<p>What are the main differences between all of the Ivy League colleges/universities mainly in terms of academics/campus culture/overall vibe?</p>
<p>I am mainly interested in how Cornell is different from the others.</p>
<p>Cornell is the largest of the schools in terms of both size and Greek Life. It may not be the first Ivy most Americans think of, but it has some very high-end programs and faculty in certain departments. Cornell typically has higher admission rates than its counterparts, which is where “easiest Ivy to get into” comes from. However, the fact that many courses tend to grade deflate has also led some to say “hardest Ivy to graduate from”. That is up for discussion and worth argument. One cannot deny, however, that Cornell encourages academic diversity, as affirmed by the institutional phrase “any person, any study”.</p>
<p>Like Dartmouth, Cornell is located in the middle of nowhere and not within close proximity to a larger city. As such, social activity tends to be somewhat restricted; and in fact is one of the reasons why 30% of students go into Greek Life. That’s half as many as the percentage for Dartmouth, but one could argue that the Greek Life at Cornell isn’t as exclusive or welcoming as the system at Dartmouth. There are several clubs and groups for people not interested in Greek Life, though; so don’t think there’s a lack of activities. If you’re into nightlife, you’ll either need to find some good friends or join a fraternity/sorority. There are a few bars/clubs around, but they’re all 21+, which only adds to the activity issue.</p>
<p>Even though one will mostly see whites and Asians when walking around campus on a given day, the school is extremely diverse. People come from all over the country and several locations around the world. In general, people are accepting of this diversity, but this campus may not be as inclusive as some people would like it to be. I think some of that stems from the fact that many of the Americans come from very homogenous locations, and the non-Americans from quite different societies/cultures. That’s also up for discussion and worth argument.</p>
<p>Cornell is the classy youngest sibling in the Ivies. Harvard, Yale, Princeton are the older brothers that your teachers always call you by mistake when you’re in class. Brown is the older sister who make or may not have a cocaine problem. Dartmouth is the alcoholic cousin. Upenn and Columbia… who cares…</p>
<p>^Biased much?? And actually, Columbia is ranked 4th in the nation, while Penn is ranked 5th…and Cornell is 15th. Cornell is also known as the “safety ivy” because every year there are tons of kids who get rejected from all the ivies, except Cornell. </p>
<p>@peppino: I completely agree with everything Islander4 said. You really have to decide what kind of environment you’re looking for. Dartmouth and Cornell are in the middle of nowhere, while Columbia and Penn are right in the middle of huge cities. Also, I would suggest researching the college websites and visiting the campuses.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>*inclusive or welcoming</p>
<p>Anyone can probably spot that error regardless.</p>
<p>@mandy my post was a variation on Dartmouth’s commencement speech a few years ago where Dartmouth was placed in the classy younger sibling area and Cornell was placed in the who cares section (with I believe UPenn and Columbia)</p>
<p>Mandy, unless you’re in Wharton, it’s pointless to brag about Penn’s ranking. And I doubt Ethano was being serious.</p>
<p>^Yes my post was clearly sarcastic based on stereotypes of the Ivies except for Cornell which was clearly idealized.</p>
<p>Does each Ivy have a unique “vibe” that sets it apart?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>uhh that’s not a problem. </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Please use the search function; you’ll find countless insightful posts. Also, try posting on each Ivy League’s individual forum if that doesn’t work.</p>
<p>"^Biased much?? And actually, Columbia is ranked 4th in the nation, while Penn is ranked 5th…and Cornell is 15th. Cornell is also known as the “safety ivy” because every year there are tons of kids who get rejected from all the ivies, except Cornell.</p>
<p>@peppino: I completely agree with everything Islander4 said. You really have to decide what kind of environment you’re looking for. Dartmouth and Cornell are in the middle of nowhere, while Columbia and Penn are right in the middle of huge cities. Also, I would suggest researching the college websites and visiting the campuses. "</p>
<p>Pot calling the kettle black? The only reason why you’d ever call it that is because it has a higher acceptance rate (only by around 4%) due to the fact that it’s a larger school, so it is objectively easier to get into. I also noticed how you are only referring to the USNWR overall rankings. Here’s several others [Ivy</a> League Universities / Schools Ranking - US College Rankings](<a href=“http://www.uscollegeranking.org/ivy-league/ivy-league-universities-schools-ranking.html]Ivy”>http://www.uscollegeranking.org/ivy-league/ivy-league-universities-schools-ranking.html) and there are also other reputable sources that I’m too lazy to find right now that disagree.</p>
