Georgetown vs. Cornell

Colleges and Universities A-Z Georgetown University
1

I’ve been lurking for a while, but this is the first time I’ve posted! I’ve noticed a lot of School vs. School posts recently, and I have another one for you!

I am so grateful to have been accepted to some really good schools, and now it’s down to Cornell and Georgetown. If I could, I would attend both but unfortunately that’s not an option :smiley: They were both very generous with financial aid, so that is not a deciding factor. Please help me decide!

Major: Cornell - Policy Analysis. Georgetown - Health Care Policy and Management.

My only problem with this is that I don’t like my Georgetown major that much anymore. Health care policy was one of my main interests, but now I’m realizing that it’s too specific because I’m now more interested in immigration/education/foreign policy. I chose health policy because it was the closest thing I could find to public policy, but I think I want to switch to political economy because it’s more broad. The thing is, Georgetown requires that its students stay in their school (Nursing & Health Studies) for at least one year, and I don’t want to waste any time. Plus it’s not guaranteed that I’ll be able to change because you have to apply to other schools. (This is the #1 con of Georgetown for me)

I am also considering minoring in business, and am not sure which school it would be more feasible to do that at.

Post-undergrad plans:

I plan to go to law school, so an undergrad that wouldn’t ruin my GPA, has lots of internship/networking opportunities, and will prepare me well for law school would be perfect! I don’t know if either Cornell or Georgetown allows sub-matriculation into their law schools (like at Penn)? Please let me know if you know! I can’t find anything online :frowning:

Other:

I’ve grown up in LA my entire life, so I am not used to the cold at all. I prefer big cities to be honest, so DC would be cool, but I’m open to trying new things (Cornell is probably the only opportunity I’ll get to live in a college town, but that’s not a big factor). I plan on ultimately settling down in LA or NYC too.

Both alumni networks are super good, but Cornell’s alumni network is ranked higher than Georgetown’s. But, Georgetown is in DC, and I’ve been told that that would be really helpful for government/IR stuff but I don’t know if that would be helpful to me since I’m planning to pursue corporate law (maybe criminal). Plus, Cornell has the prestige of being an Ivy League (not sure how much that matters though). Regardless, I will be spending a semester in DC through Cornell in Washington if I decide to attend.

Cornell Pros:

  • Ivy League reputation + alumni network
  • Better major
  • Easier to switch majors if I decide to do that
  • Better law school (slightly)

Georgetown Pros:

  • Can actively network throughout the year, not just during the summer
  • Metropolitan area
  • Less cold
  • Alumni network

Cornell Cons:

  • Extremely cold (!! big con, do the dorms have heating??)
  • College town (not a big factor, it’s just the isolation that kind of worries me)
  • Less networking opportunities throughout the year bc of location (!! also big con)

Georgetown Cons:

  • Not happy with major & have to stick with it for a year & not guaranteed a transfer (!!! biggest con)
  • Mild isolation from others (school of NHS is kind of isolated from the other schools so I’m just afraid it’ll be kind of lonely, please correct me if I’m wrong!)
  • More pretentiousness (not sure if this is just a stereotype, but I’ve heard that it’s a little snobbier)

Thank you for reading this wall of text!! I’m having a really hard time deciding and I appreciate any response! :slight_smile: I was waitlisted at Princeton and will try my hardest to get off it (even though there’s like a 0.0001% chance of that happening), but if somehow miraculously I succeed, I will be attending that instead (though I love both Cornell and Georgetown immensely). I’m posting this in the Cornell thread too for balance.

2

Congratulations on your acceptances!! It sounds like you have some great options. I just wanted to point out that while students who choose to attend Georgetown and start freshman year in a specific school are required to stay in that school for a year, admitted students are actually able to request/apply for a school change before June 1st prior to entering Georgetown. I’d call the Admissions Office if I were you to ask about the process for transferring schools before matriculating. I will say that I’ve heard it’s a little harder to switch into the SFS as an admitted student just because of how full their programs tend to be, but it sounds like the Political Economy major in Georgetown College might be the best fit for you anyway. Good luck!!

3

Your interests are still fluid – you started out interested in health care policy, then immigration, education, foreign policy and even criminal law. That is perfectly normal. You have plenty of time to explore various interests, even if your degree were to be in health care policy (whether just for starting out, or all four years). When you attend law school, you will be learning about all types of law, from civil to criminal and many specific areas based on your course selection – you won’t be focused on just one type of law. Your major as an undergrad will not dictate the rest of your life. In fact, once you are an attorney, you will probably choose jobs based on what is then available, not what your ideal dream job is, as law is ridiculously competitive.

I would say that Georgetown fits you and your interests better. You are right that you would be able to network and do internships and volunteering in DC in the areas that interest you. Many internship opportunities in DC are only available during the academic year, not summers, and you will have the chance to apply for them. You will also have DC to explore, and since you prefer big cities, this is HUGE. There are so many free museums to visit, international and political events to attend, government agencies and think tanks and nonprofits, etc. You also have the ease of flying back and forth home to CA for breaks, with two major airports in DC.

Health care policy is so big and important right now, with so many jobs. There is the possibility that you might actually regain your interest in it if you took a few courses in that major and met people involved in it. And do you know that all these other areas you listed are also related indirectly? Hospitals have to deal with immigration issues and visas for their staff, and obtain translators for their patients. Doctors get charged with crimes, such as assaulting an unconscious patient. Determining what degree requirements a prospective doctor from abroad should have versus one educated in the US relates to education policy. Doctors Without Borders likely has some international and work visa issues to deal with. Pharmaceuticals companies deal with endless types of litigation and legal compliance issues. Health insurance policy is in the news daily. But like I said, your major in college won’t close any doors to your future legal career in a different area – what it can do though is open doors if your major relates to a specific area of law (like health) and you decide to pursue that later.

If you do decide on Cornell, you will be able to network with Ivy alumni, not just Cornell alumni, which is a plus as you mentioned. And of course you could pursue summer internships in DC and do the Cornell in Washington semester. That won’t change your day-to-day lifestyle though on Cornell’s snowy campus and remote location. Many students love a campus and town like that and would thrive there – it’s beautiful! And rest assured they will have plenty of heat in the dorms and other buildings. But if you know that it isn’t for you, then make a decision that works for your own preferences and go to Georgetown.