[soulcrusher]

I have no clue. Cornell and Duke have accepted me and I do not know to which one of these I should go.

I want to study physics or at least something closely related to it. I know many brilliant physicists have worked at Cornell throughout the years (Feynman, Greene, etc.) but the Pratt School of Engineering at Duke seems awesome too and the students that go there seem to be more qualified than the people that enroll at Cornell.

Also, according to The Princeton Review Duke offers a better academic experience for undergraduates than Cornell, but the social scene and campus seem to be better at Cornell.

They seem to be on par on research facilities, Cornell has some awesome physics labs but Duke has this new Fitzpatrick Center for Photonics.

Anyway, what do you knowledgeable people think? Where would you go and why? Do you know anything relevant that makes one school better than the other that I have not taken into account?

Please, please, please HELP.

By the way, no matter where I go I'll take my Mini Book with me .

[Xtopolop]

When I was checking out schools, I was told that Cornell had the highest suicide rate in the nation. You know that one gorge? Yep. So... I would lean towards Duke. Also, there's not much to do around Cornell, it's way out in the boonies.

[fromthecloud]

I was in the same place you are now exactly one year ago. I went on the campus tours and filled out the applications and wrote the essays based on rankings, who the had the newest/coolest labs, who was the most prestigious, who did the most research, etcetera etcetera.

Boy, was that the wrong way to look at it. I applied to only two very prestigious schools and was accepted to both of them. It was cool for the rest of my high school year and the summer to tell people where I was going next year. That wore off pretty quick once I actually got to school.

When you actually go to that school, you realize that it doesn't matter who does the most research because you're not going to be doing any of it and the professors would rather do that than teach any of your classes. You don't ge to work in any of the cool labs, those are for the professors doing their research with their prize grad students, and the prestige turns into a ton of work and no play.

I ended up transferring after my first semester to a smaller, almost unknown school where I am learning from faculty who went to those prestigious schools, and would rather talk to you and teach your classes than do research. The courses are nearly identical, but at my new school I don't have an obscene workload that serves no purpose whatsoever except to stress you out.

What most people forget is that you're not just going to school there for the next four (or however many) years, you're also going to be living there.

Don't get blinded by all the things they try to sell you on campus tours and in the shiny brochures you get in the mail. Because once you make your choice, none of that matters.

Remember to look at all the angles when choosing your school. I have friends at both Duke and Cornell and I've heard good and bad about both. Be sure to give it a lot of thought, and try to picture where you would like to be for the next four years. Remember, most of your time at college is spent outside of the classroom.

The best of luck to you in your decision.

[Krusty]

Originally posted by soulcrusher:
I have no clue. Cornell and Duke have accepted me and I do not know to which one of these I should go.

I am a Duke Grad (Trinity '92) and know a number of people (including one of my best friends EVER) who went to grad school at Cornell (and undergrad with me at DU).

In his opinion ... Duke has a better focus on undergraduate education (of course he/we were Anthro majors undergrad and he was in Economics grad school at Cornell). Being in Physics Your Mileage WILL Vary !!!

Having said that, I've always heard wonderful things about Cornell as well and I can tell you from my own personal experience that any individual student's education can be fantastic or mediocre depending on what resources/teachers/peers you hang around during your stay. Unless you are the next Einstein, you will most likely have no shortage of people who will knock your socks off academically at either school.

Other non-school related things to consider:

Duke's campus is absolutely gorgeous BUT the piedmont area that its in won't be as scenic as Ithaca (or those famous on-campus gorges at CU). Lots of unexciting, rolling hills and trees around that part of NC.

Duke is in Durham, NC .. part of the Research Triangle (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill) ... an area that has ~ 1 million people. There are several other HUGE Universities in the area. So, keep that in mind if you really have a strong preference between small town and mid-sized urban area. Also, Durham is HOT and HUMID AS BALLS in the summer.

