<p>vj,</p>
<p>Several points I would like to mention. I spent some years at Cooper, but hopefully I won't be biased. (Are you a transfer or a freshman? You created two threads and they seem to contradict each other)</p>
<p>Location: I find it outrageous that some of the above posts mention Cooper being at the worst location in nyc; it is, rather, one of its main strengths. I find the location ideal - safe, vibrant, diverse. SOHO and Broadway are 3 minutes away. But if you are concerned about having a campus life, Cornell is a better bet - if you can handle the ultra-suburban life.</p>
<p>Academics: You mention that you may not want to go to Cornell because you wouldn't enjoy the cut-throat atmosphere. Well, in that case you will have to choose Cornell, because Cooper will be even worse. Prepare to take AT LEAST six classes a semester. Only come to Cooper if you are more than confident in your brainpower and persistence. An intense studying atmosphere defines Cooper Union.</p>
<p>Life outside school: It's possible to enjoy yourself at Cooper - if you don't need A's. A reasonable amount of work will get you B's and C's, while you really need to work for your A's. If you want straight A's, you can maybe come out on Friday night two or three times a semester.</p>
<p>Reputation: This one's hard. Saying that you go to Cooper will often get you either "WOW! Seriously?" or "Where is that?" Cornell will usually bring "That's great." You get it. It's up to you what you would prefer; if you are trying to impress aunt Sally, go to Cornell. If you want to impress your future employers, Cooper may have a slight edge, because in my opinion you are better off REALLY impressing a reasonable number of companies rather than giving a decent impression to a larger number. Although this is an extreme case, I have gotten an internship before at a top engineering company literally by saying "I go to Cooper."</p>
<p>Alumni network: Not surprisingly, the Cooper alumni network is limited in number - although many are elites and will love to help out Cooper graduates since the school really means something special to those who went. Yet, the Cornell alumni network is still surely one of the most powerful in the nation.</p>
<p>Money: No competition here. Although New York has high living costs, I've seen people spend less than 15k a year, and part of that could get covered by financial aid, not to mention the free tuition.</p>
<p>Flexibility: Only consider Cooper if you are sure about engineering as your undergrad major. You will have to transfer out if you realize that engineering is not for you - which is exactly what I had to do. But remember that majoring in engineering for your undergrad doesn't mean that you have to keep pursuing it.</p>
<p>Your major (ChemE): I don't know anything about the Cornell ChemE department, but I can tell you about Cooper. I would say its reputation is average among the engineering majors available at Cooper. Electrical engineering is the most rigorous, while civil engineering is generally said to be the easiest while still maintaining great job prospects. ChemE seniors last year, despite the size of the school, mostly got great jobs or went to grad school - employers were mainly top chemE companies like Exxon. On the other hand, the Cooper ChemE department isn't involved in too much research due to a lack of graduate students, while Cornell is a huge research institution.</p>
<p>The decision ultimately depends on what's more important to you, since Cooper has so many extreme pros and cons. Hope this helped, and good luck making your decision.</p>