Thank you for your intake! Overall ILR is a niche major that I would not be able to find anywhere else (which I’m still trying to figure out if it will be an advantage or disadvantage). At Bowdoin I was planning to go into legal studies perhaps with a minor in econ or latinx studies. I also find it very challenging to establish academic fit as majors such as Bowdoin’s gov or Cornell’s ILR are truly nothing like what is available in my hometown so I lack that first-hand experience that could make me a 100% sure of my choice.
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I agree that Cornell’s reputation in your home country is a valid consideration for an international student.
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Some additional factors that I’ve been considering lately is the lack of diversity at Bowdoin, while it apparently has become better over the years, I am afraid that I won’t be able to socialize with Bowdoin’s community as a whole. I am hispanic and while Bowdoin has an exceptional Latin American Student Organization (LASO), I truly wouldn’t want all my interactions to be limited to LASO. Part of what made me decide to study at the US is the desire for experiencing new cultures and to become aware of global challenges to which I didn’t have as much exposure to in LatAM so it would be important to me to be able to socialize with all sorts of people. However, POC at Bowdoin seem to be a bit isolated. Cornell is ofc far more diverse but I’m also afraid of sort of getting lost in the big crowd while there. I’m also honestly unsure about the class size factor. I have never experienced a classroom with more than 30 people however, I’m also open to trying out bigger crowds (although I’m honestly not sure if I would like it). I think a great deal of what makes this a hard choice is that, since experiences in my hometown are nowhere near what is normally experienced in the US education system, I honestly don’t know what environment would suit me best. My high school had a class of 100 people. I did often feel stuck tho after getting to know everyone after a couple of weeks so in that sense I am certain that I would like a bigger environment. But I truly can’t define how big? Bowdoin’s expected to enroll about 500 students for my class which would make it 5x larger than my high school. If my math is right Cornell would enroll about 4000 students for class of 2027 out of which I assume around 250 will attend my college (ILR). Cornell seems right but I also do fear those stories of depressed students, I also don’t want to get much caught up in the prestige factor since I do love Bowdoin but then again, the POC experiences that I have heard scare me. A big con that Bowdoin has is that they don’t offer CPT which is sort of a visa permit that allows you to take internships and jobs over breaks, while there are still some alternatives, Cornell would be more feasible in that sense. Now a thing that attracts me to Bowdoin (which may seem kind of minor) is that every incoming student gets a laptop and an iPad, as low-income this would truly ease a significant burden off but then again, Cornell invited me to one of their recognition programs for which I get a bit of an stipend to spent on internships/volunteering opportunities. I just think that I need to come to peace with the fact that there is no wrong choice but I have a huge FOMO that has been keeping a bit down lately. This would be my only chance to attend a LAC given that I can always come back to a large uni for grad school. But then again, I am not certain that a LAC would be the best option given Cornell’s offerings.
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Excuse the bad grammar, just a bit tired haha needed to rant quite a bit
If there’s a chance you are going back, then maybe Cornell is the right choice.
If you stayed here, while both are fine names with Cornell being better known, one can get into a top law school from anywhere so the strength of the name, while still impactful for bragging, is more muted.
ILR is very interesting to me, but my personal opinion is maybe a bit harder to translate into a career, especially given the decline of HR type careers (and yes, I know it can be much more).
Here is the outcome data ….
I really wouldn’t want this to be misinterpreted tho, I truly couldn’t be anymore grateful about the amazing opportunities that these institutions are offering to me, especially given the financial barriers. But I also fear taking one opportunity for granted that may be the best fit for me.
I’m also wondering, just in case anyone here may have some expertise in the field, if I happen to decide to go into international law, would I still be able to make good use of an ILR degree with an intl relations minor? Or in that case would Bowdoin’s gov major be more useful? (just tryna consider all my possible outcomes)
I can’t speak to other countries but you are splitting hairs. Both will have you reading and writing and utilizing statistics for research.
If you say that Cornell is prestigious back home and Bowdoin unknown, I would be at Cornell.
