<p>Well, here's my two cents:</p>
<p>The School of Foreign Service at Georgetown is very strong, and at least in my opinion, the primary reason why one would want to attend Georgetown. But the International Studies program at Cornell is just as song, particularly with CAPS and East Asian studies. So in terms of academics and opportunities, I think it's a wash. (Georgetown may be in DC, but a quick glance at recent World Bank Presidents and National Security Advisors indicates that spending a couple of years in Ithaca isn't going to hurt you, either.)</p>
<p>That being said, there's going to be a pretty big difference in student culture between the schools. So I would pick the school that best fits your personality. </p>
<p>My own experience (which is obviously biased by the fact that I'm a proud Cornell alum): I interned at a think tank in DC between my junior and senior years at Cornell, and subletted with a bunch of Georgetown students, so I had a fair amount of interaction with the Georgetown crowd, and at the end of the summer I simply found Cornell students a lot more down to earth and approachable, but just as intelligent. At Georgetown I felt like I was surrounded by class presidents everywhere. Moreover, at Cornell, I had a very good friend (history and psychology double major) who was a transfer from Georgetown; she transferred to Cornell because she failed to find a niche for herself at Georgetown and was pretty unhappy. Needless to say, Cornell's such a diverse place, she quickly found a core group of friends who shared a lot of common interests, and quickly found herself at home. And she loved her upper-level history courses at Cornell to boot.</p>
<p>In terms of considering business or law school, etc., I wouldn't lose sleep over it. Students have a tendency to change their minds over the years, and either school offers ample opportunities. As for pursuing other options like fine arts courses, Cornell's a pretty expansive research university that allows for all types of explorations, and it can definitely be done. Just look at Cornell's motto. I had two pretty close friends, one a biology major, and one an economics major, who were both enrolled in a bunch of different fine arts courses while at Cornell.</p>
<p>As for the waitlists at the other Ivies, I have a different take than some of the other posters. I think both Dartmouth and UPenn are the most similar to Cornell in terms of experience, but for different reasons. UPenn tends to have a large state school feel to it, as does Cornell, with all sorts of different students studying different things. Meanwhile, both Dartmouth and Cornell offer a pretty similar rural college-town experience, complete with an active Greek scene, plenty of outdoor activities, and a lot of on-campus events. It's Brown and Columbia that are quite different. Brown offers the open curriculum and a really progressive campus feel. Meanwhile, Columbia offers the core curriculum and New York City. That being said, if you are serious about East Asian studies, Cornell may best them all.</p>
<p>Hope this all helps some. You have a couple of pretty good options available to you.</p>