<p>This may sound quite odd, but for all of your regular decision ppl out there who had to choose cornell over other great places, do ever just think for a moment that maybe you would have been better off somewhere or just ponder how things would have turned out if you chose another school. I myself had a reallllly tough deciding, and I am happy about Cornell. However, recently, and i guess throughout the process, I had serious doubts about everywhere. Primiarily, Northwestern and Duke were incredibly tough to turn down. Everytime i read posts by Slipper and other ppl, they make it seem like I turned down a school (Duke) that is superior in almost every aspect, minus engineering. I would just like to know if anyone else ever thinks about their decision and if they have any doubts. </p>
<p>Last thing, did ANYONE turn down other ivy leagues for Cornell, b/c juding from other posts, this doesn't seem to be the case....</p>
<p>It's called buyer's remorse and it's quite normal when making a huge committment. Also, Duke trolls come out of the woodwork in this forum, so pay no heed to them. You'll have a vocal few that make 80 million posts saying nothing of substance. Four years ago I turned down Northwestern, Upenn, and Caltech. I didn't have any regrets then and I don't have any regrets now.</p>
<p>I didn't turn down any ivies, although I accepted Cornell's offer and declined a spot on Columbia's waitlist. . Simply put, I thought I'd do much better in Cornell's environment, especially since it was a huge change of environment (small town to huge city), and I'd like a school with a strong campus life.</p>
<p>HYPS carry a lot of prestige, and I have heard of people getting sucked into these schools solely for prestige and come to regret it later, they are great schools but they are not for everyone.</p>
<p>Don't let people tell you that one school is "Superior" to the next, because when your on the level of Cornell and Duke, such rankings are almost purely subjective.</p>
<p>You will be going to a great school. You will get a great education, in a fantastic living environment where you'll meet motivated people from throughout the country and throughout the world.</p>
<p>You may not feel comfortable with your decision until Orientation, or even after we get into it, but I think if you chose the school that is best for you and suits who you are (not people that tell you that their schools are "superior"), you will feel good about your decision.</p>
<p>what's your point? prestige-wise and education-wise there is no difference between cornell and duke. if anything, cornell will have the edge. also, cornell wins more cross-admits between the two. be happy with where you are going. no one wants to live in the crappy south anyway.</p>
<p>Exactly, he turned down Caltech, which I believe had recently been ranked first by US news, for Cornell Eng. If it helps, I would choose cornell over duke in a hearbeat. It really does carry a much better name with employers and the general public than Duke, although US News and the people on this board all seem completely smitten by the school...</p>
<p>rankings shift a lot. cornell was like #11 when i applied, caltech was #1, and both duke and penn were nowhere near as highly ranked as they are now.</p>
<p>im pretty sure that cornell "won" the cxross-admit battle but i'm not sure and frankly i dont give a crap and neither should you. </p>
<p>dont let people who make posts saying "cornell is good but duke is teh bettar LoL trust me I turned down cornell for duke LoL i would know! loL" sway your opinion.</p>
<p>i'm not saying duke is better. It was an earnest question because frankly they're both very high on my list and i don't know which i would choose (although duke would probably get the edge just based on weather.)</p>
<p>collegekid- while on the forums, it might not seem like a lot of people turn down other ivies for Cornell, you'll find when you get there, that's not the case at all. I have many friends who have turned down Upenn and Columbia, and have met people that have turned down P, Y, S, M, C (but no H yet!). No one really talks about Duke much, because they're far too inferior to worry about :D.</p>
<p>When I applied to Cornell it was #6. Now what is it, #14? Rankings are silly devices (or mabye vices?) used because Americans need to quantify everything. Rankings are silly because the vast majority of student will have all the resources that they need to succeed at any of the top universities. Don't put too much weight in them. Your feelings are common among people who finally make the 'big decision' after lots of careful consideration. This will happen again when you, say, buy a house or car.</p>
<p>Anyway I turned down UPenn for Cornell. Cornell made more sense because it's a world class unversity in a rural/small city setting that suited me well. I don't put Duke in Cornell's peer group. Cornell has an academic reputation that extends coast-to-coast and around the world, and I'm not sure that Duke is quite on that level. </p>
<p>Even if you aren't in engineering there are plenty of great classes to take. Try one tought by Peter Holquist if you like history (and try to get in his section too).</p>
<p>Duke's basketball team is better than Cornell's. I will give them that.</p>
<p>No offense but basketball is much, much more exciting than hockey will ever be.</p>
<p>Why do you think the most watched and followed sport is college basketball?</p>
<p>On a personal note, North Carolina shouldn't be compared to other southern states. It is a very exciting place and people have so much fun there. I think people who went to Duke would have just as much fun as Cornell.</p>
<p>Personally, I like the East Coast better and nothing is more exciting than living in NY so I would pick Cornell (or Columbia or NYU) over places like Duke, Cal-tech, Rice, U. Mich anyday. </p>
<p>But Duke itself is still a great place to live in. I just don't want people picturing the location of Duke in NC to be a boring, Southern location because NC is really full of life.</p>
<p>
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i'm not saying duke is better. It was an earnest question because frankly they're both very high on my list and i don't know which i would choose (although duke would probably get the edge just based on weather.)
