I’m deciding between attending Cornell and Vanderbilt. At Cornell, I’d be in the ILR School, which isn’t the program I really want to do, but I plan on transferring to Arts and Sciences. At Vanderbilt, I’d be in the College of Arts and Science, which would allow me to explore more classes and find my niche.
Financial aid is pretty much the same. However, Vanderbilt has given me the Chancellor’s Scholarship (full-tuition) for four years along with $5,000 for study abroad/summer research during my sophomore or junior year summer. Cornell isn’t giving me any perks and financial aid will probably decrease over the years for me,
Why would someone choose Cornell over Vandy and vice versa? I really need advice.
While it does happen, ability to transfer is not guaranteed.
If you don’t want the college/ program of studies you are admitted to, I suggest attend a different college
What is your COA for each after aid and scholarships? With full-tuition from Vanderbilt. $ to study abroad and your major of choice it seems like Vanderbilt is the clear choice. Not to mention much better weather in Nashville.
Consider: Vanderbilt for your undergraduate years & Cornell for graduate school.
Remember that you can & should share on your resume that you were awarded a full tuition academic scholarship to one of the most prestigious universities in the country.
Cornell is big time, but so is Vanderbilt but, if I could choose & it was appropriate, I would rather have Cornell on my graduate degree as it signifies that one is both brilliant & a an incredibly hard worker.
At Cornell you can take courses in any college and the criteria for transfer doesn’t seem to be too onerous. That said, the most important thing is whether you can study the degree you want or not. If you can do that at Vanderbilt, but not Cornell, Vanderbilt’s your school.
They would choose Cornell over vandy if they where in the major and school they wanted and Cornell gave them the chancellors scholarship with unique research opprunities and perks.
Vanderbilt by a wide margin. They’re giving you perks and setting you up for success. And you are not admitted to your preferred school at Cornell. Better weather and happier students overall at Vanderbilt.
wypiposuck, why did you apply to ILR it it is not your preferred program? Anyway, what is your intended major?
There are many reasons why one would pick Cornell over Vanderbilt…and many reasons why one would pick Vanderbilt over Cornell. So far, from what you have said, Vanderbilt is the better option.
Are you a NY resident? If so, your cost at Cornell will go up if you transfer to A&S as ILR is a contract college so tuition is substantial lower for residents.
@Alexandre I applied to ILR because it was the easier route into Cornell. I’ve always wanted to go to CAS, but since my SAT was higher than my ACT (and I didn’t have a second subject test), I was ineligible to apply to CAS at Cornell. My plan has always been to transfer.
Freshman at Cornell here. I know a number of people who have transferred into Arts, so if that’s your goal, it’s definitely realistic. Honestly, I love Cornell and it’s really hard to beat the sheer number of opportunities to go into all fields here.
When you say COA for both schools is $22k, do you mean annually? Even with full tuition at Vanderbilt? Is your aid at Cornell need-based? One consideration is that need-based aid can change year to year, but as long as you meet the requirements of the Chancellor’s scholarship at Vanderbilt your full tuition will be covered.
Cornell is rural, Vanderbilt is urban; Cornell has around 12k undergrads; Vandy has about half that number; Cornell is COLD in the winter, Vandy’s weather is a bit milder and the winter is shorter. The point is, think about the type of campus you would feel most comfortable at for the next four years. Don’t be swayed by the ranking or ivy-status. Both are great schools with wonderful opportunities. Give careful consideration to “fit”.
" @realperson2990 Is it possible for internal transfers to graduate within four years at their college?"
I’m not @realperson, but anyway the answer is, in most cases, yes.
At all the univerity’s colleges the in-college credit requirements leave room for taking courses in its other colleges anyway. And pretty much everyone does so. Worst case your freshman courses would count against your out-of-college allowance if you switched colleges. But probably freshman year you would be taking at least some CAS courses anyway. That’s my guess, but frankly I am not familiar with the ILR curriculum so you might want to check.
There are also major requirements, you may have to do some scrambling sophomore year to get on track with that. But it’s probably doable.