Cornell vs. UMich Ross

College Search & Selection
41

@JAMCAFE I had never visited Cornell before, so obviously the first thing that jumped out at me was how beautiful the campus was. I also happened to talk with a lot of students and learn about their experiences. Everyone was extremely nice and enjoyed their time at Cornell. It seemed that the students were very passionate about their academics, but they also liked to have fun. I got to experience both sides of this because I sat in on a math class and also got a look at my friend’s fraternity.

Of course another important factor in my decision was attending a business school vs. being math major in a liberal arts school. I figured that a math degree would be more enjoyable for me, while also allowing the most flexibility in whatever career I wanted to choose.

42

Students are happier at University of Michigan than at Cornell. Cornell was ranked as 3rd in US with the most stressed out student body.

43

"I think one very noticeable difference is that as you walk around both campuses and talk with people, Michigan is one of the least diverse elite campuses I have ever been on.

Most students are from the State of Michigan, there are not many International students, there are not many African Americans, there are not many Latinos. Compared to Cornell it is noticeable even to the casual observer."

@rjkofnovi “I’m sorry, but you are clueless.”

You think I am wrong that Michigan is a noticeably less diverse than Cornell? Can you be more specific about what you are disagreeing with? I thought it was obvious. I am surprised you are disagreeing with that.

44

Here are the diversity stats for U of Michigan. The latest class was 65% white 15% Asian 6% Latino 5% African American. I think that is typical of midwestern universities by the way. Case Western is similar.
Most US midwestern college campuses have a lower percentage of African American students compared to the populations in their respective states, such as Ohio or Michigan.

Notice Michigan is 14% African American residents, 4% Asian and 78% white.
https://suburbanstats.org/population/how-many-people-live-in-michigan

Cornell has a lot more financial aid money offer students I believe, so they can attract a wider range of students, although Michigan ought to be able to offer more seats to African Americans from Michigan, I would question that but it may come down to scholarship availability, I do not know.

U of Michigan data on race:
http://ro.umich.edu/enrollment/ethnicity.php
https://admissions.umich.edu/apply/freshmen-applicants/student-profile

45

Much2Learn, I have said before, and I will say again, Cornell’s student body is indistinguishable from Michigan’s, and while it is true that in terms of exact percentages, Cornell is indeed more diverse than Michigan, the degree to which it is isn’t significant or noteworthy, except for the Hispanic American student population, where Cornell is indeed more diverse.

The first thing to remember when considering diversity is the regional student population. That is important because 50%-75% of all universities draw their undergraduate student bodies regionally. 35% of Cornell undergraduate students are from New York, and another 20% are from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Massachusetts. Admittedly, the states of New York and New Jersey are going to be more diverse than the state of Michigan, and as such, it is only reasonable to expect Cornell to be slightly more diverse. But if you look at the actual numbers, they aren’t glaring. I have taken the liberty of including the student bodies of other similar universities:

IN-STATE STUDENTS:
Cornell: 35%
Michigan: 55%
Northwestern: 35%
Penn: 20%

REGIONAL STUDENTS (from 300 mile radius)
Cornell: 55%
Michigan: 65%
Northwestern: 50%
Penn: 50%

AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS:
Cornell: 6%
Michigan: 5%
Northwestern: 6%
Penn: 7%

ASIAN AMERICAN STUDENTS:
Cornell: 18%
Michigan: 14%
Northwestern: 18%
Penn: 20%

HISPANIC AMERICAN STUDENTS:
Cornell: 12%
Michigan: 4%
Northwestern: 11%
Penn: 10%

MULTICULTURAL:
Cornell: 4%
Michigan: 4%
Northwestern: 5%
Penn: 4%

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS:
Cornell: 10%
Michigan: 7%
Northwestern: 9%
Penn: 12%

PELL GRANT STUDENTS (all four universities are in the shallow end of the pool in this department. They all have a lot of room for improvement when it comes to socioeconomic diversity):
Cornell: 16%
Michigan: 16%
Northwestern: 15%
Penn: 17%

Like I said, Michigan is not noticeably less diverse than Cornell, or other peer institutions located in the Midwest or the East Coast.

46

To soymild23, you made a great decision. Not that Michigan would be any less great, but between those two, you cannot go wrong, and if finances are not a concern, you should go with your gut…which you have.

47

Congrats on your decision soymild23. Best of luck at Cornell.

48

@alexandre

I guess it depends on your perspective and powers of observation. Combining African American, Latino, Asian, and International students, Cornell has a total of 46%, while Michigan is only at 30%.

It is definitely noticeable to me on campus that Cornell has over 50% more students in these groups than Michigan does. It may not seem to be that significant in individual categories, but Michigan is at the low end of the range in each category, and it adds up.

I think Michigan does a great job for a midwestern state flagship, but Michigan is viewed more as an elite national university than a state flagship, and by that standard, they are close to the bottom of the barrel in this category.