<p>I was recently accepted to 4 of my top choice schools (Washington University in St. Louis, Rice University, Johns Hopkins University, and Cornell University) and now I don't know where to go. In college I want to be a premed and from there go on to a really good medical school so my decision should be based off of this. I visited WashU, Rice, and JHU, but I didn't get a chance to visit Cornell, and I've heard great things about it. I've narrowed down my list to Cornell and Hopkins and I'm having trouble deciding where I should go. Two of the things that I'm also concerned with is both the prestige of the schools and the rigor of their curriculum. I've actually heard of Hopkins all my life and I only recently heard of Cornell and its Ivy League status. As for the academics at both Hopkins and Cornell aren't they about the same level? Keep in mind that I live in the nice warm suburbs of Houston, Texas and I want to be comfortable wherever I go. Also, I really want my choice to be made based on whichever school will help me get into a great medical school. Please help!!</p>
<p>a) weather IMO is comparable at both institutions
b) prestige and overall academics in the hard sciences is the same at both institutions
c) Med school admissions is the same at both institutions</p>
<p>d) Ithaca is a quaint college town with beautiful scenery, a vibrant food and entertainment scene, and little crime. Johns Hopkins is in a large city, with the perks of the large city, but the crime, insecurity, and lack of a traditional college experience (including the lack of campus spirit) that also come with a large city.
e) Cornell is not cut throat for pre-med. It is competitive, but not cut throat. Research opportunities abound, and students often consult each other and professors for help. From students who I know at Hopkins (therefore anecdotal evidence, so take with a grain of salt), their opinion is that stereotype about Hopkins being cut throat and overly studious is true.</p>
<p>Make of it what you will.</p>
<p>Go for Cornell.</p>
<p>i would have to disagree with part d chendrix</p>
<p>hopkins is not nearly in the “bad part” of baltimore at all. that is, unless you’ve been living in beverly hills all your life.</p>
<p>hopkins i would say is just as safe as ithaca.</p>
<p>this coming from someone going to cornell</p>
<p>I didn’t say Hopkins was IN the bad part of Baltimore. I just said there is a bad part of Baltimore that is considerably more crime ridden than even the worst part of Ithaca</p>
<p>You should visit both campuses. I was rather underwhelmed by Hopkins’ campus. Very bland, but pleasant enough.</p>
<p>Cornell’s architecture, layout, and natural beauty can be extremely inspiring (and get you through some tough times). I have heard others describe it as the type of place you imagine when you imagine going to college. I would tend to agree with that.</p>
<p>Academically, they’ll probably be on or close to par with one another.</p>
<p>Prestige-wise, I think most would consider Cornell higher (not just because Ivy, but for the school itself)</p>
<p>If you get cold, just put a jacket on. Should probably get over the idea of being comfortable wherever you go in life - not just with weather, but as a general rule of thumb.</p>
<p>if you’re serious about pre-med, you should know it’s going to be a lot harder to stand out at Hopkins where 1/4 of the incoming class declares pre-med. The advising and education is comparable to cornell, washu, and rice.</p>
<p>but then again chendrix, there should be no reason why any hopkins student would venture out there where it is “bad”</p>
<p>^^
Haven’t spent much time in Baltimore, have ya? I guess you could avoid the rough parts, but it’s not that easy unless you never leave the Inner Harbor area or the interstates.</p>
<p>Ok ill try my best to give an accurate compare and contrast. I have visited Ithaca, Cornell and I live in Baltimore near JHU and I go to JHU a lot of times</p>
<p>Similarity
-Campus wise, if were to stay on campus it is equally as safe.
-Workload; I have friends that go to Hopkins and ppl here on CC, it seems to me that they both have equal amounts of workload
-Both campus has their own isolation and college campus atmosphere
-Spring and Summer are almost similar in both schools; However, Cornell is just more beautiful in the Spring and Summer
-Cornell has Gorges! 
-24/7 Security
-Diverse student organization</p>
<p>Difference
-If you were to venture outside of the JHU campus, it can be dangerous (Note: Baltimore has one of the highest crime rate); also note that hopkins campus and it’s 5 block radius, there is always 24/7 security that is on patrol.
-If you were to venture outside Cornell Campus, it is more safe than hopkins
-Course selection; Cornell offers more variety of courses than JHU.
-If you want to get out of the campus and go into the city, JHU’s campus is just ONE street away from the city area.
-JHU has the inner harbor and many tourist attractions and tons of buses that can take you to any mall in the baltimore metro area; note: u have to pay the bus fair, they r not hopkins bus
- Cornell Larger student population
-Cornell has a much much more brutal winter weather than JHU
-JHU Does experience snow, but not as much as Cornell. There are like 2-3 days out of the whole winter that it snows 3inches or more.
-Both have equal % of diversity; Cornell has more Numbers that are diverse… ex/ more chinese than JHu, more Japanese than Jhu and etc
-JHU has only one Library at the moment (becuz their other libraries are under rennovation). That library compose of 7 floors I believe. However, there are small tiny libraries in dorm buildings.<br>
-Cornell has many libraries and very beautiful
-JHU has a 24/7 Subway, and Chipotle that is within 2 blocks of JHU campus
-Cornell is the bigger campus
-JHU’s food is more salty (my friends says it is salty)
-Cornell’s food is very good</p>
<p>Thats all I can think of for now… If I can think of any more ill let you know
Note: im not trying to be biased towards any school. I love Cornell if u want my input 
also, I do not know much about the cornell surrounding areas, so if u want plz feel free to add onto this list
If u have any questions plz ask :)</p>
<p>“I didn’t get a chance to visit Cornell…”</p>
<p>To me, that’s a big problem. I think before you sign on to potentially spend four important years someplace, you’d want to check it out first-hand. You can get everyone’s opinion, but none of these people are you.</p>
<p>i’d go to rice…then apply to med school at cornell ^_^</p>
<p>If you’re willing to accept a comment from a parent who has accompanied a student on visits to both places –</p>
<p>The overwhelming impression that my daughter and I received at Hopkins was that there is an extreme focus on undergraduate research – so much so that those who have no interest in research might feel out of place.</p>
<p>At Cornell, there are plenty of undergraduate research opportunities, but participating in research is by no means a universal experience.</p>
<p>What kind of physician do you want to be? A clinician or a researcher? If research is your main focus, perhaps you would prefer Hopkins (although Cornell could also meet your needs). But if you see your future in clinical medicine, you might prefer Cornell.</p>
<p>Also, the weather is NOT comparable in the two locations. Baltimore has much milder winters. On the other hand, people in upstate New York are better prepared to cope with winter; the roads get plowed quickly, and activities are rarely canceled. In Maryland, life pretty much shuts down at the sight of a snowflake.</p>
<p>Marian, I wish things instantly shut down at the sight of snow…</p>
<p>montgomery county public schools likes to ignore the fact that the rest of the state has closed school</p>