<p>I'm just wondering that if the education in any major in any ivy is all top notch, what differences are there between the ivies...what distinguishes them from one another? The students who go there are the same type anyways so how do you know what to choose?</p>
<p>The students there are not the same type. maybe you should do more research? each school has their own personality. Like brown is full of hippy type people for me, princeton the preppy, and penn is known as the party school of the ivies. They're all different.</p>
<p>Warblerrules saved a description of all of them. They are very different.</p>
<p>what's preppy?
anyways...I'm interested in darthmouth and princeton...can you tell me like..generally what types of students go there...</p>
<p>Dartmouth - Referred to as princeton without the pretention. There are many subsects of students, such as outdoorsy, "hippy", urban, jock, etc but its a mix. The students overall could be considered fun-loving, laid-back, friendly, outgoing, etc. The frats scene is also pretty diverse (many types of houses), but there are some dominant "jock" frats.</p>
<p>Princeton - More social elitism due to the eating clubs, but a diverse campus. Many subsects of students, but the dominant social vibe is more on the preppy side.</p>
<p>Dartmouth is the heaviest drinking school. The most conservative of the ives.</p>
<p>Brown-Brown students are unique in that they tend to have a flair for everything they do. I can't really describe it, but it certainly is not the typical image of an ivy league student. You'll have to see it for yourself. Brown's major selling point is its lack of an open curriculum, a great aspect if you feel like a core curriculum would hold you down. There are requirements for a degree, but other than those, you can take absolutely anything you want, and you can even take any and all of your classes S/NC (pass/fail). You can add a class during the first 15 days of the semester, after that it costs 15 bucks. You can drop a class up until the last day of classes (if you're doing really poorly in a class and don't want it to blemish your record). The professors are very easy to approach. The people you share your day to day life with come from varied backgrounds but are admitted on the same standards as you; you won't find too many cookie cutter, valedictorian shut-in types here. Everybody is dynamic, and it makes for a very, very fun and ambitious student body.</p>
<p>Columbia (courtesy of slipper)- Academically, Columbia is about the core first and foremost. Its a great academic experience (the 'cocktail party education' since you seem to study almost all the great western works). It also ends up forming a community since you take the same class with the same 20 students for the entire year. In other academic areas Columbia offers a broad range of classes (like Hindi for example), but in the feeder class areas (such as pre-med and calculus) the classes are huge and the operationis factory-like. For those going into very specific areas and are willing to do part time internships (fashion, music), the NYC advantage is there. For everyone else Columbia recruiting is no better than the other Ivies.</p>
<p>Socially, Columbia is a city school. Most columbia students are a more intense, urban breed who are very willing to trade on campus parties for going out downtown or socializing in smaller groups. The West End is a decent college bar, but its nothing compared to the party scene at the social ivies (Dartmouth, Penn, Princeton, Brown). Columbia is great for an independent student who wants NYC culture and is a little intense. Like any school there is some community - Carman Hall is a first year hall and John Jay is a first year dining hall, but after this the dorms and dining experience is much less social. Columbia students also don't seem to be out to help everyone, its a much more cliquey scene. Columbia is strict about parties in the dorms and since it students don't have houses, you miss out on the laid back house parties that are prevelant at almost every school. Its also a big university, so its not like you know everyone. The library is quiet and filled with is unlike the social libraries at the other ivies (it used to be very social until a few years ago). If you are a person seeking community, big festivals, and like to see a bunch of people you know on the weekends all the other Ivies are better options. If you don't care about the community aspects as much and want to find amazingly talented people in a more intense environment Columbis is the perfect ivy.</p>
<p>Cornell-The work is very tough but not meaningless. Cornell is not a walk in the park, but Cornell graduates, especially in some fields (engineering, hotel, AEM, ILR, etc.) are among the most sought after in the country, even above many of the other ivies. Cornell students consistently gain acceptence into the most elite medical, law, and business schools. And employers constantly turn to Cornell because they are looking for motivated, well-trained individuals to lead their companies into the future. Cornell students do work hard, but they play even harder. Don't think that just because you are going to a reputable school you will be a slave to your classes. Cornell students, even in the most labor-intensive of majors, still find time to do whatever they want. On weekends, Cornell comes alive with an intensity not usually seen outside of state schools. If you think that you will be sacrificing your social life when you come here, you are in for a big surprise. From hockey games to concerts to the massive parties which draw students by the hundreds, they all find a way to blow off steam and have a great time. </p>
