thank you! i am not entirely sure if they are having in person events but I am constantly receiving emails about virtual events!
thank you!!! representation is very important to me when picking a new home, so I appreciate those stats! I wish you the best as well!
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First of all, congratulations on getting accepted to both schools.
Have you ever been to Cornell? Have you been to Northeastern? Theyāre two completely different settings, but I donāt see how one could say that Northeastern has a beautiful campus, especially in comparison to Cornell, which is lovely. I am sure that you would find a support group of other students of color there, not to mention everything else that Cornell has to offer.
The opportunities afforded to you by going, and having gone to, Cornell will open doors for you throughout your career, especially early on in your career. In my opinion, thereās just no comparison.
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Cornell is not exactly over-blessed with bubbly people. My vote is to trust yourself and where you felt you connected. One of the collegekids turned down Cornell at undergrad level for a lower ranked school that seemed to fit her better. She is now in grad school at Cornell- very happy that she did not go there for UG, and v happy that she is there now.
You are a strong enough student to get the offer- you will do fine where ever you go.
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thank you! i have visited northeastern, but not cornell. i have always dreamed of going to a school in the city, which is why i find boston more appealing than Ithaca. i appreciate you giving me your opinion so much! <3
thank you so much!!
Cornell is the better school, but NE sounds like a better fit. I tend to lean towards fit.
It is too early to see it, but you would find your tribe at Cornell. So, I believe the location might be a con, but connecting with people wonāt be.
On paper, everyone will say - Ivy over Northeastern. Looking at it another way, Ivy over a school if you asked 100 people nationwide, 50 wouldnāt have a clue where Northeastern is. Having the Ivy cache will be something that you lead conversations with and will impress.
btw - Boston is known as not a good city for POC.
All this said - and sounds like you have need at both - you seem to want the city and to really favor Northeastern. While on paper, Cornell is a no brainer - you do have to spend four years there - and if being in the City vs. in Ithaca fits you better, that is more important than reputation of the school.
Just curious why did you apply to Cornell - as opposed to schools that would fit your city needs (and maybe you did) such as Columbia, Penn, BU, Hopkins, Gtown, etc.
Good luck - in the end, your heart matters more than an impressive intro for the rest of your life.
Me - Iād give Cornell a shot - Ithaca is cool and you will find opportunities galore.
thank you! I did apply to Columbia. To be completely honest, I did not believe I had a chance at any T20 school, so I only applied to a couple!
You have a bunch of cons for Cornell, but the only one that I think matters is that you didnāt connect with anyone. OTOH, your only con about NE was the ranking, which means very little.
Ithaca is a actually a plus in my book, because there is a lot to do all around the area and Cornell itself is absolutely beautiful. There are three colleges in Ithaca and itās a bustling college town. Iām not sure how anyone thinks NE is beautiful, lol. Thereās hardly a campus to speak of.
Cornell has a reputation for being academically intense. If you are looking for intellectual stimulation, you are more likely to find it at Cornell. If youāre looking for a classic college experience, Cornell. In my opinion, Northeastern definitely has an urban feel, as well as being very diverse. Cornell is also diverse.
There are some negatives about NE. One is the co-op system, which undoubtedly has advantages, but many students donāt like that their friends disappear for six months while they do co-ops. It is entirely possible that you may not see friends for a year or more. Also, being in Boston is expensive. Many kids at NE have enough ready cash to go out, and Boston is their campus. Be aware that you will likely have more out of pocket costs at NE and if you donāt have the cash, you might feel left out.
If NE is affordable and you feel you will be happy there, go for it. I also think you would find your people at Cornell, and it will not be a disadvantage to be located in Ithaca. And I definitely think Cornell is going to give you a superior educational experience. Luckily, you wonāt make a bad choice, as both schools have a very high retention rate of 97%.
Boston is expensive but one thing we heard a few times on our NEU tour was that there were freebies and big discounts for sports, shows, museums, etc. You might have to enter a lottery to get some of them but thereās a lot to do in Boston. A job this summer could give you some walking around money this fall.
