I recently was offered a CALS transfer option for sophomore from the Cornell waitlist but am entering Villanova as a freshman in the fall. I’m pre-med and would major in earth and atmospheric sciences at Cornell. Villanova is very low for me ($23,000/year) while Cornell will likely be $45,000-$50,000 bc I’m in-state. However, my Villanova scholarship is contingent on my moms job (tuition exchange) and her college might close which would escalate Villanova tuition to $67,000. Anyway, assuming tuition does not matter much bc there’s no guarantee either way, would it be wise to transfer to Cornell next year?? Academically, is it worth it given Villanova is still a good school?
Disregarding prices, I would honestly say go for whichever school feels right academically. Villanova is a great school, but it is much easier to stay on the top compared to Cornell. If you want to go to a semi-good school, but as #1 or if you want to go to a great school, but as an average student is totally up to you. Also as a transfer student, adjusting to Cornell may be difficult, but completely doable because Cornell is such a big school and by sophomore year, not everyone has found their friends yet.
If you’re worried about networking, Villanova is known fairly well as a strong school and if you manage to be in the top 5% it will give you an edge over someone who is average at Cornell and many people know about Villanova due to their strong basketball team. However, it’s ultimately up to you. If you think you can be one of the top students at Cornell then go for Cornell because it will be worth it.
Good luck!
Thank you for the advice! Are you attending Cornell this fall? I honestly wanted a large research institution with extremely strong academics especially in the sciences so I am leaning towards Cornell, but you do bring up a good point. However, if I can not guarantee I’d be the top at Villanova, would it be worth going to Cornell to hypothetically graduate as an average student from an Ivy League as opposed to being an average student from Villanova?
Yes I am 
Hypothetically if you will be an average student in both institutions, Cornell will probably have more opportunities than Villanova especially because of the name and just the name itself will get you a lot of things.
Here’s something that will convince you to stay at Nova: https://www.quora.com/Does-attending-an-Ivy-League-school-really-matter
and something to convince you to go to Cornell: https://blog.crimsoneducation.org/blog/ivy-league-education
Just weigh your pro’s and con’s and whichever seems like a better/more fitting route for you, go for it.
Check costs after financial aid. If you have to spend more than 30k getting a bachelors degree, it’s not worth it.