I will be applying to Cornell this year for the batch of 2025. I am sure I want to apply to their engineering school, but i cant decide if I should apply for Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) or Operations Research and Engineering (ORIE). I am more inclined to coding (Java, Python, HTML, CSS) and I have taken subjects such as Physics and Math at a higher level. Most of my projects are also related to app and web development. Which major will be preferable for me and be easier to get into?
Cornell doesn’t admit by major, just college. You declare a major second semester sophomore year.
In the common application they are asking me to choose a major within cornell engineering. So will applying to ECE increase or decrease my chances considering my activities are mostly programming related but I have taken Physics HL in IBDP. @momofsenior1
Would you recommend me to apply to CS, Electrical and Computer Engineering or ORIE? Based on the acceptance rate for a girl in STEM. @momofsenior1
The answer does not change. Cornell does not admit by major; they admit by college. Selecting one engineering major vs another will not improve your chances. You are not bound to major in what you listed on the Common App.
I personally know a lot of the ECE faculty, and can say that it is a very good program.
My daughter is in CS in COE and others above are correct. You only now express what you’re interested in, but you don’t have to declare a major until after your sophomore year, although many do it earlier if they have the required coursework and GPA. She knows many that have also already changed majors. So don’t worry about it. You may change your mind once you get there.
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The one thing your indicated major projection may influence is the faculty advisor they assign to you, initially.
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Faculty advisors at Cornell unfortunately are very hit or miss. I know a few who have great advisors, but the overall majority do not. A lot of them are also unresponsive. My daughter has 2 and I still can’t figure out what role each of them play for different things. She needed permission from one of them to take a summer school class and then a different one for her classes but the one assigned to her has nothing to do with her major so they aren’t much help. I don’t even know if she even met with him before she enrolled this week, although I thought it was required.
I was CS major, and as I only had 2 courses left to take my senior year,
I got the ( Meng in ORIE)
IMO ECE is a better (and harder) degree - it’s more hardcore and you pick up better skills.
(as an employer in Quant Finance I also tend to prefer degrees that are more hardcore)
You can declare your major later