Durham is an old southern industrial town, so it'll probably seem much more grimy than Ithaca once you leave campus. ;(

Durham has an Apple Store

I don't know if it is still the case now, but when I was there, Duke had the highest loyalty rate of any college in the US (meaning, when asked "if you had to do it over, would you go to the same school ?" .. more Dukies answered 'yes' than any other school .. this was over 10 years ago now, so YOUR MILEAGE MAY VARY

I don't know what the social scene is like at Cornell, but I'm guessing that Duke's scene will be a lot more like "Animal House" (which could be good or bad depending on what you like). The keg parties and Basketball related celebrations (which occur often during early spring semester) can get pretty wild. I imagine a more "studious" air at Cornell ... but I don't really have any proof to back that up.

Duke has only been considered a real "top-tier" school for the last 25-35 years, ranking very highly in all sorts of pubications. BUT Cornell's reputation will be more widely known than Duke's (especially internationally, if you're thinking about work or graduate school outside of the US).

Final call ? sorry, I can't really give you any advice. I LOVED Duke and I WOULD go again if I had to choose .. but my friends who continued on at Cornell spoke very highly of both the school and Ithaca.

Also, congratulations on being accepted at both places. I honestly think you won't go wrong in either location.

[crazyjohnson]

Dont go to college. Start an organic farm.

[boots]

You can't make a wrong choice from the "stats" perspective. Both are excellent.

I assume you've visited at least one of them (hopefully both)? Don't be afraid to rely on some of the subjective things. Go where your gut tells you you would like. I just went through this from the other end. I had several job offers, and had a really hard time deciding. In the end I chose the school I thought I would be happiest at. That kind of decision can help your morale when you're feeling overwhelmed. And you will, at some point, feel over whelmed.

congrats, and I wish you the best.

[macvillage.net]

Stats are meaningless.

Go to the schools themselves, and walk around... Go to the one you feel most comfortable with.

Stats are so bias it's not even funny. Rutgers makes a big deal over it's stats... It has a HUGE program here in NJ to get students who got their GED... that's right GED... Get your GED, Go to a county college for 2 years... and transfer. Many do it... Some of the dumbest people I ever met in my life are on that path. One I'm shocked knows how to read (most likely learned in the past 3 years).

If your not comfortable in a school... you will not do good... so the stats don't reflect you.

Go where you feel right. That's where you will do your best.


Sidenote: Look at the most successful people in the nation, CEO's, Lawyers, Doctors, whatever....

Look where they went to school.. Business week normally profiles many CEO's....

Most went to no-name tiny colleges. And they did pretty good themselves.

[davesimondotcom]

You got into some good schools, congrats!

Go where your heart takes you. Honestly, I wish I hadn't had rushed straight to college from high school. I wish I would have traveled some, figured out what I wanted to study, then gone to college full bore. But that's me.

[CaseCom]

Originally posted by Xtopolop:
When I was checking out schools, I was told that Cornell had the highest suicide rate in the nation.

Hmmm ... I'd always heard that about the University of Chicago.

Duke or Cornell... clearly you're not a basketball fan, or else your decision would be clear

I don't know anything about either school's programs, so I'll just agree with the person who said to go where you feel more comfortable ... your gut won't lead you wrong.

[funkboy]

Originally posted by fromthecloud:
I was in the same place you are now exactly one year ago.

Interesting story, thanks for sharing.

I was also in the same place one year ago.

I applied to two prestigious schools and one local, "safe" school. Got into the safe school fine, and got some good scholarships that, at least for the first year, would pay for my entire being there.

For the two prestigious schools, I got accepted to one and not the other - and the one I got accepted to was the one I was not as interested in. Until I visited the campuses.

It's true, you will be living there, not simply attending class. College is totally different than living at home, and one can't really explain it to a high school student very well. It's more of an experience you have to go on.

As for my decision, I chose the local school for a number of reasons - and I'm happy with my decision so far. I've been successful, I'm enjoying myself here, and I'm also close to home which is kind of nice, even if you don't go home too often.

I could (and will) write about this a lot more later, but I've got class to attend in 20 minutes, and I have to walk back to my dorm, and back to... ack... it'll take 20 minutes to do that....

