I know this is long but I really need the help,
I was admitted into the dual degree program between the School of Information Studies and Whitman School of Management which sounds like an amazing program that can provide many job opportunities upon graduation (which is my primary concern.)
Cornell has offered me the opportunity to attend another school for my Freshman year (I have chosen Rutgers) before transferring to their university. My Transfer Option (their variation of a guaranteed transfer) is for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences which is a great school, but does not have the same prestige as the rest of the university. Also the major they accepted me to isn;t that great.
I was wondering whether my opportunities after graduation are better if I get a degree in a good program from a less prestigious school, or a mediocre degree from a very prestigious university?
Why don’t you do both and go to Syracuse your freshman year? It’s not like Cornell stipulates you have to attend your state flagship before transferring.
What major at Cornell? Info Science? I was concerned about the whole ‘CALS is not really an Ivy’ idea at one point. I did some research, and came up with the following. Yes, CALS is easier to get into. That much is clear. What most people don’t know, is that most, if not all of your courses are cross listed with the endowed colleges, so you’re basically taking the same classes as students from A&S. You can look up the post-graduation salary surveys to get an idea of what kind of initial salary to expect. Info Science majors have been pulling in big $$ the last few years; it’s a hot field, and a great time to be a data guru. It’s far from a ‘mediocre degree’ (I’m making the assumption here that you’re referring to the Info Science major). For me, this would be a no-brainer. Cornell is more rigorous, and just a higher class school. Nothing against SU, I live there and love the 'Cuse, but academically, it’s a different class of student. Go to Cornell if you can.
@Coriander23 thats true, but I would be saving 30k dollars in that one year alone if I do both Rutgers instead of Syracuse for that one year.
@justTryIt unfortunately I did not apply to the Info Science major at Cornell (although i should have). I did International Agriculture and Rural Development which has fairly good job placement, but very low salaries. I do have the option of changing my major, but I don’t know how easy that process would be.
Wow thank you so much for that information, I did not know that most of the classes are cross listed, thats great to know in case someone ever disses CALS haha. But I have the same rational as you, why pass up the opportunity to go to Cornell when it is overall a much more rigorous school and greater connections.
I’m also a GT and changed my major a month into my freshman year (although I’d been considering it long beforehand). It was a really straightforward process: I sent CALS an essay explaining my reasons behind the switch as well as relevant activities I’d gotten involved with since starting college, and they granted my request shortly after.
If you’re interested in switching to Info Science, then I would let them know early on so that you can keep up with your graduation requirements. Even if you end up staying in IARD, I’m sure you’ll have lots of great opportunities—it seems like the curriculum makes grads a really good fit for consulting.
Best of luck!
@tangerinejade I know this was two years ago but I am struggling with the exact same issue right now, I was hoping you might be able to help me. If you still use this website, that is!