<p>I'm just taking a quick survey for accepted students. </p>
<p>I'm seeing dozens and dozens of posts along the lines of:
- Is Cornell better than X, Y, and Z for med school admissions?
- How easy is it to get internships during freshmen year when school is in session?
- Is Cornell recruited by bank X?
- How does recruitment at Cornell compare to recruitment at this other school?
- My friend says ILR isn't really Ivy League, is this true?
- What is the easiest school to get into?
- No, really, what's the easiest school to get into?
- I want to be an ibanker, so which major should I pick?</p>
<p>It's been a while since I've seen a question along the lines of "who are some of the great speakers Cornell's brought to campus recently?" or "what's the easiest way to get involved around campus" or even "what are some great classes that I should be excited to take?" I'm wondering why is Cornell just a means to an end for so many students on these boards. I'm seeing it more and more. </p>
<p>So, if you're interested in Cornell for receiving a world-class education ... raise your ihand!</p>
<p>I asked earlier what some of the books were that you read in ILR were....(still waiting for answer)</p>
<p>I think these questions assume a similar level of education among Cornell's peer institution, so these students are asking about distinguishing factors. Their questions are by no means indicative of disregard for education...or them looking for a "means to an end"...</p>
<p>Even if the the latter were true, that they were simply looking to get to some end, its ok. Its unfortunate, but college education these days is more about developing relationships, getting internships, than it is about the education, because face it, you can get an education anywhere, what distinguishes institutions such as Cornell are things like alumni connections, internships placement, job recruiting, prestige etc.</p>
<p>^^^totally agree. nowadays, u can choose to challenge yourself and get a good education in so many places, counting numerous state schools.</p>
<p>I agree with everyone who has posted. The education is similar at most top schools. However, the problem is that CCers tend to overvalue the worth of a school name. Any top 20 or 25 school has the resources to get you into a top business or med school. The key is to attend a college that you would be happy at. That's where your GPA will be highest and that's where you are likely to get out of your dorm and take advantage of those resources.</p>
<p>So, the question to ask isn't "Is Dartmouth better than Cornell at placing its graduates into ibanks?" or "Penn vs. Cornell: Who's better for premed?" but rather:</p>
<ol>
<li>Would I prefer a school in a rural setting or an urban setting?</li>
<li>Do I want a school with an extensive Greek life?</li>
<li>Do I prefer large schools or small schools?</li>
<li>Do I want California weather? Or Florida weather? Or Chicago weather?</li>
<li>Which school is cheaper?</li>
<li>Do I want a diverse school or a school where everyone's like me?</li>
<li>etc. etc. etc.</li>
</ol>
<p>I can't speak for fields that require actual education (like engineering or architecture). But, placement into professional fields (med/law/business) is largely a function of the individual, his GPA, his standardized test scores, and his extracurricular involvements. All of these things will be maximized by going to a school YOU (not me or anyone else on this forum) want to attend.</p>
<p>"u can choose to challenge yourself and get a good education in so many places"
This is true, but why should "which one is more prestigious" be the final factor?</p>
<p>"I think these questions assume a similar level of education among Cornell's peer institution"
Right, I don't mean to limit my social commentary to solely Cornell's prospies. </p>
<p>"you can get an education anywhere, what distinguishes institutions such as Cornell are things like alumni connections, internships placement, job recruiting, prestige etc."
And you can get any of that at any Ivy, how many times have I had to repeat something like "yes, goldman recruits heavily at Cornell". Countless studies prove it's the person, not necessarily the prestige of the school (that data falls on deaf hears here).</p>
<p>
[quote]
I agree with everyone who has posted. The education is similar at most top schools. However, the problem is that CCers tend to overvalue the worth of a school name. Any top 20 or 25 school has the resources to get you into a top business or med school. The key is to attend a college that you would be happy at. That's where your GPA will be highest and that's where you are likely to get out of your dorm and take advantage of those resources.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I could not agree more. I hope that everyone posting new threads about these "pre-med", "pre-law", or "pre-ibanking" topics read Norcal's posts b4 posting. This site is overflowing with these same old threads, and I think that people are getting tired of answering/proving same points over and over....</p>
<p>Since the Ivies came out with their decisions, I've seen a lot of school X vs. school Y threads. Sometimes these threads are relevant since schools do differ in quality in certain departments. However, and I cannot stress this enough, for professional schools, it doesn't matter because professional schools don't demand any kind of knowledge. You don't have to major in econ to get into ibanking. You can major in English. You don't have to major in bio to get into med school. You can major in English. You don't have to major in political science or government to get into law school. You can major in English. They'll teach you what you need to know once you get the job or get into the school. What professional fields are looking for is evidence of maturity, intelligence, logical reasoning, critical thinking, and analytical skills. That's all you. What you need to to look for is a school that'll maximize your ability to demonstrate those qualities. For example, I learn terribly in small classes. I like large impersonal lectures. Thus, I am more likely to do well at Cornell than Amherst. The fact Amherst students get into med school at 85% rate vs. Cornell at 78% rate is irrelevant to me. Those are group characteristics assembled from hundreds/thousands of individuals. There is only one individual you need to worry about: yourself.</p>
