Rice vs Cornell

College Search & Selection
21

<p>Thanks everyone for your replies / opinions.
I’ve decided - Cornell it is!</p>

<p>The reasons I initially wanted to attend Rice were:

  1. More friendly community
  2. More attention / smaller university
  3. Warmer Weather</p>

<p>Though Cornell is less friendly than Rice, I’m very confident I’ll be able to find a circle of friends at Cornell after visiting. In addition, with the many extracurriculars / activities at Cornell, I’m sure i’ll find a group of friends, and a lifestyle suitable for me. </p>

<p>I dislike the the fact there’s less focus on undergrads at Cornell, but I guess i’ll have to live with it. </p>

<p>As for the weather, I’ve decided that I’m overall apathetic to weather. I don’t really mind the isolated location of Cornell either. </p>

<p>So essentially, the benefits that Rice offers are not too significant for me. </p>

<p>Now, here were the things I disliked about Cornell:

  1. Very demanding / stressful work
  2. Less Friendly Social Scene
  3. Less attention to Undergrads</p>

<p>As for demanding / stressful work, Rice is also a very demanding / stressful university. I somewhat dislike the fact Cornell is less socially welcoming and definitely dislike the fact Cornell is so big and the fact I’ll get less attention at Cornell. However, I’ve been extremely independent throughout high school, so I think I’ll be alright at a big school like Cornell. </p>

<p>So, in the final analysis, my concerns with Cornell are the:

  1. big size
  2. less welcoming social scene</p>

<p>my concerns with Rice are:

  1. thousands of miles from NY
  2. 15,000/ yr more expensive
  3. does not offer business / management courses. Also, some majors in engineering college are weaker than those at Cornell</p>

<p>what I love about Cornell:

  1. 15K/ yr cheaper
  2. many many opportunities - research, academic (I can take a business course at Cornell!), extracurricular,
  3. Very very close to home
  4. I already know people going to Cornell</p>

<p>What i love about Rice:

  1. Small Size
  2. Welcoming / Friendly Social Scene
  3. Urban</p>

<p>Basically, at the end, the two school’s advantages / disadvantages almost equal each other. However, Cornell is 15K/yr cheaper, so I’ll go with Cornell. In addition, its location is much more convenient. It’s possible that I’ll have to transfer to another college at Cornell, and if that happens, oh well. I guess I won’t save as much money as I’d thought if that happens. Overall, it was a very very tough decision, but I’m pretty sure I would’ve been fine with either decision anyways.</p>

22

<p>Congratulations, and best of luck.
I know how agonizing these decisions can be,
Key is, once the decision has been made, embrace it, and work hard to get the best possible result there for yourself.</p>