<p>Right now I'm split.</p>
<p>I got into RPI with a $40k/4year Merit Scholarship, but I also got into Cornell University's Engineering. Can anyone make a strong case for me to choose RPI over Cornell for Comp. Sci. if I also want to be around non-engineers at college?</p>
<p>To be honest, I'd say I'm leaning 55/45 towards Cornell, so I plan on staying overnight at Cornell and going to the RPI open house.</p>
<p>Did you get any money from Cornell?</p>
<p>Nope, and no financial aid from either of them. The fact that Cornell is sort of in the middle-of-nowhere hurts it, but I there's the fact that its an ivy and one of my friends wants me to go there because he says his sister loves the engineering there.</p>
<p>Cornell is a good school, no doubt about it. And it's in a college town of Ithaca, so its not "in the middle of nowhere". RPI has mostly engineering majors and Cornell is more varied. If the price were the same I'd say Cornell is your best bet. But $40k is alot of money to save, and RPI will still get you the job you want if you try hard. It's up to you...</p>
<p>I can see not wanting to be around all engineer types. But, just so you know, not everyone finds the social life at Cornell thrilling...</p>
<p>That aside, you will not have any trouble getting great jobs coming out of either place, especially if you do well.</p>
<p>This one is like a junior version of MIT vs. Stanford. The great tech school vs the great university that also has a great engineering school. Go to RPI if you wan't the techie feel. RPI student body is about 75% eng/sci. Cornell's engineering school is on par with RPI's plus you get the atmosphere of "real people" (non tech types).
Sounds like Cornell is the better fit for you.</p>
<p>I would completely disagree with the "tech type" generalization. Just because engineering is our largest school doesn't mean everyone is a "techie." If anything I would argue the comp sci people are the techies not the engineers but that is just my opinion of the people here. </p>
<p>Either way if your going for engineering you can't go wrong. I would just say visit both places and look at all of the intangibles. That's what should really make your decision, especially when you know the education will be great no matter what.</p>