<p>Hi, I got in for Chemical Engineering to UCSB and I am waiting for Cornell decision
acording to rankings ChemE in UCSB is rated higher than ChemE in Cornell, but Cornell is rated higher overall than UCSB, so my question is which would you choose?
UCSB or Cornell? taking into account that I will major in ChemE, an area where UCSB apparently excels</p>
<p>Are you absolutely sure you want to major in Chemical Engineering or might you change your mind down the line?</p>
<p>Cornell offers a wide variety of options in terms of Engineering, most of which Cornell excels in.</p>
<p>completely sure I will major in Chemical Engineering, I have attended international chemistry olympiads and seen a lot high level clases and I know thats what I like, my second choice major would be chemistry, so what would you choose?</p>
<p>I would choose Cornell, honestly, because I love the campus and the life and the people outside of Academics.</p>
<p>The chemical engineering here is fabulous. Great attentive teachers, small(er) class sizes, fabulous internships and job placement. The work is pioneering, and lots of the fundamentals of chemical engineering were discovered here.</p>
<p>I’d go with whichever school feels better for you. </p>
<p>Unless there’s a huge gap, it’s scary when you start letting the subjective assessments of for-profit magazines and such determine your future. USNWR changes the way they measure and suddenly schools shift all over the place. </p>
<p>Also consider the possibility of experiencing a different part of the country than you’re accustomed (if you happen to live in either Upstate NY or CA).</p>
<p>If, and that is a big if, the two programs are comparable, I cannot imagine anyone wanting to live in Upstate NY over being at the beach in Santa Barbara. Now having said that, UCSB is an extreme party school. I would have never guessed they would have been rated higher than Cornell in anything, let alone Chem E.</p>
<p>If you want to spend the next four years riding waves, go to UCSB. Otherwise, go to Cornell. USNWR isn’t everything; I can guarantee you that there will be plenty of more research and employment opportunities coming out of Cornell.</p>
<p>Thanks for the answers
I guess I still have time to think about it, and to the poster that said to explore different parts of the country, I am not form the US so either Cal or NY will be different.
but I am from Venezuela, so I am not sure that I will like the weather in NY, still, on a different question
How is the social life at Cornell? I know that of UCSB but I havent heard much about Cornells</p>
<p>SB has few international students, or out-of-state students for that matter. Since you are an international, go to Cornell for essentially the same price, and better prestige, particularly internationally.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I get kind of tired of this attitude that living on a beach is the pinnacle of human potential for happiness. Cornell is situated in one of the most beautiful parts of the country - gorges, waterfalls, rugged terrain, funky little city. I wouldn’t have traded it for any pile of sand. Some of the highest quality of life in the world is in cold climates (just look at northern Europe or Canadian cities)</p>
<p>To the OP - I spent a year in Venezuela and then came back to the northeast in winter. My blood hadn’t had time to thicken and I froze my keister off. You probably would too at first. But your body adjusts if you give it time and the cold becomes an afterthought and the snow becomes beautiful.</p>