<p>I’m so sorry to resurrect this thread. I’ve been a member of CC since 2004, and rarely comment, unless I feel that my two cents is definitely needed.</p>
<p>To think that Cornell is “less regarded among the elite” is as obnoxious as it is ignorant. Cornell has top flight programs in the liberal arts, architecture, hotel administration, applied economics and mangement (business), industrial and labor relations, human services-related disciplines, agriculture, and engineering available for undergraduates. (Don’t get me started on Cornell’s superior offerings for graduate students). So, my question becomes, Why would someone be so naive and childish to create a thread like this? </p>
<p>Chicago2014baby, I appreciate the enthusiasm that you have for the school you currently attend. I have always been an advocate for the University of Chicago because, like Cornell, it is an amazing university. However, whether you feel comfortable with this fact, or not, Cornell and U of Chicago are equals. </p>
<p>Believe it or not, back in the fall of 2004, when I was applying to colleges, the University of Chicago was not in the top 10 in USNWR. It was, sadly, either tied with Cornell, or ranked below Cornell. This is important to mention because after being a member on College Confidential for almost 7 years, it’s interesting to see the shift that has happened with high school students/young undergrads on this site as far as their “views” on certain institutions. Chicago, which was once considered “the slums of the elite” 7 years ago on College Confidential and considered a safety for ALL Ivies, is now considered to be a “hot” choice among “the new generation” of this site. I’m not kidding at all. Students on CC in 2004, 2005, & 2006 “looked down their noses upon” anyone who even thought to consider the University of Chicago over the Ivy League, Stanford, MIT, Cal Tech and Duke. It was not until the University of Chicago shot into the Top 10 a few years ago that high school seniors on CC started thinking differently about the university.</p>
<p>Again, I’ve always been an advocate for the University of Chicago in addition to Duke, Stanford, Northwestern, The Ivy League, Cal Tech, MIT, Michigan, Berkeley, and many, MANY additional institutions of higher education. However, it irks me when I read a comment from a college freshman who naively tries to implement a hierarchy among prestigious schools to justify his/her decision to attend one school over another. We could debate all day: Brown v. Dartmouth, Dartmouth v. Cornell, Cornell v. Columbia, Columbia v. Duke, Duke v. UPENN, UPENN v. Northwestern, etc. At the end of the day, just know that your 2.7 gpa from the University of Chicago will NOT be viewed more highly than a 2.7 from Cornell; it’ll be the same.</p>