<p>Hey everybody, I'm a transfer student and I have some very good opportunities in my future, if I can make a decision! Tell me what you think:</p>
<p>Cornell pros:
1. much less expensive, as it's the College of Human Ecology and I live in New York
2. regardless, viewed as a rigorous curriculum
3. much larger, much more going on on campus
4. absolutely beautiful location
5. I know a lot of people there</p>
<p>Cornell cons:
1. very structured curriculum, very difficult
2. lots of snow
3. I know a lot of people there</p>
<p>Brown pros:
1. amazing curriculum/academic structure
2. very large array of people, artsy scene
3. located in a great city
4. smaller, I know fewer people </p>
<p>Brown cons:
1. much more expensive
2. sometimes the curriculum is viewed as "too free" education-wise by employers</p>
<p>Thank you so much for your suggestions guys! Also, if there is anything you can think of that I missed, feel free ot tell me!</p>
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1. very structured curriculum, very difficult
2. lots of snow
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<p>Hi. I just wanted to clear some things up for you...
Some of the common misconceptions about Cornell is that it is known for harsh workload and impossible tests. However, I would say that those descriptions are false. Cornell is probably as hard as any other top school, but not necessarily much harder at all. From most people I know at Cornell, only students who struggle to get their gpa above 3.3-3.4ish range are students in Engineering or in sciences, such as Chem, Physics, etc. Other majors typcially have it easier and with decent effort, most students end up pulling 3.3+. The consensus among my classmates at Cornell is that Cornell wasn't nearly as hard as what we thought it would be and in the end, things turned out to be ok. </p>
<p>Another thing, cornell gets a lot of snow and it is pretty cold up here. but, compared to Brown, I would say that the differences in temperature, snow fall, etc, are pretty insignificant. both places are pretty cold and get a lot of snow. but the thing is that Cornell campus is so big (much bigger than Brown's) that you will end up having to walk outside a lot, meaning you will have to confront the weather more excessively. </p>
<p>lastly, I would personally choose Cornell over Brown largely because of the differences in cost. You will essentially get same education for much less, and it is a pretty good deal, imo.</p>
<p>What would be your major at Brown and at Cornell? Is Brown affordable? It's expensive, but depending on your circumstances, the expense could be manageable, or it could be nearly impossible.</p>
<p>I'd go with Cornell since you'll be able to get in-state tuition. I think Cornell would be like $15,000 less per year, right?</p>
<p>There is no difference between in state and out of state cornell from what i understand...</p>
<p>^^^
The quality of programs are not significantly different and they're all "private" schools, but there is a significant difference between in-state tuition for one of the land grant colleges versus the privately endowed colleges at Cornell.</p>
<p>To the OP - Cornell's curriculum is not THAT structured. Perhaps compared to Brown it is, but there are incredible opportunities to take classes across any discipline in all the various colleges. I found the breadth of disciplines including but going far beyond the traditional liberal arts education to be a wonderful asset of Cornell. It had a nice mixture of theoretical and practical for my tastes that is quite unique in the Ivy League and peer schools. I personally studied in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the College of Arts and Sciences, and the Architecture, Art, and Planning College. Never dabbled in Human Ecology, though.</p>
<p>Best of luck in your decision. They're both wonderful but very different schools.</p>
<p>it's hard to argue there is more going on at cornell than brown--it is a larger campus but it is sprawling and in the middle of nowhere</p>
<p>also, brown does great with the most prestigious employers and grad schools, consistently ranking in the top five in the country for placement into everything from goldman sachs to the peace corps to harvard law school.</p>
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also, brown does great with the most prestigious employers and grad schools, consistently ranking in the top five in the country for placement into everything from goldman sachs to the peace corps to harvard law school.
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<p>As does Cornell when you use absolute numbers. The idea that you are at a disadvantage coming out of Cornell relative to Brown is a completely unfounded. The major difference with Cornell is that you will have a lot of niche majors (architecture, global agriculture, textiles, engineering physics) that really have no use for a professional graduate school.</p>
<p>And there do tend to be more things going on at Cornell than at Brown. Cornell's twice as large as Brown, after all. And you can do anything in Ithaca that you can do in Providence, save for deep sea fishing.</p>
<p>And Cornell's big enough that even if you know a lot of people there, it's possible that you will never see them again in your life. Of my graduating class from high school, five of us went to Cornell, and I never (!) saw three of the kids.</p>
<p>Cornell's artsy too, you just have to seek it out. Live in Risley, hang out at Temple of Zeus, or join one of the co-ops. The Architecture program is like our very own RISD.</p>
<p>The weather in Providence will not be all that different from the weather in Ithaca, either. During the winter, there may be more snow in Upstate New York, but 40 degrees and raining in Providence isn't exactly fun either.</p>
<p>Given the tuition differential, I would only recommend Brown if you are really drawn to the open curriculum or are intimidated by the large, diverse feel to Cornell.</p>
<p>i would go to brown...but how much money are we talkin here? if it's considerable, go to cornell since you obviously arent leaning one too much over the other. if its negligible, brown would be my choice.</p>
<p>Cory -- Cornell would be around $15,000 a year cheaper, provided she doesn't get any aid.</p>
<p>To the the OP, what would you be studying in Human Ecology?</p>
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it is a larger campus but it is sprawling and in the middle of nowhere
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<p>Lest you mislead the OP, Cornell's campus may be large, but sprawling is a rather perjorative word. I picture strip malls and traffic. Cornell's campus is widely regarded as the most beautiful in the nation. When you're walking over 400 foot gorges with raging waterfalls everyday on your way to class, then past absolutely gorgeous architecture laid out in a very classic quadrangle style atop hills with epic views, it is hardly a downer. I didn't even find it to be that large, myself, and I was trekking from one quad to another between classes, from North Campus to Central.</p>
<p>The other common slight of Cornell being in the middle of nowhere is misleading as well. Ithaca is a fascinating little city with little independent movie theatres hidden away and Tibetan Buddhist monks and hippies and great restaurants and beautiful gorges and waterfalls you can swim under and wineries along the Finger Lakes... It's not exactly cornfields. For many, it creates a bubble of unique experiences that can truly only happen while one is in college. </p>
<p>Even the weather - if you like winter - is nice because you actually get winter.</p>
<p>I'm not advocating one or the other, but simply pointing out that one person's negative may be another's positive.</p>
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When you're walking over 400 foot gorges with raging waterfalls everyday on your way to class, then past absolutely gorgeous architecture laid out in a very classic quadrangle style atop hills with epic views, it is hardly a downer. I didn't even find it to be that large, myself, and I was trekking from one quad to another between classes, from North Campus to Central.
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<p>Applejack, I think your nostalgia is getting the best of you. Cornell's gorges average between 150 and 200 feet. Not 400 feet.</p>
<p>That said, Cornell's campus is still absolutely stunning. By far the most naturally scenic college campus in the country. And the contrasting styles of architecture is a joy to experience as well. </p>
<p>And I agree, there's really no reason to be putting down either Cornell or Brown on these boards. Both have their respective merits. (But obviously Cornell is better... at least when it comes to hockey.)</p>
<p>^^
Haha! That's funny. That wasn't the Big Red rosy glasses kicking in. That was a confusion of natural formation stats - grew up on the Great Lakes and just realized that 400' is how tall the sand dunes were, not how deep the gorges. Oops.</p>