Cornell vs. Michigan vs. Notre Dame

College Search & Selection
1

Hi. So, I went into the college process with my expectations low (like I always do, mostly due to CC standards probably) but now I’m in an unexpected dilemma. Half of my decisions aren’t even out, and I’m already lost on which school to pick. Cornell has been my dream school since forever, but I have an open-mind too and highly considered other schools as well (hence I did not apply ED). In college, I will be studying engineering—the specific disciple: not sure yet. However, I also have great interest in business and would somehow like to combine the 2 (probably minor in business).

On to the juicy stuff… I recently got into the University of Michigan, Notre Dame, and Cornell via a likely letter. I was absolutely shook when I got into Cornell since my heart has been set on it for so long. But, as my over-analytic mind tends to do, I’m second guessing myself.

Financial aid hasn’t come out yet for any of these schools, so right now I’m not considering price, although my parents are happy to pay if it means a great education. Of course, financial aid would be amazing though so that my parents wouldn’t have to pull as many strings.

Anyway, any opinions on these schools for engineering? I love how Cornell has a business minor specifically for engineers which would be great to do, and the other schools worry me (especially Michigan because you even need to apply for a Ross minor which is still highly difficult to get). A school with rather fluid internal transfers would be a plus, especially if I realize that engineering isn’t for me. Still, I foresee myself sticking with it and coupling the degree with a business minor. Also, the student life seems more vibrant at Mich and ND but it’s not a deciding factor. Thank you.

2

Congratulations on your success – you have three amazing choices. It sounds to me like your heart is with Cornell so if it is affordable, I’d go with there.

3

First off… Well done! Look at industrial engineering when trying to combine engineering and business. It’s what my son did. He’s at Michigan engineering. He was going to minor in business also but decided to take other classes instead since a lot of his engineering classes are business geared like engineering economics, engineering stats etc etc.

To me Cornell and Michigan are comparable in programs. Cornell seems to be more business focused but you can get that at Michigan even if your not part of Ross. Yes, Ross minor is tough to get into. But there are others ways to gain business experience and take business classes also.

4

Michigan and Cornell are stronger in engineering than Notre Dame. Notre Dame has a top business program too, with ethics as a key component. Do you like the Roman Catholic atmosphere at Notre Dame? While not all students are religious, there is daily Mass available, and many beautiful cathedrals on the campus.

Notre Dame and Michigan are more football focused than Cornell. Cornell has a hockey team that seems popular.

Ann Arbor and Ithaca are better college towns than South Bend Indiana.

Cornell is a little hard to fly in and out. You can get to only three cities from Ithaca Airport–Detroit, Wash DC and I think Philadelphia right now and grab a connecting flight. That can change. You can fly out of Syracuse or Elmira airports too. There is a shuttle up to Syracuse Airport from Cornell.

Ann Arbor has a shuttle to the Detroit Airport , a major airport with flights everywhere.

5

Accessibility was key for us. Delta and United offer direct flights to CA and the shuttle, which takes about 35 minutes to campus, is easy to book for about $20 round trip.

They’re all wonderful schools with different characteristics.

6

I live in NY and a flight would be unnecessary for Cornell. Transportation isn’t a determining factor for me. Also, I go to a Catholic high school but I am not very religious-- although I do not mind the atmosphere. I haven’t visited ND yet but I went to Michigan recently and wasn’t a fan of the disconnect between north and central campus, although Ann Arbor was lovely. I also visited Cornell in the fall, it was very beautiful, yet a little spread out I must say. Notre Dame seems like a really nice campus, not sure about the surrounding area though. Is Cornell’s college town comparable to Ann Arbor? I never passed through it when I went. @Coloradomama

7

Ithaca is significantly smaller than Ann Arbor. Last I checked, Ann Arbor was four times larger (120,000 residents vs 30,000). Ithaca is much hillier as well. Walking around Ithaca in winter can be challenging with all the icy slopes.

8

For a small town, Ithaca has a lot to offer, but it is smaller by far than Ann Arbor. Busses are used in both cities to get to campus, so you will be bussing either way, and the cold is about the same. Ithaca winters may be a bit more grey than Ann Arbor. One gets used to the hills in Ithaca after a while.

