<p>So I was recently accepted to both Cornell's and Duke's engineering schools, but I can't decide which to go to. I've been told that no matter what either school will give me great opportunities, but I want to be sure that I'm making the best choice. I believe I want to study mechanical engineering, but I definitely want flexibility in courses in case I change my mind. I'm posting this in both the Cornell and Duke forums to get opinions from both sides. I'm probably going to go to grad school. Here are the pros and cons I have for each school, and I'd love some comments on what I have</p>
<p>Cornell Pros
[ul]
[<em>] Better engineering program/better sciences overall
[</em>] Ivy League
[<em>] Closer to home (~4 hrs, I live in NJ)\
[</em>] Larger school with more room for flexibility in education/major choice
[<em>] Location (I love snowboarding and don't mind the cold)
[</em>] Top rated college town
[<em>] Absolutely beautiful surroundings
[</em>] Great food
[/ul] Cornell Cons
[ul]
[<em>] Least selective ivy
[</em>] Lower test scores than duke
[<em>] Lower ranked overall than Duke
[</em>] I've heard its very liberal and I lean slightly conservatively
[<em>] Large/state school feel
[</em>] Class sizes
[<em>] Less financial aid than duke (30k+loans, but sending in appeal to get them to try to match Duke, will probably give me even less when my sister graduates from college next year)
[</em>] Heard it is hard to get a high GPA (bad for grad school)
[<em>] High stress/difficult work
[/ul] Duke Pros
[ul]
[</em>] More exclusive/smaller school
[<em>] More opportunities to study abroad
[</em>] Heard it is lower stress than Cornell, more laid back
[<em>] Higher test scores
[</em>] Slightly more prestigious/higher ranked
[<em>] Beautiful NC weather
[</em>] Basketball
[<em>] Better if I decide to go into business/IB from what I've heard/better represented in top MBA programs
[</em>] Grade inflation looks good for grad school
[<em>] 4 year double major engineering/economics that takes 5 at Cornell
[</em>] Gave me great financial aid (40k+loans first year)
[<em>] First person from my school to ever get accepted and was told I'd be "a legend" if I went
[</em>] Most people/family I've talked to want me to choose this one
[/ul] Duke Cons
[ul]
[<em>] I've heard some pretty bad things about Durham
[</em>] Far from home
[<em>] Not much variety in engineering department (only 4 types of engineering)
[</em>] Not as highly regarded in the North (plan to live in the North after graduating)
[li] Engineering department not well known outside of Biomedical (not interested in biomedical at the moment)[/li][/ul]</p>
<p>I'm going to visit both and see how I like the campuses, but right now I really can't decide at all and I'm just trying to get some opinions/clear up any misconceptions that I might have. Overall it seems like Cornell has a significantly better engineering program, but Duke is better overall especially for grad school placement.</p>
<p>Cornell is the more traditional engineering powerhouse than Duke, but that doesn’t mean that Duke won’t provide just an many opportunities. Pratt is more intimate program with not nearly as many disciplines, but faculty/research/exit ops are still top notch. 90%+ of engineering undergraduates perform research, the curriculum is relatively flexible and allows for a double major/minor within Trinity if desired, study abroad is encouraged and about 1/4 of students partake in it (rare for engineering), and the small size allows you to get to know the professors and your classmates well.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t choose based on perceived prestige or selectivity or how you will be received by others, though. You need to also consider the fact that about 1/3 of engineering students transfer out (and nobody thinks it’s going to be them, but somebody has to be in that third), so you have to make sure you’d also be happy at the respective arts & sciences school within the university. I personally think individual dept rankings when selecting an undergraduate institution is way overblown though - Duke engineers go onto top notch PhD programs throughout the country and are highly sought after.</p>
<p>I chose Duke engineering over “powerhouses” Michigan and Illinois. Not saying Cornell is a bad choice by any means - it’s a great school. I simply encourage you to make your decision on where you think you’d be happiest. Both places will challenge you academically and prepare you well. I just think Duke offers a great combination of academics, social atmosphere, and athletics that’s hard to match (but I’m biased). You can be assured that you won’t be sacrificing your future by choosing Duke engineering over Cornell - and you’re right that Duke engineers are recruited HIGHLY by consulting/finance firms if you change your mind what you want to do with your life (which MOST college students do, and there’s nothing wrong with that).</p>
<p>As for EE/Comp Sci, I don’t know that much about the programs since I wasn’t in them, but I had many friends who got jobs immediately at top notch firms or enrolled in highly esteemed graduate programs (Microsoft, Apple, etc.). The comp sci dept has some really well known alumni and faculty including multiple Turing award winners. In the ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest, Duke has sent a team to the world finals every year since 1997. Duke routinely dominates the Mid-Atlantic region competition. Here are some results from 1999-2007 (note that Cornell has also performed well).</p>
<p>And Duke giving you more money doesn’t hurt. Good luck with your decision!</p>
<p>That Pro/Con list for Duke is surprisingly accurate. The one surprising part was about Duke not being as highly regarded in the North. There’s a ton of kids that come from/go to the North, but I’m from the South so won’t argue with it.</p>
<p>^I’m from the north and would say Duke is just as highly regarded as Cornell if not moreso (not talking about engineering specifically, but more generally as an institution). But maybe in NY/NJ Cornell is more well-known because a lot of people go there. But NYC is the #1 destination of Duke graduates for a reason - there are PLENTY of opportunities in the north for Duke grads and its very highly respected (DC is the #2 destination incidentally). (I’m from Chicago, but have also lived in DC). </p>
<p>And Durham is better than you’d think - it’s a pretty decent college town really. Livable, plenty to do, and relatively affordable. And the bars cater to the college crowd, so the majority of places are not 21+ only (you just can’t technically buy alcohol once in it), so you can basically go anywhere. It’s not NYC, but you’ll be more than busy on campus and there’s a sufficient number of good restaurants, stores, theaters, etc. if you want to venture off campus.</p>
<p>I would choose Duke. I think both are fantastic schools and it should come down to fit. I think many would argue that on average, Duke is a bit harder to get into than Cornell but at this level, they are very much peers.</p>
<p>I am surprised that of OP’s four lists, only “Cornell Pros” is not dominated by esoteric/presitge/perception criteria. I would encourage you to make your decision based on substantive reasons, not what others might consider important or impressive. On this premise, it sounds to me that you have already made your decision.</p>
Good luck with your decision!</p>