Cornell vs. University of Chicago

<p>But it's common knowledge that most people don't take advantage of the city (I've heard this from a bunch of UChicago students and Northwestern Students), they simply travel to nearby Hyde-Park restaurants. However it is nice that museums and more attractions are available. At Cornell, Ithaca is just as vibrant as Hyde-Park if not more so. The climates of both schools are the same, so preference of the campus comes down to diffences in opinions of urban (pretty buildings clustered closely together) and rural (pretty buildings spralled over lush green hills).</p>

<p>I agree with Jcas. Basically its do you want a traditional college environment or a more urban/ less community oriented experience.</p>

<p>I don't think a very high percentage of students commute to Chicago since approx. 80% of students are from out of state. Also many U of Chicago students prefer the campus because it is smaller and therefore easier to get to class. The main quad of Chicago is quite stunning. All the ivy gives it quite the collegiate atmosphere.</p>

<p>Also note the acceptance rate at Chicago has been approx 40% with SAT average of 1425.</p>

<p>Me thinks Golubb has an information deficit and credibility problem:</p>

<p>"BTW, since U-Chig is on the edge of a lake, it gets more snow than Harvard and Cornell combined."</p>

<p>This is a hilarious statement. Yes, Chicago, on occasion, gets lake effect snow, in the form of a few flurries. The real lake effect snow from Lake Michigan IS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE LAKE! Gollub should check his geography. (s)he speaks like a true eastern snob, one who has never lived in the midwest. Otherwise, one would know that the midwest, including U. Chi, gets quite a bit less snow than Boston or Ithaca.</p>

<p>Other than the snow issue, which is a factual error, I've found this discussion interesting, if a bit sophmoric. I suspect with some maturity, some of the posters will recognize how funny some of these comparisons are. To compare Ithaca to Hyde Park, in isolation from the rest of Chicago, for instance, is a hoot.</p>

<p>Even Slipper's comment "do you want a traditional college environment or a more urban/ less community oriented experience" is curious. On the one hand, folks are saying Hyde Park and Ithaca are similar insular environments. On the other hand, Slipper argues something else - what, I'm not sure. </p>

<p>Frankly, the two are such different places, I think comparison is difficult, much less ranking. I'm glad to see that we have a few Cornell backers here. It makes for good discussion. I just wish the Cornell wonks had better fact checkers. They seem to be quick to make sweeping judgements like "campus life: i.e. there really is none" with an obvious lack of knowledge. </p>

<p>Sigh. Some day...</p>

<p>Newmassday, you are so quick to judge others as having an obvious lack of knowledge. If you go to any board you will find a multitude of comments that might seem to make no sense from a pure logic standpoint, but when looked at wholistically paint a decently accurate picture. Also, in fact another conclusion may be determined, that in fact Hyde Park is isolated from Chicago and yet offers no real social venues, the worst of both worlds. </p>

<p>While I can agree that the comments made by Golubb border on the ridiculous, I dont think it is at all far-fetched to say that Chicago does not have a strong traditional college life. The bars in Hyde park dont cater to undergraduates and there is not an established social scene (ie frats, eating clubs, social houses, whetever) to help students congregate on weekends. Conversally, Ithaca has a great bar scene and a strong on campus social scene. Read ANY guidebook and you will see that they agree, and they cannot ALL be wrong.</p>

<p>Chicago does offer a very different scene as opposed to this "typical college scene," one where cultural events, speakers, etc dominate activity. That is not to say this does not occur at Cornell. </p>

<p>Chicago has long catered to a less socially oriented more quiet intellectual student body. Not a bad thing, but Different from Cornell. Personally I would gravitate towards the more typical Cornell experience, but I know many who would prefer the Chicago experience.</p>

<p>BTW- I have no affiliation to Cornell or Chicago, although I have spent time at both.</p>

<p>"Hyde Park is isolated from Chicago and yet offers no real social venues, the worst of both worlds. "</p>

<p>Perfect example of what I mean - a sweeping, subjective judgement. Funny, I aways thought Hyde Park was IN Chicago? Maybe they moved it? Did Chicago reorganize and split up?</p>

<p>"The bars in Hyde park dont cater to undergraduates" I thought most undergraduates were under 21? In Illinois, at least, that means they cannot drink legally. Another inspired observation.</p>

<p>"Newmassday, you are so quick to judge others as having an obvious lack of knowledge. " Well, wear a kick me sign...</p>

<p>For what it's worth (from a Chicago resident with friends and family on faculty and as both students and alums):</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Hyde Park is of course IN Chicago, it's a neighborhood on Chicago's south side.</p></li>
<li><p>Having said that, to some extent Hyde Park is isolated from what MOST people commonly think of as the City of Chicago -- that is downtown, the lakefront museum area (except for the Museum of Science and Industry which is immediately next to UChicago), Navy Pier, the more attractive beaches, North Michigan Avenue (for restaurants and shopping), and most importantly the club and bar scene (most of which is located just North of downtown or near DePaul University, Loyola University). That's not to say that there aren't some restaurants, shops, bars, clubs, etc. near U of C, just not a lot. Many people think of the Hyde Park UChicago campus as a nice area, but definitely an enclave among some less than desirable areas and some fairly troubled areas.</p></li>
<li><p>Still, many students love the beautiful UChicago campus, spending most of their time on campus with the unique, intellectual student body, and venturing out only occassionally -- sometimes into Hyde Park and sometimes to experience some of what Chicago has to offer.</p></li>
<li><p>Final comment is that while there is admittedly a type of undergraduate student that loves UChicago, loves that type of campus ambience, and truly thrives there (two of my best friends are included in that category), I believe that many more people believe that UChicago is a better choice for themselves or for their children as a place for graduate school (UChicago has some seriously outstanding grad departments and some of the social or geographical "issues" -- to those who see them as "issues" -- are of less concern with 22+ year old students who don't depend on the social life at a university to nearly the same extent the typical undergraduate does).</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Please, no flames. This is just one opinion, but I know it's shared by many here in the Chicago area. Hope this helps.</p>

