<p>My son is a math/science guy who is interested in pursuing engineering but not postive yet that this is the direction he wants to go in. For that reason, it would seem that Princeton's engineering program, which is part of the liberal arts and doesn't require declaring a specialty in engineering until the spring of freshman year, would be a better fit for him than Cornell. If he knew for certain that he wanted to be an engineer then I think it would be Cornell, hands down, since their program is so vast. But he has been selected as a Rawlings Cornell Presidential Research Scholar in Engineering, which is an incredible honor and offers immediate research opportunities. Now he is confused about deciding between the two schools. The FA package was a bit better at Princeton but they are both good. If he chooses Cornell, is he locking himself in too early to a field he's not positive about? And if he chooses Princeton, is he not taking advantage of the tremendous research opportunity that the Rawlings Scholarship offers?</p>
<p>If the financials are essentially the same for your family, I would encourage him to consider the Cornell offer. If he decides that engineering is not for him, there is a greater breadth of opportunities available to him at Cornell than at Princeton.</p>
<p>But that is my bias as a former grad student at Cornell. Having studied at a number of different colleges and universities over the years, I have yet to encounter any other place that combines the strengths of the great public land-grant universities with those of the great private research universities. </p>
<p>Your son has two excellent options. He is truly fortunate! Congratulations on those offers, and best wishes with the decisions that your family is facing.</p>
<p>I’d like to add one other thing, that Cornell’s engineering program is better ranked than Princeton’s (Cornell’s is the best in the ivy league) and it is one of the thing’s that Cornell is known for, it’s one of its specialty so to speak (think of it this way, Cornell is to engineering as John’s Hopkins is to medicine). However, it would be best for your son to visit both schools if possible and get a feel of the schools, to see where he fits better. Also, I think in Cornell while your major has to be in your specific college, you can take your other classes from any of the other colleges their whether it be CALs, CAS, SoHA, or any other college you desire.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for your responses. We will be visiting Princeton on Thursday and try to get to Cornell later in the month.</p>