Princeton vs. Cornell

Colleges and Universities A-Z Cornell University
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<p>Please forgive my probably annoying, standard college comparison thread. Nevertheless...</p>

<p>Since my visit to Cornell 2 months ago, I have grown to want to go there more and more, due to the weather (I love the cold), the small-town atmosphere, and the fact that the actual campus is so large and beautiful. However, the most important aspect of Cornell for me was its stellar physics program, and I hope to graduate as a double-major with physics and mathematics; I then want to get into a great grad school for one of these subjects. Cornell is ranked extremely high in physics, and is very good in mathematics, but Princeton still beats it in both of these rankings. I haven't visited Princeton (I may sometime, but that's somewhat in doubt at the moment.)</p>

<p>Perhaps my greatest worry is that Cornell won't provide as much as a proving ground as Princeton would, in that its rankings aren't as high. However, there is something inside of me saying that the physics/mathematics training in any Ivy's undergrad program is essentially equivalent.</p>

<p>What I'm asking you is whether I should give up a great chance at Cornell (by using ED) to get a worse chance at a slightly better school. Also, I guess it would be good for anyone who knows how to respond to give me an accurate picture on how much of an advantage Princeton would actually offer for an undergrad.</p>

<p>Note: I am posting this on both the Princeton and Cornell forum subdivisions to prevent unfair bias in one direction or the other. I hope that doesn't qualify as spamming...</p>

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<p>visit princeton and then go where you like better. At this point in the game, rankings don’t really matter. There are some pretty big differences between the school socially, academically the differences arent that large, especially at the UG level.</p>

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<p>Provided you do well in your academic coursework at Cornell, the world will be your oyster. No physics or mathematics graduate program will discount your Cornell degree relative to a Princeton degree. At this level, they care about aptitude and work, not the school you attended.</p>

<p>Cornell’s physics program for undergraduates is excellent. The school is opening a brand new physical sciences building in the fall and every physics major I know has had bountiful interactions and research positions with faculty. For math coursework, I don’t think there will be much difference, although the average math student at Princeton will likely be smarter than the average math student at Cornell. Although means don’t really tell you much. It’s the individual that matters for math.</p>

<p>As Tboonepickens mentioned, Cornell and Princeton aren’t exactly similar when it comes to the school’s social life. Frankly, Cornell is much more diverse in terms of the student experience(s). There are four times as many students as at Princeton. Many of them will be just as smart as the students at Princeton. Cornell has almost as many 1500+ SAT students as Princeton has students total. Others students, however, will probably not strike you as Princeton material.</p>

<p>If you honestly have fallen in love with Ithaca and Cornell’s bucolic setting I see no reason not to choose Corrnell.</p>

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<p>you should really try to visit Princeton, and if you can’t, you should scour their website for any policies you think will be important. I know that their use of AP credit was very problematic for me, enough that I wouldn’t want to attend a school with such a policy. (I was applying a few years ago, so you should look up whatever they’re doing with APs now to be sure of it.) another difference that I found important was that the fall semester final exams are held in mid-December before you return home for break at Cornell, but they’re in January after you’ve returned at Princeton. the idea of maintaining my knowledge at the required high level while trying to have a pleasant holiday season wasn’t very appealing to me. I knew that Cornell would suit my academic needs, and I loved the atmosphere on campus, so I didn’t hesitate to make it my first choice. I ended up not even bothering to prepare an application to Princeton and then never had to apply anywhere else after being accepted ED here.</p>

<p>also, and this is very subjective, but I felt claustrophobic at Princeton. I like the hills at Cornell, and the expansive views, and the ability to take reasonably long walks while still staying on campus. Princeton was flat and surrounded by way too many cars.</p>

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<p>"also, and this is very subjective, but I felt claustrophobic at Princeton. I like the hills at Cornell, and the expansive views, and the ability to take reasonably long walks while still staying on campus. Princeton was flat and surrounded by way too many cars. "</p>

<p>Ya, this was also a large motivating factor for me. I like a lively atmosphere… I really do. But that atmosphere starts to eat away at me if I can’t go to a perfectly tranquil place. One of the worst episodes of this was my trip to NYC a year back… Central park even felt claustrophobic, so I guess Columbia is out.</p>

