<p>S has been confused in decision-making process. Wants to double major in biology (leading to pre-med) and music (piano performance). We don't qualify for aid, OOS for both schools, and Cornell is roughly $10K more. He said he likes the vibe at UNC, people are friendlier, less aloof, and thinks there are more opportunities in the music dept. I am worried about postgrad opportunities, networking, and going on to med school, if thats what he decides. Is there a large perceived difference between the two schools? We have poured over all the rankings and stats. Any thoughts?</p>
<p>Your S sounds as if he has a preference…You can get just as good or just as bad an education are Carolina as at any other comparable institution. Undergrad is what you make of it. …And $40,000 over 4 years can purchase a lot of summer experiences or help in in grad school. So let him be a Tar Heel and take advantage of everything the school has to offer and his future will take of its self.</p>
<p>And the weather is a whole lot better down here.</p>
<p>Thanks NCKay, it all feels good except I know it is difficult for him to let go of the “Ivy” opportunity.</p>
<p>unc= public ivy. Just as well known on the south and east coast</p>
<p>Your son has two great choices. If his primary interest is medical school, either school will provide what he needs. As between these schools, he should (in my opinion) select the one where he feels more comfortable. Also, I would not lose any sleep over Cornells Ivy status. His own efforts will determine what post-graduate opportunities are available to him when he graduates, not the name of the school he attends.</p>
<p>First off congratulations to your son! You may not realize this but OOS admission to UNC is oftentimes more difficult than admission to many Ivies especially Cornell, Columbia and Penn.</p>
<p>There are many students at UNC every year that turn down Ivies including Harvard and Yale; my son was one of them. When decision time came around I think it was harder for Eamom and me to give up the “Ivy dream” than it was for him despite the fact that Yale had been his dream school since ninth grade. </p>
<p>He never regretted his decision and today says he couldn’t even imagine himself at Yale.</p>
<p>My son is now finishing his second year of med school and as I have mentioned in other threads is among 6 in his circle of friends doing so. They currently attend Harvard, JHU, Cornell Weill, Baylor, UTSW, and UNC and just for a side note his former roommate is at Duke Law.</p>
<p>I mentioned the above to illustrate that UNC will not hurt his chances for med school admission in the least and may in fact help it. I say this because happiness and “fit” are major contributors to undergrad academic success. UNC is a very friendly and happy place with a spirit of cooperation and collaboration among students rather than the intense cut throat competition seen at many schools particularly in the pre med track.</p>
<p>Your son will meet plenty of people who have given up the Ivy dream, it’s not uncommon. His decision needs to be based on where he sees himself being happiest and where he thinks he is the best “fit”…and forget about “perceived” pedigree…UNC is very highly regarded when med school applications and interviews come around. I know because as I said earlier, we have been through it.</p>
<p>Cornell is a very good school but academic pressure there is intense and grade deflation is common. Most kids see grades they have never seen before in their lives and many can’t deal with it. Cornell has had a horrific history of student suicides over the years with this year being just awful-three in two weeks very recently. I don’t know if it’s due to the academic pressure, grade deflation, the long, bleak/grey cold winters or a combination of all the above but I know from my perspective as a parent it would concern me.</p>
<p>Med school is VERY expensive and FA is mostly loans; save the 40K+ for med school.</p>
<p>I actually have a friend who was deciding between Cornell and UNC! He wanted to go into business, and he ended up choosing Cornell. The only reason he chose Cornell was because at UNC he would have had to apply to their business school after sophomore year (he wasn’t 100% comfortable with that), but at Cornell he wouldn’t have had to. That said, both schools are great, and as tyr said, your son should chose the school where feels more comfortable (which seems to be UNC). Personally, I would go with UNC. It’s got better weather, great school spirit, a great medical program, and it’s located in arguably the best college town in the country.</p>
<p>tyr, Harambee, and eadad: thank you so much for sharing your insight and experience, it is really appreciated ! He has made the decision ( for UNC ), but hasn’t pressed the button on the computer to complete that transaction, and reading this may help any nagging doubts he may have. He did love the campus, the town, and the fact that everywhere he went, he saw students talking to one another ( something he pointed out when he got home ). He didn’t happen to see that kind of social engagement when he visited Cornell, although I know of others who love it there. And of course, I want him to be happy, I couldn’t agree with you more about that. Thanks again.</p>
<p>Hi zraymom, I understand your and your son’s dilemma. My S has the same dilemma, Cornell vs UVA. Like UNC, UVA is considered a public Ivy. I’m hopeful that my S will choose UVA. It just seems to fit him better. The campus is friendlier and the weather is much more pleasant. Besides, the suicide rate at Cornell alarms me. (My son doesn’t know about the suicides.) Additionally, my S believes he will have a more balanced school/life experience at UVA, yet he has not pushed the button. I think he wants to hold on to his Cornell dream until the last possible day. I’m sure your S will end up selecting the school that best fits him, academically and socially. Congratulations to him and to you.</p>
<p>The piano faculty at UNC is superb. Your S will love being part of such a vital performance program. The vibe at UNC is incredibly friendly and supportive. If he liked what he saw when he visited, he’s likely to be very happy there.</p>
<p>Well, he made his decision for UNC tonight! Thanks for your input everyone, it certainly helped bring closure. He is a Tarheel now, and ready to move forward !!
