<p>Hey guys. I'd like to hear all of your opinions regarding where I should go to school.
I was accepted to Cornell's Hotel school as well as Marshall School of Business at USC. My dad is a professor in Marshall, so I would get free tuition which, in and of itself, is quite the incentive. I would graduate with no student loans, however, I would also not graduate with an Ivy League undergraduate degree. I currently live in LA, so I'm not terribly stoked on staying here and rather, would love to experience something new (I.E. the east coast). On the other hand, the girls are USC are farrrrr better looking, and I most likely have more fun at USC. But how can you pass up an Ivy League education? It's hard to turn down. I don't want to do something that I'm going to regret for the rest of my life.
Opinions... now. haha</p>
<p>Well lemme just dispel the whole Ivy League thing.</p>
<p>Every Ivy League institution is extremely different from all of the others. There is no secret that is whispered into your ear during commencement. The one thing we all have in common is a commitment to academic excellence.</p>
<p>The Hotel School is not your traditional business experience, but it is amazing if that is what you are interested in. If Business with a hospitality twist is your thing, there is no better place to learn about it. </p>
<p>We have a very distinct culture on the east coast, and a very different climate from L.A. If being in some place different is really that important to you, then maybe Cornell is the right choice. If you already know the culture of USC, and are already used to that lifestyle, maybe a change will be good for you. In these economic times, however, it is understandable that wanting to graduate debt free is a huge push. </p>
<p>My suggestion to you is to go to Cornell, even if it is only for the first year. I am sure if you could get into Cornell and USC the first time around, you could definitely get into USC as a transfer if you felt absolutely compelled to. You will be able to see the culture of Cornell and the east coast, and you will never feel like you “didn’t try.” If you love it enough here, then stay. If it isn’t your cup of tea, you will always be welcomed back home.</p>
<p>And while the girls at Cornell as a whole might not be as hot as USC, the girls within the hotel school tend to be of the sexier kind ;)</p>
<p>I agree w/ chendrix.</p>
<p>My brother had sort of the same predicament: Cornell vs a California school. We are from the west coast, so he definitely had an idea of what school would be like there. He also kind of saw it as a distraction(the beach, the girls, etc)-- he really wanted to get a great education, and leave school with a job. He ended up doing just that, with no regrets. I think that if you want to go into the Hotel industry, Cornell is definitely the way to go. </p>
<p>As Chendrix said, if you go for a year and absolutely hate it, you can always transfer (I’d imagine it would be especially easy considering you have connections with your father and everything!) I’m probably biased, but I’m all for trying something new and pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone.</p>
<p>Go to SC; its football team is much better.</p>
<p>I’m only half kidding.</p>
<p>Isn’t the USC tuition waiver only good for 4 years? If that is the case, the next question should be whether you intend to go to grad school, in which case you can use your tuition waiver for grad school (unless there is a problem being in the same school with your dad as a faculty member). If not, then you have a tough decision to make.</p>
<p>For school spirit, nothing can beat USC football, though (speaking as a UCLA alum). But I understand about your wanting a different experience - we live in SoCal too and S turned down USC (as well as UCLA and Cal) to attend Cornell, at significant additional expense to his family.</p>
<p>One thing you might want to consider is the alumni network. Alumni can be a great help for jobs, getting acquainted in an new city, and just having somebody to remember college with. My step brother went to the USC business program and loved it. But one thing he regrets is that since he is no longer in LA, the USC alumni network where he lives now (Chicago) is much smaller and in that respect, he would have been better off going to UIUC. With Cornell, especially the Hotel school, the alumni network is widespread across the nation and even around the world. Unless you plan on staying in LA forever where the USC network is large, Cornell has an advantage. </p>
<p>Plus, I totally agree that it is good to get out of your comfort zone and live somewhere else for 4 years. Not only is Cornell on the other side of the country, but is also in a rural area. You probably will never never be able to live in a place like Ithaca again, so why not try now!</p>
<p>I gave up Cornell and went to Syracuse University with full tuition scholarship for my MBA. I regreted when I start to look for intership. You just can not give a price tag for Ivy League education, especially in business majors. My D. want to be a doctor and already have a full tuition scholarship from a top state university with a very good medical school. I would prefer to send her to Cornell or UPenn for more than 30K /year.</p>
<p>Let me reiterate what chendrix said. The Hotel school is really UNIQUE – only one other like it (UNLV). It is not a standard undergrad biz program, such as you would find at Marshall, or Cornell’s AEM.</p>
<p>The Trojan Family is huge in SoCal, and growing in the US and internationally, but Cornell’s is stronger in most places. </p>
<p>Free is free. If Cornell gives you some money than it may be a little less expensive. But for a $200k differential? No way, particularly on a professor’s salary, unless your dad also manages hedge funds --oops, they aren’t in favor right now. </p>
<p>Your real connections will come from your MBA, anyway. (I’m not a big fan of undergrad biz – prefer econ + liberal arts.)</p>
<p>Cornell’s Hotel program is narrowly focused, much more so than USCs. On the other hand, do you really want to go to B-school (grad)? Cornell’s Hotel School grads have a really good record at getting into Top B-school programs. I was pleasantly surprised to see how successful they are at getting into B-school.</p>
<p>Get out of your Socal zone, and check out Cornell before committing, though.</p>
<p>go to USC. i would go there just for the girls.</p>
<p>i am quite certain that cornell hotel school is very different culturally than usc business school…</p>
<p>at the hotel school you will have lots of group projects, lot of extra hours in the hotel…you will have to dress up ritually…not sure that AEM or other business schools have the same culture as the hotel school…</p>