<p>Because he posted under another SN pretending to have a "cousin" at Cornell. Lame.</p>
<p>I was in the same predicament a couple years ago deciding between Cornell and Penn. My impressions of Penn was that there was a big emphasis on Wharton whilst everything thing else was secondary. Since I am a bio major, the Cornell environment was better for me, plus being able to do undergraduate research.</p>
<p>Believe it or I also considered the names of the school, no matter how superficial that is. I did not want to explain myself to everyone that I didn't go to Penn State. The two institutions are academically equivalent so it really comes down to what you personally like and dislike about each.</p>
<p>bball verified that he is only interested in prestige hunting based on SAT scores of the student body. </p>
<p>he posted under a different screen name saying he already wants to transfer to another school (and classes have been in session for how many days?)</p>
<p>slighly humorous:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.prleap.com/printer/38560/%5B/url%5D">http://www.prleap.com/printer/38560/</a></p>
<p>"After researching the top 8 Ivy League schools in the United States we found some interesting facts about admission acceptance rates. Brown is 13.8%, Columbia is 9.6, Harvard is 9.3%, Penn State is 17.7%, Cornell is 24.7%, Dartmouth is 15.4%, Yale is 8.6% and Princeton’s acceptance rate is 10.2%. Of these eight post secondary institutions, the average acceptance percentage rate is 12.4%. Considering that the majority of applicants have the same SAT scores, it becomes even more evident how critical a role an admission letter or statement of purpose is in securing enrolment."</p>
<p>read closely</p>
<p>lol, thanks gomestar.</p>
<p>haha okay so i'm back from visiting...
i just have a few things to say about cornell..</p>
<ol>
<li><p>overall, (since i was only there for one night and one day)
everything seems SO SPREAD OUT.
the walk from north campus to a class seems like a hike (compared to penn)
the students seem scattered..
i don't know how to put this, but it makes me feel unsettled.
but i'm thinking that this eventually grows on you as students become acclimated with the campus and other students, or do any cornell students still feel this way?</p></li>
<li><p>the campus itself is absolutely beautiful. i went on a perfect day - but i'm really afraid once it becomes colder and an "ice cube" as some people may put it, that i won't like it as much. the cold and snow don't necessarily bother me, but does the weather affect the students in any negative ways?</p></li>
<li><p>college town?
it's an alright size... i asked literally every student i could get a chance to talk to - i asked them, "is there a lot to do? do you ever get bored?"
to which, none of them were negative, but could i get an example of a week / weekend of typical events for students to do?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>that's about it.
i still haven't completely made up my mind, which upsets me, but i'm pretty sure it will be cornell just because overall, i really liked it.</p>
<p>if anyone could answer these questions, specifically gomestar, and other people that have responded, since you've all been especially helpful, that would be nice. =) thanks</p>
<ol>
<li><p>i guess it is spread out. but at least you won't have to worry about getting mugged (i hear that part of Philly isn't so nice?). there are a lot of dining halls, so wherever you happen to be, you can eat. and in case you haven't figured it out by now, the food is actually good. (one of the benefits of having a hotel school, perhaps). there's almost always enough time between classes to walk. and most of your classes will be in a certain area of campus, depending on your college. a lot of people with noisy dorms study in the libraries instead. when i lived on north campus (Donlon) i would walk south in the morning, spend the whole day there, and get back to the dorm at night.</p></li>
<li><p>they keep things pretty well plowed/salted. it's really not that bad. you get used to it. it's actually much brighter on a sunny day with snow on the ground, than without. as for the overcast/rain, the upside is that it is very lush and clean-smelling compared to someplace like, say, Southern California.</p></li>
<li><p>a lot of social life revolves around the frats/sororities. even if you are not a member you will end up going to a lot of parties. there's plenty to do in collegetown. one thing i did a lot was goto Cornell Cinema. they show AWESOME movies (two or more every day). it's a mix of first-run stuff, plus awesome foreign and limited run stuff, plus even some student stuff. it's relatively cheap for students. also there are a few big concerts in Bailey or Barton hall every year. one weekend i went on a roadtrip to new jersey to see Pink Floyd with my quadmates. there are also a lot of a-capella and comedy groups that hold events. (that you can join too, obviously). and if you want to go downtown it's actually a pretty short walk. (half a mile? ithaca is actually a pretty nice town. there are clubs, diners, the moosewood restaurant [a nice place to take your parents], a movie theater, and a bookstore.) there are also a lot of sporting events (NCAA div I, don't ya know). i went to football games, hockey games, and crew races.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>but probably the best thing about cornell is that you are with 13,000 other kids your age (half of them the opposite sex!). they say ithaca is not a city, but what size city would you have to live in to be around that many peers? and even then you wouldn't live closeby in the same place as them and get to meet them in class and stuff. you will have fun; don't worry. the only danger -- and i don't say this lightly -- is that you will be studying too hard to notice.</p>
<p>Norcalguy and Gomestar: Thank you for the explanation. I feel sorry for the poster... if he is in fact at Northwestern, classes haven't started yet (they're on the quarter system) and he's talking about transferring. If he is at Rice, I believe they have been in session since the third week in August.</p>
