History of Art Major - The department here for my possible major is well regarded, but they do not offer any Asian, African, or Pre-historic courses. The approach is very Eurocentric and lopsided in my view</p>
<li><p>Scholarly disposition - This school is (in)FAMOUS for being the mecca for pre-meds. Everyone is wrapped up in the pretention of their orgo and neuroscience classes. I wish I were in an environment with a more diverse array of interests… and maybe some people who are more interested in the here and now rather than the prospect of getting into med school … mind you, we’re freshmen. Med-school is 4 years away and this is their focus. It’s also kind of drab to be in humanities classes with the pre-meds who don’t want to be there but need to fill the requirement - I’d love to be in classes with people who are genuinely excited about what they’re learning… or at least respecting the subject. English is not “fluffy” if you take it seriously! </p></li>
<li><p>Social/ school spirit - So, since everyone is slaving in the library, it’s hard to find people who are willing to put down the books on a Saturday and go have fun. I’m not at all a party girl, but… Saturday? One day a week! Everyone seems very wrapped up in their own work and there isn’t a great sense of school spirit. I’m friendly with some guys on the soccer team and no one ever goes to their games and they’ve been having a really good season. It’s kind of sad. I was hoping to be in a college environment where everyone is supportive and willing to explore and have a good time</p></li>
</ol>
<p>I just don’t think it’s all that exciting and I’ve found that a lot of the kids here just aren’t that interesting or passionate – just driven (there is a subtle, yet important difference).</p>
<p>With this information, I was hoping that you could help me hash out the pros and cons of each university and aid me in making the most informed decision regarding where I may find greater happiness. Let’s put the prestige factor on the back-burner. Cornell (CAS) or UPenn (CAS)?</p>
<p>my personal feelings about cornell and penn are that they are pretty similar schools in every way except physical environment. penn might be a little bit more preprofessional, but marginally. in terms of school spirit, cornell gets excited for hockey, but from what i hear, penn students get into going to franklin field or the palestra for games (two historic on-campus stadiums)</p>
<p>In the words of a Cornell student, the environment there is ‘academically masochistic’ and lives up to Cornell’s reputation inasmuch as it is statistically the easiest Ivy to which to gain admission and the most difficult from which to graduate. Aside from Penn having far more opportunities for a musician such as myself, Penn’s relatively laid back vibe and location were also enormous factors for my decision. Cornell is equally prestigious (spare me the ***<em>ing contests/minutiae of several rank spots), but its isolated locale and massive student body combined with the idea of spending weekends holed up in libraries were enough to bump it off of my final college list. Penn is in Philadelphia and thus gives you access to countless museums, theatres, and of course the Philadelphia Orchestra - Duh! *grins</em> </p>
<p>That said, you should seriously and objectively evaluate your career and academic goals and weigh the offerings of each school that concern you (whilst noting the campus/off-campus environment, naturally). Forgive the clich</p>
<p>Pros
-Ithaca, as I grew up in NYC and may want some rural experience, get away from the hustle
-Strong campus social scene (hockey and greek life)
-Already have a core group of friends</p>
<p>Cons
-Grade deflation reputation, similar to my current university, not that it stopped me from getting a great GPA
-It can be freezing cold (Uggs and ski parkas)
-Everyone seems to think I’m crazy turning down Penn (Manhattanites love to bash Cornell)</p>
<p>UPENN</p>
<p>Pros
-Philadelphia, and thus lots of museums and opportunities for a History of Art student
-Amtrak makes travel easy
-Super-network, especially considering my aspiration for law school, though this factor seems negligible </p>
<p>Cons
-It’s hard to explain, but for me UPenn’s social crowd appears to be like high school all over again (NYC prep school scene transplanted at UPenn)
-Social life not focused on the campus, as students venture out into the city</p>
<hr>
<p>So maybe someone can dispel myth… I hear that Cornell is fun from some people, and that it’s a grind from others. If I was able to manage a 3.85 at another school known for grade deflation (Top 15), would I be working even harder at Cornell? Also, at UPenn, as someone OUTSIDE of the NYC scene, do you observe that crowd as dominant? Or could I branch out?</p>
<p>over my frosh year at cornell, i didnt witness what people call “grade deflation.” i dont think cornell has “grade deflation” in the sense that professors give lower grades just so people dont get A’s. what it really is, in my opinion, is that cornell prides itself on giving you a ton of work. which tends to lower peoples grades because people don’t like doing tons of work lol. but if you do it, and do it well, you will get A’s. </p>
<p>Even though you’re coming from a good school, I would suspect Cornell will give you more work than what you already have…just because, like i said, cornell profs pride themselves on that.</p>
<p>And to answer your question about cornell being fun vs. cornell being a grind. from what i observed, its a grind for most people. the only people who arent feeling stressed out are human development, AEM, DEA, communications, ILR…those types of majors. people will tell you art history will be easy (theyre most likely stuck up engineers and premeds), but theyre wrong…many of the liberal arts subjects are pretty tough.</p>
<p>i know that there’s a big contingency of nyc prep school kids at any top university… that crowd at penn, however, has access to city life, clubbing, exorbitant spending, etc. at cornell everyone is generally confined to college town and frats, so there isn’t as big of a social split. </p>
<p>anyone have experience at upenn? is what i explained above a dominant culture? or do i just have myopic manhattan vision? </p>
<p>Does Cornell have an in-depth program – Art History? Sadly a lot of American programs discard the influences of Non European art and only include “non-primitive” eurocentric pieces. Anyways, Cornell’s legendary grade deflation is only usually valid in the sciences and engineering. I doubt you would find deflation in an Art History major? </p>
<p>I think you’ll get the same quality of education at either school. What you want to know is how much you’ll like each school personally and I think that can only be answered by visits and research.</p>
<p>Good luck. It’s an amazing choice to be making.</p>
<p>thanks for all the feedback! it is a really tough choice… i’m leaning one way, but i’m going to visit both schools within the next week to be certain.</p>