<p>I feel really outdated posting here again after all the college admission craze I went through last year as a hs senior.</p>
<p>Anyways, so i am about to finish my freshman year at cornell. i am in the college of engineering and kind of in electrical engineering/computer science track, but through taking some biology related courses here, i have come to realize that engineering isn’t what i really want to do: biology turns out to be my true love.</p>
<p>i have a couple of good reasons why i want to transfer out of cornell. my question is then, a)does brown have a good biology program?(i am not a premed) and b)does brown have lots of researchs going on? (cornell is a huge school=>lots of research opportunities)</p>
<p>about me/specs:</p>
<p>my GPA from the fall semester is 3.5. but considering the grade deflation at cornell AND the difficulty of the courses i took/am taking, I think 3.5 is just slightly less than ideal. (if you wonder, for the first sem, i took orgo(for sophomores), an intense cs programming course(for sophomores), and 1st year engineering math(with an A). and others are just required freshman stuff)</p>
<p>this semester i’m taking: microbiology for sophomores, biochemistry for juniors/seniors, 2nd sem engineering math and 1st sem engineering physics and some other required courses. i am expecting and hoping for something higher than 3.5 for this semester. </p>
<p>i also work in this genetics/biochem lab as a lab technician, but i will be doing intense research over this summer (which i believe is rare for a freshman)</p>
<p>i have a couple of other good extracurricula but since i already cut the ivy line in the past, i don’t think this much hs school isn’t necessary here.</p>
<p>RECAP:
a)does brown have a good biology program?(i am not a premed)
b)does brown have lots of research going on?
and c)do i have any shot in tranfer?</p>
<p>When I went to ADOCH one of the things they really emphasized was how easily undergrads, as unexperienced as they come, are able to research.</p>
<p>And I guess everyone has a shot as a transfer? But don't they say that one Ivy education is practically as good as another? Is there any other particular reason that you'd want to transfer besides a change in interest?</p>
<p>I agree with Sungchul. Certainly Cornell must have a wonderful biology program. But, is it as difficult to switch from one college to another (namely, Arts and Sciences, I suppose) as it would be to transfer? Top tier schools are not accepting many transfers these days, and even if they were, you would have to wait a whole extra year as you went through the entire application process again. Perhaps you can speak to someone at Cornell and switch schools now so that you can become a bio major and switch out of engineering for the next semester. You are already in a wonderful school. My advice would be to take advantage of where you already are. However, Brown biology is fabulous. Is it more than just the program that is driving your desire to transfer? If that is the case, then, by all means, go for it!</p>
<p>Yes of course, Cornell has arts and sciences. and transferring from engineering to arts and sci isn't hard either. but the first reason i want to transfer out of cornell is because cornell's biology isn't as intense/serious as i thought(frustration at the level of the material/the depth of the material even though i'm taking a 300 level biology/orgo course). that's the first reason, and the second reason is geographical (very remote/isolated area with a really depressing weather). and i'm sure i can find some more brown-specific reasons after some research.</p>
<p>any more input?</p>
<p>PS. just silly wondering. i have two cousins who graduated from Brown in the 90s. does that count as anything at all? (not that i really need some legacy or anything) just wondering.</p>
<p>Brown has excellent biology. Classes are very in depth. Is there any particular field you are interested in (biochem, neuro, genetics, eco, marine? -- or just general)</p>
<p>There are a ton of both during hte school year and summer research opportunities. Brown may be smaller, but it also has a stronger undergrad focus which is going to mean more research for YOU. </p>
<p>3.5 is generally the cut off, 3.7 the optimal. But coming from a school with notorious grade deflation your 3.5 will be bolstered. So yes, you have a shot. But that doesn't say much because there is much more getting in than just your GPA.</p>
<p>thanks claysoul. i am particularly interested in biochem and genetics. thing about cornell is that because we have lots of people in general and big grad schools, we have lots of research going on(mostly for grads but undergrads can butt in like me). but i am so disappointed with the undergrad bio education here: some exam questions very shallow, some professors are really poor teachers, material we learn doesn't have much depth. </p>
<p>but according to gourman report, brown's undergrad bio ranking is far below cornell's. this concerns me a little.</p>
<p>any more thoughts on brown's biology/biochem/genetics?</p>
<p>I hate to hijack this thread... but I have similar stats to suehl and am wanting to transfer from cornell electrical engineering to brown computer science... I just don't like it here and would prefer to be someplace more laid back. Does anybody know how difficult it it to transfer into Brown with about a 3.4 or 3.5 from Cornell? does Brown accept many transfers at all? Also, does Brown have a good CS department? thanks.</p>