<p>Right now I'm deciding on whether to do ED Cornell for engineering (specifically computer science) or Columbia SEAS (engineering school). I realize that Cornell is much stronger than Columbia for comp sci (ranked #5 vs. #17), but I have to factor in $30k additional debt. Based on this, which would you recommend me to apply to?</p>
<p>You can’t get any scholarships or financial aid?</p>
<p>GO TO COLUMBIA DEBT FREE. Both are Ivy’s except one is cheaper. Save your debt for grad school were it will be better used.</p>
<p>How do you figure that Cornell will cost you $30K more than Columbia? You don’t even have your financial aid offer yet, do you?</p>
<p>I did the financial estimator on Cornell’s websites and found out that I’d be stuck with $7500/year of loans while Columbia’s financial aid is loan-free</p>
<p>Go to Cornell. Engineering is so tough that a lot of people don’t end up doing grad school. Or if you’re not 100% engineering and may switch, then go to Columbia.</p>
<p>Cornell’s a much better engineering school. $30K amortized over your career is peanuts. Go to Cornell.</p>
<p>Hes going for computer science not engineering lol.</p>
<p>Money is temporary. It comes and goes. Go to Cornell if you like it over Columbia. NYC is going to sink anyway. Would you really want to boast a degree from a non-existent university in the few decades to come? ;P</p>
<p>I would just go Columbia as I personally think its the better school and you become free of debt.</p>
<p>US News undergrad rankings, computer engineering: Cornell #10, Columbia not ranked.</p>
<p>US News graduate program rankings, computer science: Cornell #5, Columbia #17. </p>
<p>For what the OP wants to study, Cornell is the better school.</p>
<p>But you have to consider what “better” means in this context, and whether this matters to the tune of $30k. Not to mention the numerous other differences between the schools, and the environments, that may be really more important to you. (Do you want The Core? Do you think you’d prefer city or college town?)</p>
<p>Look at the Columbia registrar’s list of courses being given this semester, and Cornell’s. Do they have similar # of courses offered in the fields you are interested in? Does Columbia have plenty enough ?</p>
<p>If you can find out about relevant companies (not investment banks, unless that’s what you want) recruiting there, that might be interesting. I know Google goes there, at least.</p>
<p>OP’s stats are good enough he could aim for even better schools than Cornell or Columbia engineering. Any reason why ED is between these two?</p>
<p>I would have to say Columbia. In a country with thousands of universities, there is no difference between top 10 and top 25. $30,000 is not a lot, but those two schools are peers. If the OP were deciding between Cornell and say University of Rochester, I would probably recommend Cornell. But Columbia is excellent.</p>
<p>Get the offers, get the real finaid, then decide. Cornell is known to give the littlest aid in the Ivy League, but Columbia is the next in line.</p>
<p>Each of these schools is going to calculate aid differently. You need to fill out a FAFSA and see what each offers. They may even calculate AGI differently. It is impossible to say how different their offers may be. Normally I am very against debt, but I’m not getting the jump from Columbia to Cornell. They are both excellent schools, but very different. If you want an urban campus you will be seriously miserable at Cornell!</p>
<p>Many excellent points are being made here. Two stand out above the rest:</p>
<p>1) Should a student who requires significant Financial Aid apply ED?
2) Is the applicant applying ED because he/she has a clear-cut first choice or is it just to improve chances of admission? Given the difference in the two schools, I would say it is the latter. Cornell is rural, has a dominant undergraduate/ Greek life social scene and has a varriety of non-traditional colleges, such as Agriculture, Hotel Management, Human Ecology etc… Columbia is extremely urban and has a relatively quiet campus environment and is pretty homogenious academically speaking (mostly CAS and Engineering)</p>
<p>You should apply to both schools and then wait until you have your financial aid offers before deciding. I would apply ED to Cornell but first call their admissions office, tell them you want to apply ED to Cornell but are not sure the financial aid offer will make it affordable for you. See what they say. See if the ED can be waived for financial reasons.</p>
<p>I seem to remember something about Cornell will now match FA offers of other Ivy League schools. This would of course only be relevant in RD, with admission to both.</p>
<p>^ monydad is correct. Also, it is possible to appeal a financial aid offer. It is also possible to be released from ED if the financial aid offer does not make Cornell affordable. When you apply ED, you are notified of acceptance early and given the financial aid offer early so you will not know how it compares with a school to which you apply RD until April.</p>
<p>The financial aid calculators are not that trustworthy. They may ask different questions and you have to be sure to enter the same info in both.</p>
<p>Even then, I would say Cornell Engineering is worth the extra $30,000.</p>