<p>yeahhhbaby: I attended both Cornell (undergrad) and Penn (graduate). You can't make a bad decision. They are academic equals in most departments - especially if you are applying to Arts & Sciences. If I were you, I would base my decision on "quality of life issues". I have to add that the campus doesn't seem as spread out after orientation week... you will probably learn to love walking in the natural beauty of the campus and in bad weather, the bus system is fantastic. The fact that all freshmen are on North Campus is an incredible bonding experience.</p>
<p>nicely put!!</p>
<p>yeahhhbaby - </p>
<ol>
<li><p>Although it's rather spread out, there's also 13,000 other students. I agree that sometimes it's a bit of a walk from one part of campus to the other, but it's worth it ... it never feels like 13,000 students (20,000 if you stick in grad). My point is the campus never feels crowded or overwhelmed with people. I'll take that extra 2 minute walk anyday. </p></li>
<li><p>Weather gets cold, but you wont be doing yourself any favor at Penn. Weather will be very similar. Keep in mind the first semester doesn't get snow until the final week or two of classes. the rest is beautiful. For the coldest part of winter, we are on break, so that makes it easier as well. Just buy a coat, soem boots, gloves, and a nice hat and you'll be fine. also, buy a snowboard and have some fun!!!</p></li>
<li><p>collegetown is a haven of fine restaurants (all great, though some are more cost friendly than others). There'll be a bunch of times where you'll just go to one with a bunch of your friends and just hang out for the sake of it. Collegetown is also home to Cornell's Schwartz theater so you can catch a few shows. There's also plenty of house parties in the general collegetown area, so no worries about that. There's also several nice stores and shops right in collegetown. Some of the coolest stores are just in the Ithaca commons though, a place that holds different festivals and celebrations all of the time. this past summer, they had a live band there almost every night. Most of collegetown/Ithaca is meant to cater to students. Like bunni said, the Cornell cinema is great ... and it's a $4 date! A bowling alley is also on campus. If you want me to go through all of the things you can do, it'll take a while, but I hope you have a general idea. If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask. To date, I have never been board while at school. It's great!</p></li>
</ol>
<p>glad to you liked Cornell, I can go into more detail if you want, but gotta run to classes for the time being....</p>
<p>Wow thanks for all the speedy and extremely helpful replies!
I think I could grow to love Cornell ... as much as I did for Penn once.
I just think I'm having a hard time letting it go because I loved Penn for soo long (and for what reason, I really don't know).</p>
<p>I forgot to mention the things I do like about Cornell (in case anybody trying to choose Cornell over another school wants to know)</p>
<p>A few more quick questions...</p>
<p>Dorms?
I got to see one of the dorms in Dickson (a single) and it was really really small. Our tour guide said that the single dorm size is similar no matter where you stay. Is this true even in the newer dorms?</p>
<p>Because there are no classes from 4:30-7,
do a lot of classes begin earlier in the morning?</p>
<p>Ya I had that thing you had for Penn for BC, but I had no actual point of having it lol. Um I'd say that time period is just for Dinner so it's just for your benefit and gives you a nice break. And you can't expect singles to be THAT big since they are...well...singles lol. But anyways I don't go to Cornell at this point (GT) so wait for someone elses answers as well lol. Best of luck in ur decision!</p>
<p>yeah, I had the same feelings for another school once. It's tough when you're emotionally tied to a school, but your gut says something else. I followed my gut and I'm sooo glad that I did. the other college i viewed as "my" college ... though it wasn't until I looked into cornell and in particular the ILR curriculum (the school i'm in) that I realized it was really the place I should be. </p>
<p>" Dorms?
I got to see one of the dorms in Dickson (a single) and it was really really small. Our tour guide said that the single dorm size is similar no matter where you stay. Is this true even in the newer dorms?"</p>
<p>I'm assuming so. Some singles are smaller than others. Typically, you get about the same amount of space to yourself whether you're in a single or a double. I had a single that I thought was really small, though it grew on me and I loved it. I didn't spend much time in my room, though. I was usually out with friends or hanging out in my floor's lounge. Most college dorms are similar in size regardless of where you go. There are the obvious exceptions, but not many. </p>
<p>" Because there are no classes from 4:30-7,
do a lot of classes begin earlier in the morning?"</p>
<p>Not really. I've set my schedule so all of my classes start at 10:10, and i'm out by 2:15 every day (2 hour break in between classes on mon. and wed., and i'm out by 12 on friday). I prefer my classes to be relativly early so I have more time in the afternoon. My fall semester last year on mon. wed. I had 2 classes starting at 9 and then ending at 11 - the rest of my day was free! Some of my friends don't start class until 1:25 on some days. There's typically multiple times offered for some classes so you can pick and choose the times you want. 8 AM classes do exist, though most of my friends avoid them. College class schedules are way better than high school.</p>
<p>Most of Dickson's singles are generously sized for a dormitory single, but there are a few that are really tiny. Here's a thread with more information for you...
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=204306&highlight=%22single+size%22%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=204306&highlight=%22single+size%22</a></p>
<p>You can get an idea of the size of the various rooms through the Cornell housing website. <a href="http://housing.cornell.edu/%5B/url%5D">http://housing.cornell.edu/</a> On the left, click on Undergraduate housing, then north campus, then the particular dorm you are interested in.</p>