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</p>
<p>My comments weren't directed towards you, sorry if it seemed like they were</p>
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No offense but basketball is much, much more exciting than hockey will ever be.
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<p>I personally enjoy hockey a lot more than basketball but then again I played a lot of hockey as a kid so I am biased in that regard</p>
<p>Something that a lot of people don't always consider is that although admittedly a rural setting like Ithaca's does not provide for a lot of entertainment outside of campus, it's the backdrop for the traditional "college experience." When visiting friends at Columbia and NYU, I felt sort of bad for them because they miss out on a lot of stuff. Broadway plays, coffeeshops, and a thousand clubs are really nice but they will still be there after you graduate. You can't say the same about those weird and funny anecdotes that are only privy to environments like Cornell's.</p>
<p>You did not make a mal decision. Despite the ad hominem justifications on both fronts, all the schools aforementioned are of the same ilk. They are all of the same prestige and the difference between them is neglible at best. My college decision was operose as well. Have fun and enjoy your time in Ithaca.</p>
<p>This is all from a staunch Duke '09er too. :)</p>
<p>collegekid1988: Hey man. Don't regret your decision to attend Cornell. The last thing you need to do is dwell on the past--look to the future. When you get to Cornell, I am certain you will love the school and forget about the other institutions you rejected--I intend to do such.</p>
<p>I can understand how you are suffering from "buyer's remorse"--CC is very conducive to this "symptom". Rankings are very subjective, and the difference between Cornell and Duke--for all we know--is infinitesmal. As pretentious as this may sound, we--Dukies and Cornellians--are members of the "creme de la creme". Now for the matter of prestige--to hell with that, man. Duke and Cornell are two very prestigious schools with excellent students. You are held in high regard regardless of the one you attend. That being said, you chose Cornell--you will receive an enormous amount of respect for your peers--take my word for it.</p>
<p>CC is a place where people like to put each other's school down. It is not surprising when you are surrounded by students of this caliber with enormous egos. At the end of the day, what matters? What matters is that you are happy and receive an excellent education from one of the finest institutions in the United States (remember that). Don't let CCers dictate important decisions like these.</p>
<p>I could go on forever, but I am sure you understand what I am saying. Enjoy your time at Cornell. Look to what you can accomplish there, dwelling on the past is not conducive to success.</p>
<p>Between Duke and Cornell, if you ask anyone overseas or on the West coast, Cornell would rank a 10, and Duke might rank a 6 in terms of relative perceived excellence. Not that Duke isn't a great school, but Cornell is definitely better perceived. Anybody that says otherwise is trolling, in my opinion.</p>
<p>Collegekid, I'm suffering with (kinda) the same thing you are. I applied ED to Cornell because I didn't feel like stressing out with more and I felt that I had a pretty great shot (double legacy) at one of the best schools in the world. When April came around, however, I started feeling bad when all my friends that had similar or even lower stats than I got into supposedly "better" schools (Duke, Stanford, Yale). I just focused on how great college would be when it started and thought about the reason I chose Cornell in the first place. Just try focusing on all the positives about Cornell and its unique qualities and you'll get over this pretty quickly.</p>