ED to Duke vs. Penn vs. Cornell

bluedog
Thu, 14 Jul 2011 13:02:34 +0000

All great schools. Essentially the same in level of prestige, although Cornell is known as the biggest historical engineering powerhouse of the three. I personally chose Duke engineering over UPenn (BME), although it was a close #2 for me and I really like UPenn.

Similarities: similar quality of students, prestige, known as having good social atmospheres, all have Greek systems that are prominent but not overwhelming, similar career prospects

Differences: Cornell is cold and isolated but good for those who like hiking/outdoorsy stuff (skiing nearby?), UPenn is a bit warmer and in West Philly (Philly is a great city, some find west side “sketchy,” but I personally like it), Duke has the nicest weather and has a sprawling campus that feels more suburban in a medium-sized city.

Some prefer being in a more urban environment…others do not. It’s personal preference. For me, I figured the vast majority of time is spent on campus anyways, so having a great campus was more important. In addition, while being in a major city like Philly is great, you can’t take full advantage of the bars/clubs/nightlife anyways since everywhere cards (unless you and all your friends have fakes). On the other hand, a city like Durham obviously has to cater to the college clientele since there aren’t as many outsiders so they let everybody in but just technically don’t give you a wristband to order drinks from the bar. So, while there are fewer choices at a place like Duke, you can actually get in. (No idea how it is in Ithaca.) Obviously, there are other nice things about being in a city besides clubs/bars (museums, restaurants, parks, etc.), but my point is that I could easily argue being in a major city is actually a detriment to nightlife and forces things to stay on campus so that the majority of the student population can attend. Philly is also more expensive than Ithaca or Durham. So, while being in a major city is almost universally seen as a plus, I can advantages for not being in a major city as a college student, especially if the campus makes up for it.

Cornell is known most its engineering programs and has the most departments, Duke is ranked something like 20th with only 4 departments, and Upenn is something like 30th with again a small number of departments.

The tipping point for me to choose Duke over UPenn was class pride/unity/sense of community that is exemplified and amplified by the basketball team. I am a big fan of college sports and thought it would add a lot to my college experience, while also making Duke students proud to be part of the university and feel like they have a common cause. I actually found UPenn decent in this regard compared to other Ivies (cough Columbia cough), but not even close to Duke’s level. It also connects you to the university for life and makes you feel part of a community. Others may disagree. Sorry, don’t know much about Cornell as I’ve never visited there/didn’t apply.

Your application looks competitive for these schools, but it’s always hard to say. UPenn and Duke definitely give a fairly big boost for ED, so it’s probably a good strategy if you can afford it. Not sure Cornell’s ED policies. I would visit all three and see where you think you’d be happiest. The differences in academic quality are negligible, except if you want to major in something that Cornell offers that the other two don’t (then it would obviously make sense to choose Cornell.)

Good luck!