Both of these colleges are exceptional. In my opinion, it is all about what FITS you. Not all the top 20 schools are the same. Some are located in the city, rural, tiny, large, cut-throat, collaborative, etc. The most notable differences between WashU and Cornell are 1) Cornell is almost twice as large as WashU, 2) the climate at Cornell is much colder, 3) easier to get to an airport at WashU (which may be a concern) and it is more rural than Wash U. Its after all what you like and what is important to you… It’s a nice problem to have. Not everyone gets accepted to a top 20 school. Congrats!!! 
I’m very impressed with WashU and my D is very happy there. It is one of the most beautiful schools in the country. That was a top priority for my D. She wanted a highly collaborative, southern hospitality, warmer climate, beautiful campus, an awesome town, smaller school, etc. She didnt’ apply to Cornell because she wanted to go South and it is too big for her anyways. Everyone is different.
I put this together for another person and this may help…
WashU is about 15 minutes from St. Louis international airport and about 10 minutes from all sorts of shopping (Galleria, Trader Joes, Container Store, Super Target, etc), restaurants (Cheesecake factory, the famous Pappy’s BBQ, etc.) and near lots of other activities such as the Cardinal’s Baseball team. It is also about two blocks from the Loop which is a vibrant street where the kids hang out and where the off campus Loft apartments are located (which is brand new this year). They offer free metro buses to get around town.
It is a Top 20 US News Ranking school – Ranked 14th as National Universities as of 2015. http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/washington-university-st-louis-2520
Wash U was ranked the 9th for having the top average CR & Math SAT scores of 1485.
Top 100 SAT Scores Ranking: Which Colleges Have the Brightest Kids? http://www.forbes.com/sites/schifrin/2014/08/04/top-100-sat-scores-ranking-which-colleges-have-the-brightest-kids/ (1. Cal Tech 1545, 2. Univ. of Chicago 1515, 3. Harvard and Princeton 1505, 5. Yale and MIT 1500 7. Vandy 1490, 8. Olin College of Engineering 1489, and 9. Wash U 1485)
WashU was ranked #13 out of the top 25 Best Employers in America per Forbes. Google was 1st. That means the employees and professors are happy which is good! http://www.forbes.com/best-employers/#tab:rank
Princeton Review has mentioned that Wash U ranked the top 20 for:
- Best-Run College
- The Students Love these Colleges
- Happiest Students
- Best College Dorms (they are usually in first place)
- Best Quality of Life
- Best Campus Food
The campus is stunningly beautiful. The Architecture is really stunning. I would say it is very similar to University of Notre Dame and Rice University – beautiful campus setting.
WashU dorms are really nice. They have air conditioning which can be a big deal (for example ND doesn’t have air conditioning). Every bed has a Tempur-Pedic mattress and the modern dorms have private bathrooms in your suite. For example, my D sophomore dorm consists of 4 singles for 4 students and it has two full private bathrooms. They also have the bathrooms cleaned twice a week.
Dining – On campus there are over 28 places to eat including a public restaurant called Ibby’s that serves steaks which is in the meal plan. https://diningservices.wustl.edu/where-to-eat/
WashU has a highly collaborative culture which was very important to my D. The students aren’t highly competitive or cut throat like some other colleges are.
They also offer a PEP program where you can freeze any amount of tuition, room and board at current rates for all four years and it is payable up to 10 years. It is based on simple interest, no fees, no closing costs, and it can be prepaid at anytime. Wash U’s staff, administration and financial aid office are very friendly and helpful.
Good luck deciding!!
@lonestarvike. Yes, they say WashU is called the Ivy of the Midwest, Rice is the Ivy of the South and Stanford is the Ivy of the West. It just means it’s a tippy top school. The name Ivy came from having the top sports teams. There are so many exceptional schools out there and In the end, the best school is what fits your child.
