Undergrad choice: Columbia, Duke, Dartmouth, Cornell
Hello, which would be your undergrad choice between the four?
Current aspiration is to work in high finance in NY, but keeping an open mind as to the role or changing my mind.
$$ is about the same.
In terms of curriculum and general academic vibe, top choice is by far Columbia. Main concern is location. I don't like the idea of being an undergrad in NYC and I much prefer the campus feel of the other three.
I don't want to make a choice solely based on prestige or recruitment, I am hoping to make an informed decision.
EDIT: I intend to major in Economics.
Thank you.
How the fuck are you still deciding this? Did you really put down deposits at 4 different schools just to fuck over anyone on the waitlists? Honestly, as someone from a poor family who is currently attending a high semi-target, the fucking selfishness of some of the highschoolers on this website is blowing my mind.
after mom and dad spent 80k/year to send them to Andover/Exeter/Deerfield, ~$1k in college deposits is a drop in the bucket...
Due to unforeseen personal circumstances, I was allowed an extension until the end of this week (it's a unique / unfortunate situation which is why all 4 colleges granted me the extension but it's not something that should have a bearing on my decision which is why I didn't include it in my original post).
Duke
Its honestly probably 6 vs 1/2 dozen across all of these schools in terms of career placement. I'm sure graduates of each school could pile in and tell you why Duke is actually better than Columbia for MBB or that Cornell AEM actually outplaces Dartmouth for EB Internships or something like that, but at the end of the day they're all top schools that are one tier down from HYPS of the world. Banking/consulting/grad school etc will all be available to you if you do well at any of these schools and you'll get a great education and a good alumni network from all of them.
If you don't want to be an undergrad in NYC, then you shouldn't choose Columbia. Pretty simple. I'm curious the academic vibe you're picking up on at Columbia that you don't see at the other three. Columbia is an amazing school but being in NYC has pros and cons. Having lived in a major city post grad but having gone to a traditional college with a campus life, neither is better or worse, they're just different. Frankly, I'd only go to a big city school if money wasn't really an issue. NYC is expensive and it's just makes life harder if you have to worry about affording decent housing, paying for meals, etc but that's just me.
Duke will be the most fun with a big sports scene and the greater research triangle area is great.
Dartmouth has a beautiful campus and probably the most access to great outdoor activities if that's your thing.
Cornell also has a nice campus, a bigger student body, but is a little more remote.
If I were you, I'd drop Cornell, and decide between Duke, Columbia, and Dartmouth. If you don't want to be in a city, drop Columbia. Now you're down to Duke and Dartmouth, do you care about North vs South? School sports? Up to you.
Tuck is taking undergrads now? That’s news worthy of its own thread...
Thank you. My point about the academic vibe wasn't trying to insinuate that Columbia is a stronger academic school than the others. I simply meant that when I visited the school, taked to students, etc. I enjoyed the vibe in terms of academics, classes, student interaction and so on more than the others.
Duke/Dartmouth were both great in terms of the campus feel - and definitely much more in line with my taste . I enjoyed both visits, but slightly less than Columbia.
As you say, my main concern with Columbia is NYC - both the cost but also the possible lack of a campus feel (which for me is an important part of my experience).
Agreed with this, Cornell is the odd man out here (Dartmouth is similar in being ivy league and remote, but is a better overall school). I'd probably go to Columbia if in your shoes, but can appreciate not wanting to be in NYC for undergrad. Columbia is definitely a different experience than NYU though given its uptown location and campus.
Haha sure, I'd concede that, but as I mentioned in my initial post, most of the schools are similar enough that it's a silly argument to claim that Cornell will offer more opportunities or a drastically different experience due to the fact that it's in Ithaca vs Hanover. The college experience will not differ dramatically between the two because of their location. Both will have an on campus feel, Cornell will feel like a bigger school given that it has 2-3x the students.
Ithaca has 30k people and Hanover has 12k, so not a huge difference.
Also, what's the closest major city to Ithaca, Syracuse at an hour away? I've been to Syracuse, with the exception of the university and dinosaur BBQ, there's not a lot going on At least Hanover is only two hours from Boston.
If Cornell is for A&S and you don't want to study in NYC, choose between Dartmouth or Duke. Dartmouth if you want a smaller, tighter-knit college and like the outdoors. Duke if you want a larger college with a big sports atmosphere. If it's Cornell AEM, then all 3 will be great.
If you like Columbia you really can’t go wrong there, and it is arguably the best of the schools you listed (though that is really splitting hairs).
Columbia will still give you a pretty good campus experience, nothing like what you would have at NYU, so I wouldn’t worry about that part.
Thanks, that's been exactly my concern (as per my reply above) - I don't know if being at school in NYC will take away from an on-campus experience (vs being in NYC which, for undergrad, will be probably less exciting for me).
I wouldn’t worry too much about that. Columbia does still have a proper campus, not just scattered buildings across the city, so you’ll still bump into classmates every day, see them on campus, get lunch with them, go to the library, etc.
Is it the same as being in a remote town like at Dartmouth, probably not, but there are pros and cons. Honestly having gone to a very campus heavy school, it is great the first 2 years, but you get a little stir crazy by Junior and Senior year. The Columbia experience will be what you make of it. My friends who went there had a brilliant time, good social experience and the way in which you explore and experience NYC as a student vs. when you’re a working professional is quite different.
Go wherever you feel most comfortable, you really can’t make a wrong choice with any of these (except Cornell, which I think is just a notch below the others).
Columbia!
what did you end up choosing?
Hello, I ended up choosing Columbia. I felt it was clearly the best fit for me - the campus was the only negative but I decided it's not enough to outweigh the fact that I ultimately clicked with the school.
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