Carnegie Mellon v. Cornell v. Northwestern

<p>Greetings all~
My son has been accepted to all three of these engineering programs, which we are extremely proud and happy about-but now comes the tough part, picking between these three excellent universities. Any informed opinions/thoughts out there?</p>

<p>Congrats! First things first, what is he [planning on] majoring in?</p>

<p>How are the financial aid offers? I suspect Cornell would be the best.</p>

<p>Northwestern or Cornell. My cousin attends Northwestern (he chose NW over Berkeley and Cornell) and he is really happy. The people are really down to earth (might not find that at Carnegie Mellon) and NW offers a great undergrad experience -academics, sports, accessible city, strong but managable course load, 98% returning freshman. Still, Cornell is really cool; I have visited the campus. It’s a tough choice, but def Cornell or Northwestern.</p>

<p>Why not carnegie mellon?</p>

<p>He’s still figuring that out. . .thinking about Mechanical Eng. or Chemical Eng.</p>

<p>IMO, wherever he thinks he’ll like it more.</p>

<p>I would go with Cornell.</p>

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<p>Since when? I’m not really sure what this comment means exactly, but there are plenty of down to earth people here at Carnegie Mellon. Our engineering programs are truly top notch, and we also offer what I consider to be a great undergraduate experience. Many of the stereotypes about Pittsburgh are truly outdated - it’s really a fun, welcoming college city, and there’s lots to do on campus as well.</p>

<p>Engineering students get the opportunity to take intro engineering courses in two areas, and then declare in one (or they can declare in another, but will have to take that intro in sophomore year, etc.) Students are very smart, but not overly competitive, and professors are generally friendly and accessible. Job placement is excellent, as are research and internship opportunities. Our engineering problem is very well-regarded, and I would highly recommend it.</p>

<p>Keep in mind that if finances are a concern at all, you can probably get each of the schools to bid against each other for your son.</p>

<p>Thanks for the feedback thus far, in relation to the financial aid topic, each university’s in the ballpark of the other, that really isn’t a deciding factor. Any more insights are very welcome.</p>

<p>I’d say Carnegie Mellon if you’re more interested in Computer Engineering.</p>

<p>Generally, when it comes down to Cornell vs Northwestern, Cornell has the advantage in the Engineering fields (Although Northwestern’s Industrial Engineering is ranked higher than Cornell’s). However, there are two things you might want to consider. Are you certain that the extreme rigor of Cornell Engineering is something you can handle? And more importantly, are you sure that Engineering is what you truly want to do?</p>

<p>Sure, Cornell may overall have a better reputation and program for Engineering, but that’s about it. Northwestern has a magnificent campus and easy access to the wonderful city of Chicago. And the programs at Northwestern are more prestigious than Cornell at pretty much everything except Engineering. I have a cousin at Northwestern who’s doing a 5-year dual program in Engineering and Economics, and he’ll receive his master’s degree upon graduation.</p>

<p>My D graduated from NU with ChemE degree, and now works with peers from Carnegie Melon and Cornell, and Michigan, Michigan State, & Vanderbilt, so congratualtions, it appears that all your choices may be winners!</p>

<p>And NU was perfect for my D, for a lot of reasons, but everyone’s different…</p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

<p>All 3 are very good, but CMU is in an urban environment and is more geared toward computer engineering and computer science. I would lean toward Cornell, followed by Northwestern and then CMU.</p>

<p>My d is deciding among the same schools, with the addition of a free ride at SUNY Stonybrook and big scholarship at Northeastern. Cornell, CMU and Northwestern are not offering any money other than loans. Is a big private school worth more than a free education at Stonybrook?</p>

<p>She planning on chemE or biologicalE, something to do with sustainability or food supply, but did not get the ag program at Cornell with instate tuition.</p>

<p>emsmom2 - Take the free education!</p>