<p>Dartmouth (courtesy of slipper)- Most Dartmouth students are incredibly friendly and open, and its easy to communicate with them. There is actually a lot to do, and people seem to enjoy random fun things such as road trips, jumping in the river, fun parties, etc. The place always has something going on. The student body is very tight, and it is amazing how people will go freely between frats and other places as compared to many other schools. The campus is beautiful, especially in the summer and winter. Students take advantage of this by going hiking, skiing, etc. The school also breeds a sense of coziness, and things like drinking hot chocolate with some friends by a fireplace in a dorm on a random night happen all the time. It's a place that breeds intellectual curious students, many of whom really get to know and appreciate each other. The professors are truly amazing and the opportunities such as grants, study abroad, etc are endless. The only thing I could say negative is that most Dartmouth students are relatively social and outgoing, so there is a tendency for some students to conform vs. other places. Also, some of the frats are jock-dominated, then again there are others that are not. All of the community aspects at Dartmouth end up serving graduates tremendously well. The school's alumni are ready and willing to help out to extrordinary measures in a variety of fields ranging from entertainment to private equity. Also, graduate placement is outstanding and Dartmouth is one of the best in the world at placing graduates into top programs and jobs.</p>
<p>Harvard-The school with the name. Out of the students who get into Harvard, the ones who choose to go seem to be highly motivated by the status that the name brings, and they seem to lose motivation once in Cambridge. The friends I have here feel swept under the rug. Although it certainly has many top name professors, many of these professors are teaching at the graduate schools, while the avg. undergrad class size is the largest out of HYP, and its undergrad program is generally considered to be below the other top ivies.</p>
<p>Princeton-Atmosphere is highly intellectual, but students are down to earth. The school supports undergraduates moreso than the other ivies. Because the students mostly seem to have chosen the school based on qualitative, rather than reputational, factors, the student body remains very academically motivated, while at many other similarly prestigious schools, students are known to slack off and rely on the easy grading scales. Opens lots of doors for grad school and research opportunities because the school is known to take an active role in helping to advise/guide/find opportunities for its students. </p>
<p>Yale-People are very hardworking, and they love to learn. They're competitive with themselves, if that makes any sense. They challenge themselves, want to improve, etc., but without a cutthroat atmosphere. People generally seemed very happy and friendly. I'm not sure it's a communal effort; yes they help each other at times, but it's also very independent.</p>
<p>MIT-A school with genuine, hard-working students with a true passion for the sciences. Contains some of the world's top math/ sciences geniuses and has won the Putnam math competition many times. You have to be genuinely brillant (scientifically) to get into MIT, because admissions doesn't put as much weight on non-science extracurriculars, athletics, family fame, etc. Because of the hellish work load, people tend to be less egotistical and more collaborative. Although Princeton and Harvard are competitive in the theoretical sciences, MIT tends to have an edge in engineering and applied science.</p>
<p>Penn does not have a description because the schools are so different- Wharton and CAS, for example.</p>
<p>KSolow - The drinking part yes, the conservative part not really anymore. Dartmouth might be more conservative than Columbia or Penn, but its 80% liberal vs. 85% liberal. And the conervatives are largely the libertarian types that seem to be the dominant conservative voice at all the Ivies. In 2004 over 80% of voting Dartmouth students voted for Kerry.</p>
<p>Warbler, I agree with most of your post except a few points.</p>
<ol>
<li>Yale is competitive and it's the most aristocratic Ivy. </li>
<li>Penn and Wharton, though different, still have a description of being a preppy and party school.</li>
<li>A bit Cornell biased, you can say what you said about any of the Ivies and it would be even more true. Cornell's best summary is "easiest to get in, hardest to stay in" of the Ivies. It's engineering program is what it's known for, the rest of its programs are so-so comparatively (except hotel/agriculture/etc.).</li>
</ol>
<p>I realized I was all too ready to point out Columbia's flaws but avoided Dartmouth's. Side note: overall its the best college experience ever, but...</p>
<p>Biggest Dartmouth flaws?<br>
- Too much jock dominance. Sure there are other frats and the social scene is diverse, but unlike a place like Columbia the jocks are the "cool kids". Not always true, but often true. You can totally avoid these scenes though.
