<p>
I vehemently disagree on both accounts. Cornell is at least as strong as Brown academically (stronger, imo). Either could get the OP into a good medical school.</p>
<p>so, basically, it comes entirely down to “fit”?</p>
<p>yes it does, the two schools are so close academically that it really comes down to where you feel more comfortable</p>
<p>airbag, why are you transferring in the first place? Maybe what you didn’t like about your original choice will help you make a decision.</p>
<p>I want to go to a more academically prestigious school that will better my career prospects and provide a more intellectually stimulating experience. I enjoy school spirit, but not to the extent that attending football games is an essentially mandatory aspect of college life, and I want to be able to play club tennis. I’d also like to be in a more interesting location with vibrant off-campus culture, and I like the East Coast better than the Midwest. I’d also like to be in a more diverse environment and be exposed to a variety of beliefs and viewpoints.</p>
<p>Both Cornell and Brown are can be very academically challenging schools, the challenge depending on the courses you take. I do not know about Brown, but the variety of course offerings at Cornell is exciting.</p>
<p>School spirit is high at Cornell as it is Division I sports. But everyone does not file out to the football games on Saturday in the fall. You would more likely prefer to attend a hockey game in the winter. That is their biggest fan sport.</p>
<p>Ithaca is both interesting and vibrant. It is not the size of Providence. But Ithaca has a lot to offer for a small upstate city. The environment is gorgeous (many outdoor activity opportunities–lake sailing, gorge diving, hiking trails, skiing,etc.). There are also some great restaurants. And there is the commons–a pedestrian only shopping,eating, hanging out area downtown. The NY Times has had favorable articles on Ithaca several times. </p>
<p>The two colleges (Cornell and Ithaca) offer much diversity. My D is a student at Cornell and is involved in a dance troupe. Their fall show (a fundraiser) invites many other dance troupes at Cornell. My H and I were blown away at the diversity at the first, and subsequent, shows we attended. There was the usual variety of dance–ballet, modern, tap, etc.-- but also an abundant variety of “ethnic” dancing. There was a variety of Asian groups, Middle Eastern and African. </p>
<p>At this point, we only have good things to say about Cornell.</p>
<p>airbag, You seem to be quite clear on your reasons for targeting Brown and Cornell. Both are quintessential Northeast schools, but within that context, each attracts a different personality type. I realize that this may be a gross generality (and how to characterize a student body without generalizing?) but I see Brown students as being introspective – although articulate – and Cornell students as extroverts. </p>
<p>My son did his undergrad at a rural insular college and his positive experience was one reason that led him to choose Cornell for graduate school. He had only ever lived in large cities and will probably do so again after he completes his degree, but despite his urban leanings he wasn’t especially enamored of Providence. I’d say that of all your criteria, “more interesting location with vibrant off-campus culture” would be the hardest to fulfill at either Brown or Cornell. (The “more” part is relative to where you’re coming from.)</p>
<p>Good luck on your choice. The good news is that you can’t make a bad one.</p>
<p>Brown is also a Division I sports school…</p>
<p>morrismm, thanks so much for sharing that highly positive anecdote regarding your daughter’s experience at Cornell.</p>
<p>momrath, your thoughtful analysis is much appreciated. Coming from a school in South Bend, IN, “more interesting” to me essentially just means that there are nice restaurants nearby campus, that the surrounding area is relatively safe (a highly urban, unsafe area like NYC would not be desirable, for example), and that the off-campus community is fairly well integrated into the school. At Notre Dame, to give you an idea, everyone pretty much stays on campus, since the general population of the surrounding area stands in stark socioeconomic contrast to the school’s students, and several students are known to have been robbed at gunpoint, mugged, etc. Also, there isn’t exactly the same mystique about going “into town” in a poor Midwestern city as there would be in quaint Ithaca with its distinctive cultural flavor or mid-sized, elegant Providence with all of its rich history, near-coastal location, and proximity to Boston. So location wise, either of these schools would be fantastic, since I feel that out of all the Ivy League schools, Harvard, Cornell, and Brown have the most desirable locations–granted, for different reasons, but I am a huge fan of each of them.</p>
<p>Regarding your son’s choice, I would agree that Cornell is the better choice for graduate school, since its academic programs are generally more well-regarded at the graduate level. You say that Brown students are generally more introspective and Cornell students are more extroverted, but what basis do you have for believing that? Also, can you clarify what you mean by that?</p>
<p>Btw, airbag, I just wanted to clarify-- I’m not trying to cheer lead, just answer questions as truthfully as I can and dispel false impressions when I feel they’re being repeated. A lot of people on these boards have suddenly been jumping on me for being overly biased (I think I’m pretty upfront about my biases and try hard not to make claims about other schools I can’t verify, but oh well), so I just wanted to be sure you know that I think that you have excellent choices and I’m sure you’ll be happy wherever you end up.</p>
<p>My experience at Brown has been exceptional, and I just wanted to share what makes this place special and what we have to offer in your areas of interest.</p>
<p>Thought I was done for a while, but what the heck:</p>
<p>D2 transferred into Cornell CAS and is loving it there, as a parent I couldn’t be happier for her.</p>
<p>I spent 6 years there myself, in antiquity, however based on that experience I would say:
There are over 13,000 undergraduates at Cornell, studying in seven different undergraduate colleges, with great diversity in goals and backgrounds. There are extroverted people at Cornell. There are introverted people at Cornell. There are medium-overted people at cornell. And, amazingly, all of them can find their own niches and have a happy experience there. Due to its size and diversity, whatever you are there will be numerous like-minded individuals. You can find them by selecting activities that your preferred cohort will be more attracted to. Cornell has a frat scene, which maybe attracts some extroverted individuals. On the other hand, it also attracts individuals who just want better housing. And only 1/3 of the undergrads are in the frat system, which means 2/3 aren’t.</p>
