No, at this point they are the same price. I am in Pennsylvania, so I must admit I don’t know too much about how the country at large views Northwestern. It seems like my opinion is flipping back and forth as I read different opinions either supporting or going against northwestern or Cornell. I am also gay as well, and as @IWannaHelp mentioned, the city and boystown is definitely tempting, versus the very small community at Cornell. As an engineering student, I’m not sure how much I’d actually get in there anyways. I do already know a decent amount of people at Cornell so it would be kind of easy to find a community. When visiting, it also seemed a lot nerdier than northwestern as a culture, which is kind of cool. I didn’t really vibe with the Cornell campus itself if that makes sense. I do think northwestern’s is far more beautiful.
If anyone has ant advice on careee opportunities and outcomes, I’d appreicate some input on that. It might come down to that or a coin toss lol.
Because you are a HS senior that just finished the admission cycle, there may be a feeling that prestige is very impactful. But most adults out of the college would tell you where they went has no impact on their daily life. So any difference in public perception regarding Cornell vs Northwestern shouldn’t be a factor in this decision. To the extent that you are unsure about NU because you are from Pennsylvania and it means something, well, you will be spending plenty of time in Chicago and NU is famous there for obvious reason if that should even matter.
NU is a great school, and it’s true that prestige is fairly irrelevant in engineering, but let’s not overplay our hand here. “Famous in Chicago” is kind of a ridiculous argument in favor of NU.
First of all, the University is well-known all over, not just in Chicago. Being “famous in Chicago” implies that you can easily find work in Chicago but not necessarily elsewhere, and I think that’s an unfair implication. A Northwestern degree is much more broadly marketable, as I’m sure you’re aware.
Second, it’s engineering programs have historically not been the star of the show. I’m not implying they aren’t quality programs, but NU’s reputation was built on business, journalism, law, etc. and not on engineering.
Third, Northwestern is probably the 4th most famous engineering program in Chicago (at best) after Illinois, Purdue, and Michigan (in no particular order). I know NU’s marketing likes to tout themselves as “Chicago’s Big Ten team,” but it’s a little disingenuous.
Which bow brings me back to what I originally said near the beginning: prestige is fairly irrelevant. Northwestern is a really nice program and I’d be happy to hire graduate students from there. I would have confidence that they would be well-prepared for my program. I suspect most employers would agree. You just don’t need to add a bunch of fluff about NU’s “fame” for this to be true.
@boneh3ad
You totally misunderstood my post. The OP seems to be leaning toward Northwestern but is unsure about its brand name vs an Ivy. My point was he doesn’t need to worry about it. The word “famous” was just a bit tongue in cheek and a bit hyperbole. You took it too literally and seriously.
As for 4th best engineering in the Midwest; it’s true they are ranked ahead but they are all ranked in the top-10 program. Northwestern’s ug engineering program is ranked 14th.
Have you looked into “Carnegie Mellon University”? Engineering programs there are booming!! Unlike other universities they also consider “Graduate Students With a Degree Outside of Engineering”.
I chose Cornell! It just made the most sense for what I want with a career, since it has all my potential majors, has a lot of resources, and so many connections with industry and academia. Sure, Ithaca isn’t a big city, but I’m already making friends there with future classmates.
Did you visit Northwestern ? If so, what were your thoughts & impressions ?
Congratulations! My son will be joining you as well. Go Big Red!
@esperantisto256, wishing you the best at Cornell!
That’s great - enjoy your Cornell years!!
Congrats! You won’t regret it. I’m a Cornell alumna. It’s so beautiful up there. There’s so much to do on campus. The campus itself is like a city dressed in rural garb.
@esperantisto256
Congratulations!! Glad you didn’t listen to any of these biased people in this forum. There is nothing wrong with Cornell University.
For sure there are biased comments on these boards, but the vast majority of the posters here are offering their thoughts in good faith and just trying to help any many are perfectly capable of offering unbiased advice. However, you really need to stop attacking posters for some perceived bias you seem to read in every post that doesn’t agree with your worldview. If you don’t dial it back, you are going to end up facing disciplinary action.
Who here said suggested otherwise?