<p>Which one is a better choice if admitted to both and why?</p>
<p>I think that if we’re talking Arts and Sciences at Cornell, academically they’re probably pretty much equal. Chicago has the reputation of being really intense and difficult, but Cornell has a similar one of being quite difficult and stressful.</p>
<p>So I’d say that the differences are more in their environment than in their academic quality. Cornell is much bigger and more rural, whereas Chicago is smaller, less research-focused, and urban.</p>
<p>Personally, I’d choose Cornell only because I really didn’t like Chicago’s campus or the students I met when I visited. They seemed very hipsterish on the whole, whereas Cornell’s is much more varied. The side effect of Cornell’s size and varied student body is, of course, that you run the risk of the student body being very clique-y. But I think I’d be happier at Cornell because even though neither school is on my list there’s more variety of people at Cornell, so I’d be able, with some work, to fit in.</p>
<p>As t_c points out, the physical settings are very different. Many people consider Chicago’s Gothic architecture quite beautiful, though. That’s a matter of personal taste. However, if you have a strong preference either for city lights, or for outdoor recreation, the choice is pretty clear.</p>
<p>Cornell has professional and vocational schools, including programs in architecture, engineering, communications and agriculture. The Ivy League college of arts and sciences coexists with a state land grant university. The university’s historic mission was, in part, to address the practical need for skilled knowledge workers at the height of America’s industrial revolution. ([History](<a href=“http://landgrant.cornell.edu/cu/cms/landgrant/history.cfm]History[/url]”>http://landgrant.cornell.edu/cu/cms/landgrant/history.cfm)</a>).</p>
<p>Like Cornell, Chicago was founded in the late 19th century as a modern research university. However, its mission focused more exclusively on knowledge discovery in the arts and sciences (based on the philosophy that knowledge enriches life, regardless of practical applications.) I hear that a tee shirt popular on campus proclaims, “That’s fine in practice, but it will never work in theory” (or some such). It is a very self-consciously intellectual place with an undergraduate curriculum focused strictly on the liberal arts.</p>
<p>If you’re in the college of arts and sciences at Cornell, I’m not sure how much this distinction really matters to you. It probably does affect the campus atmosphere, and may account for differences t_c noticed in the students.</p>
<p>I’d choose Chicago. I’m an economics major and U Chicago has a strong focus in economics.</p>
<p>hands U Chi has an undergrad population of around 4,000. The classes are seminars of 18 for the most part. They are more famous for the grad schools, but the undergrad is amazing, but known for how hard it is, and how the students are grinds.</p>
<p>Cornell is huge.</p>
<p>Do you like urban or rural?</p>
<p>Chi is a GREAT TOWN. CORNELL is college town!!</p>
<p>^ Cornell’s College of Arts & Sciences has about 4100 students (approximately the same as Chicago). I think their student:faculty ratios are close, too. Comparing actual class sizes can get tricky, first because Chicago does not seem to put a Common Data Set online, and second, because you may have to tease out any numbers from outside Cornell’s CAS, in case they distort the overall averages for applicants only interested in the CAS. I’d be interested to see some good data on this (with cited sources). Maybe list-meister hawkette knows.</p>
<p>“Which one is a better choice if admitted to both and why?”</p>
<p>We need to know something about you before recommending with any basis.</p>
<p>I went to Chicago, but Cornell was on my list of schools to apply to if early decision did not come through. They are both tops academically, but you may be able to distinguish based on the particular fields that you are considering. Cornell’s location was a huge negative to me. Chicago’s intellectual atmosphere was a huge positive. I would say that it comes down to personal preferences. On weekends, would you rather go to downtown Chicago, or would attending football games be a big priority?</p>
<p>I’d choose Chicago.</p>
<p>I’d choose Chicago - it’s smaller, I’m a fan of the city itself, it’s in the Midwest, and has less of a research focus.</p>
<p>I would have said that UChicago is stronger in research, being in the top ten of many fields for undergrads earning future PhDs.</p>
<p>“… would attending football games be a big priority”
understandable confusion, “Big Red” means Cornell in this case though, not Nebraska. </p>
<p>They do have football games though, and some people do go, if it’s nice out, they’re trying not to do their work & they don’t have something better to do.
