<p>I just got off the waitlist for Cornell but I already have a deposit in for Michigan (Honors program too!). I've grown attached to the idea of going to Michigan but I have yet to visit either. I need help from current students or people who are actually familiar with either school. I'm looking to major in Chemistry or perhaps Computer Science. </p>
<p>I made a pro/con list for each and they ended up being about equal in my mind. The only factor that was outstanding was the location. (That's honestly minor.)</p>
<p>I'll probably be receiving the same aid (almost none) from Cornell. I want to know more about the competition in both schools. Will it look better to be towards the top of Mich or more in the middle at Cornell? I'm a hard worker but I'm worried that I could be swept away by Cornell academics, especially since my intended major is notoriously rigorous. </p>
<p>You should visit the two schools and go for fit. I really like Chemistry at Michigan. The department has a large faculty and very few undergrads majoring in it. As such, classes tend to be small and facult to student interaction is unusually heavy. Professor Brian Coppola is one of the best teachers I ever had!</p>
<p>On the other hand, Cornell is also awesome in the sciences, particularly Computer Science. </p>
<p>I would definitely visit and go with your gut on this one.</p>
<p>Cornell and Michigan Chemistry will both be challenging so you might as well go with the Ivy League school in this case unless Michigan is cheaper and/or you strongly prefer Ann Arbor.</p>
<p>Cornell and Michigan Chemistry will both be challenging so you might as well go with the better sports school in this case unless Cornell is cheaper and/or you strongly prefer Ithaca.</p>
<p>“Cornell and Cal/Chicago/Duke/Johns Hopkins/Northwestern Chemistry will both be challenging so you might as well go with the Ivy League school, in this case Cornell, unless Cal/Chicago/Duke/Johns Hopkins/Northwestern is cheaper and/or you strongly prefer Berkeley/Chicago/Durham/Baltimore/Evantson.”</p>
<p>Just go where you think you’ll be happier. It’s a bit tough without having visited them, though, so you’ll have to go with your instinct. If the Ivy League label and private school structure appeals to you, then choose Cornell. If you are into a campus with a lot of spirit and crazy about football Sundays, then choose Michigan. I wouldn’t worry about class rank/difficulty so much at this point in time.</p>
<p>You said you made a list of pro/cons and they came out about even. You need to decide what on the list is most important to YOU and then evaluate each school against that criteria. Since they’re pretty similar from a prestige perspective, it should come down to other factors although Cornell is probably a bit more selective overall, but Michigan is no slouch and its chem and CS programs are top notch. I haven’t been to Ithaca, but can say Ann Arbor is a really nice college town, although it can get really cold in the winter, but Ithaca is probably worse in that regard. Good luck.</p>
Please point me to a time when I recommended an inferior school like Pepperdine, Richmond, Santa Clara, or Tulane over Michigan as long as cost and personal fit considerations were equal. It’s very difficult to recommend Michigan over Cornell for a prospective student unless he/she strongly prefers Michigan’s atmosphere (as bluedog pointed out) or U of M is cheaper. Cornell has smarter students, better academics, higher prestige, the Ivy network, a stronger Computer Science department, better connections to Wall Street/Silicon Valley, smaller class sizes, greater undergraduate focus, and a more picturesque campus. Michigan has more school spirit and stronger athletics but it would be irresponsible to weigh those two factors equally with the 10 other more important criteria that favor Cornell.</p>
<p>Choosing Michigan over Cornell is like picking Dartmouth over Princeton or Duke over Stanford. Dartmouth and Duke are fantastic schools but they don’t have quite the academic reputation, prestige, and student body strength as Princeton or Stanford.</p>
I’m not sure I understand the intention or meaning of this post but I agree with it as well. Only Chicago and Duke have caught up with the non-HYP Ivies in terms of national recognition and prestige in the minds of the families that are deciding amongst these set of schools for their child’s college destination. Even then, I hesitate recommending Chicago and Duke against some Ivies (especially Columbia) since their reputation in the Northeast is quite a bit weaker. Hopefully, Chicago (where my uncle got his BS and JD) and Duke will join Stanford and MIT in the upper echelon of prestige alongside the Ivies but I think we’re still a couple of years away from that.</p>
<p>For overall prestige Cornell is better. I also think that Cornell has better chemistry and computer science programs, although Michigan is great as well. I picked Cornell and I am majoring in both chemistry and computer science. I’m paying about $9k more for Cornell than I would be for Michigan.</p>