<p>Hi, I got into Cornell and Northwestern Engineering. How will you guys compare the two schools? The curriculum, workload, social scene, people, and everything..!</p>
<p>I really need some help to decide. Thank you.</p>
<p>Cornell Engineering!!!</p>
<p>[Best</a> Undergraduate Engineering Programs | Rankings | US News](<a href=“http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/engineering-doctorate]Best”>http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/engineering-doctorate)
which means better job offers! This year it was also named best college town for towns under 250,000 residents - [Ithaca</a> Ranked No. 1 College Town for Second Time | The Cornell Daily Sun](<a href=“http://cornellsun.com/section/news/content/2013/03/11/ithaca-ranked-no-1-college-town-second-time]Ithaca”>http://cornellsun.com/section/news/content/2013/03/11/ithaca-ranked-no-1-college-town-second-time)
Winter might not be quite as long as it is in Ithaca, but can’t think of much else weather wise that would be different.
Workload is manageable & you can definitely have a social life as an engineering major (my daughter is in her 3rd year and has a very active social life).
To me, it’s an easy decision.</p>
<p>^Northwestern is only few spots behind at #13, not as “easy decision” as you probably think. Also, NRC rankings put NU engineering at least on par if not better; here are the top-10 engineering departments for NU:</p>
<p>Applied Math #4
Chemical Engineering #6
Civil Engineering #8
Electrical Engineering #8
Materials Science #4
Mechanical Engineering #2
Industrial Engineering #1</p>
<p>As for Ithaca vs Evanston, I’d never been to Ithaca but based on wikipedia, it got a 2-block pedeistrian mall in its downtown. The town has a population of 30,000. Evanston downtown is pedestrian-friendly with lots of restaurants and shops; it is similar to Ithaca area-wise but has more than twice the population. So it seems to be more urban and thereofore, I can’t imagine Evanston downtown would offer anything less. One of the reasons it’s not on that ranking is that Evanston is just next to Chicago and probably not considered a college town.</p>
<p>Choose based on overall school fit and location; having said that, my choice would be Northwestern.</p>
<p>Northwestern</p>
<p>Cornell engineering.</p>
<p>This is ridiculous. Some people are actually saying Northwestern, In terms of engineering Cornell is better and I think the OP knows that but in terms of best fit that is left for OP to figure out himself not for people to tell him which is. I’ve heard of Cornell engineering vs. UMich,Duke, Princeton, UTAustin but for this C’mon the choice is pretty easy to me.</p>
<p>Sam Lee, Ithaca is a really charming college town. Sometimes the numbers don’t tell the story.</p>
<p>As for location, both Chicago and Ithaca get very cold during the fall and winter just btw.</p>
<p>OP</p>
<p>This was my D’s choice two years ago. She visited both campuses (and had done the summer program at Cornell as a HS Junior).</p>
<p>Perhaps Cornell Engineering has the edge, but I don’t think that the edge is large enough to end the discussion. In looking at both schools, here was our (both my D’s and my impression).</p>
<p>The schools appear to have different educational philosophies. Cornell seemed like a more traditional engineering program. Students who are undecided as to which discipline they want to study are encouraged to take comprehensive courses (up to one a semester) until they are required to choose a major in Junior year. These courses presumably give a feel for what the overall course of study will be. Northwestern’s first year + includes what they call “Engineering First”, which provides students with an exposure to different areas of engineering as part of the curriculum. Engineering also has project oriented courses beginning in Freshman year, which gives a hands-on experience.</p>
<p>At information sessions, Northwestern appeared to be leaning towards a group-oriented learning approach. Cornell indicated that they were moving in this direction over time.</p>
<p>In short, we felt that there were different approaches and philosophies towards the education. Cornell’s more traditional, Northwestern’s perhaps more innovative. So, there are really two questions. First – a problem with any innovative program is that we don’t really know whether the innovatons are an improvement in education. Perhaps the traditional approach is better!! Second, people learn differently, the Cornell approach may be better for some students and the Northwestern approach for others. At the end of the day, both schools have top engineering programs – honestly, choosing one or the other because of the philosophy probably won’t matter much.</p>
<p>Next – do you know what you want to study. EVERY school has some departments that are stronger than others. Although you may change departments, does either school shine in what you want to study within engineering.</p>
<p>Finally, there is the issue of campus fit. Does one campus speak to you more than the other. Interestingly, at the Cornell info session, Cornell said that perceived fit appears to be the most important factor in college selection.</p>
<p>Overall, having looked at both schools, my W and I knew that we could wholeheartedly support whatever decision our D made.</p>
<p>Cornell has the group, collaborative philosophy now! We heard it over and over before my son started and he has affirmed that that is how it is. The faculty and staff are amazingly helpful and supportive. Engineering is hard and people are just great there! You don’t pick your major junior year - you apply for affiliation during sophomore year. My son applied in the fall and heard he was affiliated in January. Some kids wait until second semester, but most do it earlier.</p>
<p>GREAT place - for being a large university, the personal attention is amazing.</p>