Hi all,
I am having trouble deciding between Rice, Cornell, Penn, and Northwestern. I had always had my heart set on Rice, partly because I had been told I would not get into the others, but now I am not as sure in picking Rice over schools that may have more name recognition in my area (Boston). Also, I was selected for the Hunter R. Rawlings III Presidential Research Scholars program at Cornell.
As of now I intend to major in materials engineering but I’m really interested in biomaterials so biomed/bioengineering is also in the back of my mind as a possible major. I am not a fan of greek life. I don’t particularly enjoy warm weather so the climate isn’t really a decision point for me. On one hand I would really like to go to a small school with a tight knit community, but I also like the idea of having a ton of choices in what I could study. I like the interdisciplinary focus of Penn but not the hypercompetitive reputation/the apparent focus on grad programs over undergrads. I have never visited Penn or Cornell but I will be going to admitted student days at all four schools in the next few weeks.