UPenn The College v. Cornell CAS (Biological Sciences and Premed Concentration)

<p>I’m a current Cornell student, just finished freshman year and I found out that I got into Penn. There is really a lot for me at cornell, I’m doing research, I like the atmosphere, and I’m getting top notch grades. There is, however, one problem. My twin brother goes to cornell. Not only is his personality annoying, but we are both really competitive in everything that we do. All I want to know is how the bio department is at penn and college life. This is definitely a hard choice because I have a very good foundation at Cornell even if it is just one year. If I leave, I would have to readjust to school.</p>

<p>as an interested transfer applicant for 2006 to Penn from Cornell, I would like to know your hs stats and college stats coming from Cornell for a year or 2? I am going to Cornell next year, and may consider applying to Penn after a year, it was my dream school.</p>

<p>Hmm. I can't offer <em>much</em> information, but Penn Med does have a large percentage of Penn UGs; it is the #4 med research school in the country (so Penn UGs must do pretty well). For comparison, Cornell's is ranked 14.</p>

<p>my old stats
-1430; 780;740; 670 (writing :/)
-17 transferred ap credits
-salutatorian of my hs, 200+ hours at the regional hospital
-classes at the local university
-asian male, maine resident
-I play the piano
-job at restaurant
-FIRST Robotics
-state math team
-qualified for NChO, AIME, and some scholarships</p>

<p>At cornell
-dean's list for fall and most likely for the spring
-First semester I got a 3.73, but aiming for a 3.9+ this semester. Not exactly 4.3, though
-psych 470, independent research in psychology (in my case, neurobiology)
-american red cross</p>

<p>Oh btw, grades at cornell, if you are in the sciences or engineering, are all based on a mean and a standard deviation. For most classes, you need to get 1 SD above the mean (or top 16%) of the class to get an A. Intro bio is a bit more difficult since you need about 1.5 SD above the mean. The typical intro class has a median grade of a B while bio has a median grade that hovers in between a C+ and a B-. I don't think the grades really correlate with SAT scores, but how hard you study. It is safe to say that if you genuinely try to do well in the class, you will at least get average.</p>

<p>I would say Penn Pre-meds have a better opportunity (mainly because of Penn's own med school).</p>

<p>bump,
i need to decide soon</p>

<p>i just got my hardcopy of the upenn appectance package over the mail. i have to admit that i was not as thrilled of getting into a school like i was during the end of my senior year.</p>

<p>You should feel a sense of accomplishment as many people get rejected.</p>

<p>Cornell's acceptance rate into med school is 86% for applicants with 3.4 or above GPA and 99% for applicants with 3.8 or above GPA (which it looks like you will end your freshman year with). You will have to find similar stats from Penn in order to compare which program is better.</p>

<p>I'm actually very happy that UPenn accepted me. Now I'm just researching more about Penn's bio program and the opportunities for research.</p>

<p>I really want to know as well, because I will be applying to both next year.</p>