Cornell
- easiest ivy to gain admission
- hardest ivy to graduate
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Cornell is beautiful and the town of Ithaca is very nice. There is nothing not to like. Try your best to get a feel for the school⊠the studentâs, classes, research and internships etc, the academic intensity as it relates to your personality, social life, weather, etc. Keep in mind that it gets bitterly cold during the winter months⊠with snow. The town of Ithaca can be a 10-15 minute walk from campus⊠longer when it snows. This may matter to you⊠or maybe not. One of my kids went to school in the area and didnât mind the weather at all. The town of Chapel Hill can also be a 15 minute walk from south campus⊠but the weather will likely be nicer. Itâs time for you to weigh whatâs important to you.
UNC will not be a cake walk, but it will be less intense than Cornell ( my observations). Some thrive in a more intense environment, while others do better with a less intense vibe. You have two great schools to choose from⊠there is no wrong choice.
@twogirls yes, the classes and the students will be very important. My high school was very competitive and rigorous to the point where mostly everyone took over 10 AP courses and such. I thrived in that environment but it was still very stressful so I have to decide if I want that same environment in college (even more so)
I agree- that is something that you need to consider. I would talk to some students.
@twogirls I talked to one person who went to my school last year and is at Cornell now (last year my school sent about 15 kids to Cornell) and they said it was very difficult but that my school prepared them well and it was manageable
Thatâs a good start. Remember that everybody is different, everybody has their own way of managing stress. Some strong students may be fine, while others may become anxious when under pressure. Where do you fit in?
@twogirls Iâd like to think I can handle stress well. Obviously I get stressed out and anxious about school but I know how to manage my time so that I still get to bed at a reasonable time and I do ample studying to feel prepared enough for my classes
You will have some clarity⊠hopefullyâŠonce you visit, sit in on a class or two, eat in a dining hall, talk to a few students, etc. If you are interested in a Greek life, you may want to ask about that.
Only you can determine which school is a better fit⊠even if itâs just a little better ( you may love them both).
Hi. It has been three years and you should be a junior now at UNC or Cornell, hopefully done with MCAT and applying to medical school soon. My DD is in the same situation as you were in 2018. What is your thought on this matter now? Any regrets?
Tagging them might help alert them to your post. @gradclass2022
Hi. It has been three years and you should be a junior now at UNC or Cornell, hopefully done with MCAT and applying to medical school soon. My DD is in the same situation as you were in 2018. What is your thought on this matter now? Any regrets? @gradclass2022
Thanks! @AlwaysMoving
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Wow, its been so long since Iâve been on this site! Thanks for reaching out, Iâd love to offer some advice. I decided on Cornell, the academics were just unbeatable and I thought it would be foolish to turn down an Ivy League. Having said that, I struggled immensely my freshman year because I felt as though Cornell was truly not the place for me. It was undoubtedly very tough, especially taking all the introductory pre-med courses (Chemistry, Biology, Chemistry lab, etc.) and I actually considered transferring. After my first semester, I felt so drained from being a biology major that I took a leap of faith and began filling my course load with economics and statistics courses. After my second semester freshman year, I was much much happier and satisfied with my education at Cornell. I just donât think the pre-med path was for me, but I have many friends who are pre-med and are doing just fine. Some of them are taking a gap year to study for the MCAT and they have been able to secure great positions (research at Harvard for example). Pre-med is going to be a difficult path anywhere, whether at Cornell or UNC, but having the mobility at Cornell to switch majors within the school of Arts and Sciences was pivotal to my college success. UNC has a great pre-med program, but I think that if I had chosen UNC and then decided pre-med wasnât for me, I wouldnât be where I am now. This upcoming summer I have an amazing internship at a major bank and I do not think I would have been able to achieve that had it not been for Cornellâs crazy alumni connections. Cornell is a tough school and it isnât going to go easy on you, but it definitely gives me so many opportunities to explore my interests and step outside of my comfort zone. Now, I canât imagine having chosen anywhere else and I am so grateful for the opportunities its given me.
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Thank you so much for your input! You obviously came from a high power high school, sending 15 students to Cornell in a year. We decided that my DD will attend UNC. Your first year premed experience at Cornell reassured us that we are making the right decision, as my DD hopes to stay on premed track. Based on her SAT score, she would about 50th percentile at Cornell and about 70th percentile at UNC. So, she would stand a better chance at UNC. I donât think MCAT score will differ between the two institutions for the same student. Yeah, Chem 207/208 at Cornell (probably called 2070/2080 now) was rough when I took it in the 90s. I am so glad that you found another bright path at Cornell! Did your hear the story that a student who jumped off Thurston Ave. Bridge killed a raccoon upon landing and survived the fall?! Best of luck to you and your future endeavors!
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allover2, My daughter has been admitted oos to UNC. looks like your daughter is a sophomore now. How has her experience been this year? @allover2
Thank you
The OP has not been on CC for a year. Please do not reopen such old posts. Closing.