<p>I'm having a tough time choosing between Cornell and Vanderbilt. I know Cornell has a slightly better name but I do like Vanderbilt a bit more. Not taking finances into account (as they both will be about equal), Cornell or Vanderbilt (I'm planning on majoring in biology and doing pre-med)?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>If you know you like Vandy more and they’re giving you the same FA, then it seems like a relatively easy choice to me :)</p>
<p>It’s not like you’re choosing between Cornell and Dowling College here. Vanderbilt is also elite and known as a good school, especially in the South. If you like it more, i don’t see the point in going to Cornell for a marginal difference in perceived prestige.</p>
<p>which atmosphere do you prefer? From what I know, they’re very different, especially with Vandy being so southern.</p>
<p>(My responses are based on your preference for Vanderbilt)
If you plan on working in the South, go to Vanderbilt.
If you plan on working anywhere else, go to Cornell.
If you plan on postgrad in the US, go to Vanderbilt.
If you plan on postgrade abroad, go to Cornell.</p>
<p>Congrats Utterly_Confused. Not many people I know would mind being in your situation. Both schools are terrific. That said, Cornell is IVY, Vandy is not. Not sure if the ivy tag necessarily helps in getting into a medical school. If you want to pursue a career (or grad school) in Biology though, I guess Cornell would give you a distinct edge. Whatever you choose to do, all the very best.</p>
<p>Cornell might be slightly better if you’re interested in Northeast med schools (like Harvard or Penn). I’ve noticed that they’re slightly biased against top schools that aren’t in the Northeast.</p>
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<p>That doesn’t make any sense. How is Vanderbilt better than Cornell for postgrad work in the U.S.?</p>
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<p>I don’t think that’s what he meant. Based on his first sentence, he is saying that you can get postgrad work in the U.S. from either school, but that Vanderbilt would be better since he prefers it.</p>
<p>yeah if you prefer Vandy then the decision if quite simple.<br>
But then again, you can’t go wrong with either choice</p>
<p>@DRMAN54
That’s exactly what I meant.</p>
<p>US universities are aware of Vanderbilt, but Cornell’s international reputation is even better than its domestic one. Vanderbilt won’t be a detriment when applying to a US university, but a foreign one may not be as aware of its reputation.</p>
<p>I was deciding between Vandy and Cornell too! (I am now a senior at Cornell)</p>
<p>Both have excellent premed programs. What do you like more about Vandy?</p>
<p>I’m basically in love with Vandy’s campus and part of me wants to leave the Northeast bubble and try something new (I’ve lived in New York my entire life). The thing is I also like Cornell’s campus, my brother goes there and I’m trying to decide if the marginal difference in how much I like one over the other is worth the difference in prestige/academic quality. I do understand that Vandy’s medical school is one of the best (though Cornell is better) and the fact that it is so close by is definitely a plus.</p>
<p>First of all, congrats! 
I vote for Cornell. I’m sure you won’t regret.</p>
<p>When my D was applying to schools, we didn’t discourage her from applying to schools very far away. Since she has been at Cornell, she has come down with 3 major illness and all 3 times we’ve had to drive up to bring her home. I know there are many kids that go to schools cross coast, but I don’t think it’s easy. We have a second one coming up and we would encourage to apply to schools 3-5 hours drive away. Air travel used to be a lot easier, it is very expensive and a big hassle now. I understand you may want to go somewhere new, but I think there’ll be other opportunities once you are out of college. The biggest negative to me about Vanderbilt is it is a southern school. I don’t think it would be easy for a New Yorker to adjust.</p>
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<p>Are you in love with the campus or the campus’s social feel? There’s a big difference between the two, and I don’t think one should be basing their educational decisions on aesthetic whims.</p>
<p>Also, Ithaca/Cornell is pretty much set apart from the rest of the Northeast both in terms of geography and culture – I don’t think four years in Ithaca is like anything else in Northeast, especially if you are from the megalopolis.</p>
<p>At Vanderbilt they dress up to go to football games. I’m not kidding.
If you would like to dress up for football games, you should definitely go to Vanderbilt. </p>
<p>At Vanderbilt there are fewer people who are from the Northeast, and fewer people who will subsequently wind up in the northeast. If you want to wind up in the northeast, your “network” there will be sized accordingly. And vica versa, if you want to wind up living in the south. If you care to ever see your college friends,outside of college or ever again, there may be some probability differences based on likely geography.</p>
<p>Vanderbilt name has substantial prestige- in the South.
Nashville is a big music town. If you like country music.</p>
<p>Myself, I do not much care for country music. Or dressing up to go to football games. And I don’t really want to live in the South.</p>
<p>But that’s me.</p>
<p>PS I agree with oldfort’s comments about transportation/ access, the same thing happened to my D1, who was 8 hours away. After that experience, I too realized the advantages in being closer, though we didn’t realize it when D1 was applying.</p>