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<p>I was only offering a counterargument to your previous statement. You chose to interpret things as you want to. Did you read my WHOLE statement??!!</p>

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<p>Also, you grab onto subtleties like Johnny Cochran and this isnt court. I mean Outside the MAIN chicago downtown area. Essentially Hyde Park is not dynamic enough as an NYU to offer a real city experience, yet does not provide many social alternatives on campus.</p>

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<p>Have you gone to college?????????????? #1) If you think you need to be 21 to drink at college bars, guess again! #2) People graduate at 22-23, thats two years of a bar scene!</p>

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<p>What the hell does that mean??</p>

<p>massdad - I don't have anything against your alma mater (U-of-Chig), but from where I come from, Cornell is much more prestigious.....I'd be willing to move across continents to attend Cornell, but I don't think I'd even move a few states to attend U-Chig. I'm sure many people agree with me.</p>

<p>Anyways, to each his own .</p>

<p>"from where I come from, Cornell is much more prestigious.."</p>

<p>Finally, something we can agree upon. Of course it is. Notre Dame is probably more prestigious, too. And, if prestige is what one is looking for, then there is no real decision. I guess where we disagree is that some folks value an education more than prestige. </p>

<p>BTW, my alma mater is humble Michigan State. I even need to spell it out, as the initials MSU can mean many things. </p>

<p>You can also add that Cornell has better ice cream, and better food in the dorm, if that matters to someone.</p>

<p>I think it is hard to distinguish which school is more prestigious and they are both great schools. I found that I liked Cornell's atmosphere much more than UChicago (which I have visited many times). The majority of my family lives in the Chicago area, and my grandfather has spent time at UChicago and around Hyde Park. From their input and my own, I feel that Ithaca is just as vibrant of an area if not more so. As said before, I also know that Hyde Park is isolated from what most people consider Chicago (a town I've spent a lot of time in) and consists of merely a few bars, restaurants, and shops (no different from Ithaca). </p>

<p>In regard to climate, Chicago weather is just as bad as Western NY. While Chicago may not get more snow than Ithaca and Boston combined, but it has its fair share of harsh conditions. There is not a big difference in this matter. </p>

<p>While I believe the shops in Hyde Park and Ithaca similar, I would give the edge of "college town" (ie: campus community) to Cornell. My sister, a senior at Cornell, has always raved of the interaction between students there and all of the activities available. Ithaca features both Cornell and Ithaca College, filling the town with people 18-24. This gives many students something to relate to, and leads to a lot of social interaction. </p>

<p>U Chicago is a wonderful place, but Cornell suited me and my interests better. The best way to decide which school is best for you is to visit because the deciding factor between the two comes down to campus environment (rural and urban) and if the students there seem to be like you.</p>

<p>I think the Nobel prizes at Cornell were won many years ago.</p>

<p>I think class size should definitely be mentioned. Cornell, having several public colleges, has much larger classes than Chicago. Over a quarter of Cornell's classes have over fifty students, and many have over a hundred. Intro psych, for example, can have over 1000 students. Chicago, on the other hand, is similar to LACs as far as class size goes. Most of their classes are under thirty students, and very few are over 50. It is not unusual to have discussion classes of five students. Even labs (I want to major in bio) had under 50 students. I noticed class size and class-instructor interaction when I visited both this year, and that was a major reason I chose Chicago over Cornell.</p>

<p>The student-faculty ratio at Chicago can't be beat. They told us most classes are 18, and 25 was considered a large class. Only a couple classes are larger, such as Chem 101, which will have 100, but there will be small lab groups associated with that. With only 4,000 undergrads at Chicago, it is more LAC like.</p>

<p>Recent Cornell Nobel prizes in Physics 1996, 1993 (Aricebo Observatory shared), 1982. Thats not too long ago.</p>

<p>I think the size of Chicago is a big plus. Its also why personally I am a big fan of Duke, Dartmouth, Brown, and the like. They are all small enough to have the best opportunities while fostering great social atmospheres.</p>

<p>I went to Cornell for a couple years, and have never thought of the University of Chicago as less prestigious.</p>

<p>I seem to recollect that grad students outnumber undergrads at Chicago by a significant margin, which probably accounts for at lot of the difference in atmosphere. I also remember hearing that there are no T.A.'s at Chicago.</p>

<p>If I were chosing between the two, I'd probably decide based on where I wanted to live for four years.</p>

<p>Rather than where (i.e. location), I would decide based on what kind of experience I wanted. Also, a similar school that is a balance of these two is Northwestern, a smaller city school with a campus feel.</p>

<p>In the paper entitled "A Revealed Preference Ranking of US Colleges and Universities", Cornell is ranked 15 and Chicago 27. This is based on which schools undergrads choose when they are accepted both places. I am not sure I am reading this correctly but it looks like 99% preferred Cornell over Chicago when accepted both places. Could that be true? It's in a table at the back of the paper. Here is the link to the paper.
<a href="http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/papers/1287.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/papers/1287.pdf&lt;/a>
What do you make of it?</p>