I’m a freshman at the University of Michigan and I’m applying to Cornell as a transfer — my situation is a bit complicated and I was hoping to get some advice. Any insight at all would be appreciated!
I applied to Cornell ED last year and was deferred then rejected, but I got a transfer option for Policy Analysis & Management at the College of Human Ecology. Last semester, I didn’t think I was going to transfer so I didn’t fulfill all the course requirements for the HumEc transfer offer (I didn’t do the 6-8 credits of intro bio/chem/physics), so I don’t know if that automatically means that I am out of the applicant pool (I’m going to call admissions and ask). I’m also considering applying to CAS as a regular transfer applicant since HumEc is relatively limiting in terms of majors — I’m still not completely sure what I want to do in terms of my career, so CAS might be a better fit. Also, HumEc is on the newer side which makes me a bit nervous, and I’ve heard that the contract colleges are considered less prestigious (I admit that this plays a factor in my decision).
As for my reasons for wanting to transfer, I’ve realized that UMich isn’t a good fit for me in terms of the culture. The students are very smart and driven, but the Big 10/state school aspect makes the social environment pretty superficial. I know that most people eventually find their niche since it’s a large university, but I also want to go to a school where there is a strong sense of identity that is centered around academics and intellectual growth. (Side note: Though I sound like a good fit for liberal arts colleges, they are not for me.) If I stay here, I’ll probably major in econ and minor in statistics; I’m planning on doing something in policy, but that could change.
To give some context, I went to a really ‘nerdy’ high school with a diverse student body, and students were extremely social justice-driven and intellectual, which extended beyond academics and played a big role in the social environment as well. Obviously, UMich has all kinds of students, but I think it does attract certain types of students (students who perform well academically but don’t value intellectualism as an important part of college life), which leads to an environment that is drastically different from the one I came from in high school. It’s also lacking in diversity, both in terms of race and SES.
So, I’m hoping to get some advice on whether I should go for CAS or HumEc, and whether or not Cornell’s social atmosphere is going to be significantly different from UMich. On one hand, it’s an Ivy League and a private school, but on the other hand, it does have a rather large Greek scene. If you got this far, thank you for reading much appreciated!
Human Ecology isn’t considered “less prestigious” than the other colleges. Most students don’t even know which schools are contract colleges and which aren’t; it really just plays into New York financial aid (and I’m saying this as someone in Arts and Sciences). Human Ecology also isn’t really “new;” it was founded in 1925.
That said, whether or not you apply to Human Ecology or CAS is ultimately up to you (and might depend on what admissions says about your transfer eligibility). PAM is a really cool major, and it combines econ, statistics, and policy. But if you’re looking to major in straight econ or stats, those are both offered in CAS (so is government if you wanted to add in some of the policy aspect).
I’ve never visited UMich so I can’t say much in terms of differences in atmosphere, but Cornell certainly isn’t a Big 10 school so I’m sure the sports/spirit element is much different here. Students are intellectual here (as I’m sure they are at UMich), but I would describe the general vibe as a work-hard play-hard atmosphere, although that isn’t true for everyone and I would doubt the “play-hard” aspect pans out as intensely as it might at a large state school.
My oldest D is a junior at Cornell and my youngest D is a freshman at Michigan. (Like you she was deferred from Hum Ec and then given the transfer option, but has fallen in love with Michigan and has no desire to transfer. She also did not want to take all those lab sciences. This requirement didn’t make sense to her since if she was directly admitted she would not have had to take any of those sciences!). From my daughters’ experiences (and mine, I am a graduate of Michigan back in the dark ages), there is a lot of similarity socially. I think the two Universities attract a lot of the same students; within New York, I would hazard to guess that Cornell and Michigan are two of the most popular schools for top-level high school students. Both my D’s have friends whose siblings go to the other school.
The one difference of course is the craziness that centers around football weekends in Ann Arbor - you won’t get that in Ithaca. Otherwise both have active Greek systems that offer a steady supply of parties, but if you’re not interested you can avoid it. From what my daughters tell me, you can find plenty of people at both schools to have intellectual conversations with, and you will find some people leaving you wonder, “how did they get in here?” The level of intellectualism is not markedly different at Cornell. A small liberal arts school is where you’d probably find more of that, but you said that’s not for you.
I think you will find Cornell less socially-conscious than Michigan; my eldest was a little surprised by that. Cornell and Michigan are actually very similar with a lack of diversity and SES; as I noted above, they attract very similar students. Michigan being a state school is probably somewhat more diverse, but I don’t think the difference is significant.
As Ranza123 said, there is NO difference in prestige between the contract colleges and the other colleges at Cornell. That should not be a factor in your decision.
TL;DR: I think you would be happy at Cornell and you might find it preferable to Michigan, but I don’t think you should expect a huge difference (except for the football part).
As others have noted here and on reddit, there is probably more variation within the two universities than there is between them. As has been noted many times before, Cornell is probably the most “Big-10-like” of the Ivy League schools due to its size and mission.
If you are unhappy with the intellectual bent of the student body at Michigan, is it because of the students in your residence hall? The flavor of the different residence halls probably determines how you view the university. I know that Michigan has a Telluride House (as does Cornell) → http://■■■■■■/2lS1tJf. You could talk to those people and see if it is a good fit for you. They could also point out other organizations/residences with similar missions.
We have a daughter at Michigan. We also have many family ties to Cornell. Cornell and Michigan have much in common. The academic profile of enrolled students is very similar, with Cornell slightly better. Both have large “in-state” populations…Cornell with 26% from NYS, Michigan with 50 % being Michigan residents. Cornell has a larger international population (21% of undergrads vs. 7% at Michigan). The socio-economic profile of OOS students at Michigan is very similar to Cornell. Both have large engineering schools. Ironically, Cornell is a land grant “Ag and Tech” school, Michigan is not. Ithaca and Ann Arbor are both attractive cities which are closely connected to the university. UMich is blended into the fabric of Ann Arbor. The Cornell campus is on a hill a mile or two above the city of Ithaca. Both schools have cold winters, with Ithaca somewhat colder and snowier. Both have an active but not dominant greeklife presence. Michigan is bigger but the learning environment is similar. Both have a pluralistic, liberal campus culture. The big difference relates to school spirit. Cornell students are certainly proud of their school, but the fall Saturday game day culture does not exist at Cornell. Cornell may be somewhat more "intellectual’ but there is plenty of that at Michigan if you look for it (daughter is in a learning community with extremely smart, academically motivated students). That said, her hall mates also like to get dressed in maize and blue and go to tailgates and football games. That is part of what makes Michigan special…if you don’t like that aspect of the campus culture, then Cornell may be a better fit.
much appreciated!