[dencamp]

Remember, you can always transfer. Take a little presure off. I went to my first choice and hated it. I transferred after year one and had a great last three years.

[macvillage.net]

Originally posted by dencamp:
Remember, you can always transfer. Take a little presure off. I went to my first choice and hated it. I transferred after year one and had a great last three years.

Good point.

[Krusty]

Originally posted by macvillage.net:
Stats are meaningless.

Go to the schools themselves, and walk around... Go to the one you feel most comfortable with.

<-- listen to this.

[sworthy]

yea, when I looked at duke I got a really bad vibe from the city. The campus is nice, but if you go off...

granted, I'm in Tacoma, WA which has one of the highest car theft rates in the nation

[bradoesch]

Originally posted by crazyjohnson:
Dont go to college. Start an organic farm.

I like the way you think. I'd feed my cows organic food from my organic farm. I'd also make my own cheese. Mmm, cheese...

[MGossett]

I'm a native of Ithaca, so I can help you out with the social aspects and also some info about Ithaca itself.

Ithaca is NOT out in the boonies, as one poster suggested. Although Ithaca is not on par with, say, New York City, we are growing and there is a lot of new development in the area--lots of good chain stores opening up, etc. That may be a good or bad thing for you, depending on what kind of town you want to live in.

The weather sucks, I won't BS you about that. The winters are colder than a well-digger's buttcheeks, and you feel pretty miserable after a few weeks of tromping around in dirty slushy snow. The other three seasons, however, are great. Summer is nice, although it has been very humid in the past few years, Fall is beautiful, and Spring just feels good because Winter is finally over.

The social scene in Ithaca does exist, if you know what to look for. There are lots of frat parties at Cornell, obviously, and bands come to Ithaca a lot. In fact, Ben Folds Five was just here last weekend. Some major artists have performed at Cornell in the past...No Doubt, The Mighty Might Bosstones, Busta Rhymes, etc...

There are also some pretty good local bands that play at various clubs around Ithaca.

Anyway...I've pretty much grown up with Cornell--my dad has taught Engineering there for 28 years and now my brother is a sophomore at Cornell. I guess I won't be continuing the family tradition...I got a guaranteed transfer at Cornell .

Good luck!

-Mike

[Anomalous]

I also chose my university based on stats and ended up transferring to another school because I hated it so much. I went to another school based partly on stats but also largely on which school just felt right. It was better than the first, and I completed my degree there, but honestly I still had a lot of problems with it.

[Fyre4ce]

Originally posted by Xtopolop:
When I was checking out schools, I was told that Cornell had the highest suicide rate in the nation. You know that one gorge? Yep. So... I would lean towards Duke. Also, there's not much to do around Cornell, it's way out in the boonies.

Actually there are two gorges - one right outside my window - and yeah you're right! They pulled three bodies out of there just last week!



Soulcrusher, check your email.

[Fyre4ce]

MGossett wrote:
I'm a native of Ithaca, so I can help you out with the social aspects and also some info about Ithaca itself.

Damn townies!

Ithaca is NOT out in the boonies, as one poster suggested. Although Ithaca is not on par with, say, New York City, we are growing and there is a lot of new development in the area--lots of good chain stores opening up, etc. That may be a good or bad thing for you, depending on what kind of town you want to live in.

Ithaca is a small town. I don't mind it at all. Pyramid mall is under development

The weather sucks, I won't BS you about that. The winters are colder than a well-digger's buttcheeks, and you feel pretty miserable after a few weeks of tromping around in dirty slushy snow. The other three seasons, however, are great. Summer is nice, although it has been very humid in the past few years, Fall is beautiful, and Spring just feels good because Winter is finally over.

Well, I'm from Syracuse (go Orangemen!) so the Ithaca weather doesn't bother me very much. I think it's about damn time it warmed up, though. Enough already!

The social scene in Ithaca does exist, if you know what to look for. There are lots of frat parties at Cornell, obviously, and bands come to Ithaca a lot. In fact, Ben Folds Five was just here last weekend. Some major artists have performed at Cornell in the past...No Doubt, The Mighty Might Bosstones, Busta Rhymes, etc...

