We would appreciate opinions on the better choice, Vanderbilt or Cornell, for my D studying engineering. Cornell has a more highly ranked engineering program, but Vanderbilt has offered her the Cornelius Vanderbilt scholarship (full tuition and fees) and she will receive no aid at Cornell (full pay). Any considerations would be appreciated, but (1) she does generally like both campus environments, (2) she has no concern regarding the Cornell winter and (3) ultimately we could afford Cornell if worthy of the additional cost. Thanks much.
If money truly were not an issue I would go with Cornel due to the better quality of the engineering program as well as the fact that it is an ivy and thus gives access to a more well-connected network of people and also firms that recruit at Cornell. If she wants to work as an engineer a Cornell education will give her a leg up relative to Vanderbilt and if she wants to go into business ( as many Ivy League engineers do) Cornell will provide many more and higher caliber recruiting opportunities. I think if you can afford it then the extra cost is worth but if you would struggle a lot to make it work financially then Vanderbilt is a perfectly good choice too.
I have a son who did Vanderbilt engineering and a son who did Cornell engineering. Both are employed in Houston and both are doing well. I think both schools give that WOW factor to employers. Cornell engineering is a very stressful environment. Vanderbilt is competitive as well, but the atmosphere wasn’t as competitive. It’s all about what you’re up for. I have to say…a scholarship to Vanderbilt would be really difficult to pass up, even if you can afford the tuition. My Cornell son said that people from all over the world told him that coming to the US for engineering at MIT or Cornell was the goal for most of them. I think that contributed to the competitiveness. Did he like it? yes and he would do it again in a heartbeat, but be ready for all that it entails. The weather was irrelevant in his feelings about his alma mater. Ithaca, NY is just beautiful.
If money is not an issue, then I would choose Cornell Engineering. The alumni network is worth the price of admission IMO. So glad my D is a student here.
Thanks everyone for your helpful insights! Additional views/opinions/considerations welcome and appreciated.
The COA for Cornell is $67K x 4 = $268,000
that’s $268,000
Vanderbilt is offering full tuition plus fees. plus a Cornelius Vanderbilt scholarship is an impressive achievement for your resume that you would pass up by choosing Cornell.
yes Cornell has higher ranked engineering but overall, the schools are academic equals. on the USNWR they are literally tied at #15.
look at it this way. do you really think an engineering degree from top-15 university Vanderbilt will hinder your child’s future so terribly, that it’s worth shelling out $200K-$250K more for a somewhat better engineering program from another top-15 university?
hey, if you have a quarter of a million dollars burning a hole in your pocket, choose Cornell. personally I think you are crazy even asking this question. I would recommend choosing full tuition + fees from Vanderbilt, over full pay ANYWHERE.
Personally I’d say to choose Vanderbilt, just because I’ve heard that Vanderbilt is an amazing school for engineering and business too; albeit, Cornell is a little bit better. Vanderbilt is free and honestly I don’t think it’s worth it to pay 268k (as mentioned above) when you could just go for free somewhere else really good.
I am a Cornell Engineering alum. Like others I give an edge to Cornell Eng., but not by much and I am biased.
Even as an alum, I can not see giving up the full scholorship to Vanderbuilt, which is quite an honor in an of itself.