- Not ethnically cliquey - i.e. kids usually hang out with everyone, not just their race. Good in many ways, bad in others.<br>
- Hanover sucks compared to a place like Thayer Street at Brown or even a place like Cambridge. Too old-people oriented. Conversely, who cares, so much is happening on campus.</p>
<p>On a side note- my biggest regret on CC, why the hell did I put slipper as my username. It kept rejecting all my usernames so in a burst of idiocy I typed the first thing I saw...whoops.</p>
<p>so if I want to do engineering AND to have a fun social life AND (if possible) make loads of money when I graduate...where do I choose between darthmouth and princeton?</p>
<p>First off, both of these colleges have a good chance of guaranteeing you a good job and salary. However if you are really focused on that, perhaps MIT or Stanford would've been a better choice.</p>
<p>I would say the difference in social life is neglible so I would pick Princeton because of its prestige.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Harvard-The school with the name. Out of the students who get into Harvard, the ones who choose to go seem to be highly motivated by the status that the name brings, and they seem to lose motivation once in Cambridge. The friends I have here feel swept under the rug. Although it certainly has many top name professors, many of these professors are teaching at the graduate schools, while the avg. undergrad class size is the largest out of HYP, and its undergrad program is generally considered to be below the other top ivies.
[/quote]
So completely wrong it's laughable</p>
<p>I think the warblersrule86 description of Cornell is right on the money and in fact very Cornell specific:</p>
<p>
[quote]
Cornell comes alive with an intensity not usually seen outside of state schools. If you think that you will be sacrificing your social life when you come here, you are in for a big surprise
[/quote]
</p>
<p>
[quote]
employers constantly turn to Cornell because they are looking for motivated, well-trained individuals
[/quote]
</p>
<p>This, on the other hand, is hogwash</p>
<p>
[quote]
the rest of its programs are so-so comparatively
[/quote]
</p>
<p>If you are interested in a top notch engineering program and also want to have fun, then Cornell is definately a place you want to check out.</p>
<p>Hey, don't attack me, bandit! I just compiled what other people said. If you don't agree with what I posted, feel free to post a description that you feel better fits Harvard. :) All of them were written by current students at these schools (which, AcceptedtoCollege, you are not) except the Harvard one.</p>
<p>Wharf, your post made me laugh.</p>
<p>You quote "the rest of its programs are so-so comparatively" as hogwash and then you support it by saying "if you are interested in a top notch engineering program....".</p>
<p>First off, WHAT IVY LEAGUE SCHOOL doesn't have valued and recruited students? Recruiters constantly turn to EVERY IVY and in fields besides engineering, they turn to the other Ivies more! I'm telling you that in fields besides engineering, Cornell is a bit avg COMPARED to the other Ivies. Cornell is usually seen as the "safetY" Ivy as it is the easiest to get in (check stats if you don't believe me). </p>
<p>Lastly, you will not "sacrifice" your social life but Cornell does have the worst social life out of the 8 Ivies.</p>
<p>Cornell is very strong in many fields. Check the facts before you post. Wharf is a Cornell alum and more qualified to judge Cornell's strengths than a Carnegie Mellon freshman. Anyway, Columbia arguably has the worst social scene, although the proximity of NYC somewhat alleviates that.</p>
<p>ATCA,</p>
<p>I only mention engineering because that is what the OP is interested in. If they were interested in Government, Economics, History, English, Psychology, etc... I would have said the same thing.</p>
<p>I can only base the fun opinion on my own experience. I had a blast at Cornell. I recently saw a pal who went to Yale and we were reminiscing about college and he remarked with some jealously that "you guys always seemed to be having more fun there at Cornell." Anecdotal yes, but true from my perspective.</p>
<p>As for admit rate equaling quality of programs I think you've got some bad logic there.</p>
<p>Lastly, what evidence do you have that there is MORE recruitment going on at the other Ivies?</p>
<p>"Cornell is very strong in many fields. Check the facts before you post. Wharf is a Cornell alum and more qualified to judge Cornell's strengths than a Carnegie Mellon freshman. Anyway, Columbia arguably has the worst social scene, although the proximity of NYC somewhat alleviates that."</p>
<p>Um.. maybe that's why he is BIASED? I did more research on Cornell than most of its students and I was accepted (though this means nothing). If anything, I'd be MORE qualified to judge its rep. as an alumni is not really as connected or updated with the current situation (not to mention the unbiased part).
Wharf: Cornell is very strong as a school, but we are comparing it to OTHER IVIES. I applied for its Econ program and it was a great choice for me as I know it is prestigious and reputable. </p>
<p>Evidence? Look at the survey post-grad for Wharton and HYP. I am not insulting Cornell's programs at all but I am saying that its major strength is in engineering rather than say... business/pre-med/etc (when compared to other Ivies). </p>
<p>I am not saying it is the worst Ivy at all either. I am saying the admit rate gives it the summary of "easiest to get in, hardest to stay in." </p>
<p>Lastly, look at yield. Cornell does lose cross-applicants to other Ivies (except maybe Brown? I'd have to check on that).</p>