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Cornell vs. UConn (pre-med)
- Thread starter meeeesh
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if I were in your excellent situation, in which I would have "the best of both worlds," I would first look at location. Where can you picture yourself being happiest? comfortable? living expenses? convenience? ect.
If they both offer everything you want, I would just go with the FULL tuition. This may just be me, but I always thought denying money like that would be a slap in your parents faces. haha.
How much will you be actually paying if you decided to go Cornell?
If they both offer everything you want, I would just go with the FULL tuition. This may just be me, but I always thought denying money like that would be a slap in your parents faces. haha.
How much will you be actually paying if you decided to go Cornell?
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I'm denying some form of money either way, haha. As for location, Cornell is gorgeous and has Collegetown, whereas UConn's in the middle of nowhere, but is quite nice for a public school, and it's closer to home...I could be happy at either place. To be honest, I'm a bit scared to go to Cornell, just because of the reputation and the distance (4 hours isn't horrible, but still, it's a bit far).
I'd be paying ~$30,000 / year at Cornell compared to ~$13,000 / year at UConn (room and board included in both numbers). Without anything, Cornell's $55,000 / year whereas UConn's like $21,000 / year (I'm in-state).
I'd be paying ~$30,000 / year at Cornell compared to ~$13,000 / year at UConn (room and board included in both numbers). Without anything, Cornell's $55,000 / year whereas UConn's like $21,000 / year (I'm in-state).
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Cornell has great hockey. Uconn has great basketball.
But on a (more) serious note, we had two SDN regulars apply from UConn this cycle and they got into some amazing, amazing schools (think Hopkins, Mayo, WashU...) and were able to secure invites to Ivies. It doesn't matter where you go, it matters more what you do. So....try to determine which place you will "do better" at.
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I am confused....why would you be paying at UConn if you mentioned a full tuition scholarship? You should think about if you would be comfortable away from home and stuff like that. Check more into the honors program, how good it is, how students are treated etc...
Im sure either would be good choices, but in this case it should be where you want to go (if money isnt an issue)
my situation was a bit similar to yours in that i had the opportunity to either attend an ivy league university or uconn. at the end of the day, i was basically going to uconn for free (and actually got a monthly stipend), whereas i'd be paying out of my a** if i went the ivy league route.
yes it's true that uconn is in the middle of nowhere, but i felt that it offered me the best of what i wanted out of my college experience. if i wanted to study there are great places to go to get work done and if you manage your time wisely you'll never miss a party. plus it's nice to have big college sports to attend and enjoy.
at the end of the day, you gotta go where you're gonna be the most comfortable. take a weekend (without the parents preferably) and gauge the personality of the school and student body. find that right fit and have a great time.
cheers
yes it's true that uconn is in the middle of nowhere, but i felt that it offered me the best of what i wanted out of my college experience. if i wanted to study there are great places to go to get work done and if you manage your time wisely you'll never miss a party. plus it's nice to have big college sports to attend and enjoy.
at the end of the day, you gotta go where you're gonna be the most comfortable. take a weekend (without the parents preferably) and gauge the personality of the school and student body. find that right fit and have a great time.
cheers
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Waitttttttt Ithica's a solid college town whereas Storrs is the middle of nowhere? And everyone at Cornell seems to love it? Well, I'll give you the second one - you can't really hear the opinions of all the kids who killed themselves this year.
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Oh come on, that's totally being unfair to Cornell. The kids who committed suicide obviously had issues that weren't all related to going to Cornell. This should not be a factor when deciding between schools.
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I happen to to like Cornell a lot actually, and while I understand what you're trying to say I think the suicides are representative of the overall bleakness of the location at all-winter all-the-time absolutely gorges [sic] Ithica.
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If you are dead-set on medical school and do not think you are going to change your mind in a few years, then either one is fine.
Cornell has a lot more national prestige and a lot more firms recruit Cornell graduates. I worked at an investment firm at one point (in Boston) and they sent people to recruit Cornell students (and even to Stanford). Needless to say, they didn't recruit from UConn.
I went to another Ivy and that opened a lot of doors in the job market. When everyone was being laid-off in the past year, I had people calling me to ask if I was willing to quit my job and come work for them. Medical schools won't care where you went, but employers will. That said, what is most important is to go where you will do VERY well. Doing very well at UConn is much better than doing badly at Cornell.
Cornell has a lot more national prestige and a lot more firms recruit Cornell graduates. I worked at an investment firm at one point (in Boston) and they sent people to recruit Cornell students (and even to Stanford). Needless to say, they didn't recruit from UConn.
I went to another Ivy and that opened a lot of doors in the job market. When everyone was being laid-off in the past year, I had people calling me to ask if I was willing to quit my job and come work for them. Medical schools won't care where you went, but employers will. That said, what is most important is to go where you will do VERY well. Doing very well at UConn is much better than doing badly at Cornell.
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I'd go to Cornell. Ithaca is a great town, it's a great college and they have a major your interested in. Also as a fellow Connecticut resident I left for college. It's nice to spend a few years away from home to grow.
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I was in the same situation as you. I was torn between a full ride at URochester and around 10k at Cornell. If i were you I'd go to UConn. You're paying signficantly more less plus I think as a pre-medical student you'd be better off at UConn. Also 30k a year for Cornell is alot imo, and if you're thinking to save up for medschool too UConn is great + I know many people that have gone to prestigious med school graduating from UConn. The competition is far less than at Cornell and I think you'll be happier too. Best of luck!
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Depends on what the OPs long-term goals are. If it's medicine I agree with you fully; follow the money. If there is any doubt in your mind though, think twice. There are jobs that will open be open to you out of Cornell (investment banking, consulting etc.) that will not be an option out of UConn. Just some food for thought.
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Hey there,
As a graduating UConn student who turned down Cornell for college in a similar situation to you, I can absolutely guarantee that you would love it at UConn and get a great education. My friends and I here have all done well in the med school application process (UConn is respected, especially the science program and leading stem cell research), and we saved a lot of money and loved college anyway. There is nothing wrong with Cornell, obviously, but UConn will be just as good. It doesn't matter where you go to undergrad if you are planning to go to medical school - nobody will ever ask you where you went to college again once you move into medicine; instead, they'll be concerned about your medical training. If you have any questions about UConn just PM me. In terms of my own success (so you don't think I'm full of s***), I was accepted to Mayo, Hopkins, Wash U, and Yale out of UConn, and high priority waitlisted at Penn and Columbia. Med school admissions are pretty random, but every single year UConn sends multiple students to the Top 10 schools. The Honors Program is fantastic and feels like a family. You can't go wrong. Alright, hope this helps!
~Nerday
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I'm currently a med student I suggest the following:
[1] Go to a school where it would be easiest to get As in your pre-med courses.
I'm thinking that at Cornell this will be more difficult. Your GPA is a big deal; and the admission counselors don't care whether you have an A from a local university or from Cornell. Don't worry you won't be missing anything out by being in a super cut-throat school.
[2] Go to the cheapest school
The reason for this is that current medical school cost is about $200k for the 4 years. So you want to minimize your undergrad dept as much as possible.
[1] Go to a school where it would be easiest to get As in your pre-med courses.
I'm thinking that at Cornell this will be more difficult. Your GPA is a big deal; and the admission counselors don't care whether you have an A from a local university or from Cornell. Don't worry you won't be missing anything out by being in a super cut-throat school.
[2] Go to the cheapest school
The reason for this is that current medical school cost is about $200k for the 4 years. So you want to minimize your undergrad dept as much as possible.
