<p>I've narrowed down list to just these two. I'm planning to major in a science, but not pre-med. I've already posted in the Cornell thread and wanted some NU opinions. How do these two schools compare? Competition wise and studet wise.</p>
<p>Both schools are excellent for academics, including the sciences. Competition-wise, students at NU are known to be much more laid back, although they do study hard. Cornell is somewhat notorious for their cut-throat competition and workload. </p>
<p>One question I would consider if I were you is: Chicago or Ithaca?</p>
<p>The schools are the same academically and prestige-wise. Like the previous post, I would say go mostly for environment. Northwestern is in close proximity to Chicago, Cornell is more rural, but incredibly beautiful. It just depends on your preference. The cut-throat attitude of Cornell is a myth, as is its high suicide rate. Sure there will be competition in the sciences, because Cornell is very good at them- but it won't be any more intense than other top universities, and much less than jhu. </p>
<p>I would chose Cornell for the environment. I'm going there next year and spent a lot of time there this summer and have to say it is just incredible. If you want a real classic college experience, I don't think you can beat it. Also (and this is just me) being in the northeast is worth a lot- you are a few hours away from boston, philadelphia, nyc. </p>
<p>Also, Cornell has more noted programs than Northwestern, and a much more intellectual/academic feel, if you want that.</p>
<p>I am actually choosing between northwestern and cornell right now too. I just got back from a visit to northwestern and i LOVED it. Since both schools are pretty much the same when it comes to academics, i based my desicion on the social aspect and if i could really see myself going to either school. With the diversity that comes with a big city like chicago, i knew that northwestern was the place for me. Though Cornell is somewhat bigger, I liked northwestern's campus (especially since the waterfront/beach is right there), and if i ever to get bored of the campus, i know that i can always go to chicago for a day. I also feel like northwestern itself is a more diverse school than cornell. Hope this helps...i'm pretty sure i'm going to northwestern.</p>
<p>I chose Northwestern for a variety of reasons, but one of the biggest appeals is that if I want to escape the bubble of college, I'm only half an hour (if that) from Chicago. There are a ton of college-aged kids in Ithaca, but that's about it. You can still have the whole college experience - there's a ton of green space and you're right on Lake Michigan, which is absolutely beautiful, and the school just kind of seeps into the town of Evanston.
I do feel like Northwestern is more laid-back but everyone is just as smart as at any of its Eastern competitors. Also, keep in mind that Cornell's undergrad population is almost twice the size of Northwestern's.
Whatever you choose, you can't really go wrong.</p>
<p>"...a much more intellectual/academic feel..."</p>
<p>Have you even been to Northwestern? On what basis are you saying this?</p>
<p>I don't mean it in a bad way. I have several friends who go to Northwestern and several of my parents friends went there, and the impression I've gotten from all of them is that its a place for extremely smart, driven, competitive, ambitious kids who want to have fun but are not so much "intellectual" in the way UChicago studetns are known to be. From what I've heard from my friends at Cornell (within CAS, I don't know about the other schools), it has a strong intellectual atmosphere, more similar to Chicago. Of course this is a generalization, but I think it fits most of the time. </p>
<p>besides, so many more famous scholarly people went to Cornell than Northwestern</p>