I am having trouble deciding between Rice, Cornell, Penn, and Northwestern. I had always had my heart set on Rice, partly because I had been told I would not get into the others, but now I am not as sure in picking Rice over schools that may have more name recognition in my area (Boston). Also, I was selected for the Hunter R. Rawlings III Presidential Research Scholars program at Cornell.
As of now I intend to major in materials engineering but I’m really interested in biomaterials so biomed/bioengineering is also in the back of my mind as a possible major. I am not a fan of greek life. I don’t particularly enjoy warm weather so the climate isn’t really a decision point for me. On one hand I would really like to go to a small school with a tight knit community, but I also like the idea of having a ton of choices in what I could study. I like the interdisciplinary focus of Penn but not the hypercompetitive reputation/the apparent focus on grad programs over undergrads. I have never visited Penn or Cornell but I will be going to admitted student days at all four schools in the next few weeks.
Northwestern and Cornell are cold, so heat isn’t an issue! Cornell is huge and has something for everyone. Penn is also huge. The campus visits will help you determine the right environment for you.
Good luck!
It’s good that you’re going to the admitted student days. I’m not a proponent of going to a school you haven’t even visited. You seem to know most of this, but Rice excels in the “tight-knit community” and “not hyper-competitive while still being super challenging” areas, as well as “no greek life” (which is awesome, IMO). What major were you considering if you went to Rice? BioE? If you know what it would be I can ask around about the quality of the program. Are you interested in staying in Boston?
Come back and let us know your thoughts after visiting. One thing I would say is to think about where you want to lve right after college. Often recent graduates end up living in the geographic area where they attended college as that’s where recruiters tend to be from. If you are thinking about going straight to graduate school, then this isn’t relevant.