Urgent Request for Help to Decide on Cornell vs Rice

Colleges and Universities A-Z Cornell University
1

<p>I am struggling between Rice and Cornell. I haven't decided on my major, should be on the professional track of statistics, biology, math with some stint on economy, or philosophy or psychology, and possibly pursuing graduate school but that is not sure yet.</p>

<p>Based on the information I can obtain so far, Rice students may receive more attention from the professors, tuition is much lower than Cornell, smaller faculty to student ratio and a more intimate residential system, which means it pays better off in terms of value for money. Texas has a booming economy at the moment. Cornell has more options of majors and has a prestigious name. One thing that bothers me is that I am not really very sure if I will be on the science track or on the business track like economic. The beauty of Cornell is that it is strong in most of its majors, in case I change my mind not to pursue science, I can get good programs from business at Cornell as well. I know Rice is strong at engineering, architecture, BME, but not sure if its art majors like business, economy are as well recognized. </p>

<p>As I am an international student, few people in our country heard of Rice, but most of the people know Cornell is an ivy. Cornell is the most expensive among the ivies and it location is remote and the weather is cold. However, I feel like I need to struggle or fight to get the resources and attention at Cornell while I can easily access to internships or lab opportunities at Rice because it is said Rice offers more internship opportunities than their student numbers. These are the real stuff that the student will immediately benefit from. </p>

<p>However, I have consulted many people, not to mention people in my home country, even people from the northeastern part of U.S. do not really know much about Rice and most of them go for Cornell without hesitation. That is to say, an ivy brand will provide me better access to better employers, but should I sacrifice those tangible benefits so obvious at Rice to get a ivy name? Also, I have relatives in Texas which may provide some logistics convenience for me. Anybody who has facts of Cornell does offer more than the name of an Ivy? Also, it is surprising that Rice offers free laundry while Cornell charges for using its gyms.</p>

<p>To be more specific, my concerns will be:</p>

<ul>
<li> Provided that I am performing equally well at both schools, which one will be better help me to get jobs after undergrad or going to grad schools?</li>
<li> Will employers/grad schools recognize Rice outside of the south?</li>
</ul>

<p>It is really a tough decision, please give more insider advice to help me make a decision. Many thanks!!!!</p>

2

<p>Again, don’t go to Cornell just because it’s an Ivy. Go to Cornell for the strength of its departments and the opportunities you get here. Cornell wins in most of these departments and in connections, with some exceptions (like BME, which it has none of). If money is a big concern (you probably get little finaid as an international), then go to Rice.</p>

3

<p>Hi Colene, thank you so much for your comments! I would appreciate that you give me more information about the internship opportunities at Cornell as I am under the impression that the resources there are a bit constraint with over 13,000+ undergrads. How difficult/easy will undergraduates get internship opportunities and usually where will these opportunities are - seems like the New York state’s economy is currently at its downturn. How likely will I get jobs with a undergrad degree if I major in math/statistics/finance, and how about biology/biostatics major? What is the percentage of students go further to pursue graduate/PHD degree in the above majors? </p>

<p>Many thanks again!</p>

4

<p>I don’t think getting an internship at Cornell should be your concern. To get an internship, you have to be proactive regardless of whether you choose Cornell, Rice, or any other university. If you are interested in NYC/Wall Street, Cornell will probably provide you with better opportunities. NYC is where a lot of the people in the finance/related majors end up. Rice is great (I have siblings that went there), but I feel like Rice’s reputation is the greatest in Texas, whereas everyone knows Cornell. If money is a big issue, choose Rice. If you plan on working in another country, I would suggest choosing Cornell, since it is more know on the international level (as you mentioned).</p>

5

<p>Cornell has more of a name recognition than Rice outside of TX. Due to Cornell’s size, you will find Cornell alumni around the world, and the alumni network is very strong. When my older daughter was trying to decide between Duke, Tufts, and Cornell, the name recognition was a big factor because she could have gotten very good education from any of those schools. </p>

<p>We can’t tell you to go to the school that’s best fit for you because I assume you haven’t visited either school. But I could tell you that you probably will find more international students at Cornell, due to its size and international recognition.</p>

6

<p>Thanks for all of your comments! Do you know if it is true that in Cornell that some classes are taught by graduate students instead of the professors? Is it difficult to get access to the professors at Cornell? Given Cornell’s location, I am not convinced why Cornnel should charge the highest fee among the ivies.</p>

7

<ol>
<li><p>I never had a course taught by a grad student, I graduated from Cornell in 2011. Occasionally you might have one LECTURE taught by a grad student so they can have experience, but grad student taught courses are rare.</p></li>
<li><p>Cornell does not charge the highest tuition among the ivies…in fact, it’s on the lower end for tuition in the ivy league.</p></li>
</ol>

8

<p>If it were any other ivy, it would be a difficult decision. With Cornell though, I’d choose Rice.</p>

