<p>OK, so here is my dilemma. I got accepted to a variety of public colleges, and since I am from california all I applied to are in the UC system, and i got into all of them; UCLA, Berkeley, UC San Diego, and UCSB. I know that UCLA is the only real one out of them I would go to, and it was my first choice of of that group. Now, I also applied to a variety of private schools, but Cornell is far and away my first choice, also above UCLA. Now the problem here is that because I am from California the tuition at UCLA is half the cost of Cornell, $25K to $50K. </p>
<p>According to my dad especially a UC can hold its ground with any of the ivy league schools. Essentially, financial need is not an issue in my family (we probably won't be receiving financial aid), but my parents are still concerned with value, and the fact that both the health of my parents and grandparents is deteriorating and the idea of my mom retiring makes them kind of adament to make such a financial investment. in addition, I want to go to med school and they are worried that if I go to Cornell they might not have enough money to cover all the years I need for medical schools. i think my parents understand though that college isn't just about the education, it's about the experience, and I'm planning on using that argument to tell them that I will experience nothing new by going to a UC, and therefore learn nothing that is very substantial in 4 years. Any other useful arguments (for those who believe Cornell>UC) you guys can give me to convince my parents that I should go to Cornell would be a great help!!!</p>
<p>also, my parents are willing to pay for cornell, don't get the impression that they can't, the catch is there has to be a "compelling reason". this is why i'm opening it up to you guys, particularly cornell students, who may have the best knowledge of cornell.....</p>
<p>If I was in your situation, I would probably save the money and go to UCLA over Cornell. But, since you think that finance isn't a problem, I wil give you my words.</p>
<p>Cornell is an ivy, and it is a more prestigious school. UCLA is a very good school also, but I suspect if the caliber of the average UCLA student is as intelligent/motivated as an average Cornell student. So, the catch here is that you may find that you will be surrounded by more numbers of smart, motivated people at Cornell compared to UCLA. </p>
<p>You mentioned that you are from Cali. I think that it is a good experience to live away from your home during college yrs. This will make you grow, get independent, and will expose you to new things, experiences, and perspectives. Plus, consider the fact that many of the students at UCLA will be in-state, thus will have many friends from hs., and it could be, for you, very similar to hs socially. At Cornell, you will meet people from all over and will have a better time establishing a broader and newer relationships, thus enriching your social life here even more. </p>
<p>Plus, the campus here is gorgeous, and the social life is very impressive as well.</p>
<p>What major will you be doing? If you are in one of the niche majors that Cornell excels at ie. hotel management, engineering (I'm not so sure about quality of UCLA engineering vis a vis Cornell engineering, but Cornell is excellent), and so on, you already have a good argument for going to Cornell.</p>
<p>If otherwise and finances are not a significant concern, you should point out that at Cornell (as with most privates) you will be more than a number. UC's are notorious for the 'research > undergrads' mentality. The student numbers count too: Cornell has 13000 undergrads compared to over 25000 for UCLA. It is little wonder that many who go the largest UC's find themselves lost. </p>
<p>Another good point is that at your age (and mine too), you should be exploring new places, especially if you were born and raised in CA. I am a firm believer that all people should spent portions of their life in different places, and perhaps leaving CA would be a good experience for you.</p>
<p>Do visit both campuses, preferably with your dad. If he can see that you are truly in love with the Cornell campus, wouldn't he want to make his child happy?</p>
<p>I am planning on majoring in something in the field related to chemistry or biology, as I am intending to be a pre-med student eventually applying to medical school. I know that Cornell and UCLA both have good programs in this department, and also that Cornell has a higher acceptance rate to medical schools than UCLA does....</p>
<p>While I'd be pushing UCLA pretty hard if my D had gotten in, we are reluctantly listening to her pitch Duke over Berkeley (among others). We acknowledge she's not as assertive as she'd need to be to get the same things from UCLA that she might find at Duke. She also did a pretty good job of describing fairly unique or at least highly advertised programs at Duke. We believe it might take more than 4 years to graduate from UCLA, narrowing the gap a smidge. We believe Duke attracts a slightly different group of students, and, we value her exposure to a different part of the country, and a different type of diversity.</p>
<p>Anywhere you end up going, you should realize that both are great schools and that you can get a great undergraduate experience from both of them
I had to choose between Berkeley and Cornell myself, and it was a really hard decision.</p>
<p>Haha about satisfaction I wouldn't know
I'm class of 2012 just like you.
