<p>Cornell is fantastic. But you shouldn’t be so defensive about it. The only reason I can think it is considered to be the “worst” (which is stupid anyway) of the Ivy Leagues is because of its size, high acceptance rate (in comparison to other Ivys), and because it was the last to be admitted to the IL</p>
<p>Was it the last? I don’t even know that it was, and in any event I doubt anybody cares about what order schools joined a sports conference. IMO.</p>
<p>It’s all about admissions rates. When I was applying to colleges, Penn was the easiest to get into, and caught more of the crap.</p>
<p>It was the last Ivy League school to be created (the youngest) but I don’t think it was the last admitted into the athletic conference. The conference was officially created in 1954 and I think they all entered simultaneously.</p>
<p>Part of Cornell’s problem is its isolation. Large populations grow up around Columbia, Harvard, Upenn, and Yale and such, but you’ve really gotta trek to get to Cornell. The campus is gorgeous and, in my experience, really changes people’s snide perceptions of the school once they experience it. Far better feel than the campuses I listed above.</p>
<p>… but it was in the same location when I applied, when Penn was getting relatively more of the crap.</p>
<p>Cornell was not the last to join the Ivy League. If you include the precursor league, then Cornell was amongst the first five to join; but the official Ivy League involved all current eight schools in tandem.</p>
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Yeah, but there’s been a huge resurgence of cities in the United States since that time. Penn was probably hurt by the fact that it was in a major industrial city in the 70s/80s (I don’t know when you went). Same with Columbia being stuck in the middle of a Manhattan criminal and drug war zone. </p>
<p>Now, most young people want to live in cities (big reason for both Penn’s and Columbia’s jumps in applications and prestige) so it’s the smaller city schools that are met with skepticism. Also why Cornell’s pumping so much money into increasing its presence in NYC.</p>
<p>@borfius- post #21, regarding Cornell supposedly having the largest student body vis-</p>
<p>Yeah, Cornell wasn’t the last to join - it is the youngest school, but not the last to join the Ivy League.</p>
<p>And Dartmouth’s pretty isolated too! But whatever, I guess Cornell’s 17.9% acceptance rate isn’t competitive enough these days…</p>
<p>@GN0714- regarding your idea that Cornell’s 17.9% acceptance rate somehow “isn’t competitive enough these days…”:</p>
<p>First of all, that rate means that well more than 8 out of 10 applicants must unfortunately be turned away. It is too bad that many who may be qualified for Cornell can’t get in. Secondly, take the example of Princeton and Cooper Union. Cooper’s acceptance rate was more selective than Princeton’s this year. Do you really think that Princetonians are lamenting this fact? There is much, much more to a great and well-rounded school than marginal differences in selectivity. Cornell is a diverse university with amazing depth and breadth in the variety majors it provides, and virtually all those majors are provided at a high level of academic quality – that is one of Cornell’s key strengths.</p>
<p>@Colm - I was being sarcastic: 17.9% acceptance rate is obviously extremely competitive.</p>
<p>^ I knew that might be the case. 
…just felt it sensible to make things clear since sarcasm can be tough to faultlessly convey through the written word.</p>
<p>^^ Oops, that came off really snotty! Anyhoo, don’t worry, I agree with you, I guess facetiousness isn’t as easily conveyed through message boards. :)</p>
<p>FYI when I said largest I was referring to undergrad. </p>
<p>But I agree with what you say. As ludicrous as it sounds 17.9% just isn’t as competitive as other Ivys (Majority of which are 10% or below)</p>
<p>^ That is not what GN0714 was saying. GN was suggesting that Cornell’s selectivity was just fine for a university of such a diverse scope (GN made that clear); and I was saying that Cornell’s key strengths reside in areas beyond a blind selectivity hang-up. By the way, undergrad and grad students completely commingle on campus at each school being discussed here.</p>
<p>In fact, Cornell was one of the founders of the Ivy League… And, it was not the last to join. </p>
<p>The Ivy League sought to incorporate one school from each prominent state in the Northeast. New York City counted as a “prominent state”, Columbia represents NYC. Harvard represents Massachusetts, Dartmouth and New Hampshire and so forth.</p>
<p>i feel like everyone on this board needs to calm down a bit. i’m out</p>
<p>True, Cornell’s acceptance rate is higher in comparison to other Ivy League schools, however, it has a larger undergraduate class size as well. As I said before, if Cornell were to cut its class size in half, it would be on par with the other Ivies too. </p>
<p>Regardless, I don’t think that acceptance rates should ever be a deciding factor when it comes to judging a college’s merit.</p>