<p>I agree with Equilibrium’s observations, but I don’t agree that they should necessarily be seen negatively. </p>
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<p>The academic community is mostly unburdened by the atmosphere of cutthroat competition that might exist at other school, although (anecdotal) exceptions do exist. The difficulty of getting jobs in an environment where many of us will want or need them is an issue, but it compels you to work harder at standing out or at doggedly pursuing opportunities, skills that prepare you better for the ‘real’ job/internship search that awaits us all.</p>
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<p>Largely true, and I’m thankful for it. Smaller communities create niches that make the school seem smaller than it actually is. Having gone to a high school with a graduating class of 80-90, this has made Cornell far less imposing, at least as far as its size goes. That said, I feel that these ‘cliques’ are rather porous, and I’ve managed to divide my time among 2-3 social circles that have nothing in common. </p>
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<p>It only makes sense to give freshmen the wake-up call, if it is needed. Especially if they’re walking in with large ambitions and no conception of what it takes to get there (which can be said about a large majority of entering students).</p>
<p>Cornell’s extraordinary setting, a gorgeous campus set in a wonderful collegetown, is a huge comparative advantage. I don’t know any other top university, with outstanding academics in so many fields, which is so well situated.</p>
<p>And what if your son doesn’t get accepted to any of those particular schools? You seem to be putting a lot of pressure on him to try and control a vastly uncontrollable admissions process and have a specific experience that may or may not be right for him. Those are just very different types of schools you listed, which makes me wonder whether they were selected to serve his particular learning style and personality or just for their reputations to tell your friends at dinner parties. Perhaps I’m misreading the situation, which would be nice, but people can have amazing educations at almost any institution if they know how to do it. </p>
<p>btw - this thread was dragged from the 2004 archives by a pleasant chap possessing the eminently witty name “cornellblows” and having a total of 1 post on here.</p>
<p>^Agreed. Further, “quality of education” is really hard to measure. Cornell doesn’t do all that well in regards to class size for many majors, but professors are generally accessible. It’s true that on average, Cornell professors have better credentials than most professors, but that really doesn’t necessarily translate to teaching ability. Some of my best professors at Cornell have the weaker resumes, while some who have highly-regarded careers in academia were not great (though I will say that only 1-2 were really bad). </p>
<p>The advantage of Cornell or other top schools is definitely in name recognition and networking, which definitely help. Further, the top schools generally have higher quality students, which I think makes for a better environment. Even my friends who party multiple nights a week still manage to spend many hours in the library as well. My relatives were asking how many people I know who are doing a 5 or 6-year plan because they couldn’t get their act together, and I really don’t know anyone. They were really surprised. Most of the other people they knew had children either on 5-year plans, or those children had quite a few friends with 5-year plans.</p>