NYU vs. Cornell transfer - want some insight

Transfer Students
1

So a bit about me cause I have quite a story. In high school I had awful grades and no friends, but I worked really hard the last two years. I didn’t feel confident about where I could get into, so I ended up going to Boston U. Boston U was fun, but I wanted to get out - I cared about the rankings a lot. I wanted to make my parents proud. I applied for transfer freshman year and got rejected everywhere. And my grades got worse.

With a 3.17 GPA, knowing that they’ll see C+s on my transcript, I didn’t want to give up. I applied to 13 schools. So far I’ve gotten rejected by most but accepted into NYU and Cornell, waitlisted by UNC Chapel Hill. I’m a computer science major. I worked super hard getting internships and building phone apps & websites. Computers are my passion, and in the end I want to pursue computer science applied to finance. Keep this in mind for helping me figure out which school is better.

I applied to Cornell as information science, cause that would be less competitive than computer science. Information science majors take some CS classes but their study is more focused on human interaction and usage of technology. But with an info sci degree I can still apply to software engineering jobs.

At NYU I applied as computer science and was accepted into CAS, not Tandon. Computer Science at NYU is under its Courant Institute, which is the #1 applied math institute in the world. My plans are to study math and computer science there.

So I can’t choose between them.

Reputation wise, Cornell has a top CS department, and I’ll be able to take some CS classes. They also have one of the few and top information science programs in the country. Also the name would help me get interviews a lot more easier. But NYU also has a great name in tech and CS.

Location wise, Ithaca sucks. I’ve spent a few weekends there and it’s isolated and depressing. Nothing can really beat Manhattan, and Manhattan has a huge, growing tech scene with HackNY and silicon alley.

So what’s better? A more enjoyable experience or a better reputation for my future?

I appreciate your help, and remember even if you don’t have the best grades, there are always chances in life.

2

NYU would be your best choice in this situation unless you care about the extra tuition costs/dorm fees you will have to pay, although Cornell is more prestigious, but I don’t think it will edge out NYU’s reputation by that much. Moreover, you could also study the major you want at NYU. Just my opinion, but hey congrats on your acceptances to these colleges :wink:

3

@Xusong1998 Thanks for the response. Those are exactly my thoughts!

4

Congrats on your acceptances! Cornell is known for it’s STEM departments, so I would’ve told you to go to there. Is there no way to switch from information science to computer science? On the other hand, since you’re not a fan of Ithaca’s location, and NYU does have a good CS department and recruiting opportunities, I agree with the other poster that you should choose NYU. I don’t think reputation of your school matters as much for CS recruiting as what you’ve done, and you can’t beat NY location wise (except Silicon Valley for CS). Good luck wherever you choose!

5

@harvardbabe turns out there is a way to switch to CS. I ended up with cornell

6

Orangebanana could you help me out? I’m in a similar boat to you. Congrats by the way! Sounds like you have earned it. I have a 3.55 in community college. A’s in economics and math courses. EC’s are solid. Sold educational books door-to-door in a different state my senior yr of high school (internship). I then worked for a fortune 500 company part time. Then I took a sales job also part time with a start up company (owned by a Upenn grad) And now I work with a fantastic software company in operations as a student. HS gpa was a 3.3. Do you think I have a chance at either Cornell or NYU?

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@codyweak Yes of course!

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I would choose NYU because i think it puts you in a way better position to land a career in Finance and also its hard to beat living in NYC.

9

^ Wut? Non-Stern NYU isn’t shabby, but for Wall Street, Cornell is better than non-Stern NYU.

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For future reference if anyone will ever be in my position, choosing between NYU or Cornell, finance professionals have told me that Cornell is a no brainer.