<p>Hi, I was just accepted and received a full ride to Georgetown University... I received likely letters from: Dartmouth, Cornell, and Duke... I would like to study government and then go to law school right after. I spoke to my friend at Georgetown and she was saying.,. i shouldnt go to Cornell... etc. and that Georgetown was the best etc. </p>
<p>I however, haven't visited any of the colleges yet, but am planning to in a couple of weeks. I do not like the "urban setting" that Georgetown is situated in and would prefer something nicer like Cornell, but what are the avg. class sizes and such, she told me most classes tend to be really big at Cornell, but that might be a biased oppinion... im gonna go visit in 2 weeks, but can anyone describe their overall experience at the school, likes and dislikes....</p>
<p>I've heard that the intro level classes are a little larger, same at every school, and then as you advance into the higher level classes it drops dramatically.</p>
<p>Visit, it's really amazing. You'll get a good feel if you visit during the Cornell Days in April.</p>
<p>Go to Georgetown or better yet, Dartmouth. I studied there one summer and the food is great.</p>
<p>Cornell IS dreary and freezing. The classes ARE large. You don't get full professors as you do in the most "ordinary" second tier colleges. Don't expect to get a lot of support from the administration. You're basically on your own when it comes to academic counseling. </p>
<p>Another bad point is the lack of housing after your sophomore year. You have to scramble as early as October to track down a place to live. The houses that are rented out are not in great shape. Worse, the rents are ridiculously expensive. That's because the landlords know they've "got" you. </p>
<p>And the hotel situation is awful if you have relatives visiting. The Holiday Inn is the only place decent to stay (and even that's just ok) unless you can get rooms at the Stadtler (difficult to do). Oh, and if you do go there -- better make your hotel reservations immediately for your graduation or your parents won't have a place to stay four years from now. I'm not kidding.</p>
<p>Don't be impressed with Ivy League schools. It's just a myth perpetuated by the schools to make you think it's a guarantee to success. A very smart friend whose GPA was 3.5 from Cornell applied to law school and only got into an average one in Conn. She could have gone to a state school, gotten a 4.0 and been admitted to the law school she really wanted to attend.</p>
<p>cornell has such a large student body that you should expect class sizes to be larger on average.</p>
<p>unless your friend at georgetown is completely miserable there, she will obviously say Georgetown is superior. I can't say which is better, you have to do your own research; going to biased sources doesn't count. but, even if you know that you want to go to law school after undergrad, it is not so important that you go to a school that has a really strong government program or whatever, it's more important to go to a really solid all-around undergrad school.</p>
<p>i dont actually know if what viola says is true, but you're probablly a smart enough guy to know not to listen to him. he's complaining about mainly trivial things, extrapolating based on one friend's experience (his friend didn't get into her top choice---> cornell sucks), and i'm not so sure what it means that "You don't get full professors", that's most likely false.</p>
<p>I'd say our government major is a bit weaker than some of those other schools... so you might want to think if that's what you're really out to do... but I'd like to dispute some of viola's points. </p>
<p>I've always had full professors, I've had a lot of academic counseling, and housing is guaranteed for sophomores (on campus). In fact, while its not "guaranteed" for juniors and seniors, you can get it if you want- the lack of guarantee doesn't mean that it's hard to get it by all means! Plus, Cornell is expanding is west campus to encompass more dorms- more housing for upperclassmen. Off campus rents are cheaper than most cities (you can easily find a place for less than 400$/month), and I know people with lower GPAs getting great job offers. However, the hotel situation IS awful.</p>
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<li><p>There are four hotels that my parents will stay at in Ithaca: The Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn, The Statler, and The Hilton Garden Inn (under construction). These hotels are the nicest and most modern in Ithaca. During family weekends and other major events, the hotels fill up very quickly, so book early. For graduation, you really need to book your freshman year. Although, some hotels only take reservations one year in advance so even during your junior year, there may be options, but dont count on it. I am a junior and still have not booked my hotel room for graduation so my parents will most likely have to stay in Cortland or Syracuse.</p></li>
