DD Was accepted and has narrowed her choices down to Cornell and Northeastern (Honors). She had a great time at the NEU honors welcome weekend and learned of her Cornell acceptance later on. She has yet to visit Cornell–will be going for an overnight in April.
Her first choice was U Penn (deferred, then rejected, but happy with remaining options).
Any advice??
Is cost a concern? My impression has been that the Ivies only give need based aid while schools like Northeastern also give merit scholarships.
Northeastern gave her a very nice merit scholarship, yes, but we have known all along that we would be shelling it out for college.
Cost is a concern in the larger scheme of things, but we are not basing our decision on that. It’s more about fit and environment, I guess. I think I’m just anxious for her to choose the right place for her. It’s so individual. I guess I am just wondering about other people’s impressions of both schools.
In the long run, she will go with her gut.
The big difference, IMO, is Northeastern’s well established co-op program. I think they have a more collaborative, hands on approach to engineering, that is focused on career readiness.
Cornell’s program is still steeped in the foundation of a liberal arts education, and students don’t declare their majors until the middle of sophomore year. Cornell will support co-ops but not in the same way as NU, and coops can’t start until a student has junior standing.
There is also a major difference in location - city vs rural.
I’m glad to hear your DD is going to do an overnight at Cornell. That will definitely help her make the decision. It will click or it wont.
Excellent choices! Congrats to her!
Thanks so much! Best to you too!
Hello there - my D visited both schools but only applied to NEU. When is comes to deciding between the top 2, fit and feel seem to be the most important criteria.
The environment is starkly different - NEU is right smack in the middle of a vibrant and incredibly safe city, while traveling to Ithaca was quite a long trek to a rural area (don’t know where you would be coming from).
Cornell was in a gorgeous setting, but my D was concerned about the feeling of isolation. Now, we live in a metropolitan area, and she likes the amenities and feel of this kind of living. But, of course, everyone will be different.
Cornell would definitely be more of a traditional college experience versus NEU (co-op).
My D likes the fact that NEU has a common first year engineering program - a common launching point for all students. Not sure about Cornell?
My D also considered how easily she could travel home.
Clearly both schools offer a wonderful educational opportunity.
Great choices - good luck!
Cornell offers a co-op program for Engineering. I do not know how many students access it, but I recall friends participating in it many years ago. Here is a link in case you want to investigate: https://www.engineering.cornell.edu/students/undergraduate-students/career-information-undergraduates/engineering-co-op-program
I agree that Cornell can be a trek from many places. I refer to it as centrally isolated. That isolation fosters a wonderful campus environment, with students pursuing many activities on campus.
NovaMom93 and CT1417 Thank you for this! She wanted a city, but she also wanted a big, traditional place with school spirit. I am so curious to see what she thinks of Cornell. Ithaca is a 3.5 hour drive and Boston is a 4.5 hour drive, plus Cornell has a bus that goes directly to NYC, which is 30 minutes from home. I guess I’ll wait till she goes to visit.
@CT1417 @Shrink66 yes, other schools have co-op options available, but the difference with NEU is that the co-op experiences are “baked into” the engineering plans. My D is considering another college that will help students find a co-op, but certainly not to the degree of NEU (CWRU).
NEU is so unique in this regard.