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Thank you for your intake!
Thank you for your intake!!
Thank you for your intake! 
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Neither will be more ‘useful’. Law schools truly won’t care, and the functional overlap will be big.
You are about to make a big decision with imperfect information- welcome to adult life!
So, start with what you do know:
- The odds are very high that you will return to your home country.
Even if you stay on in the US for Law school, getting a work visa to stay in the US after graduation is a long shot (there is no shortage of newly minted law grads). Yes, there are pathways- but the most likely outcome is that you will go home for at least a few years. You have already noted the advantage that the brand name of Cornell will have. As a fringe benefit, as a Cornell alum you are eligible to be a member of the Cornell Club, which not only has a building in Manhattan, but reciprocity agreements with dozens of other clubs around the world (check the website to see if they are in your home country: The Cornell Club - New York International Clubs). Super for networking (they all do a lot of social events), as well as being a place to stay or have a meeting in another city for somebody looking to have an international life.
- Subject
You chose ILR over CAS at Cornell for a reason. IF you decide that ILR is too niche a subject, it is not difficult to transfer into CAS.
3 LAC FOMO
You will have a lot of the benefits of an LAC at ILR: it is a small school within the larger university. You will be one of approx 225 first years, and the profs will know you and be invested in your success. ILR even has its own area of campus, with it’s own quads and buildings. That will help you find your feet and adjust to your new world. At the same time, all of the resources of the university, including clubs, activities, facilities, etc. are available to you.
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It is even more intimate than that. They typically enroll 165-175 first years, and then bring in 50-75 guaranteed transfers and traditional transfers from 4-year and SUNY 2-year colleges to each class. This is a hallmark of the contract colleges, especially, and the volume of Cornell’s incoming transfers distinguishes it from most of its academic peers.
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“Going into international law” isn’t really a thing, unless you happen to work for the Hague. As a legal practitioner, whether here or in your home country, you will be practicing in the law of your own country. It’s possible that you may be involved with international deals, or litigation that has an international component, but it won’t be addressing matters of 'international law." It will be domestic law that happens to involve parties in another country.
Therefore, neither major is going to be more or less helpful, assuming your plan to go to law school in the US stays relevant. And, this is true regardless of what practice area you go into - there is literally nothing substantive that you will learn or study in your undergrad institution that will help or hurt you in law school. Therefore the best option is to do to the school where you are most likely to get the best grades (assuming your goal is to maximize the chances of getting into law school).
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Super informative. Thank you!!
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Sounds like you want to go to Cornell. Don’t overthink it. You don’t need to talk yourself into it, or have one of us talk you into it. Just go. Lots of reasons to choose it over a lot of other schools. Good luck.
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I have been reading this thread for a while. Perhaps my main view is that you are trying to compare between two exceptionally good and relatively academically demanding universities. I do not think that there is a bad choice, nor even a “just okay” choice. These are both excellent universities. While they are very different in size, if I were trying to decide between them and if they both had my intended major then I too would have trouble deciding (and I have visited both campuses multiple times). I agree that both locations are very attractive, that both will offer academics at a top notch level, and that both will prepare you well for law school.
I am assuming that you are not already a US citizen or permanent resident. One thing to keep in mind is that immigration to the US for international students is relatively difficult and unlikely. Also in applying for a student visa if you tell them that you intend to stay in the US there is a risk of not getting your student visa. The point of a student visa is to allow you to study here for a few years, with the understanding that you will return home after graduation (or in some cases after graduating and working for a short period of time on a temporary visa). The reputation of each school in your home country is therefore very important. It sounds like this may be an advantage for Cornell.
I do know quite a few lawyers. You can indeed major in pretty much anything and then apply to law school. Some of the lawyers that I know are working in an area where their undergraduate degree is also relevant (such as a lawyer with a degree in computer science who is working on issues related to software patents).
And congratulations on having two great acceptances!!!
Thank you! I appreciate your input a lot.
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OP: Any update to share ?
Are you at Cornell ILR or at Bowdoin ?
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