The town of Ithaca is a neat college town. I understand why people love it there but it is smallish and in the middle of nowhere. Cornell is pretty and sits up on the hill. It has an artsy, theater vibe. Ithaca College is next door and theyāre known for arts. They have a theater downtown for movies and shows. We toured for S21. Heās interested in film but decided not to apply. Too small.
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Congrats on applying - Iād have subbed Penn in then or Yaleā¦I get your logic though.
As a general rule, if you know āmiddle of nowhereā is out - then donāt bother - you know, knowledge for when you have kids in 30 years and go through this again 
Just a note about āmiddle of nowhere.ā I was never bored for a minute at Cornell. There are over 1,000 (not a typo) student organization and clubs, a rich arts community, fun sports (hockey for sure, but even football games were a blast), and so much going on at campus that you donāt need to go anywhere else. If anything, there was too much going on and hard to pick and choose and prioritize.
Yes, it certainly isnāt an urban campus but I promise you wonāt be bored.
Re: friends at Northeastern disappearing for co-opā¦yes, people go to work for 6 months several times during time there. However, many friends end up working in the same town (Boston, San Fran, NYC) so you have friends who have time off in the weekends and in the evenings after work without homework dragging you down (woohoo!).
Ithaca versus Boston are the polar opposite environments - we visited both campuses and you will immediately get the difference. Boston is known as a great college town for a reason - your campus is the city, thereās great public transportation, sports, culture, and if thereās nothing going on at your respective college? It doesnāt matter, you have the city at your disposal.
With all things equal, go with fit. You are obviously a great student, you will thrive where you are happy.
I donāt mean to come down too hard on your comment or to rain on the OPās impression of Boston, but as was pointed out upstream, it is a ferociously segregated place and also very expensive, and Iām not sure the advice that āthe city is at your disposalā can be given without caveats to a BIPOC student on a budget.
And I should also add that for a public policy student there is a lot of fascinating real-world stuff going on in Ithaca right now around diversity and inclusion, affordable housing, and reimagining law enforcementālots of opportunities there The Most Ambitious Effort Yet to Reform Policing May Be Happening In Ithaca, New York | GQ
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wow - Iām not here for an argument about Boston or any other city for that matter being segregated. I am not white, and I know inequalities exist in cities and towns all over this country, of which Iām an immigrant.
You donāt have to be rich to visit Bostonās cultural sites, go to free games/museums, or take part in activities on campus. I assure you that my biracial kid isnāt rich and āliving it upā in Boston, we like many are on a budget. However, I suspect the options for a college-student are more limited in a town like Ithaca. My point was that a happy student is a successful student.
And yeah, your tone comes down hard.
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hi! I go to northeastern and i study criminal justice & political science and have taken a few public policy courses if you have any questions. Both are great schools it definitely just depends what you value. With NU you get both city life while having a nice college campus (quads, paths, trees, etc). Co-ops at NU are so immensely invaluable its hard to put in words! There are tons of fantastic co-ops within CSSH and certainly lots within the field youāre interested in. Feel free to ask any questions you have!
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omg yes pls i would LOVE to ask you some questions!
Iāve spent a lot of time walking all over Boston in the past 3 years - including all over the area around Northeastern, and all the museum areas, concert venues, restaurant areas, etc. It is most definitely NOT racially segregated, at least not in the area of Northeastern, plus all the places that a person might want to go for cultural/entertainment reasons. Sure, there are distant suburbs that are largely upper middle class White. And there are slum areas that are largely non-White. But the parts of the city that a college student would live in, or would be wont to frequent, are racially integrated. Iām not a person of color, but I donāt think that this is of ANY relevance regarding choice of Northeastern vs Cornell, in favor of Cornell!
Many other points have been raised. I just wanted to contribute this:
Cornellās campus is also quite beautiful.
I would visit both. If you are still down on Cornell after that, then so be it.
But Cornell will open more doors, or open them more easily, probably, than Northeastern will.
Itās very hard to compare instructional quality because almost nobody has attended both schools (at least in here), but you can compare the courses they offer. Cornell has the major you want; Northeastern does not. They already have that program established and ready for you to unlock and explore. Northeastern would require more work to figure out how to get that same type of education.