Cornell CAS vs Dartmouth

TKsmom
Sun, 18 Jul 2010 11:35:48 +0000

My D was accepted at both chose Cornell because she now wants engineering. When she applied to both she was really undecided. Cornell has a stronger and more varied engineering program. Both had great undergrad biology programs although Cornell’s has more variety.

I also think it depends on what you are looking for. At Dartmouth, the classes are much smaller and there is more one on one attention with your profs especially in your first 2 years. The student body is smaller too–so you can be on sports teams even if you are not a top athlete. You don’t feel like a number in a crowd. At Cornell, there is more competition for spots on the athletic teams because there are more students. Having more students gives you more options for clubs, sports, social events, etc.

Cornell is a much larger school and is a research university so there are lots of opportunities to do research if that interests you. You will have more large classes in your first 2 years at Cornell vs Dartmouth.

Dartmouth was rated #1 in undergraduate teaching. They hire professors that love to teach. Research is not a main focus there like it is at Cornell. But you will have tons of access to your professors which is neat too. Students have dinner and coffee with their profs a lot and I hear that profs notice if you miss class and will email you about why you are not there.

I think both schools are amazing. My D is very independent and would be successful at either school but fell in love with all of the great opportunities in the engineering program at Cornell.

I was actually rooting for Dartmouth until she decided that engineering was her thing. I would have gone there if I was choosing because I would have enjoyed all of the interactions with the professors. I also think Dartmouth is great if you are undecided as you will have frequent contact with professors who can offer you guidance and you are not committed in a certain college like you are at Cornell. The quarter system at Dartmouth allows you to take more classes each year so you can figure out what you like (althouth that also means more finals!). You can have faculty interaction at Cornell too, but you have to seek it out a bit more and if you change majors say from Engineering to Biology, it may require you to transfer colleges which can be difficult depending on grades, etc.

Both schools have great outdoor programs and are in beautiful settings. I also think that Dartmouth had a strong international study program and really encourages students to study abroad.

Dartmouth is on the quarter system and had the D plan which is unique and lends itself to some nice internship opportunities. But, at Cornell, if you want to do research, there are tons of opportunities even as a freshman. Cornell is on semesters. I also think that Dartmouth requires you to be fluent in a foreign language upon graduation. At Cornell, it depends on the college you are attending.

In short, Dartmouth is more like a liberal arts college and Cornell is more like a large research universtiy. Both provide an excellent education. You have to figure out which way you prefer to learn and also look at who has the best program for your areas of interest.

Good luck!