<p>
</p>
<p>That’s right. I do not acknowledge that there are only outdoor activities in Ithaca, because that is patently false (though the outdoor activities are wonderful). There are movie theaters, many great restaurants, two decent sized mall areas, the lovely Commons, lectures, book stores, concerts at two great schools, house parties, etc.</p>
<p>It’s true, the housing stock in Ithaca is rundown.
I like it there anyway.
But people are free to prefer Durham.</p>
<p>I am still laughing about DarkIce thinking his opinions are going to affect Cornell’s ranking and yield. Megalomania, anyone?</p>
<p>The weather here isn’t that great, but it’s not so awful that I would ever consider being somewhere else. It’s an incredible school and if you’re social and make the most of it, you’ll have a great time here. Not everyone here is ugly or dresses like a hobo…It’s also nice going to a huge school where you can meet new people everyday. In the end I guess it’s up to you and where you think you’d be happier or which college would suit your major best. Try visiting both campuses if you haven’t already.</p>
<p>D for duke. Amazing campus in great weather.</p>
<p>C for Cornell University. Spectacular campus in a great college town – the Autumns and late-Springs are beyond beautiful (and snow decked landscape can be exquisite as well).</p>
<p>(OP here)</p>
<p>i don’t really care about the campus. i think both are beautiful and i can have a good time anywhere. the thing is–</p>
<p>who has the better economics program?
who has better study abroad options?
who’s better at public policy/international relations/political science?
who has a better language program?</p>
<p>i’ve also heard that cornell is an institution in decline. is that true? it’s generally established that duke keeps investing in getting better.</p>
<p>parents keep saying that cornell focuses more on the scholarly aspects of a college education and duke is a med,law,or business student-producing machine. well i do want to go to law school but they keep telling me about how cornell will make me a more “complete” person…? doesn’t trinity have a core for that? lol.</p>
<p>and marginally – which has more international prestige? i think i’ll end up in international circles and my very own grandmother asked me – “what’s duke?” i’ve also heard the opposite.</p>
<p>Coursework to look at
PAM -
[2011</a> Spring Courses](<a href=“http://www.human.cornell.edu/pam/academics/courses/2010-spring-courses.cfm]2011”>http://www.human.cornell.edu/pam/academics/courses/2010-spring-courses.cfm)
ILR - (highlights: international relations && labor law)
<a href=“http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/studentservices/curriculum/upload/FA-11-ILR-Course-Time-Room-Roster-13.pdf[/url]”>http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/studentservices/curriculum/upload/FA-11-ILR-Course-Time-Room-Roster-13.pdf</a>
AEM - [Charles</a> H. Dyson School: Undergraduate Courses](<a href=“Applied Economics and Management Degree Program | Cornell Dyson”>Applied Economics and Management Degree Program | Cornell Dyson)</p>
<p>Cornell Public Policy school to form in near future?
[No</a> New Progress on Public Policy School | The Cornell Daily Sun](<a href=“http://cornellsun.com/node/46703]No”>http://cornellsun.com/node/46703)</p>
<p>Cornell is a little over-expanded and disorganized, some of its programs could use some consolidation, and technological infrastructure needs an update but other than that the University is bigger, better, more advanced, and more competitive than ever before…</p>
<p>If anything, I would argue Cornell is well positioned for the future. The current capital campaign has raised $3.2 billion towards its $4 billion goal. I think Cornell is a very strong brand internationally.</p>
<p>Johnson School - [Courses</a> of Study 2010-2011](<a href=“http://courses.cuinfo.cornell.edu/CoScourses.php?college=JGSM&dept=Courses+for+Non%26ndash%3Bjohnson+School+Students]Courses”>http://courses.cuinfo.cornell.edu/CoScourses.php?college=JGSM&dept=Courses+for+Non%26ndash%3Bjohnson+School+Students)</p>
<p>It’s hard to answer these questions definitively. There are no rankings for undergrad programs, for the most part (if anyone even believes in rankings). I would suggest you spend some time on the websites to see what courses are offered in those areas. I also suggest you look at the courses in Applied Economics and Management in CALS (the Dyson Business program), which has many courses with an international focus, which would be open to you and might supplement the other subjects you’re interested in. Cornell has extensive foreign language offerings and they are both highly regarded and challenging. It is well respected for IR, but IR is a very complicated subject with various areas of focus. One school might be better than another for the area you plan to pursue. Economics is such a core subject for any university that it’s probably a wash.</p>
<p>One thing I am sure about is that Cornell is better known internationally. It has a long history of educating international students (Ratan Tata, more than 50 years ago, a former president of Taiwan, also many years ago are two that spring to mind), and the nature of research in the ag school alone ensures that Cornell professors, when not in Ithaca, are often consulting around the world.</p>
<p>BTW, the Johnson School is an MBA program, so not particularly relevant here.</p>
<p>I haven’t posted in a while but I found this thread to be interesting. I have a couple kids attending Cornell. My son has majored in economics with an engineering backround. He had several job offers and is taking a job right after graduating earning $72,000 a year. I would say his Cornell experience has paid off well.
I would also like to add that my other son is taking a job out of the country for the next two years that will not only be exciting but very lucrative. They are both positioned well as a result of the opportunities they have had at Cornell. It is one of the finest universities in the world. To say it is a school on the decline just sounds foolish. Spend some time at Cornell and come back and tell us if it is on the decline.</p>
<p>My son and I have been following this thread because his final decision came down to Cornell or Duke and it really is a very hard decision to make. I think we both concluded that Cornell has the edge on Duke academically, but Duke’s campus is incredibly beautiful, and the weather is better. (We visited both, and older son is PhD student at Cornell). It was such a tough choice that the more information we looked at, the harder the decision became. Finally he suggested we toss a coin! When we tossed the coin, Cornell won, so then he wanted to toss it again. After several straight wins for Cornell, it became clear that his preference was Duke! Not suggesting this is the way to make a final decision, but we had looked at everything inside, outside, forwards and backwards, and were still stuck for which was the best choice.<br>
They are both great schools, so you really can’t go wrong whichever you decide on. Once you make your choice, be happy with it and go and make the most of the incredible opportunities available to you. Good luck!</p>
<p>OP - you ask about international prestige. The people I’ve talked to in Singapore all look impressed when they hear my son got into Cornell, and appear not to have heard of Duke - and Duke actually has something here in Singapore connected to Nat U of Singapore, so that really surprised me. My family in the UK has heard of Duke, but generally speaking I think Cornell has much more name recognition outside the US than Duke has. Educated family and friends in Spain have never heard of Duke, but aren’t too familiar with Cornell either….</p>
<p>Hey guys! Don’t you think that this thread has been getting out of hand? we went from stating good things about each school to mudslinging and outlining negatives to the point of insult. We have even been criticizing the areas in which these two fine institutions are located! None of this has been helping the OP. Instead, we have been too full of pride and selfishness and have been trying to make any school that is not our own look like a terrible place. OP, you have two great places. It all comes down to which one has the best programs and resources for your major, which one has a better student population in your opinion, and which campus you feel more at home in. rest assured that no matter what your decision is, you will not make a mistake and you will be happy! Good luck!</p>
<p>I don’t think it’s so bad really, been around CC much?
The areas around the school are legitimate areas of consideration IMO, at a secondary level admittedly. People may have a preference about location and surroundings. OP may not care much, but will not be the only reader of the thread.</p>