<li><p>Major intro classes like microeconomics or biology are very large, with a few hundreds students. But every professor has office hours and if you can go to his rather than the teaching assistant's. The professors are not going to search you out, but if you make the effort, they are more than willing to give assistance. Class size begins to get smaller as you take more classes specific to your major. Moreover, if you do not get a "full professor" but rather a lecturer, you can be sure that they know the material extremely well. I have maybe had 2 lecturers teach with the rest being full professors, but there was no difference in their skill level.</p></li>
<li><p>Housing on campus is only guaranteed freshman and sophomore year. With the new residential initiative on West Campus, old dorms are being replaced by new dorms. Off-campus housing can be expensive. Usually a decent apartment/house will cost at least $500/month plus utilities and internet. You can find cheaper places (300-400) but they are usually below West Campus (meaning you have to walk up the hill everyday) or on the outskirts of collegetown. There are always options and solutions to the problem. If $500/ month is too expensive in collegetown, live behind West Campus and pay $350 a month but also get a bus pass so you dont have to walk up the slope. </p></li>
<li><p>"Don't be impressed with Ivy League Schools." This statement is total crap. Ivy League schools offer a great amount of resources. Cornell has so many leadership opportunities (more than I ever imagined), a large portfolio of classes and clubs, research opportunities, and on and on. Cornell offers so much and you should be impressed that it is Ivy League. Maybe Cornell is not the school for you, but to say that Cornell and the other Ivies are not impressive is preposterous. You have to visit both schools and make an educated decision. I will tell you that Cornell is a great school, but I cannot compare it very well to other schools because all I know is Cornell. </p></li>
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<p>If you have any other questions feel free to message me.</p>
<p>a full ride anywhere is pretty good....even though you won't get any prestige after you graduate at gtown, you'll have some money in the bank. Initially, that should count for something.</p>
<p>for myself, I'd give anything to get into Cornell, Stanford or MIT.</p>
<p>i would just like to add that in addition to government department, we also have ILR and PAM which have wonderful classes that prepare very well for law school (ILR afterall is a feeder for law school) so it's a pro for having such a huge campus is the variety and amount of classes you can take that interest you. good luck</p>
<p>i say wait until financial aid gets distributed, you might get be in for a surprise, darthmouth, cornell, and duke give wonderful financial aid to those who really need it.</p>
<p>cornell is a better school for science, but for politics/government/law, go to Georgetown!!! You even got a full scholarship!!!! Hands down, I say go G-town (lol..it rhymes)</p>
<p>I sweat Cornell like no other, but even I have to admit, a free ride to Georgetown is something you can't turn down. The location is phenomenal for a government major. Good luck!!</p>
<p>Yeah I won't try to lie, you should probably go to gtown...and idk who said it wasn't prestigious but they are obviously on crack, esp. in your area!!</p>
<p>Gtown has a phenomenal international/govt/politics program and reputation. ILR @ CU is also famous, but with the full ride at Gtown, that seems to be edging, however visit both, if you like cornell better, you will do better at cornell. theres no point being miserable for 4 or 5 years in an urban setting if thats not your thing. visit both, and compare them on the academic program, living/social environment, etc, and also your overall feel and gut instinct--thats worth more than you think.</p>
<p>This is a decision being made by my son, too...it'll be interesting to see how it gets resolved...</p>
<p>Anyway, just wanted to throw out a thought about "feel"...I live 7 miles from Georgetown, and went there to law school (which is 3 miles from the main campus)...I am not biased, however (or if I am, it's negatively)...I don't particularly care for G'town as a school...but as an area/campus/place to live, it's great...</p>
<p>Yes, it's an urban campus...but it's remarkably similar in "feel" (geographically speaking) to Cornell...the campus is very "self-contained" (altho very easy to walk out of if you want DC proper)...it's very hilly (no gorges, but very steep hills)...cobblestone streets, "old English" architecture, rising spires, right on the river (the Potomac)...you'd never know you were in DC while you're going from dorms to class buildings to rec sites on campus...and the immediately surrounding area feels very much like a college town/campus area...</p>
<p>So...do keep an open mind til you visit...you'll probably be surprised at how nice Georgetown (campus & neighborhood) is; it really isn't "DC-urban"; it's "college campus urban"...</p>
<p>Of course, you may still much prefer Ithaca/Cornell--and I'd never argue about the beauty of Ithica/Cornell/upstate NY...but between your full ride to G'town and your interest in govt (anyone interested in govt just has to think about the advantages of studying in the nation's capital at a school w/a renowned govt program), G'town is well worth your full consideration, especially since you may find yourself pleasantly surprised by your reaction to its "geography."</p>
<p>Congratulations to you, and lots of good luck!</p>