<p>Celeste…the OPs financial situation has not worsened. The OP “thinks” that is a possibility depending on something that is legislative at the current time…not passes yet. </p>
<p>And since the ED agreement doesn’t allow for bargaining between schools…ED is binding for,that ONE school…Cornell is not going to give two hoots what Chicago offers. This student applied to Cornell ED…with an understanding she would attend if accepted. And if the financial aid offer from Cornell meets full need (whether that includes loans or not…the OP KNEW going in that Cornell packaged student loans in their packages) there will be no financial basis for breaking the ED contract.</p>
<p>Oh sorry. I’m confused. I am having trouble following. I thought he was saying there was something that might change in the next couple of weeks before the ED response would be due. But if it won’t happen before then, how could the possibility help him? Does he want to point to the future legislation that may negatively impact ability to pay and throw finances into uncertainty? But if so, won’t they respond that if/when that happens he can submit the new info and they will reevaluate his package? So that he should be able to pay in either scenario because they respond to changed finances?</p>
<p>Except, wait, YOU’RE NOT NOW AND NEVER HAVE BEEN A STUDENT AT UCHICAGO OR CORNELL.</p>
<p>So you actually have little clue whether UChicago has a more discussion-based atmosphere or whether you can find groups of students at Cornell who would enjoy that (at such a big school as Cornell, I would say that you almost certainly can). Basically, you’re about to base a decision to be unethical on hearsay, speculation, stereotypes, and marketing. </p>
<p>BTW, I know someone a my current workplace who went to UChicago for undergrad (granted, decades ago). He said that the kids who did best in the classroom spent all their waking hours either in class or studying in the library. Not much time for engaging in philosophy-of-life-type discussion. At a previous workplace, I had a ton of co-workers (and a boss) who were UofC alums. They ran the gamut. Certainly some of them liked discussion, but others were all about doing the work. I would say that UChicago has a higher percentage of quirky types than other elite private universities that I am familiar with, but there are all types of personalities there who enjoy (or don’t enjoy) various things like discussion just as there are at any other major research university.</p>
<p>Good grief…I thought I had heard it all on CC in the 7 1/2 years I have been a member, but to use congress as part of your decision making is truly bizarre.</p>
<p>Purple titan, you’re going to make the argument that because I’m not a student there, i have to little to no knowledge about the colleges. If that’s the case, that means every prospective student has little to no knowledge about their college.</p>
<p>Ga2012, either contribute something or don’t comment. </p>
<p>Celeste, yes that’s what I’m planning. Ik its unlikely</p>
<p>@Sorool, yep, <em>most</em> prospective students have little to no knowledge of their college before they actually attend. I certainly believe that to be the case. Dunno why that’s hard to believe. </p>
<p>The only kids who actually know for sure what they are getting in to are those who have parents who work there or for some other reason spent a lot of time on campus (or for some reason, know a lot of the students/alums from that college).</p>
<p>The rest are basing their ideas on hearsay, speculation, stereotypes, marketing. And teenagers are definitely very susceptible to marketing.</p>
<p>You’re right that very few know for sure, But I’m sure teenagers can form at least a somewhat accurate opinion of the school. Hearsay, speculation, stereotypes, and marketing are based, in part, on truth.</p>
<p>Edit: Also, you can’t really deny the facts, the student faculty ratio, class size, number of clubs, endowment etc.</p>
<p>OK . . . but how significant are the differences?</p>
<p>At UChicago, the student-faculty ratio is 6:1. At Cornell CAS, it’s 8:1.
At UChicago, the 75.8% of the classes have fewer than 20 students. At Cornell CAS, 70% of the classes have fewer than 20 students.
UChicago has a $6B+ endowment. Cornell has a 5B+ endowment.</p>
<p>These strike me as imperceptible differences.
Consider that WashU and Vandy are seen by virtually everyone as peer institutions even though WashU has a $5B+ endowment while Vandy has a $3B+ endowment.</p>
<p>Chicagos undergrad pop is almost a third the size of Cornells undergrad pop. Despite this, Chicago still has sizably higher endowment. A distinctly bigger portion spent on research in Chicago, evidenced by numerous regarded facilities there. Uchicago has four times the number of Nobel laureates and highly cited researchers. They are home to fermilab as well. There’s literally pages of opportunities for undergrads In chicagos website, I have trouble finding a single physics internship for underclassmen in Cornells. I’m looking for an intensive research university that emphasizes the life of the mind. It’d be a safe bet to say Chicago is more of a fit than Cornell.
Also, why are vandy and washu considered peer institutions?.</p>
<p>And yet given all these facts (I’ll assume they are correct), which all existed when you submitted your applications to Cornell and UChicago, you decided to apply binding ED to Cornell. Because… you wanted to see if you could get into an Ivy?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>That hasn’t changed since you submitted your applications either.</p>
<p>Why wouldn’t Vandy and WashU be considered peers?</p>
<p>Also, here’s a news flash: Endowments funds aren’t just spent on undergrads. Even with the expansion of the undergraduate student body, UChicago has almost twice as many graduate students as undergrads (and more grad students than Cornell). In an institution where grad students outnumber undergrads nearly 2 to 1, who do you think get more attention?</p>
<p>Look, if you succeed in physics, it will be because of you. If you don’t succeed, it will be because of you. Either UChicago or Cornell would be fine for getting in to grad school.</p>
<p>Also, if UChicago fit you so much better, why did you apply ED to Cornell? And why didn’t you change your ED app to an RD app? Why are you failing to take responsibility for your actions? Do you understand what taking responsibility means?</p>
<p>some x-post
The explanations don’t make any better sense now. </p>
<p>Both schools can be bitter cold in winter. If you want people to take this seriously, you have to get off freaking weather. It’s an up-front consideration for some kids, a deciding point for some, as in Gee, do I want to be in San Diego or Antarctica? But both Chi and Cornell have crappy weather.</p>
<p>And both have happy successful well-educated grads. Both will have large intro classes. </p>
<p>And don’t mention a second college. As bad as all this has gotten, for heaven’s sake, think. </p>
<p>You don’t know Cornell’s FA offer. How do you turn them down based on it not being enough? I’d like OP to think about this. </p>
<p>There’s a bigger problem here than the ED mess. And it has to do with thinking.</p>
<p>Please…do,tell,us all. WHY did you apply ED to Cornell? why? You clearly never liked,the school as well as others. It was never your top choice. Yet you applied ED, a binding contract…to this school. </p>
<p>What do you mean failing to take responsibility? I know this is my fault. I’m just responding to you saying that Cornell and Chicago weren’t significant different and that prospective students have little to no idea of what fits them.</p>
<p>When I said location, I mean that there are no opportunities in Ithaca. </p>
<p>I never said I would turn down Cornells offer without their FA. In fact that was thumpers idea.</p>
<p>Personally, I don’t think OP should have to defend his reasons for wanting Chicago. He’s a kid. Kids change their minds. He’ll either work it out with Cornell or he won’t. There may be consequences. He seems to realize that. </p>
<p>OP has a very specific situation that only presents 2 or 3 options for resolution. People have weighed in on the options. </p>
<p>But whether Chicago is colder, or which has the larger endowment, seems far afield from the poster’s original question. </p>