So I was recently accepted to Penn and Cornell, and while I have been leaning heavily toward Penn, I just visited Cornell for the first time and also liked it. I have an interest to go to medical school and I was accepted into Penn’s Vagelos MLS program (intense biochemistry), but didn’t get similar offers from Cornell. I like Cornell’s campus and isolated location, since it seems like a great place to study and form close friends. Don’t get me wrong, Penn definitely has a good campus feeling also with Locust Walk and the Quad (which I intend to live in if I go there). Anyone have any input on fundamental differences and similarities between these schools, as well as which one is probably better suited for a pre med student? I’ve heard that both are quite rigorous compared to grade inflating schools like Brown and Harvard. Thank you.
Go for fit. You cannot go wrong with either. If you like the Vagelos MLS curriculum, go for Penn. If you prefer Cornell’s academic offerings, go for Cornell. If you are indifferent to either, go for whichever campus you preferred.
Yep. Look at social vibe, dorms, cost, academic fit and culture/weather/environment. They’re both excellent, so go with the one that feels more like home. If you can, visit.
How committed are you to biochemistry?
If so, which sub-specialty within that field?
I would say I’m probably more interested in neurobiology and biochemistry of the brain. I think I’d want to do research combining biochemistry and neuroscience.