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.
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.