<p>norcalguy, i think you should copy and paste that post in every "pre-med" and 'pre-ibank' threads, lol. some posters post some ridiculous things around here, only adding to the uncertainty of the answer that everyone needs. (like the posters who argue that X is 'much' better than 'Y' school in consulting, ibanking, med school placements..)</p>
<p>I feel like there should be a standard sheet for the "college X vs. Y" questions. Just to point students into what they should be really looking for in the cross college comparisons. Until then, I'm just going to complain...</p>
<p>"I asked earlier what some of the books were that you read in ILR were....(still waiting for answer)"</p>
<p>I forget many titles, but for history we read many novels and/or memoirs. Most were very interesting and easy to read. The dry stuff was there every now and then, but profs do a pretty good job of giving you interesting stuff. </p>
<p>some other stuff I've read in ilr classes:
Keynes - essays in persuasion
Aristotle - Nicomacean ethics
Plato - gorgias
The Stanford Prison Study</p>
<p>Norcalguy and Gomestar: Great insight and advise! </p>
<p>That being said, I understand where the misplaced emphasis is coming from. The media and their obsession with ranking colleges has turned applying to colleges into something so far removed from what it should be. The amount of money colleges spend in marketing and glossy brochures to attract more applicants is obscene. And with 30,000 + applicants for only a few thousand spots, is this really necessary? Just to lower their acceptance rate, so they'll get a lower ranking? Why do colleges feel the need to compete with one another and why are they buying into this ranking frenzy?</p>
<p>We can't change the way things are, but we can control how we deal with it. Forget about rankings, med & grad school placements, internships, and focus on yourself. You know when a college feels right and remember you'll be there for 4 years that probably will be among the best years of your life. Follow your gut instinct.</p>
<p>More ILR Reading Material that I was assigned can be found below. Every student is different because of the different courses and professors.</p>
<p>The Worldly Philosophers -- Heilbroner (About the theories of a lot of the early economists.)
Candide -- Voltaire (Fiction)
Capital Moves -- Jefferson Cowie (A History of RCA)
The Autobiography of Samuel Gompers
The Feminine Mystique -- Friedan (A feminist perspective of the post-war era sex relations.)
Myth and Measurement -- Krueger and Card (About minimum wage legislation)
Modern Labor Economics -- Ehrenberg and Smith
Tuition Rising -- Ehrenberg (About the economic of higher education.)
Babbitt -- Lewis (Fiction)
Globalization and Its Discontents -- Stiglitz</p>
<p>And oh... like 100 others. Mostly academic texts. And lots of journal articles too.</p>
<p>And I'm probably butchering some of the author's names...</p>
<p>Norcalguy and gomestar are absolutely right. There is just way too much emphasis on CC about rankings, name recognition, long argumentative threads about which school is better than another. These threads are useless and encourage the notion that one school is right for all students just because it is highly ranked or has widespread name recognition. But I have to admit MomofTwoTeens is absolutely right. On the one hand colleges seem to decry the increase in applicants and the intense focus on getting into college but they themselves are in large part to blame. My daughter received endless letters and marketing literature from many schools encouraging her to apply. In the end she had several good choices and landed at a school that has been a great place for her.</p>
<p>One of the books I was assigned in ILR is now one of my favorite books ever. It's "Which Side Are You On?: Trying to Be For Labor When It's Flat On Its Back" by Thomas Geoghegan.</p>
<p>o no norcalguy; please tell me that Cornell is not all huge class sizes. I can understand the intro to econ lecture, but I love class discussions: is this a problem? I thought Cornell was an ivY? 13,000 isn't 30,000? or is it?</p>
<p>74% of classes are under 30 students, so don't worry too much. Yes, while you're still taking intro classes, you'll probably have some very large lectures. And if you like large classes, you can continue to take them, but upper level classes in most majors are significantly smaller, and lots of seminar-style (discussion-heavy) courses are offered.</p>
<p>i could seriously care less about an education lol. first of all, we got to do our cores which most of the time wont be ever used again. EVER. no i do not see myself using plant reproduction, flowers structures, ever again. i only go to college because these days its kind of expected to have at least a bachelor to get a job. if i want to learn something that im interested in, there are PLENTY of good and reliable sources on the web.</p>
<p>I was accepted to the college of engineering. Is it possible to pursue a dual degree in another college like CAS? And if it's not, is it possible to pursue a minor/certificate? Also, I'm not sure if this is sort of outside the "education realm" but I'm interested in how accessible internships are over the summer, are they easy to get with help from Cornell? Thanks.</p>
<p>"i could seriously care less about an education lol. first of all, we got to do our cores which most of the time wont be ever used again. EVER. no i do not see myself using plant reproduction, flowers structures, ever again. i only go to college because these days its kind of expected to have at least a bachelor to get a job. if i want to learn something that im interested in, there are PLENTY of good and reliable sources on the web."</p>
<p>Do me a favor then, and don't go to Cornell.</p>