Cornell vs. University of Chicago

<p>Hey, I was recently admitted to the University of Chicago EA, but also applied to Cornell. I think I will get in there, and was just wondering what you guys thought about the two. I live in Minnesota, so Chicago would be closer, but Cornell has engineering and is better known. I also hear that Cornell has a better campus town.</p>

<p>Anyway, I will be going into either physics or something pre-law. I am split between wanting to do law and do sciences. (I am thinking patent law.) Anyone have any opinion on which school is better, specifically with regards to graduate school placement? Thanks, you guys all know so much. In a school whose counselor didn't know what deferral was, CC has been a blessing!</p>

<p>They're both fine, neither is going to be better than the other in grad school placements, and the big difference is in campus culture (unless you want to do engineering, in which case, why are you even considering Chicago?)</p>

<p>Chicago has an excellent physics program, as well as a good law school - Cornell has a good law school and science program, as well as being great in engineering. Thus if you go to Chicago you at least have a great chance at getting into their grad schools, even with the non-inflated GPA, although Cornell is also known for being a non-inflation school. Chicago has an extremely high % of students going to graduate schools, although Cornell is certainly not that far behind. Socially Chicago is a bit more eccentric, although you can certainly find parties; a friend of mine who went to Cornell says that parties there are fairly frequent, and there is certainly no lack of social life, although the town is boring. Really, they are socially two different schools: Cornell is a typical small-medium sized college town with their fair share of parties, while Chicago has a few parties but a huge city to take advantage of. You can't really say Cornell has a "better" town, it's more of urban vs. rural, although if you like to ski/snowboard Cornell wins hands down.</p>

<p>You can't go wrong with either school. People complain about Chicago's tough grading, but their students typically do fine as far as placement goes; the same goes for Cornell. If you are most in to physics I would choose Chicago, for law they are about even. However, if you are interested in engineering at all and might switch majors into engineering, go to Cornell.</p>

<p>I would just visit both and then decide. I suspect after visits, you'll have clear impressions. You can probably expect to have a more academic experience at Chicago, BTW, with smaller classes and lots of interaction with grad students in your major if you want. Faculty are pretty approachable, too. So Chicago probably has an edge in preparing you (academically and socially) for grad school. But you gotta love the quirky intellectual environment.</p>

<p>Thanks, I have visited Chicago and will go to Ithaca in April, unless I get good news from HPSM. My concern about the engineering was that should I want work with engineers at say, Applied Engineering, I could do that at Cornell and not at Chicago. I am still thinking that I won't major in it.</p>

<p>Cornell is fairly remote compared to Chicago, but the food is good and the library system is wonderful for whatever you want to learn.</p>

<p>The campus is much prettier at Cornell. I felt UChicago was really small with a claustrophobic atmosphere. Cornell has a great college town with tons of bars and restaurants, including students from both Cornell and Ithaca College. Both schools are equally prestigious, so I would let your impression when you visit both schools influence your decision. Cornell engineering is tops, but the other science programs are pretty equal. If you want to do patent law, a good thing to do would be major in a science and take the law prerequisits, I've heard this type of student is highly regarded.</p>

<p>Chicago is VERY ecclectic in academia as far as campus life: i.e. there really is none. Be ready to not have a "college experience." Cornell has much more spirit and a great social scene, although obviously no city. Academically there is absolutely no difference in terms of placement, etc. Chose based on what kind of social life you want. Personally I would chose Cornell in a heartbeat, but that is because I like what the traditional college experience has to offer.</p>

<p>I think in academic circles, Cornell, Chicago, Stanford, Duke, Berkeley etc. may be viewed in a similar light. However, in the general population, Cornell has a huge advantage in name recognition ( as do Berkely/Stanford). Plus, an Ivy-League degree (or near-Ivy degree) is viewed as good as gold by some employers....</p>

<p>I haven't seen the campus of U-Chig, but I heard that it's very urban. Cornell's is more of a California-style campus....spread out atop a hill, over green grass and deep ravines...it's very different from the urban schools that are also called campuses, but are more a collection of buildings.</p>

<p>I've never thought of Cornell as having a California-style campus.</p>

<p>I also don't think that Cornell has more name recognition that Chicago. Any professional program or interviewer is going to be familiar with both schools. And even in the general population, I think a lot of folks who know anything about colleges are familiar with Chicago.</p>

<p>".. And even in the general population, I think a lot of folks who know anything about colleges are familiar with Chicago."</p>

<p>That's a new one. University-of-Chicago itself claims loud and clear that they are not well known. </p>

<p>That's how they explain their 50% acceptance rate....the claim is that so few people know of them, that the applicant pool is "self-selected" (i.e. only the brightest students know u-chig exists, and therefore apply). The President of u-chig seems to disagree with your opinion....but I guess your opinion is more accurate.</p>

<p>Not that it is vitally important, but: Cornell is an Ivy League school, and UChicago is not.</p>

<p>It's true: Chicago does not play football (I don't think), though they have the winningest football coach in college football history (Amos Alonzo Stagg).</p>

<p>Golubb, he said "people that know about colleges". Obviously he is referring to graduate school adcoms, people who hire in the fields Chicago is strong in (<em>cough</em> economics *cough), etc., not the average person who wants TEH IVEY LEGUE. </p>

<p>Also, statistically, they are almost even in terms of class. Cornell has a higher % from the top 10%, but Chicago has higher average SAT scores. And Chicago has a division III football team now, although they did have a period of not having a team.</p>

<p>I think Chicago has great name recognition. My professional degree from there STILL opens doors for me- 29 years after graduation!</p>

<p>"That's a new one. University-of-Chicago itself claims loud and clear that they are not well known.</p>

<p>That's how they explain their 50% acceptance rate....the claim is that so few people know of them, that the applicant pool is "self-selected" (i.e. only the brightest students know u-chig exists, and therefore apply). The President of u-chig seems to disagree with your opinion....but I guess your opinion is more accurate."</p>

<p>Pretty remarkable statement for someone who admits he has not even visited. And also not true. Chicago WILL say the applicant pool has some degree of self selection because many students do not want a highly academic college experience. The view book even talks about the life of the mind.</p>

<p>And I think the kids that currently go to Chicago would find the comment about no campus life pretty funny. While it IS a serious place, and kids who want a wild party scene would have an easier time at other places, life does go on, alcohol does go down.</p>

<p>As I've said before, you gotta visit and do your own homework. To listen to someone who had a friend who had a cousin who heard that Cornell is pretty, so by golly, that's where I want to go...visit in March, when it is a sea of mud, and THEN decide what pretty is. Or visit every restaurant in Ithaca - you can easily do that in one weekend, it's small - then ask "what now?"</p>

<p>Reputation-wise, U. Chicago has the lead over Cornel. As far as research goes, Chicago is in the "same circle" with MIT, Stanford, Harvard, Princeton, and Yale. It has more nobel prize winners than any other US university. Also, their physics and economics program are questionably the best in the US.</p>

<p>The colleges are very different, but I would go for Chicago. I think the whole "no party" thing is just something that everybody stereotypes with the school. I know people who went there and had the social life. Plus, if you don't like it in UC, there is the 3rd largest city and northwestern close by....</p>

<p>NO WAY. At the undergrad level there in ZERO difference. I work as a volunteer for admissions at a top 5 grad school and I can tell you no one will make any distinction between these two.</p>

<p>Is there a greater distinction between HPSMC and Chicago/Cornell?</p>