<p>After being ranked for the first time last year, Cornell now has released information which indicates that its AEM business program is the most competitive major at Cornell with this year's acceptance rate at 19%. Just wanted to make all of you aware that this business program is predicted by many to be the next big thing as it is the only other ivy league school besides Penn with an undergrad business school. Just wanted to make you aware for those of you that are interested in business. Was ranked 14 last year and many are saying should be top 8 within two or three years considering that just got huge capital injection from donors.</p>
<p>Don't confuse the acceptance rates with competition. Just because something has a lower acceptance rate doesn't mean it's more difficult to gain entrance into and consequently doesn't become more competitive. You also have to look at the prospective student body credentials before making a decision on how "competitive" a program is. </p>
<p>For example, lets say you have a bunch of idiots applying to school A that in the end, has a 30 % acceptance rate. Then let's say that you have an overachieving, extremely intelligent student body who applies to school B that has a 45% acceptance rate. Does this mean school A is more competitive than school B? Ofcourse not.</p>
<p>You must understand that acceptance rates don't always correspond to entrance difficulty. For example, Cornell engineering has a slightly higher acceptance rate than a couple of colleges at Cornell but it is still the most difficult to gain entrance to. The students who apply to Cornell engineering are going to have higher credentials than than the ones who apply to your average school at Cornell as a result of which admission, regardless of acceptance rate, is going to be tougher. </p>
<p>AEM might be the most competitive program in CALS but it is NOT the most competitive major in all of Cornell (actually, I think the bio program at CALS is slightly more competitive than AEM). I'm sure most majors in engineering offered at Cornell would be harder to gain admission into than AEM in CALS.</p>
<p>actually you are 100% wrong, the students getting accepted to AEM are of the highest quality at Cornell, with 1500+ SAT scores, etc. I should know, I TA for the head of the department. You are right that acceptance rate does not always imply quality. However, in this case it does. AEM was ranked #14 in its first ranking indicating (a ranking based solely on reputation), and considering it is a new business program, that is quite an accomplishment.</p>
<p>This is a good program that will become extremely popular. If only it weren't in Ithica.....</p>