I’ve recently been admitted to both Ross pre-admit at UMich and Cornell as an Economics Major (not AEM), and am extremely torn about which I should attend. There are so many factors in considering each but each seem equally balanced and at this point, I’m just looking for advice or even what anyone else would do if in my situation.
A lot depends on whether or not I choose to get my MBA in the future and overall, what kind of experience I would like to have in college. Ross offers a great, specialized business program, and the pre-admit factor is a huge pro, in addition to Ross being more heavily recruited than Cornell in terms of companies and corporation. I’ve been told it would be easier to get recruited because recruiting is very often regional, so I would be “competing mostly with Northwestern” students and might have a greater chance of recruitment. However, I have lived in Michigan all my life and would very much like to get out and get to experience an education OOS. I also know that many, many of my friends will be attending UMich and I would love a fresh start in a place where I don’t know anyone. It might also be more difficult to stand out at Ross because all the students are specialized.
Cornell would offer a more broad education, and an economics major would not just limit me to a business career. It’s also in New York, which is really appealing to me, though I’ve heard that Ithaca might not be the ideal college town that I’m looking for. It also offers the Ivy League brand name, but I don’t really know how much more of an advantage that would give me. However, Cornell would mean more competition in terms of recruiting (if there is any), especially because I would be competing with “mostly Ivy students and kids from the East Coast.” I’ve been told that the major itself is very broad and if I want to go into consulting, Ross might be a better choice.
So at this point, I’m just really confused and unsure of what to do. It seems to come down to what kind of experience I want and the environment I’d like to be in. I can’t make a wrong choice, but I know that either decision will lead me to very different paths. ANY advice is helpful, please feel free to say anything at all that might be of help!