Northwestern VS Cornell

Colleges and Universities A-Z Northwestern University
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<p>Basically the discussion title. Which should I choose?</p>

<p>Both are beautiful schools with, in my opinion, much in common--mid-sized (as opposed to Princeton or any of the smaller liberal arts colleges) and situated on beautiful campuses, both have an array of divisional schools, both have a somewhat more pre-professional atmosphere. Greek life is also kind of a big deal at both C and NU. It goes without saying that both are obviously renowned for their academic rigor.</p>

<p>I have only the vaguest, murkiest idea of what I might want to study. Some days I feel like I'd be a great doctor, and other days I convince myself that I'm going to be a journalist, and then NU's Medill School of Journalism sounds like a good idea. Gender and Sexualities could be fun too....? Clearly I'm undecided. One thing I know for sure is that I want a liberal atmosphere where I can finally be myself, having attended a culturally conservative and elitist all-boys prep school in NYC for the last 6 years.</p>

<p>Other factors: My father actually works in nearby Utica and is thrilled at the possibility of my being so geographically nearby. We are still awaiting news of financial aid from both Universities.</p>

<p>Any thoughts? Thanks! </p>

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<p>D went to Cornell…S is at NU…both are great schools. All depends on your fit. Can’t go wrong with either one.</p>

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<p>Wow, really? That’s actually so funny and awesome! Anyone else?</p>

4

<p>What I think you’ll really come to appreciate over Cornell is that Northwestern is just 30 minutes away from Chicago. For $3 on the L (the elevated train/subway) you can get into the city go to the art institute, or ice skate on michigan avenue in the winter. Also, there’s a poppin’ bar scene in many of the burbs of Chicago like Bucktown and Wicker Park on Friday and Saturday nights. Also with UChicago not too far away I get to hang with my friends a few times per quarter, so that’s fun too. </p>

<p>Also, the beach/lake is beautiful. I love going on walks around the lake at night with friends, and it’s a great spot to chill in over the summer to grab a quick smoke with friends. Also, if you’re into sailing we’ve got a great sailing team; one of my close friends is on it and in the spring you have lots of cool stuff going on like Sail with a Sailor and Dillo Day (the spring/summer music festival) </p>

5

<p>Academically, they are equals, but I agree with the post above that NU wins in location. I had a bunch of friends at NU who chose it over Cornell because of location. </p>

6

<p>What College at NU? What College at Cornell? </p>

<p>Basically, both are excellent schools, but you know that. Both are beautiful, but you know that. NU is suburban, Cornell is rural, each of which have advantages and disadvantages, but you know that!!!</p>

<p>If you’re into Medill and want to be a Journalist, NU’s program probably has a better reputation (whatever that means). Cornell has programs that are considered stronger than NU (Engineering is an example, if you believe rankings, though at least a couple of years ago, the schools had different educational philosophies, that may be more important than rankings.</p>

<p>Financially – see what packages you get. If you’re into one of the Statutory Schools at Cornell, tuition start out A LOT lower.</p>

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<p>I was thinking Arts and Sciences at both Cornell and NU but that I would transfer to Medill if I chose NU. Anyway, thanks everyone! I think it’ll come down to financial aid.</p>

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<p>Close one but probably Cornell…</p>

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<p>“I want a liberal atmosphere where I can finally be myself, having attended a culturally conservative and elitist all-boys prep school in NYC for the last 6 years”</p>

<p>This does seem to argue in favor of Northwestern.</p>

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<p>Northwestern has impressively flexible academics–dual degree programs, double majoring across schools, etc. is all possible with a pretty trivial paperwork process. And there’s lots of room for different courses in your schedule.</p>

<p>Location is a big deal–Chicago is far more accessible from NU than NYC is from Cornell. It’s easy to go barhopping in the city without much effort, and the transportation here is pretty functional. Lots of good neighborhoods, restaurants, and bars all over the city. It’s nice to have DePaul and Loyola within transport distance, too.</p>

<p>I picked NU for Chicago and flexibility.</p>

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<p>Whoopdashoop and others. When you talk flexibility at NU, my child was accepted to Medill but not sure about journalism/marketing communications. While very interested still not 100% certain. It sounds like there’s lots of cross-over with classes in arts and sciences (from Medill) and dual degree is fairly attainable? I wonder how flexible the options are if the decision is to change major - like say to Econ after a year? </p>

<p>We’re attending Wildcat Day in a week and look forward to learning a lot more. That said, as a west coast kid who has never set foot on the campus, my child needs to determine if they can survive 4 winters in Chicago? Also, we’ve heard that NU is extremely competitive - some have said “it’s cutthroat”. We’ve assumed all top tier schools are extremely competitive (she has other options). But we’ve heard NU takes competition to the next level and the 45 unit requirement is much more challenging than most schools that require 32 - 36 classes to graduate. Care to comment on any of these items? Thanks</p>

<p>Mostly we know NU is an incredible school, and extremely honored to be accepted. Now it’s time to decide if it’s the right fit. </p>

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<p>From what I’ve heard, Cornell is extremely competitive as well. I mean, I know this article is a bit old, but…<a href=“HuffPost - Breaking News, U.S. and World News | HuffPost”>HuffPost - Breaking News, U.S. and World News | HuffPost;

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<p>It’s ridiculously easy to double-major between the other schools and WCAS (you can’t double major between two non-WCAS schools). Medill has distro requirements, though they’re a lot less exhaustive than WCAS. You should have a major declared by fall junior year, generally speaking. Honestly, the biggest constraint will be each department’s major requirements. These change by department, and more quantitative departments can have a lot of year-long sequences that mean you need to start earlier rather than later. This is something that you’d talk to a freshman adviser or upperclassman about, it’s really not too bad.</p>

<p>Natural sciences are cut-throat, probably because of the ridiculous amount of pre-meds here, and NU’s status as a research university. If you come here for pre-med, you really, really should want it. Same for a lot of the sciences. Plenty of friendlier distro classes in the natural sciences though. Engineering is a lot better, from what I’ve heard. And as far as I’ve heard and experienced, social sciences and humanities departments are just wonderful. Much, much more cooperative and relaxed.</p>

<p>The cold is fine. Hat, scarf, gloves, boots, coat. Down coat, preferably. Go to an outdoor store and ask for a windproof coat that will get you through single digit weather. Long underwear, socks, etc. for the last 10%. It’s only brutal for about a week, then it gets back to livable weather (unless polar vortex, in which case don’t go outside).</p>

<p>The 45 unit requirement isn’t actually that impressive, in my opinion–it’s just a breadth versus depth tradeoff. 10-week terms don’t give you the space to fit 15 weeks worth of material. It’s fast-paced, but the course focus and topics covered are adjusted accordingly. Really, I’d complain more about the 2 midterms plus final for courses–that’s what affects the pace, not the length of terms.</p>

<p>Stop by the activities fair during Wildcat Days! And join the gymnastics club, it’s kind of the best club on campus. #noshame</p>

14

<p>They are both cold and the weather is terrible at both. Yes, Northwestern does have an eastern boy flavor in some aspects. I would choose Cornell but only by a hair…</p>

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<p>It’s a close call if you don’t mind spending 4 years in Ithaca, which my kids thought was unappealing. If location matters, especially if you find easy access to a great city appealing, NU is obviously the way to go.</p>

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<p>Also take into account cornell’s history of grade deflation</p>

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<p>Hey is cornell or Northwestern better to do a dual degree program</p>

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<p>It is a lot easier to do a dual degree program at NU than Cornell.</p>

19

<p>Why</p>

20

<p>why</p>