<p>I have been admitted to both Cornell and USC, and I am from Socal. I am really confused on which one to attend.
My major for USC is law, politics, philosophy
My major for Cornell is Philosophy
I really like Cali, but I dont mind going to the east. I want to go to a law school after. Which one should I pick? Which has better networking for jobs? Which one is easier to get better grades for graduate school? Would I be stupid to pass out on an Ivy League education. My aim for graduate school is Harvard and Stanford?
Opinions Please???</p>
<p>Is cornell a fun school?</p>
<p>ANY school is as fun as you make it.</p>
<p>BTW, for Cornell, you have been admitted to a college (I assume Arts & Sciences), you don’t have to choose your major till … I think, end of Soph year. To the extent you want to change departments, it’s a simple matter of finding another professor to be your faculty advisor, which usually involves little more than asking.</p>
<p>Based solely on rankings (since I don’t know much about USC, sorry). I would say that Cornell is a measurably better school, though I have no doubt that USC offers excellent educational opportunities.</p>
<p>Don’t pass on Cornell. My father went there and I think it’s the best school for anyone really. The studies are great, the programs are fine, and the professors are nice. I hope to see you there someday (but without knowing it’s you lol).</p>
<p>Personally, I think I’ll be choosing USC over Cornell, at this point at least, but that’s because I don’t think I’ll be able to handle the Ithaca weather. I’ll be a much more pleasant person at a school in socal haha. Cornell is what, 15 in the rankings? USC is 23 or 24 or something? It’s a difference, but not huge, if rankings are what matter to you.</p>
<p>what matters to me is which one will i have a better chance getting into a top graduate school from? and which one also has better networking for jobs?</p>
<p>Cornell will give you more opportunity job-wise and for getting into a top grad school if you make comparable grades at both schools. Networking at Cornell is def. way above USC.</p>
<p>Since you’re from socal, you might like to try living on another coasts for a while to try it out - it’s four short years, and you will be able to try out a different, less monotonous climate.</p>
<p>On the other hand, choose USC if you really hate cold and snow. I loved Cornell, but the worst thing about it was the cold. I was torn between Cornell and Vanderbilt when I made my college decision, and while I’m glad I chose Cornell in the end, I remember cursing and wishing I had chosen Vanderbilt when I was walking to class in -20 degree temperatures with my hair frozen solid from sleet. In the end though, I’m glad I did it.</p>
<p>^ Ha ha. The weather can be very cold and windy, but -20 would a very anomalously cold temperature – even for Ithaca in January. Nevertheless, if you’re from Socal and have skied, or have visited classic four season locales, then you’ll know how to gear up and make the best of it, otherwise you’d have to buy some winter clothes, boots, et cetera. I’d choose Cornell without having to give it much consideration, but I can enjoy the winter and the beauty of a recent snowfall (and love skiing). Some people don’t like the adventure of a snow filled wonderland; if you’re one of them then maybe USC is for you.</p>
<p>^ It’s not that rare. I had many days every year where wind chill brought it down to many, many degrees below 0. You have to take into account wind chill, colm…lol.</p>
<p>^ I know Ithaca pretty well too, plus I grew up not all that far from there, so I stand by what I said; although I don’t argue that if you don’t know how to deal with winters you might have an initial challenge; this is why I recommended USC in the event that OP is afraid of the challenge and fun of a little winter sports…lol.</p>
<p>how hard do you guys think cornell was?</p>
<p>I’m originally from Los Angeles, spent a summer at Cornell during high school and I’ve been here the last four years. I got used to the weather (of course this winter doesn’t count as a winter, right?) but I’ll be heading back to LA county this summer for vet school.
At times (gen chem, orgo, orgo II, biochem) Cornell was incredibly challenging and not at all fun. Other times (Magical mushrooms mischievous molds) incredibly fun and engaging.<br>
I think there’s a real variation in “how hard” between programs and courses. All in all, it was manageable and if I had to do it all over again, I would!</p>
<p>Like the poster above me said, there is no general difficulty level in a school with 4,000 course offerings. I took courses where all I did was watch movies and talk, and I took courses where I had to write 40 page papers analyzing a single company’s financials. Just depends on the course. …but on average it is definitely a difficult school.</p>
<p>were you guys able to get good grades, because whichever one i can get better grades at, is better for me??</p>
<p>^ Yes. Most students do well enough to pull around a 3.4-3.5. Colleges know the rigor of Cornell.</p>
<p>Where you go to school has no bearing on what law school you will get in to other than what your GPA is.</p>
<p>Thats what makes me think USC is better, because I think I can get better grades there and have more fun haha, but still a lot of other factors I’m considering such as networking.</p>
<p>Networking wise, that sort of depends where you want to be located after school. While both have large alumni bases across the country and world, USC has a much stronger base in the Southern California/West Coast area, and likewise, Cornell has a much stronger base in the New York/East Coast area.</p>
<p>Cornell isn’t that fun if you have a tough / challenging major. Otherwise, it can really be.</p>