I recently got into UMich for political science as well as Cornell ILR (Industrial and Labor Relations) and Georgia Tech for economics and international affairs. There are pros and cons to all three schools, and I’m having trouble picking among them. I’m mostly concerned about job prospects and salary after graduation as well as the school environment (competition, partying, etc.) Please help me, I’d appreciate it!
I’d pick Cornell (cozier; Ivy), Mich, GT (known less for non-tech stuff) in that order.
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Have you visited? About as different as you can get. I would imagine one would stand out.
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I unfortunately haven’t gotten the chance to yet but I’m planning on it!
These are all good schools, but in the soft sciences and humanities, Cornell and Michigan are a little stronger (or at least thought to be so) than Georgia Tech. Tech is a STEM champion (as are Mich and cornell), but not so known for SS/Hum.
So assuming Cornell and Michigan will be similarly expensive, I would look at fit variables – location, environment, vibe (sports, social, etc.), academics (available classes, curriculum), etc.
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Cornell ILR “places” extremely well. It’s a small, pre-professional program and Cornell is an Ivy (with all the networking and resources that entails).
Downsides would be relatively remote and overcast/gloomy/cold weather + relatively intense (more intense than most but less than some other Cornell majors!)
Compared to UMich and GTech, you’d have a broader/more generalist program at UMich + football powerhouse and better weather at GTech. (I assume you can easily add an Econ minor at UMich to make your program similar to PPE so I don’t see it as a differentiator.) Check out the Economics requirements at GTech, as I assume they’re very quant, and if that appeals to you, whether you can add math classes to you ILR or UM programs.
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Ohh I see. Would you say UMich has similar “placement” to Cornell or would there be a significant difference?
ILR’s pathways are pretty awesome.
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difference in favor of ILR
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Is there a $$ difference? the pathways you are talking about all require low/un paid internships followed by low paid entry level jobs followed by ($$) grad school followed by ok paid mid level jobs. If debt is in the equation that is likely to limit your options.
Job prospects are generally similar, but as others have said ILR has a particular rep for supporting its students.
Also, salary after graduation will be affected most by the job itself and secondarily by the location. The name of the school won’t get you a better/worse salary.
I second the motion to visit, and the sooner the better. The campus experience is meaningfully different at each of these 3 schools.
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Another vote for ILR, assuming no big difference in cost.
There is a lot of reading (I Love Reading), but it is more collaborative than competitive. It has its own academic and career counseling departments and provides a small “home” within Cornell. It’s not complicated at all to do minors.
For placement and recruitment, ILR’s biggest strength is HR and HR consulting, where it is probably unmatched nationally, but they do very well in all areas of finance, banking, and consulting. ILR is on the same footing as Dyson, CAS, etc (as opposed to Michigan and Ross). It is also an excellent preparation for law school or graduate work in the social sciences, and many types of NGO/nonprofit work.
These are all great choices, but I think ILR is distinctive because of the flexibility, both in terms of study and successful outcomes across a wide range of fields. Good luck.
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