I’ve visited Cornell, and it was absolutely beautiful, but I also have a superrrr soft spot for Duke too!
If I did apply to Cornell ED, it’d be to the College of Human Ecology. If I did Duke, it’d be Trinity.
I like bigger schools, and I want a work hard play hard mentality that I think both schools do a good job at providing. What I’m worried about with Cornell is that they don’t have a neuroscience major, so I would be applying to the Human Biology, Health, and Society major. Duke does have a neuroscience program, but can anybody tell me more about it?
Also, what is the medical school acceptance rate at both schools? I will be following a pre-med track too!
Overall, what school would be the best for a prospective neuroscience and pre-med student? I want a social life, not a lot of grade deflation, and tons of opportunities to conduct research. Thanks to everybody who replies!
QUICK STATS:
ACT: 34 C, 35 SC // 35E 32M 35R 35S
GPA: 3.9762 UW & 5.0238 W
SAT II: Really crappy, will probably apply without them. Registered for the October one though, but I don’t think I’ll go up.
ETHNICITY: Asian (but from an underrepresented country)
STATE: Illinois
Cornell has a concentration in neurobiology and behavior within the biology major, which may be of interest to you. It’s available through both CAS and CALS.
The major differences between Cornell and Duke are size (14,500 vs. 6500 undergrads), setting (college town vs. medium-sized city), and weather. If you’re interesting in hospital volunteering/interning, note that Cornell’s medical school is in NYC, whereas Duke’s is on the main campus. That said, there’s obviously hospitals available in the Ithaca area.
There’s no right or wrong choice here; your preferences should guide your decision.