I need advice on which college I should attend this Fall 2015. The cost of attendance and the weather will not be a problem for any college. I plan on majoring in Molecular Biology with a Mathematics minor, which is great for any schools listed.
The colleges are: Duke, Cornell, UPenn, Brown, and Notre Dame.
Since you guys do not know much about me, the question is: Which school would you attend if given the option above? This being an “once in a lifetime opportunity”, I want to attend the best one all around. All opinions and facts are appreciated. Thanks in advance!
They are all great schools with top notch academics. It doesn’t matter which one I’d pick for myself (in fact I went to Penn in part because I had a preference for schools in/near a city) Think about the differences between the schools (location, big time sports, Greek Life, etc.) and pick the one that feels like the best fit.
@ritter19 , I updated my icon months ago when I received a likely letter from Cornell and haven’t updated it ever since. It was my top choice, but now I got accepted to the others. I tried to talk to my counselors and teachers at school but they either tell me to go with I think fits me (no help there) or they don’t know since I am the first from my school to be accepted to these top schools.
They all have unique personalities. We have family history at ND and Cornell. Love them both. Put them all aside and make a list of Must Haves and such. And one of the positives and negatives of each school. Hopefully one will stand out. Be true to yourself. They are all great schools, but there are distinct differences.
Which one of these things is not like the others? Notre Dame. It is a great school and alums dream that their kids will go there but it is hardly in a class with the others with regards to diversity, international draw at the undergraduate level, cosmopolitan student population, etc. For your stated interests I would attend one of the first three options but surely you should have a preference after revisiting the schools that means more than “the best one all around”.
Forbes ranks according to ROI/what you get out of your degree. So some food for thought/a look at the stats and opinions from another point of view…your schools of interest according to Forbes’ current rankings:
12. Penn
13. Brown
17. Notre Dame
23. Duke
31. Cornell
It really needs to be about what fits you best—your major and your personality. Hopefully you have been able to visit all of them, stay for an overnight and meet some current students.
I don’t care to look into that Forbes thing, but offhand it seems likely that ROI should relate to the mix of
majors at each university.FWIW, unlike those other universities, only 29% of Cornell students attend its college of arts & sciences. It would not shock me if average income of Penn’s Wharton school exceeded that of Nutrition or Fiber Design majors at Cornell’s College of Human Ecology. I don’t know if that foretells very much about prospects for a particular Molecular Biology major, of particular ability, at each university.
I would agree - make a list regarding a few attributes of each university:
part of the country
overall weather (snow or not, rainy or not)
medical and other professional schools or not
city, suburban, or rural
importance of school sports
Greek life more or less a big deal on campus
prestige of the department nationwide (any Nobel prize-winners?)
ability to take classes across different colleges (important to me, may not be important to you)
research potential for undergrads (is it encouraged or discouraged)
Penn is in a city. Cornell is in a college town that basically is made up of two colleges, but otherwise is the middle of nowhere. Duke obviously has much better (if you don’t like snow) weather.
Brown has a reputation for warm and fuzzy and pick your own way majors - is that appropriate for molecular biology?
I think you should pare it down to three if at all possible - it really is quite different being able to get on the subway and go to a world-class vibrant city vs. hiring a taxi or getting on a bus for hours to get to a city. And then visit.
I got into Cornell, but I didn’t have to visit to tell myself that their campus was too isolated for me. I would have gone and probably loved it, but with another choice of an urban Ivy, I went with that.
Good luck deciding, many would be happy to be in your position!
" it really is quite different being able to get on the subway and go to a world-class vibrant city vs. hiring a taxi or getting on a bus for hours to get to a city"
That’s true but that assumes you need to get to a city for some reason. My D2 transferrred from college in NYC to Ithaca, and preferred her life in Ithaca. we had to pry her out of there.
I’ll offer a little advice, beginning with the obvious. CONGRATULATIONS, every school to which you’ve been accepted is absolutely excellent, you’ve obviously worked very hard, and you justifiably should take pride in the results. No matter which university you opt to attend, it will certainly provide an abundance of resources, well beyond the needs of any undergraduate, and enduing advantages that will enhance your life forever, and exceptionally talented faculty and classmates. Those are unquestionable “givens.”
Here’s the advice:
Forget about rankings. An earlier post to your thread cited Forbes, which differs from US News, and so forth. The ceaseless debates on this unresolvable subject are as futile as they are foolish; each of your schools is clearly top notch and that’s all that really counts, because every one of these stellar institutions will be a life catalyst to your chosen destinations.
However, the are evident differences: Cornell’s isolated and Penn is in West Philadelphia; Notre Dame has a Midwestern feel, while Brown/Providence is quite New “Englandish;” Cornell is comparatively large (~14,400 undergraduates) and Duke (<6,500 undergraduates) is relatively small; although this list is essentially endless, it is also important.
You wisely indicated that this is a “once in a lifetime opportunity;” you’re right, it is. However, what is your best “cultural fit,” do you want to spend the next four years in a major Eastern city, in bucolic Ithaca, or elsewhere? Similarly, is intense, unifying school spirit important to you, or would you prefer a more-autonomous lifestyle, and so forth. While a list of such considerations would be extensive, I truly believe YOU need to make such evaluations and – here’s the vital point – the best way to do so is to spend a few days on each campus, living an undergraduate’s life, immersing yourself in the school’s culture, and – critically – obtaining a true feel for how YOUR unique values and goals will interface with the schools’ and the communities’ attributes.
I urge you to invest the time and the cash to do so. Based on actual experiences, I believe assessments of this sort may eliminate some candidate institutions from consideration and just might provide an overwhelming “this is home” solution.
My son recently applied to three of those schools with three rejections. The one that hurt the most was Notre Dame. Both his aunt and uncle went there and the one thing that sets ND apart is that while you finish four years and get a diploma, you never really graduate. The culture and alumni ties are that strong.
Speaking just personally (which is what you requested), I’d be the most attracted to Penn and Brown. But that doesn’t mean they are the best fit for YOU.
Since you asked about what I would do, I would go to Duke - great weather, emphasis on transdisciplinary study, smallish student body, and in a geographic area I’d like to stay in. Plus the social life is reputed to be pretty awesome and I’m a work hard/play hard kind of person.
None of these is objectively the best one all around, but I can say that you probably won’t regret choosing whichever one you do choose. There’s no way to go wrong here; they’re all excellent schools.
I agree with those who’ve said it’s a decision only you can make. My D is choosing schools, and although I can give her all the advice in the world about which one I would love to study at, it is ultimately HER life and she is the one going. I agree wholeheartedly with the ones who’ve encouraged you to make a list… what are things you like to do? Which schools and communities have that? Would you prefer a city lifestyle, or a small town feel? Etc.
I’d suggest choose your top three, and spend a lot of time at each, two days if possible. Go to classes, meet as many professors in your department as you can. Since prestige is nearly equal at all of them, it will come down more to WHO you will be spending your four years with, more than WHERE.