<p>The college I’m searching for is one in which I will have limitless room to fulfill my potential (this may seem rather abstract, but I value it, and I don’t feel that a lot of my local state universities can fulfill this need.) I am also looking for one with enough prestige to get me into a top grad school (given that I work hard, of course.) This, also, I felt my close public universities lacked. From there, it is all preference as to which is the most peaceful, aesthetically pleasing campus, and from what colleges I’ve visited thus far, Cornell was definitely the winner in that respect.</p>

<p>But I’m starting to fear now that the Princeton post is getting replies like this: </p>

<p>" "Keep in mind that saying something like “the X at any Ivy League school should be…”</p>

<p>Cornell is worse than many schools outside the Ivy League. Not that Cornell is a bad school, but you’re definitely going to see a difference between Cornell’s programs and Princeton’s. Between HYPS? Eh, not a lot of difference.</p>

<p>I had a choice between a near-guarantee (as much as you could say that) into Columbia ED this year, as a legacy with a strong application. My uncle (Alum) thought I had little to no chance, but I passed on the Columbia ED to apply SCEA to Yale regardless, got in, and it was one of the best decisions I ever made. I was also accepted to Princeton and Columbia RD, so I got to visit all three, and Columbia ended up my least favorite.</p>

<p>The bottom line is, if you think you’re going to have a strong chance at an Ivy, don’t let fear dictate your application."</p>

<p>Is Cornell really a worse choice for my major than a lot of public universities out there?</p>

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<p>^ the difference between the physics departments at princeton and cornell are miniscule at best. As a UG you literally would not see a difference. </p>

<p>Cornell has one of the top physics departments in the world, let alone the country. We have a new physical sciences building being built now (trust me, this is a lot more significant than you think, new buildings bring in new research and new/better faculty).</p>

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<p>Of course not. As just one example, spend some time on Cornell’s physics website and go through the research opportunities offered to undergraduates. These are world-class opportunities:</p>

<p>[Cornell</a> Physics Department.](<a href=“http://www.physics.cornell.edu/undergraduate/research-opportunities/]Cornell”>http://www.physics.cornell.edu/undergraduate/research-opportunities/)</p>

<p>Don’t let the insecurities and pettiness of Princeton students get the best of you. Princeton’s a great school and there are many reasons why one would want to choose it over Cornell, perhaps in the social sciences or because of differences in the student body, but for somebody interested in physics and math, attending Cornell over Princeton is a non-issue.</p>

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<p>And, if you change majors, say to engineering, Cornell has the strongest engineering program in the ivy league. </p>

<p>My D visited both and ended up not applying to Princeton. It definitely had a different vibe than Cornell. The campus is lovely yet much smaller and the student body is obviously very strong as is Cornell’s but many students seemed a bit more lopsided–totally intellectual and not into sports or some of the things that many college students do. There did seem to be a bit of attitude of being above certain college pursuits–example, I don’t watch that show on TV, I’d rather go to a policy dinner with my professor and hear (insert well known talking head from Washington DC). There are tons of opportunities like that at both schools, but it almost felt like at Princeton there was some disdain for things like Slope Day or Dragon Day and watching a favorite TV show with your friends.</p>

<p>My D is smart and likes to have fun too and just felt Princeton was a bit stuffy for her. Cornell kids seemd to be a bit more down to earth.</p>

<p>But with 20K undergrads, you can find everything. Both are great schools so I too recommed visiting and spending the night if you can–that will tell you so much more. I think you should also consider your stats. Ivies are tough to get into for nearly everyone, so your comment about chances ED vs RD may be important if you are an unhooked candidate.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

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<p>We spent last summer touring many Ivies and LACs. Princeton and Cornell are equally beautiful, located in quaint small cities. I get the impression that a weekend escape from Princeton consists of a train trip to NYC or Philly–great places w/ lots of culture, but this will require money and safe connections. If you like the outdoors, you can ski, hike, bike throughout the Finger Lakes, and a good connection will be to find someone with cottage access on one of the lakes. Your parents will enjoy touring the wineries/small breweries.</p>

<p>Bottom line, skip ED, take a shot at 7 or more colleges representing a good cross-section of schools. Play all your options, see what’s left, and make your final choice. The process of researching, touring, applying, waiting and choosing colleges is all part of life experience.</p>