Yeah, you have to know where to look. I saw Counting Crows here last semester, and went to a pretty good party at one of my friends' house last weekend.

There are also some pretty good local bands that play at various clubs around Ithaca.

Agreed.

Anyway...I've pretty much grown up with Cornell--my dad has taught Engineering there for 28 years and now my brother is a sophomore at Cornell. I guess I won't be continuing the family tradition...I got a guaranteed transfer at Cornell .

No ****, really? I'm a sophomore in the mechanical engineering school. I practically live in Upson and Rhodes Halls. Would I know your dad by any chance?

[RGB]

That's the same situation I'm in right now, though I'm choosing between University of Kansas (in Lawrence, KS) and Ball State University (Muncie, IN). I'm so confused about what to do right now.

Growing up a bunch of my relatives went to KU, so I've been a fan since grade school, and have been there numerous times. And I LOVE Lawrence, and the campus is incredibly pretty as well. I'm either going to major in graphic design or in advertising, and KU has a really strong graphic design program. But their advertising program is really just the word "advertising" stuck into the occasional class in their journalism school.

I've visited Ball State twice over the last year, and really like the campus. And their art / journalism building is brand new and absolutely gorgeous. Their graphic design program is pretty good as well, and their advertising program is very strong there. So I like the academics at BSU better. But Muncie, Indiana has absolutely NOTHING in it. Half a block of activity, empty downtown. Has one strip of road w/ the movie theater, Best Buy, restaurants, etc. And that's it. Lawrence on the other hand, has everything I could ask for from a college town.

So basically, I have to choose better academics or better social life / lifestyle. And I'm so torn. Yuck.

[klinux]

Another Cornellian!

I would say Cornell but I am biased. Nevertheless, here's my advice: the pretigious professors and labs are meaningless. You can get excellent top-notch education at both schools. The most variable factor is really you - are you ready/able/willing to receive those top notch education?

That (academic) aside, which campus will you be more comfortable at since this is where you will be spending the next four years? Go to the one that you feel will be happy whether that means sports, social life, idyllic surrounding, etc.

Lastly, Duke is a fine university. However, I find a lot of respect in the business world for the Cornell name due to the Ivy name factor.

One last thing, Cornell is the only place in the world where you can get top-notch education on physics, English, etc but also its extremely diverse catalog e.g. bee-keeping (ag school), wine (hotel school), sex (humec), etc.

[Krusty]

Originally posted by RGB:

So basically, I have to choose better academics or better social life / lifestyle. And I'm so torn. Yuck.

Hmmm ... what is KU and Ball State's position on transfer credits ? Could you go to KU and take summer courses or spend a semester or two at Ball State to get the classes you want ? Hate to sound shallow and un-academic, but social life is a big part of what makes a person's college experience. Of course ... they'll probably be a bunch of other people in Muncie who feel the same way you do and would be willing to FIND some fun and/or road trip on the weekends

[lemondrop]

Originally posted by fromthecloud:
What most people forget is that you're not just going to school there for the next four (or however many) years, you're also going to be living there.

Let's just say I started school in a town I didn't like. I got so depressed I slept for fifteen hours a day. I never had the energy to do anything. I never went to class, and quickly I got the boot. So, make sure you go to a place you would like to live, and can live a healthy life outside of class.

[RGB]

Originally posted by Krusty:
Hmmm ... what is KU and Ball State's position on transfer credits ? Could you go to KU and take summer courses or spend a semester or two at Ball State to get the classes you want ? Hate to sound shallow and un-academic, but social life is a big part of what makes a person's college experience. Of course ... they'll probably be a bunch of other people in Muncie who feel the same way you do and would be willing to FIND some fun and/or road trip on the weekends

I'm just trying to get it right he first time around here, avoid all that hassle. The last thing I want to do is start a life at a college, then pack up and start new all over again elsewhere.

[maxintosh]

I was in a very similar situation this year as well, except I was choosing between Brown and Columbia. I think that the thing to remember is that your concentration (major) MAY CHANGE.

