<p>I know a lot about WUSTL (have had siblings graduate from there, dad works there, live there) and I visited Cornell twice and was accepted to both.</p>
<p>I can speak for the rigor of the Pre-Med program at WUSTL and frankly, from what I’ve heard and my sibling has experienced, it is INCREDIBLY tough. It’s meant to weed out students and there is rarely any leniency for students who fall behind. I can’t describe the amount of people I know/have heard of who drop the pre-med track at WUSTL. That being said, you reap the reward… it’s a phenomenally ranked program-if you can manage. Idk much about Cornell Pre-med. </p>
<p>I would say that quality of learning is probably the same at both, maybe a bit better at WUSTL (smaller) but not by much. Tons of TA’s teach the intro level science courses at WU, and I suspect the same is true for Cornell. On my admitted student visit to Cornell, my host was a pre-med but he told me that there were various pre-med tracks in different schools, and they all had a slightly different approach. So maybe, Cornell would be able to provide more nuances in terms of program offerings. I.e. Human Ecology vs. Art Sci vs. Engineering</p>
<p>Dorms are hands down better at WUSTL-constantly ranked in the top 3. Cornell is more hit or miss: while they do have some nice, new dorms, other dorms haven’t been updated and I found their whole system/res-life to be somewhat confusing and nonsensical.</p>
<p>Food: Amazing at both, WUSTL is probably ranked higher, but it was outstanding at Cornell as well, so I’d say that’s a wash. Tons of options at both places too. </p>
<p>Student Body: I’d say the student body is relatively similar at both places: both slightly more intellectual than other schools whose student bodies are a bit more well rounded. TONS of diversity at both schools. Cornell didn’t really feel that much bigger than WUSTL-the different schools at Cornell really help to manage the size, and WUSTL has a spread out campus.</p>
<p>Campus: Beautiful at both, but in different ways. WUSTL is much more suburban-it’s in the middle of wealthy Clayton and there are some unsafe areas around Forest Park but not too bad. The architecture is phenomenal too-even the new buildings keep to the Collegiate Gothic style. The weather does get hot in St. Louis, and moderate in the winter. Cornell, I found to be more breathtaking, only because of the gorges and close proximity to Cayuga Lake. I loved the hills and the architecture. The buildings were more of a mix of architectural styles but they fit well together. Tons of great fall and winter things to do too.</p>
<p>Okay, that was a long post… hopefully it helps. Good luck</p>