I would guess that generally the workload at Cornell will be higher.
However if you want to do great at Binghamton you will work hard there too.
If you don’t care about that, that’s another story.
My statistically insignificant sample of recent grads from each shows the Cornell grads doing a lot better afterwards.
But that likely comes down to the individuals. The same innate drive that resulted in one accepting the challenge of choosing Cornell, and the other shirking that challenge, may have had other ramifications that transcended their school choice.
IMO the first thing somebody should do before committing to Hum Ec is look carefully at the graduation requirements, both for major and for other in-college credits, and make sure you are comfortable with fulfilling these. Both as things look now, and maybe consider how your interests may change. After such investigation my son was not comfortable with what he might have to take to fulfill the in-college credit requirements. That was mostly why he didn’t apply. But other people would be fine with them.
Yes it is possible to change colleges there, but it is not absolutely guaranteed, and as has been pointed out there may be economic impacts of doing so.
If the Hum Ec curriculum seems to appeal and apply to you, and based on an impartial assessment of your credentials there is no reason to think you would struggle there if you put in the effort, then I would recommend it.
But Binghamton is far from a disaster. It’s a good school. Perhaps more “chill”. The city is economically depressed and a far cry from Ithaca. However I observed a surprising amount of student night life there. I didn’t realize that before I visited overnight . A student can have a good time there. And a good experience.
If Binghamton has your program of studies and Hum Ec maybe doesn’t I would choose Binghamton. Also if I really thought I was not up to it academically, (for good reason) even if I put in the effort, then I might choose Binghamton. Four years of constant struggle, with poor results to show for it, is not fun. And Binghamton is a good school.
But really think about where you stand at Cornell academically. Look at the stats vs. yours. Look at the other people from your school who are going there. Etc. Do not just assume that “if they accepted you that means you can do the work”. Though my experience was centuries ago at this point, I saw my freshman roommate flunk out of ILR, and a number of others fall by the wayside or struggle mightily to get through. So do your own investigation. But if your deficit, if there is one, is just effort, and you are committed to change that, then perhaps you should accept the challenge. And become a better student, and worker, because of it.