HelicopterMom, I hope your son will make his decision soon as well. UVA is an awesome school.
Skie, he liked what he saw at the music department, and was impressed by the faculty and the students he met there. He is really looking forward to working with them!</p>
<p>Congrats to zraymom and zrayson…he’s going to love living in “Blue Heaven” and you will really enjoy visiting him there. We really miss our annual visits to Chapel Hill.</p>
<p>If you need any recommendations for hotels, restaurants or “must sees” let me know via PM.</p>
<p>Our son also just rejected a few great schools tonight in favor of OOS at Carolina. With the money his choice saved us we just booked a trip to Chapel Hill October 8-10 for Parents Weekend. Go Heels!</p>
<p>My D had to choose between University of Chicago and UNC. Finally she chose UNC for many of the reasons posted above and the opportunities offered by UNC. She is very happy and has already found a roommate and wearing her UNC gear. Thanks to EADAD for all his wonderful input when we were facing this dilemma.</p>
<p>You’re welcome. ;)</p>
<p>I love U of C, as I said in another thread, I went there for grad school but in all honesty think it’s a far better place for grad or professional school. Having a really well rounded and fun filled undergrad experience like she’ll have at UNC will be far more rewarding in the long run than what she would have had at U of C. … but again, that’s just my $0.02…</p>
<p>This Ivy League vs. Public Ivy thing is everywhere. Just got back from a visit to Chapel Hill with my daughter who was accepted, and a young man on our tour was trying to decide between Cornell and UNC. Not sure which way he was headed.</p>
<p>^^^^ For what it’s worth, I might add that his dad was not too happy about the dorms at Cornell not being air conditioned.</p>
<p>“Cornell has had a horrific history of student suicides over the years”</p>
<p>urban legend, due to their dramatic nature there</p>
<p>See
[Hopkins</a> suicide rate in line with national college trend - News](<a href=“http://media.www.jhunewsletter.com/media/storage/paper932/news/2006/04/20/News/Hopkins.Suicide.Rate.In.Line.With.National.College.Trend-2242150.shtml]Hopkins”>http://media.www.jhunewsletter.com/media/storage/paper932/news/2006/04/20/News/Hopkins.Suicide.Rate.In.Line.With.National.College.Trend-2242150.shtml)
and
[MIT</a> Suicides Reflect National Trends - The Tech](<a href=“http://tech.mit.edu/V120/N6/comp6.6n.html]MIT”>http://tech.mit.edu/V120/N6/comp6.6n.html)</p>
<p>" with this year being just awful-three in two weeks very recently."
Very true, a tragic suicide cluster.</p>
<p>" I don’t know if it’s due to the academic pressure, grade deflation, the long, bleak/grey cold winters or a combination of all the above "</p>
<p>From a recent article:
“Cornell had no suicides from 2005 to 2008, according to Marchell. And the school has consistently fallen within or below the national average, said Karen Carr, assistant dean of students at Cornell.”</p>
<p>The so-called “academic pressure, grade deflation, the long, bleak/grey cold winters or a combination of all the above” were likely no different from 2005 through 2008 when there were no suicides there whatsoever, or over longer periods where the overall rate is assessed to be below national averages.</p>
<p>Therefore the answer must be: none of the above.</p>
<p>As for actual causes, seems like this is still an area under study:
<a href=“http://suicideandmentalhealthassociationinternational.org/suiconclust.html[/url]”>http://suicideandmentalhealthassociationinternational.org/suiconclust.html</a></p>
<p>Regarding so-called “grade delflation” the class median grades are posted here
[Cornell</a> University Registrar: Median Grades](<a href=“http://registrar.sas.cornell.edu/Student/mediangradesA.html]Cornell”>http://registrar.sas.cornell.edu/Student/mediangradesA.html)
People who have compared them say they are not out of line compared to others, but by all means do your own analysis.</p>
<p>"his dad was not too happy about the dorms at Cornell not being air conditioned. "</p>
<p>His dad should be concerned if they are not heated, this school is not in the South you know. I can absolutely guarantee you that this is not a legitimate concern that should play any meaningful role whatsoever in deciding whether or not to attend Cornell. The dorms were not even that bad in the summer, when I attended an alumni university (“CAU”) program they held there. Which are great, relatively cheap. vacations, by the way, I recommend them.</p>
<p>Monydad,
However alarming, I do agree with you regarding the suicide rates. It is more dramatic at Cornell because of the gorges, and this year in particular was worse, but they are not out of line with the statistics for such at other colleges. When we visited again this past week we noticed the newly-installed mesh barriers at all the gorges and bridges. The weather was also not a factor in making our decision as we live only 2 hrs away from Cornell in the Poconos, and they are very similar. My son was concerned about the cutthroat competition for grades, and he really felt more at home at UNC. We just want him to be happy and at peace with his decision. I know he will shine at whatever school he attends.</p>
<p>~ that is funny about the dorms not being air-conditioned at Cornell ! I attended college in the south in the 80’s and was on a 10th floor dorm with no A/C…</p>