However, I am confident that I made the right decision in sending in my deposit to Cornell : )
The reasons I chose Cornell were
1. I have to pay out of state for UC's (I moved to CA in junior year, making me one year shy of meeting residency requirements) making the gap between the two schools much lower. So I decided that I should go with the private experience if it wasn't going to be too much more expensive.
2. I wanted a liberal arts education with lots of breadth courses (going to major in econ though) and I felt that the CAS at Cornell would be better for me as far as that went.
3. I am originally from Canada and I am getting tired of california weather. I actually want be at place with four distinct seasons.
4. Visiting the Berkley campus gave me a distinct feeling that it was rather overcrowded, guys sleeping in tiny triples and the stories about the overworked administration.</p>
<p>I'd say go to Berkeley. Cornell's prestige and education is not far enough above Berkeley's to warrant the huge increase in money. I'd say maybe only HYPSM would fit that characteristic.</p>
<p>UCLA is not an academically well known school. most people know of it due to their sports teams.</p>
<p>
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they might not have enough money to cover all the years I need for medical schools.
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</p>
<p>So? Most students don't have their med school costs paid off entirely by their parents. </p>
<p>As long as your parents are paying for your education, they have the right to have a say in where you go for school. 4 years ago, I chose Cornell over Berkeley in-state. My parents didn't like the choice but we made the agreement that I (not my parents) would take on the extra cost in the form of loans and that I would be responsible for paying it off. I don't regret my choice at all. I loved Cornell. I did well. I got into med school. I also have 32k worth of debt that I'm paying off comfortably. </p>
<p>If retirement or your grandparents' health will become financial concerns for your parents, then you should offer to pay the difference in cost b/w Cornell and UCLA. If you're not willing to do that, then don't come to Cornell. If you yourself are not willing to pay the difference, why should your parents be willing to pay the difference?</p>
<p>norcal guy, that sounds promising, but I don't understand. I think you are saying you chose your undergrad 4 years ago, which might mean a recent acceptance to medical school. Are you saying your able to comfortably pay off loans while in medical school?</p>
<p>Beside personal maturation and growth, there is no argument that can be made. Both are large schools. Neither offer the warm fuzzies that you could obtain a LAC. They are both fantastic schools, but for premed, there is not much difference in academics. The 'prestige' issue is just plain silly. Grad schools do not parse transcripts from top schools that finely. A 3.8 gpa from Cornell will be viewed the same as a 3.8 from UCLA.</p>
<p>And just to clarify, I would've had to take out around 15 k in loans to attend Berkeley anyway so Cornell only cost 17,000 more over 4 years.</p>
<p>I don't know exactly how the finances will work out for the OP. If we're talking about 100k more in debt, then he should probably go to UCLA. But, if we're talking about the difference being 50k or less, then it's worth it to go to the school he likes more (assuming his reasons for liking Cornell are legitimate).</p>
<p>I was admitted to the College of Arts and Sciences at Cornell, which has about 4,000 students. This is comparable to the size of many liberal arts colleges, and its 9:1 faculty ratio is definitely respectable. I was impressed with the "small campus feel" you get in the College of Arts and Sciences when I visited, something that was not evident in the 20,000 student population in the College of Letters and Sciences at UCLA....</p>
<p>oh, and norcalguy, thanks for all the financial info, that will definitely help, especially since you have already progressed down the same track i am intending to go on.....just out of curiosity, did you receive any financial aid while at cornell?</p>
<p>also, norcalguy, why did you choose cornell over berkeley back when you made your decision? and how did you convince your parents it was the right choice?</p>