. It is small and looses to Cornell in terms of how well-known it is. However, any employer who is worth working for will know that Rice and Cornell are equally great schools. In your case, as a pre-med, I would personally recommend Rice because of the amazing opportunities the Texas Medical Center offers. But it is a personal choice, so make sure you look at factors such as campus life, location, etc. The college system at Rice, for example, clinched the deal for me.</p>
<p>I too applied to and was accepted to both schools and choice Rice. I also live in upstate NY, so I feel like I really know a lot about these two schools. PM if you have more specific questions. In your case, shockingly, Rice's "reputation" is a strength over Cornell because it has a better (and statistics prove this) track record of getting students into med and grad schools than Cornell, but I would note that this difference, like most other academic differences, are not that great. The real "right" answer for you is which one is a better fit for you (cliche, I know). Small, undergrad focused, intellectual Rice with the res. colleges and the Texas weather, or the large, ivy league, hardworking Cornell with the nice frat scene and the rural Northeast climate.
P.S. there are a lot of Rice kids who turned down Cornell (as I'm sure the reverse is true), including one girl I know who actually lives in Ithaca and turned down her offer at Cornell to come to Rice.</p>
<p>Identifying what you want in a school should help you choose where to apply.</p>
<p>Size: Cornell has about 14,000 undergrads, Rice has about 3,500.
Weather: Cold vs. hot, basically. Don't bring those snowboots to Texas.
Location: Cornell is in Ithaca (beautiful, but not exactly a big city), Rice has a prime location in the 4th largest city in the US. Rice is also right next door to the largest medical center in the world (internships, research and volunteer opportunities abound for pre-meds).
Cornell has fraternities and sororities, Rice has residential colleges.
Both schools are top notch academically. The people who count (in your case med school adcoms) will know this.</p>
<p>With these two schools, there really is no clear cut better choice. It really does depend on what you want in a school.
In my somewhat biased opinion, since you're pre-med, I'd have to recommend Rice -- it's smaller size = more professor interaction (better recs, research opportunities, etc), it's proximity to the Med Center is perfect for pre-meds, there is little cutthroat competition among students... I don't know, Rice just seems like a better place to be a pre-med.</p>
<p>Rice doesn't have 3500 undergrads...yet.</p>
<p>RICE: Almost everyone loves residential colleges frat-like fun without the hazing or elitism/exclusivity. Not everyone loves warm/humid weather most (all?) of the time. Houston will never leave you bored, but Rice Village is not Greenwich Village and the rest of the city is not beloved by many from the northeast - certainly not a pedestrian-friendly town. School is intimate but never claustrophobic. Theres great baseball to root for and a football team to hope against hope for. Small classes with lots of personal attention for a university, but expansion (by about 30%) has some fearing some of this may be lost in the new shuffle. Very strong and best reputed in the sciences/engineering/music/architecture occasionally leaving some of the humanities/SS departments feeling a bit like second class citizens. </p>
<p>CORNELL: Social scene not uniform. Frats have a presence on campus even bigger than numbers might suggest. Lots of great on-campus activities but Ithaca leaves most kids cold and civilization in the form a destination city is far, far away. Its cold. Yes, its grey. Campus and surrounding area is, however, quite bucolic. About 3 months in the school year to really appreciate the setting without weather interfering. Hockey to root for (if you can scam tickets). Academics strong everywhere you look but classes, especially first 2 years, tend to the large and impersonal by standards of similarly ranked schools. Lots of New Yorkers, for better and worse. There still is a large international/national student presence to somewhat offset. 13,000+ undergrads in 7 schools real big for a mid-sized university with the good and the bad that comes with that.</p>
<p>Forget about rankings. The schools attract similar quality students. Rice, if anything, has students by the numbers with somewhat more accomplished HS academic profiles. There will be little difference in the way you, as an individual, will ultimately fare majoring in the sciences and then pursuing med/grad school or a job in a related field. Make your decision based on fit and dont try to make this decision reading posts or guidebooks. Go visit both during the heart of the school year (ideally Nov-March) and compare. The differences are probably even greater than Ive suggested. Youll know if it feels right.</p>
<p>It sounds like you're not quite ready to make the commitment of an ED application. Keep thinking about it and apply to both schools RD. I don't know your stats, but neither school is guaranteed for anyone, so there is a chance that you might not get into one of them. That would solve your problem right there! But seriously, by applying RD, you have more time to weigh your options and you're not stuck with the "what ifs" of binding ED applications. Try to visit the campuses if you can (but maybe wait until AFTER hurricane season to visit Rice).</p>
<p>My son was another one of those who was accepted at both and chose Rice over Cornell. Some of his factors were the residential college system at Rice, the weather, the cost, and the general vibe of the student body. He got the impression from visiting both schools that students at Rice are more laid back, more collaborative, friendlier, and more genuine.</p>
<p>thank you all for your inputs
however, people keep mentioning the residential college system at rice... could someone explain to me what that is?</p>
<p>I usually just tell people to think of residential colleges as the houses of Hogwarts. You are randomly assigned to a college... you live in your college, eat in your college servery, play IM sports for your college, etc.</p>
<p>wow the whole residential colleges thing sounds awesome... lol i always wondered what it would be like to be in one of the houses of hogwarts</p>
<p>Yeah, but it's really only good if you're in Brown College. Otherwise you'll probably develop an inferiority complex.</p>
<p>(that was just a joke, by the way. Just because you have an 8 out of 9 chance of not being in the best college isn't a good reason not to come to Rice)</p>
<p>I've got to hand it to Brown, they do have a lot of spirit. But then again a good friend of mine basically lives at Hanszen even though he is officially in Brown. It's something about our people!</p>