<p>There are people who are into sports. There are people who aren’t. There are liberal people (more of them, being a Northeast school). However conservative voices can also be heard.</p>
<p>In short, any attempts to pigeonhole such a diverse group, the way one might describe an LAC, is pretty much doomed from the outset. It is just a highly diverse place. </p>
<p>Physical environments aside, the best reason to prefer Cornell CAS is if one highly values student body diversity as described above, or believes they can benefit from the additional curricular offerings the other colleges there, or the presence of graduate programs. As an undergraduate I took courses in two of the colleges in addition to CAS. I also took courses from two future Nobel Prize winners, which sounds cool if nothing else. On the other hand, someone negatively disposed towards traditional distribution requirements may prefer Brown’s lack of same. </p>
<p>One characteristic of Cornell- not saying good or bad, just different- is that the state-affiliated colleges offer subsidized tuition to NY state students. As a consequence, there are probably more students of modest means, and also more students from New York State. However, New York is a big state, and these people cannot all be accurately pigeonholed either, in my experience.</p>
<p>As for housing, for next year my daughter turned down on-campus housing for an off-campus apartment, living with friends, bigger room & kitchen, in a more happening environment. I was thrilled that she rapidly made friends there, since social intergration is an issue for transfer students generally. But with this social network now established, she did not prefer to stay in the dorms, though opportunities to live there were available to her. During my own time there, after freshman year I much preferred to live off-campus as well, in the company of people I chose to live with. I lived in a dorm again one semester as an upperclassman, afer living off-campus previously, and I hated it. the dorms are best for new people, to get their bearings intially, but after that many people prefer the other housing options.</p>
<p>As for grad programs being more well-regarded- I would say that depends on the area.</p>
<p>thought I said this , but apparently not:</p>
<p>Another point of distinction is: Like Brown, Cornell has many students studying in Arts & sciences and in engineering. But what is different is the proportion of the student body these students constitute: 1/3 is enrolled in CAS, 1/4 in engineering, over 40% are enrolled in the five other undergraduate colleges. I would not expect that Cornell CAS students are so very diferent from Brown students, either in introversion/ extroversion or any other version. But, while numerous, these do not constitute the entire student body at Cornell.</p>
<p>Thanks a lot for your sincerity modest, and thanks for that story monydad. I’ve come to realize, after examining the math/econ (cornell) and applied math/econ (brown) curricula at both of these schools, that either would provide an exceptional education in the field in which I am interested, superior to what I would be able to find at my former school.</p>
<p>Brown’s curriculum ([Applied</a> Mathematics–Economics](<a href=“Registrar | Brown University”>Registrar | Brown University)) provides a bit more flexibility and is geared more specifically towards applied math, making it (no pun intended) a bit more applicable to what I’m interested in, though Cornell’s program is also fantastic. As of now, I would say that I am leaning towards Brown because of this more specifically tailored course of study (in addition to the Open Curriculum in general) as well as the school’s more urban location and more moderate climate compared to Ithaca’s. However, I will be visiting the school next week to finalize my thoughts, and that should give me enough information to make a final decision.</p>
<p>In my professional career I worked with two graduates of Brown’s Applied Math program and they were highy capable individuals; from what I understood from them it was, and undoubtedly is, a great program. </p>
<p>On the other hand, it would be difficult for me to imagine that you could not put together a similar curriculum at Cornell. My guess is you would probably have more relevant course choices at your disposal in total, not limited only to CAS, but also the CALS business program, the engineering IOR program, and possibly some of the other colleges and programs. Not to mention the additional courses and choices available if you should subsequently decide to change your focus.</p>
<p>Actually I met a current Cornell student who is pursuing similar studies, as a CAS math major.</p>
<p>If you had no significant preference in other respects, you might look into the correspondence of the various courses and see what you might put together there. I suspect that in the end it still probably comes down to personal preference and fit.</p>
<p>But I certainly have nothing negative to say either about Brown or that program there, quite the contrary.</p>
<p>I did not know this prior to your post, however it seems Providence is indeed milder during winter months. By 4-8 degrees on average . The extent that this amount of differential should contribute to a matriculation decision is an individual matter.</p>
<p>Haha, monydad, of course weather is not a make-or-break issue, but the convenience of flying to Providence from the West Coast versus flying to Philly, flying to Ithaca makes the school feel closer, not to mention that the surrounding Providence community reminds me of a combination of the Georgetown residential affluence with MIT’s number of restaurants and amount of city activity (of course to a milder degree); to me, this is ideal. </p>
<p>After visiting Brown these past few days, I have tentatively decided to attend Brown for the next three years. I met with several deans, an applied math professor, and all kinds of other administrative workers and students. Everyone seems to love the place, and the undergraduate experience there seems unparalleled in its emphasis on individual exploration, though I’m sure Cornell’s academic programs themselves are equally strong if not stronger.</p>
<p>I’d like to thank everyone who posted on this thread for all of your helpful, insightful feedback into my situation and honest attempts to understand the intricacies of my decision. You are all wonderful people, and I hope to meet similarly intelligent people genuinely interested in others’ affairs at Brown over the next three years. I am excited to finally cut the religious umbilical cord and attend a secular school, and I eagerly await becoming part of the Brown community.</p>