9

<p>Dear Nihility,</p>

<p>Thank you for your comment, could you elaborate more specifically?</p>

10

<p>Nothing to elaborate on. Nihility is an anti-Cornell ■■■■■. </p>

<p>Nihility - you don’t even go to Cornell, and I’m pretty sure you didn’t even apply. Is there a reason you hate Cornell so much? I don’t really understand. We feel the same way about your posts on our Cornell forum as you do when people post on the USC forum, for example:</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-southern-california/1306489-why-usc-ranked-so-low.html#post14052808[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-southern-california/1306489-why-usc-ranked-so-low.html#post14052808&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Post #7 is yours:</p>

<p>“*Checks profile of poster
*Sees location as “UCLA”
*Disregards post
Seriously, your post screams of anti-USC bias. At least don’t make it so blatantly obvious that you are a Bruin if you hope to denigrate your rival while maintaining some level of credibility.”</p>

<p>You’re no different then the very people you decry on your own board. Very hypocritical.</p>

11

<p>“Thanks for all of your comments! Do you know if it is true that in Cornell that some classes are taught by graduate students instead of the professors? Is it difficult to get access to the professors at Cornell? Given Cornell’s location, I am not convinced why Cornnel should charge the highest fee among the ivies.”</p>

<p>None of my classes have been taught my grad students. Grad students usually just help out with discussions, but all my lectures have been lead by professors. By the end of every semester, almost all of my professors get to know me by my name. It is NOT difficult to get access to professors at Cornell. However, you have to put in your effort to go to office hours. If you want to interact with a professor, make an appointment or go to office hours. The professor will not know you by name if you just show up to a 200 people lecture. If your class is small, then the professor will get to know your name without having to go to office hours. Language classes and upper-level classes for various majors tend to be small.</p>

12

<p>Only first year writing seminars, discussion sections, and such are led by grad students. All legitimate courses are headed by professors.</p>

13

<p>gaogao,
I had to make this tough decision this year as well, but I chose Cornell. I want to go to law or business school and possibly do consulting, so I’m more of a social science person. Cornell has better departments than Rice in everything (especially social sciences) and it has more connections if you want to go onto a more prestigious grad school, not to mention cornell law/johnson school. Rice would probably help for UT Austin Law but I’m not sure if it’s as recognized outside of the south. Cornell is recognized around the world. Don’t get me wrong, Rice is amazing too and you should maybe consider it if you were going to become a doctor, but Cornell is Cornell! Come join us!</p>

14

<p>Many years ago, I had a total of 1 course over four years taught by a grad student (my freshman writing seminar).</p>

<p>Btw, she became a famous playwrite and ended up winning a Pulitzer Prize, so not too shabby.</p>

15

<p>Well I live in Houston and hope to go to cornell. Rice is an amazing school and the campus is absolutely gorgeous but I really want to travel to another location to experience more. Rice is a very solid school and Houston is the place to be for internships/jobs.</p>

<p>It really comes down to what kind of environment you want. In Houston you have a massive city where you can take the metro rail after your classes straight to downtown for an internship. Ithaca is a small town with limited opportunities in that respect, but like other have said, its reputation is superior. I also really like the fact that the campus is surrounded by beautiful nature!</p>

16

<p>all of your comments are very helpful, I will make a list of pros and cons to make sure I do not regret in the end. thanks a lot!</p>

17

<p>Good luck with whatever you decide.</p>

18

<p>@darkice
You are right. I don’t go to Cornell, nor did I apply.
I am different from the people I decry for one important reason. I am an unbiased third party. My opinion matters precisely BECAUSE I have no tie to Cornell. I see it for what it is. The OP is trying to justify turning down better opportunities he has clearly outlined, in an effort to chase the illusion of some perception of prestige. My point is, the level of prestige a Cornell degree carries is in no way significant enough to be a factor in the equation.
If it was Harvard? Penn? Princeton? Absolutely. </p>

<p>Face the cold hard truth. Cornell is on an entirely different level than the other ivies, and I find it laughable how numerous Cornell grads cite their “ivy degree” in purely general terms, as they do not want to state the actual name of their alma mater, but would rather have it grouped in with schools of a much higher caliber. Most Yale grads, when asked where they attended college, will happily cite their “Yale education,” rather than Cornell grads who cite their “ivy education.”</p>

19

<p>^ Actually, the “cold hard truth” is that you argue as an outsider, and from a position of relative ignorance. Cornell happened to be one of the eight schools that agreed to be part of the Ivy League athletic conference when it was officially founded, well over 50 years ago. So what. Moreover, I know quite a few cornellians, and I do not know a single one who leads with (or even mentions) the Ivy League membership when they are called upon to identify their Alma Mater. It really is all in your head.</p>

20

<p>@ Nihility</p>

<p>Penn is hardly on another “level of prestige” compared to Cornell. Your anecdote is also nice, but the same could be said of Brown and Dartmouth. In fact, I bet Dartmouth and Brown (along with Cornell) have the lowest amount of “name prestige.” </p>

<hr>

<p>Anyway, as for the OP is concerned, the prestige difference between Cornell and Rice is marginal at best in the states. Maybe a slight edge to Cornell internationally. If you’re able to visit both, do that and pick the one you like the most. If not, I’d go with Rice just because there are less students.</p>