I went to half of one myself.</p>
<p>But mostly this would be a “big priority” to people who are on the football team. I suppose there’s a subset of others that actually care. maybe.</p>
<p>It’s a very diverse university, moreso than Chicago I imagine. Chicago is 100% an arts & sciences college, Cornell has seven undergraduate colleges, only 1/3 of undergrads there are enrolled in the Arts & Sciences college. Due to the presence of these varied programs of study, the breadth and depth of what one can learn there is amazing. Many people wind up selecting courses offered at several of the colleges there, not just one.</p>
<p>while Cornell CAS has conventional distribution requirements, Chicago has a core curriculum I believe. Don’t know details.</p>
<p>Cornell is a campus-centered experience in a college town, the world there revolves around students. Chicago is a great city.</p>
<p>I know two local kids who had that decision to make last year. Both chose Chicago. Both liked the “life of the mind,” intellectual vibe at Chicago. Both also much preferred the urban campus to the Upstate college town environment. You really can’t go wrong either way. It really comes down to which one you feel is a better fit for your personality and academic interests. Engineering students and future hotel impressarios, among others, would most likely prefer Cornell.</p>
<p>Put it this way: I know a lot of students at both! For some, one is by far and away a better fit than the other, and for some, the schools are nearly identical. (For example, friends who were looking at strong physics programs or East Asian Languages programs.) A quick visit will let you know which one is right for you-- asking here is like asking whether we prefer cookies n’ creme or chocolate chocolate chip. How is a straw poll going to determine which one is better for YOU?</p>
<p>And before we stereotype too too much, let’s remember that Chicago has frats and athletes; Cornell has Risley Hall and West Campus. The schools contain some overlap in personalities and some overlap in applicants.</p>
<p>If you have more questions on specific Cornell/Chicago comparisons, PM me.</p>
<p>“Cornell has Risley Hall and West Campus.”</p>
<p>It does indeed. </p>
<p>West campus, in current incarnation, is home to a bunch of “theme dorms” for sophomores, which as far as I’m aware do not necessarily attract a single particular personality type other than the type of personality who wants to live in dorms sophomore year instead of living off-campus. </p>
<p>Risley Hall is the traditional housing of choice for artists and architects, and fellow travelers. I am not aware that U Chicago even has artists and architects.Though they may well have fellow travelers. “Future academic” types (if that’s what you mean) at Cornell are widely distributed there all over, not particularly moreso at West campus or Risley, as far as I know or recall. FWIW.</p>
<p>
Predictably, for me (and others) it is precisely the opposite. I absolutely love Cornell’s comparatively isolated location and small town feel.</p>
<p>I love Chicago, but I think I would love it more if it were situated elsewhere. I feel that way about several top universities, for that matter.</p>
<p>Add financial aid to the list of considerations. Cornell is perhaps the least wealthy of the Ivies (except Brown), but Chicago can also be, shall we say nicely, less than generous in their distribution of financial aid.</p>
<p>What do you want to major in or study??? That is really important when answering this question.</p>
<p>^ Agree completely that it depends a lot on what you want to study. For engineering, Cornell’s a no-brainer. Arts & sciences, they’re really quite comparable in many fields, but I’d say Chicago has a decisive edge in the social sciences. Its Anthropology, Econ, and Sociology faculties are at or very near the top of their respective disciplines, and Poli Sci and History are certainly in the top 10 nationally. Not to say Cornell is weak in the social sciences by any means, but Chicago is just stellar.</p>
<p>If you are a ranking-whore you would choose #8 Chicago over number #15 Cornell. If you are planning on going to work for IB, Chicago has more edge than Cornell. If you are planning on working outside of the US, Chicago has better name recognition than Cornell. If you like to party scene, Cornell definitly beats out Chicago.</p>
<p>RE: #19:</p>
<p>1) US News Rankings 2000- 2007
Chicago 13 10 9 12 13 14 15 9
Cornell 11 10 14 14 14 14 13 12 </p>
<p>Go ahead, make a college selection based on that level of distinction.
But bear in mind that Cornell’s “ranking” reflects a composite of 7 different undergraduate colleges there, not its Arts & sciences college on its own. Its various colleges have different missions, programs of study, and admissions profiles. Chicago only has an arts & sciences college.</p>
<p>2) regarding IB, that is definitely true at the level of MBA hiring, however my experience w/undergrad hires was exactly the opposite during my 12 years on Wall Street. Cornell was better represented than Chicago among undergrad analyst hires at my firm. </p>
<p>3) re: international reputation, I don’t know about that either. For one thing, Cornell’s reputation in fields like Agriculture, Engineering and Architecture are also of significance overseas. Its alumni include former heads of state of Iran, Taiwan, Cuba and Thailand, and ambassadors to the US from Singapore and China.</p>