<p>I was accepted to both Cornell CAS and Northwestern WCAS as a transfer student. I'm a psychology major and I also want to minor in education studies and business. Basically, I really like that NU is close to Chicago (a huge pro for me), and it just seems more fun than Cornell. I have a lot of family and friends in NYC, though. I like going out, but I am more hipster/artsy type, definitely not typical-fratbro/athletic type.
However, I come from Europe and pretty much no one here has even heard of NU (even my uncle who is a manager at Deutsche Bank.) Cornell has an Ivy-League name attached to it, which may help me tremendously getting a good job. I want to go into consulting and I do want to come back to Europe after college. I know you will say that one should never choose a school based on prestige, but honestly I am tired of having to explain that my school is actually a really good one.
Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>Show them the US News rankings if that will impress them 
and they will see that NU is ranked higher than Cornell. Having friends and family in NYC doesn’t mean that you will get to see them on any sort of regular basis. Ithaca is a 4 hour drive from NYC, not right around the corner. Being just outside Chicago is a huge advantage for NU students. Also, NU has a great theatre and music scene which you may enjoy. They both have lousy winter weather, so they should cancel each other out on that front. I think that your instinct about NU being more fun than Cornell is probably “spot on,” but they are both great schools, so I don’t think you can go wrong.</p>
<p>I just finished 3 years of grad school at Cornell and did my UG at NU. They are radically different environments to live in, and from what you’ve described, I think you would be much happier at NU.</p>
<p>A large portion of Northwestern students go into consulting!</p>
<p>Is Northwestern the frattty athletic type? I thought it was big on Greek life, intramurals, and good attendance at football games. Am I wrong? </p>
<p>Northwestern does place a lot of students in consulting, however many of the jobs are in Chicago. Cornell may give you an edge with NYC due to geography. I cannot comment on placement in Europe. </p>
<p>“one should never choose a school based on prestige” -> while I disagree with this, NU and Cornell have nearly identical rankings, and the difference in academic quality is minimal. The Ivy League status may give Cornell a little more name recognition, granted.</p>
<p>I would hardly call NU “the fratty athletic type,” although many students are in Greek life and students tend to e well rounded. </p>