<p>You shouldn’t feel like you’re “settling” for school due to money issues. You make it sound like Cornell is vastly inferior and money is your only reason for leaning towards it. Take the cost/aid out and make a pro and con list. Do you really like Stanford more than Cornell? If you only like Stanford a tiny bit more, choose Cornell because honestly a few “prestige” points isn’t worth the extra 12K.</p>
<p>Cornell did recently beat Stanford for the chance to build a tech/engineering campus in NYC, which will greatly improve Cornell’s engineering recognition/prestige on the east coast and the country in general.</p>