Basically, choose the school that you would want to live at for four years. I'd never go to Duke, but that's mostly because it ranked #1 worst school in the country to be a gay student at (!)... I think location may have to do with that... BUT I have (straight) friends that are there now though that love it. Ditto with Cornell. I don't know much about Ithaca but I think that with any big University there will be a big social scene just on campus. (Well, maybe not at Dartmouth ) I think you'd have to appreciate southern culture to live in Durham.

If you could spend a night at each school, that'd be good too. I was @ Columbia Halloween night... wow... NYC is wild on holidays like that...

So yeah I'm going to Columbia now and I'm so psyched... getting out of this damn small-town boarding school

[Krusty]

Originally posted by RGB:
I'm just trying to get it right he first time around here, avoid all that hassle. The last thing I want to do is start a life at a college, then pack up and start new all over again elsewhere.

Good point .... too bad you can't know in advance if the academics at Ball St. are going to be enough better to warrant 4 years in a town you don't like nearly as well.

[Krusty]

Originally posted by maxintosh:

Basically, choose the school that you would want to live at for four years. I'd never go to Duke, but that's mostly because it ranked #1 worst school in the country to be a gay student at (!)... I think location may have to do with that... BUT I have (straight) friends that are there now though that love it.
[edit snip ]

Really ?? its changed a lot since I was there, then. Not only was the gay community very open, there were openly gay members on the town council of Durham !! I knew of two people who said they came to Durham specifically because it was known as "gay-friendly" (and one was a lesbian from UC Santa Barbara .. and had heard about Durham in California). Perhaps my viewpoint is skewed because of my group of 10 or 11 closests friends, 3 were gay and I saw a lot more of the gay community at Duke than others might (one friend was actually the pres ident one year and meetings were held at our house on occasion).

Sorry for the knee-jerk incredulity ... that's just the first time I've EVER heard that. I'd always heard the exact opposite. But .. been a long time since I was there so things may have changed (for the worse, apparently)

[funkboy]

Some good advice in this thread.

In response to a few people:

Krusty said:
Good point .... too bad you can't know in advance if the academics at Ball St. are going to be enough better to warrant 4 years in a town you don't like nearly as well.

I have something of a difficulty as far as quality of academics goes. I mean, to be a college, you have to have a certain level of academic credibility. You aren't going to go to a school where there are all crappy professors running around having no clue what they're doing. You will learn, and a lot of learning depends on just how much you put into it.

With you actually talking about how academics are important, I think it's safe to say that you'll put a lot of effort in to learn. So you do want to have a good faculty to back that up.

But, your first couple semesters are not going to be that amazing. Depending on what you do, your style, etc., but a lot of the first college time is learning with your fellow students, making friends, just learning how to live away from home.

How far away are these places from home? Do you have any issues about going home often at all? If you're depressed about being at home, or thinking about old friends/family, the best college in the world will not help you succeed.

In my situation with academics, the more renowned school was probably somewhat well known in my major, but the local school was also very highly respected in my major. So, as far as academics went, I would get a quality education from either place.

--

The best advice I received on the subject (and believe me, this was absolutely killing me a year ago... I was practically sick over the decision I had to make, and I feel sorry for anyone else I hear who has to make a similar decision) I got last year, from a guy who went to a smaller college, but is now a grad student at a very prestigious school, working with some truly bleeding edge technology. He said (as close as I can quote him):

Go out for a long walk by yourself, think it over, and make your decision. And don't look back.

I'm not sure if the Don't look back was in there or not, but it's a smart idea anyway. Don't get hung up on asking "what if" because you have no idea, and you'll probably end up asking that to yourself at whichever school you end up choosing. The first week or two you'll probably be saying, "boy, if I would've went *there*..."

The second best advice was (and this is essentially a quote, since I wrote it down soon after I heard it!):

by Dr. Vinod Seth
Life is like a journey down a path - your view changes as you continue on.
You?re at the top of a tree at high school graduation, let?s say - you have one view. But once you actually go down on the ground and walk to that first hill, your view will be very different. And you?ll say, ?Hey, I should go that way!? And you?ll get to that next point, and you?ll say, ?Wait! That?s even better!?

