<p>HELP! i need to choose between both, i visited them, and each seem to have their ups and downs .... i mean i like that UVA is warmer, and seems more relaxed and not so cut throat, but then again Cornell is amazingly beautiful and the food is amazing, the housing seems great too. people seem friendly at Cornell, but UVA students are mega friendly. my parents seem to like Cornell a lot more, for the typical reasons of " it is more well respected, and such". i think i might see myself more at UVA, i heard some say that you are just a number at cornell. I also heard that the amount of work at Cornell is suicidal. I am going to be a bio major. i thought getting in was the hard part... too bad i can't even decide</p>
<p>"I also heard that the amount of work at Cornell is suicidal"</p>
<p>fortunately for you, that is an exaggerated statement made by students who might be catching up for upcoming exams. really, the workload here isn't terrible; it is manageable as long as you keep up on regular basis. If you slack off/fall behind and try to catch up 2-3 days before exams? That, I guarantee, will be very stressful. Compared to other top schools, Cornell isn't necessarily harder.</p>
<p>I think u should choose based on cost, fit, and which place you will be happier at. However, I strongly encourage you from not picking cornell simply bc of some myth that aren't true.</p>
<p>I also don't think you are any more of a number at Cornell than at UVa, and unless you are an Echols or Jefferson Scholar at UVa, I would venture to guess that you will be able to have just as much professor interaction at Cornell as at UVa. A good friend of mine from high school attended UVa, and I have actually heard that the class waitlists, etc. are more of a problem at UVa than Cornell.</p>
<p>No student I know at Cornell who has wanted research opportunities or an independent study experience has had a problems at Cornell, and there are tons of great resources for biology majors. I'm not the best person to fill you in on those, but maybe somebody else can.</p>
<p>That being said, academics are going to be a notch harder at Cornell than at UVa. But nothing worthwhile in life was ever achieved without a good amount of effort. (Except for maybe the current presidency.)</p>
<p>So like the previous poster said, I would choose on cost and fit. Cornell and UVa aren't all that dissimilar in certain respects -- both are in great college towns, both have a large state university feel to them, and both have a pretty active fraternity and off-campus party scene. But the stereotypes also work to an extent, Virginia is going to be more conservative. Cornell is going to be more diverse and liberal.</p>
<p>thanks for your input. from what you are saying, the workload isn't as hectic as they say, right? if you can, tell me a bit about life as a Cornell student, I'm assuming that people also exaggerate about the weather there? Tell me a bit about sports at Cornell, if you can. If anyone has any info regarding bio as a major in either school it would be appreciated. i think I'll be happy at either school, or should i say i "hope".</p>
<p>the workload is manegeable..as long as you keep up. Also, one advice: major in the field that you are interested in and that you are good at. Taking courses that you don't like will give you hard time. </p>
<p>weather is cold, but one bad part about it is the precipitation. It is cloudy many times and wet, which lead many people to complain. But, temperature-wise, it is no different than other parts of NE. </p>
<p>Sports aren't that good here, obviously. Seriously, if you are a huge sports fan and wanna have good sports, Uva would be a better option. but, as far as social life goes here, it is a very social place, but much of the social outlet here revolves around frat/sorority. this could be good or bad, depending on the person.</p>
<p>Gosh, there has been so much written in the last couple of weeks, it might make sense to compile it for future students. It seems like the same students get asked over and over again.</p>
<p>For student life, check out these threads:</p>
<p>As for sports, I just wrote up a post boasting about Cornell's hockey tradition, but wrestling and lacrosse are very big on campus as well. Basketball got big this year as well. Or as big as it can get in the scholarship free Ivy League.</p>
<p>SI.com</a> - SI On Campus - Big Red Wrestling Machine - Thursday April 12, 2007 3:35PM</p>
<p>Hockey may have the most loyal fan base in the East. Lacrosse is one of the top five in the country in terms of following. I expect over 10,000 fans for the Brown game next week if the weather is nice. And I can't think of another school that has its own wrestling stadium, let alone can get 5,000 people to fill it for a wrestling match.</p>
<p>Polo and Crew also routinely win national championships, if that's your thing.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Seriously, if you are a huge sports fan and wanna have good sports, Uva would be a better option.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Bah. You need to read the papers more! Cornell sports teams have been doing incredibly well lately!</p>
<p>Well the weather is as bad as they say.</p>
<p>But, the workload isn't. I say this as a bio major at Cornell. I averaged over a 4.0 my last five semesters and I wasn't even stressed at all. The first couple of semesters were tough as I was trying to guage how much I'd need to study in college. But, once I got the hang of it, I found the coursework to be very very manageable.</p>
<p>Being a resident of Charlottesville with lots of family connections to Ithaca, I can first of all say that both UVA and Cornell are great institutions. The town, size, and academics are both going to be similar.</p>
<p>That being said, one of the differences is simply that Cornell is Ivy League--it will have more opportunities and prestige because of this. However, I'd say the major difference is just the "feel" of the two universities. UVA is a party school, through and through. You will find an abundance of southern aristocracy here, and people that like to drink a lot all the time. It is also a much more conservative atmosphere--I have a feeling that the puritanical fundies are much less on the prowl at Cornell than at UVA.</p>
<p>The good news is that UVA is also very diverse and you will be able to find people of all types. And remember that Cornell has a great social scene as well. I guess most of it comes down to climate and regional differences. If you can't stand excessive Southernness, do NOT go to UVA. If you can't stand Long Islanders, do NOT go to Cornell.</p>
<p>I think a good way to describe Cornell would be a mix of:</p>
<ul>
<li>a Northern Version of UVa (substitute Long Islanders for NoVa kids)</li>
<li>MIT</li>
<li>Wesleyan</li>
</ul>
<p>and add some hotelies and farmer to the mix.</p>
<p>the amount of workload depends on your major and what kind of work you typically have to do. my work is all projects and drawings, while a history major has a lot of papers and an engineer has a lot of problem sets and exams to study for. its all about time management</p>
<p>Cornell. It has greater name recognition and opportunities.</p>
<p>i turned down UVa for Cornell, so should you. </p>
<p>It feels fantastic sticking it to a founding father.</p>