Hello everyone,
I am very fortunate to have been accepted to these schools. However, I’m super torn between them and would love some advice from those of you who have any experience with these fantastic institutions. I hope to study something along the lines of Computer Science, Economics and Business but I’m not too sure.
My first dilemma is the decision between Duke and Cornell SHA (the more traditional routes relative to Minerva):
I like Duke because it seems to have a great balance between social life, sport and academics. I probably would join an SLG (Selective Living Group), which is basically half way between a frat and nothing. You get the partying without the hazing etc. I am in Trinity College currently and would most likely major in Computer Science or Economics. Although, I am also interested in I don’t care too much about the basketball scene because I’m from the UK, but it is a plus given its so big and fun there. However, I am athletic and play water polo (which Duke and Cornell both have at a club level).
Cornell, on the other hand, would be a more business route for me entering into the School of Hotel Administration. I would remain there for a semester, and then depending on how much I like it would potentially transfer out of SHA into engineering or something for CS. I could also remain in SHA and settle for a minor in CS which I could eventually turn into a major. The reason I applied to SHA is because I have experience in the hotel and restaurant industry, and heard it is harder to transfer in than out. Do any Cornell students know if this is true? How hard is it to transfer into engineering? At Cornell I’d definitely join a frat (given they don’t have SLGs and I’m a social guy).
I know Cornell tends to have a higher ranked computer science department than Duke (especially with the new tech campus in Manhattan) and the SHA is definitely a business program to be reckoned with. The weather also doesn’t really bother me much (although the travel out to Ithaca does). Both schools I think have a decent entrepreneurship scene (also something I hope to engage with at university), but Duke I think takes the lead slightly in those regards given it is in the research triangle and has hackduke, the bullpen etc. Duke is also ranked slightly higher in most US University tables (e.g. Times Higher Education).
Then, once I make the decision between those, comes Minerva. Most of you probably won’t know much about the school and will question why I’m considering such a school versus Duke and Cornell, both T20 schools. But hear me out.
Minerva has a 1.2% acceptance rate this year, making it one of the most selective universities in the world. Hence, why I hope the students there will be world class (I’ve heard from some of them that they turned down Princeton/Harvard/Stanford for it). I am amazed to have been accepted. It is a unique opportunity to travel to 7 different cities during my education (San Fransisco, Seoul, Hyderabad, Berlin, Buenos Aires, London and Taipei) with roughly 200 other kids, making it a very tightly-knit community hopefully. They have a computer science and business major I could take along with their specialised critical thinking first-year curriculum that sounds pretty cool and it is nearly half of the price of Duke or Cornell (although I am fortunate enough so that money is not a huge concern).
However, I am still concerned about taking such a leap of faith. The school hasn’t had a graduating class yet. It is extremely international (85%, which is neither good nor bad for me, just different). Minerva lacks any sort of campus life. All opportunities you have to spend the time creating for yourself through the cities you live in (which may be hard in a foreign country you don’t speak the language of) and the rest of your day, aside from the supposedly very intensive, all-online classes, is most likely spent doing tasks like cooking etc. (which would otherwise be spent learning at Duke/Cornell). Overall, there simply isn’t any sort of traditional college experience available, which I’ve always seen myself engaging with.
The thing about Minerva though, is that if I do choose to turn it down, it may always be at the back of my mind that I turned down a potentially incredible experience that would have changed my life. It is also essentially an ed-tech startup, a field that I am very passionate about.
So there it is. The dilemma of my life right now. I’d really appreciate any advice, insight or information any of the CC community can provide.
Thanks a lot!