Essentially: don't think life is going to go only way one for you. Yes, you may be very sure of a major, and that's fine - but the school, your circumstances, anything may change. Pick a school, try not to worry about it - if you like it, stay and enjoy your time there. If not, look into transferring to the other place. But don't go to one school expecting something, and calling it bad if it doesn't exactly match your thoughts about how a school may be. You may find that the unexpected is really quite enjoyable!

The topic specific advice I'm going to add:
The big labs you talk about at each school - you really won't be using them your first year, more than likely. In fact, you may not even touch them until your senior year, if then. I wouldn't worry too much about those things, but just go to the place that will give you the best education.

And make sure to visit each campus. Get a feel for the campus and surrounding city. Follow your heart.

[maxintosh]

Originally posted by Krusty:
Really ?? its changed a lot since I was there, then. Not only was the gay community very open, there were openly gay members on the town council of Durham !! I knew of two people who said they came to Durham specifically because it was known as "gay-friendly" (and one was a lesbian from UC Santa Barbara .. and had heard about Durham in California). Perhaps my viewpoint is skewed because of my group of 10 or 11 closests friends, 3 were gay and I saw a lot more of the gay community at Duke than others might (one friend was actually the pres ident one year and meetings were held at our house on occasion).

Sorry for the knee-jerk incredulity ... that's just the first time I've EVER heard that. I'd always heard the exact opposite. But .. been a long time since I was there so things may have changed (for the worse, apparently)

It was based on a student poll from the Guide to the 331 best colleges. Who knows.

Based on students' answers, editors put together a list of the 20 most gay-friendly and the 20 most gay-unfriendly schools.
>
>"Gay Community Accepted"
>
>Pitzer College
>Simon's Rock College of Bard
>Wells College
>Bennington College
>College of the Atlantic
>Smith College
>Mount Holyoke College
>Whitman College
>Marlboro College
>Connecticut College
>St. John's College
>Vassar College
>Reed College
>New College of the University of South Florida DePaul University
>Columbia/Barnard College
>Goddard College
>Grinnell College
>Earlham College
>Wesleyan University
>
>"Alternative Lifestyles Not An Alternative"
>
>Duke University
>University of Notre Dame
>Texas A & M University-College Station
>Truman State University
>Grove City College
>Hampton University
>Wheaton College (IL)
>Westminster College (PA)
>Miami University (OH)
>Johns Hopkins University
>University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
>University of Connecticut
>Washington and Lee University
>University of California-Riverside
>Denison University
>College of the Holy Cross
>University of California-Los Angeles
>Hanover College
>Ohio University-Athens
>Knox College

[Krusty]

Originally posted by maxintosh:
It was based on a student poll from the Guide to the 331 best colleges. Who knows.

WOW! I'm not saying I don't believe you .. just that it is a total 180 from what I'd always heard about it when I was there. Man .. that just changed my whole list of "things I believe about the school I went to" ... bummer (<--seriously)

{edit after giving it more though}. Well, y'know I was an Anthro major (with lots of time spent with the Comp Lit and Philosphy departments). Makes sense that I'd have been in the most gay-friendly segment of the college community. I always thought those Science and Engineering students looked like a bunch of wankers

[maxintosh]

Originally posted by Krusty:
WOW! I'm not saying I don't believe you .. just that it is a total 180 from what I'd always heard about it when I was there. Man .. that just changed my whole list of "things I believe about the school I went to" ... bummer (<--seriously)

{edit after giving it more though}. Well, y'know I was an Anthro major (with lots of time spent with the Comp Lit and Philosphy departments). Makes sense that I'd have been in the most gay-friendly segment of the college community. I always thought those Science and Engineering students looked like a bunch of wankers

Did they have a musical theatre department??

Anyway, if it makes you feel any better, the Duke Administration denies all charges.

[soulcrusher]

I decided Duke. Three reasons (in order of importance):

1) Apple Store.

