Is Cornell worth applying to ED?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Cornell University
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I’ve been debating applying to Cornell university Early Decision. I’d really like to go to their School of Engineering, but I’ve heard that once you apply ED, you won’t know about your financial aid status until after you’ve gotten in (and therefore will have to pay the price no matter what).

Is it really worth it to go to Cornell Engineering and pay that hefty price? I’ve heard very mixed reviews so I’m really not sure. It’s my dream school, but I just don’t know if 80k a year is worth it. Do you get to pay it off easily in the future due to better job prospects out of Cornell?

There’s also the concern about how the academics at Cornell are extremely difficult, you don’t have a life, etc. How true are those statements? Will that lead to me missing out on a social life?

I’ve also heard many people say that you can get the same education from state schools, and that employers really don’t care where you’re from - but I don’t know how true that is either.

All in all, I’m really conflicted.

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Run the Net Price Calculator. If the result is a number you cannot or will not pay, don’t apply ED. If the NPC indicates that Cornell is affordable and it’s your top choice, apply ED.

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I will definitely try that out! Thank you so much.

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You seem to have a lot of doubts about where to apply and about Cornell as well, which is totally fine, so I’m not sure EDing anywhere is the way to go. Run the NPC as skieurope to see if it’s affordable, even if it is not sure you want to use the ED option anywhere.

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Why? Being very specific, what is it about Cornell that makes it your dream school? The answer matters, b/c Cornell Engineering is like a pair of shoes that comes in a very specific size: if it fits you just right, it’s great. But if it doesn’t, it really doesn’t.

Your questions are good ones, but the answers will be hard for other people to answer. You can get a great job in engineering from lots of schools. You will have to work pretty hard in any engineering program, but it might feel more or less painful depending on how the program suits you.

IMO there is no good reason to take on more debt than what you can sign for in your own name (~$20kish) to go to Cornell for engineering.

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to clarify that point, you can withdraw from ED if the finaid is not adequate. That’s why @skieurope’s suggestion to run the NPC is so important- if you run the NPC (and your family doesn’t have confounding issues, such as owning rental property or their own business / divorce / not being in the US), then you should have a pretty good idea of what you will be asked to pay. I haven’t heard many people say that their EFC was materially different than they expected using the Cornell NPC. If you apply, get in ED and the cost is significantly different than the NPC indicated, you can appeal it. If the appeal doesn’t work you can withdraw from the ED agreement and apply elsewhere.

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Hmm, good point. I think I have to do some more research into other state schools before I even make a final decision, but I’ll definitely take this into consideration.

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Yeah, I’m thinking of talking to some alums and seeing if that might give me a better idea of what it’s like.

I actually didn’t know about the appeal process - that’s new to me!

Thank you so much for these insights, they are extremely helpful.

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Be careful with that approach: unless you know a lot about the person you are talking to it can be very misleading (whether they loved Cornell or loathed it). Same as reviewing anything- a movie, music, a restaurant- you need to know whether/how the things that matter to you align with how they do for the person reviewing it.

Do some serious homework first- identify some specific things you want to know about the program (starting with the reasons it’s your dream school). Ask questions along the lines of "I’m really interested in this part of the program- how did you find it? " and “what were the best and worst parts of the program? of Cornell? of Ithaca?”

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Ah, makes sense. I’ve actually seen a lot of mixed reviews when it comes to experiences at Cornell, so I’ll keep that in mind.

I think one of the main reasons that it’s my dream school is because the curriculum itself is not very technical based - they involve a lot of other soft skills (or so I’ve heard - the Engineering Communications program is an example of that).

I’m also pleased by the demographics; as a woman of color myself I would feel more comfortable in a program that has a lot of women and POCs around.

The social setting seems to be very nice as well, as they value community a lot which is very reassuring. (I love rural areas too, so the surrounding area is not a problem for me)

However, I don’t know if these are preconceived notions that I have regarding the program, because the only homework I’ve really done is digging through their website and reading various alumni reviews on sites like Reddit.

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All ABET accredited engineering programs are going to have a written and oral communications requirement. Some schools will let you place out of them with AP credits, others, like Cornell will not.

Cornell certainly has a lot of diversity in CoE and on campus as a whole and no denying that Ithaca is stunningly beautiful.

My husband and I both went to Cornell. He was in engineering. We both had an amazing time there and loved it. Our daughter, didn’t apply after our official visit and didn’t think it was a fit for her at all.

While we both really appreciated all the out of college requirements and the more liberal arts focus, that didn’t appeal to our D at all. We had her map out her four year plan of study for her major and for her, there were just way too many courses that she wasn’t interested in. Other students find that to be a strength of the program. I would recommended looking at the details for your major and seeing if it’s a “yeah that’s awesome”, or a “OMG, never” ; )

Cornell also isn’t known for their co-ops so if that’s on your radar, a different school may be a better fit.

Cornell students don’t declare a major until the start of second semester sophomore year so many of the major specific clubs aren’t open to students until then. The plus is that it gives students to explore different areas of interests. The con is if you really know what you want you can’t get involved right away.

My daughter felt the vibe was too competitive (we had a very stressed out tour guide which didn’t help the perception) and not collaborative enough. That wasn’t our experience when we were there as students but it’s been a while.

I’d recommend reading the student newspapers and hanging out a bit on Reddit to see about getting a better sense. You can also call admissions and ask to be put in touch with a student in SWE (society of women engineering). They have an outreach committee and students will gladly, and honestly, talk to you about their experiences.

As for cost and “worth,” I echo the other posters who say to run the NPC and make sure it’s affordable WITHOUT loans. An engineering degree from any ABET program is going to be marketable and no, I don’t think Cornell is worth going into debt for. The majority of salary differences relate to cost of living areas, not the school where you graduated.

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This is such a wonderfully detailed response. Thank you for all your help!!

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My DS2 was all set to apply for Cornell Engineering ED. Now he is not so sure. He really wanted to be involved in the engineering project teams, but we found out one has to apply and be accepted. And the upperclassmen are the ones doing the interviewing. Kid decided this was indicative of a more competitive atmosphere than at other places. You can look this issue up in reddit. It has also been discussed in their college newspaper. Interestingly, no mention of this competitive process in the official cornell web page for Project Teams.

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