Cornell Dairy Bar is not to be missed for fantastic ice cream! There is a Cornell class on ice cream making, part of the agricultural college, but can be an elective.
http://living.cornell.edu/dine/wheretoeat/cafescoffeehouses/cornelldairybar.cfm

Summers in Ithaca are delightful, (if you choose to stay on campus and work in one of the many engineering labs) there are some swimming holes, not far from campus. Sailing on Lake Cayuga, hiking in state parks, and restaurants in Ithaca are wonderful. Nightlife in Ithaca-
https://www.visitithaca.com/attractions/nightlife

Northern Indiana is flat and Chicago is 95 miles South Bend, but I think the student body is tight knit at Notre Dame and fun loving, football is a big draw there. See “Touchdown Jesus” when you are there, a statue that appears to be cheering for the Fighting Irish! Students are happy at all three schools, so you probably cannot go wrong.

9

Different atmospheres. If you can visit each, it’s ideal. I have a kid who nixed Cornell after a visit, and preferred Michigan over Notre Dame.

10

You have three great choices! If possible I’d try to visit each school again (and ND for the first time). I have a kid who preferred ND over Cornell. A visit would very likely help you sort this out. Good luck!

11

Prior posts were by a former grad student and a parent of a grad student, so please let me offer a few clarifications about Cornell as experienced as an undergraduate -

“Busses are used in both cities to get to campus” true, in Ithaca. However most undergraduates live close enough to walk to campus. And they do, generally.

“…so you will be bussing either way” Not in Ithaca, most of the time, for most undergraduates. There are steep hills between the “downtown” part of the city and the Cornell campus, but most undergraduates do not routinely go downtown. Particularly underclassmen. They don’t need to. They mostly stay in Collegetown (which is mostly up the hill too), and on campus. When they do go into Ithaca, they can take a bus, true. However, often they have friends with cars, so they drive. Or they walk. My D lived in lower Collegetown and walked both downtown and to campus. Then as an upperclassman she had a car and she drove sometimes too. She spent more time downtown than most Cornell undergrads do though, due to friends there.
Historically, downtown is more the turf of Ithaca College, and Collegetown and the campus are more Cornell turf. But obviously everybody goes everywhere.

There are also buses on campus itself, but they are mostly useful for extremes of commuting which is not common.
As an engineering student the places that are far away are the ag quad and evirons. If you are an engineering student but get a part-time job at the Vet school you would likely take he bus to get there. But for the preponderance of your classes and circumstances you will just walk.

"… it was very beautiful, yet a little spread out "

It seems that way, because the ag quad (and adjacent areas) is huge. Remember the campus is divided into quads. Without the ag quad, and various areas of housing that you may never live in, the campus is quite manageable. (Though still a little spread out) And as an engineer you may rarely need to be on the ag quad.
(Except: I don’t know where Dyson is these days, it might be up there someplace).
Within a few weeks of being there you will have your bearings, and after a while it will not feel huge, intellectually.(Though It may still feel huge if you have to walk to the vet school from the engineering quad, from the prior hypothetical).

“Walking around Ithaca in winter can be challenging with all the icy slopes.”
True. Though the constant is not so much ice, it is slush. And it isn’t just the hills.
Only the hardiest people are walking from campus to downtown in bad winter weather. But fortunately you would rarely, if ever, have to (see above).
Where this is more relevant to most undergraduates is walking around campus itself,and vicinity, not walking to downtown Ithaca. The west campus dorms and lower Collegetown are also on hills. As an engineer you are likely to want to live in these areas, because they are closest to the engineering quad.

So “woe is me, what to do…”?
You just suck it up and walk, like everyone else. And then years later share stories about having to trudge up Libe Slope during a blizzard to get to an 8am chemistry lab. it’s a rite of passage, if you will. It is not a reason to turn down the school, for most people, believe me.

12

This is not our first go-round on these points, so some reading of prior threads may be at least entertaining; eg
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/university-michigan-ann-arbor/2073332-michigan-or-cornell-p1.html