2) Hot Girls.

3) I can take the dual major I want (Electrical Engineering and Physics) with less hassle.

Thanks for all your help guys.

[Timo]

FWIW,

the dual major I want (Electrical Engineering and Physics)

[is not equal to]

Hot Girls

[MGossett]

Originally posted by Fyre4ce:


No ****, really? I'm a sophomore in the mechanical engineering school. I practically live in Upson and Rhodes Halls. Would I know your dad by any chance?

Probably not...he's in Civil & Environmental Engineering (Hollister Hall)...his name is James Gossett.

-Mike

[Jansar]

That's excellent that you're satisfied with your decision. At the beginning of this year I was at Stanford, and it really sucked. I didn't like the people there. Although there's a couple other (good) reasons I left there, it's a royal pain in the ass to switch schools.

Now I'm at Santa Clara. It's the best.

Enjoy college life, it rocks! Now that your worries about acceptance letters and other extraneous bullshit are out of the way, grab a lawn chair, a hot woman, a glass of lemonade, and kick back. I played some frisbee after I discovered that I was actually going to college. ****ing A!

[klinux]

Originally posted by soulcrusher:
I decided Duke. Three reasons (in order of importance):

1) Apple Store.

2) Hot Girls.

3) I can take the dual major I want (Electrical Engineering and Physics) with less hassle.

Thanks for all your help guys.

Good for you although I would have chosen (and did) Cornell!

Nevertheless, during and after college, you will probably realize that the presence of an Apple store in your college is really the least important thing in your collegiate life.

[crazyjohnson]

I go to the U of C. I dont know if we are the top, but we are certainly up there. There were two students that took their own life this year.

Originally posted by CaseCom:
Hmmm ... I'd always heard that about the University of Chicago.

[crazyjohnson]

Yea, I am in school now. I have had some weird thoughts about it. I could see someone not going to college and still having a very meaningful life. Just keep it simple; thus, the farm. Anyway, I would say you should go to school. Even if you dont use your major you will learn so much (or at least have the chance to). You dont only learn 'facts' but what you really enjoy. . . Something that will come in handy later.

Originally posted by bradoesch:
I like the way you think. I'd feed my cows organic food from my organic farm. I'd also make my own cheese. Mmm, cheese...

[bradoesch]

Originally posted by crazyjohnson:
Yea, I am in school now. I have had some weird thoughts about it. I could see someone not going to college and still having a very meaningful life. Just keep it simple; thus, the farm. Anyway, I would say you should go to school. Even if you dont use your major you will learn so much (or at least have the chance to). You dont only learn 'facts' but what you really enjoy. . . Something that will come in handy later.

Interesting thoughts.
I actually did spend this year at University, in computer science and computer electronics program. It was an interesting experience.
Like someone posted earlier, I did learn a lot of valuable things, although none of it was from the education. I learned how to live away from home, I met new friends and moved from the country to the city. I just couldn't stand learning math and physics. I can't see how I'd use that again, and if a job came up where I'd be using it, I don't want it. I enjoyed programming in QBasic and self-taught myself a few basics in C, but for some reason I hated programming once we started doing it in class. I don't understand why school makes me dislike things so much.
I'm not sure whether I'll be going back to school or not. I'm not going back for this program. College seems a bit more practical. University just seems useless. Some of the people I met who were doing arts programs did absolutely nothing and got fine marks. A few essays throughout the term, write their exams and that's it. If there was a late penalty for esssays, it was usually 4% a day. That's less than highschool was. Often they'd spend an extra day proofreading or even starting it then, with almost no penalty. I don't even understand what that is teaching you. They had all term to write theses papers, but they could whip something up the night before and still get a B. I had hours and hours of math, physics and programming to do per night, for what? Would my future employer want to know his average speed on his drive to work, and be fascinated as I figured it out for him, and then watched his glowing eyes as I explained the difference between speed and velocity? Where does the math come in?
Honestly, I picked this program because I didn't know what else to take. I maybe should've majored in history, just so I could say I have some education.
Who knows, certainly not me.