<p>“every year there are tons of kids who get rejected from all the ivies, except Cornell.”</p>
<p>Speaking from experience from my fairly large sized high school class from a school of good standing, not really. I’m guessing you’re pretty much saying that because you just got into Penn and you have nothing else better to say about your own school.</p>
<p>Admissions aside, the biggest differences in the ivies are that they’re pretty much entirely different schools. Some schools are better at some things, worse at others. Cornell for sciences/engineering and other niche programs, Penn for business, Harvard for many things, Princeton for math and physics, etc. For that you have to do your own research. The difference in environment is also a very big one - preference is individual. Do you like more of a scenic campus or a mid-city campus?</p>
<p>This is a stupid thread. It invites a lot of heated debates about worthless crap. People say Cornell is the worst ivy league because of a ranking? Let’s see if your degree at a #9 school give you more opportunities for your career. Because the truth is, almost everyone – even at Ivy schools – will graduate and live pretty much like everyone else.</p>
<p>True, some will do extraordinary things in their field like developing groundbreaking scientific achievement or help dissolve international political conflicts. But these things are achieved by graduates from every Ivy League schools and the debate could even go as far as to argue which universities produce a higher rate of these extraordinary successes. How far will these ridiculous discussions permeate?</p>
<p>In my opinion, people who use their college rankings to represent themselves have no personal accomplishments. It’s one thing to have school spirit, but it’s another to live by the rankings like it’s the Bible.</p>
<p>If you’re truly focused on your future, you’d look at individual programs offered by the universities and entirely forget about the rankings. For example, I dreamed of becoming a concert pianist up until high school and if I had decided this would be my future, I would not have applied to any Ivies (maybe Yale). My choices would have included schools like Juilliard, Curtis, Eastman, or even foreign schools like HMT. I was so serious about piano that I research individual professors and read their CVs and listened to their music recordings. While I was preparing for my audition tapes, I looked around universities and dug up 150 year-old music theory pamphlet on notations of Liszt’s La Campanella before disagreeing my college professor on the strength ratio of right hand staccatos. And even that wasn’t enough because some of my competitive “friend-rivals” started their international tours by high school. (I will not discuss here what threw me off the track to becoming a pianist)</p>
<p>The point is, if you are serious about your future, you wouldn’t be touting rankings. Go deep into your field of “expertise” and you will find out just how smaller and smaller your knowledge will seem. Just know that when you’re scouting for that first dream job, your reliance on the reputation of your school is already a symptom of your insignificance.</p>
<p>@Cornellian: I never said anything about rankings of schools. I meant “academics” as what fields each college is known for, and I am more interested in the different “vibes” between the schools.</p>
<p>Cornell is known as a strong research school that is especially good in the sciences. The programs in hospitality, architecture, business, and engineering are also ranked extremely high nationally (and worldwide). Someone mentioned a few of the niche programs (agriculture, labor relations, health policy, etc.) being really good, too.</p>
<p>@Peppino: I realize that, and I’m sorry I didn’t answer your question. My post was more about the discussion that followed after you started the thread. As you can see, questions like the one you posted tend to bring up rankings like they’re measure sticks. I just didn’t support discussions like those. And sorry I can’t answer your question because I haven’t been to any other Ivies to compare.</p>
<p>@Cornellian: I realized upon posting this thread that, on average, most people don’t attend more than 1 Ivy and therefore it might be difficult to answer the question</p>
<p>These threads always amaze me!
It only took 3 posts for things to turn into a “which is the better Ivy” argument.
Fact is that anyone who gets to ANY Ivy is a very bright and extremely fortunate person indeed. After that, life is what you make it at whichever institution which you attend.
You all worked very hard to get to attend such prestigious and outstanding schools, so just relax, smile and enjoy the ride!</p>