USC vs. Cornell

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Southern California
1

<p>Note: Similar thread posted in cornell forum, for balance.</p>

<p>Well, after a long process, I'm finally down to two schools: USC and Cornell, and I need a little input to help me choose. Let me start by saying that I highly respect both schools, and a lot of the pros and cons and stuff are stereotypes that I would like to have corrected, but are things that always come up when I talk to people about these two schools.</p>

<p>Major and Special Programs:
At USC, I am in Viterbi majoring in Biomedical Engineering, and I want to minor in something but I don't know what yet (not necessarily science or engineering related). I am a trustee scholar, I'm in the W.V.T. Rusch undergraduate engineering honors program (special courses, seminars, retreats and special advising), and I am a Research Scholar which allows me to be involved with research and earn up to $3000 per year starting freshman year and continuing every year. I have to maintain a 3.0 or a B average to keep all of this. </p>

<p>At Cornell, I am in the CALS studying Bioengineering and I would also like to do a minor here that could be, but doesn't need to be related to engineering. I am a Meinig Family Cornell National Scholar, which is leadership based and allows me to work on a large project within Cornell and be mentored by an administrator (including possibly the president or vice president of Cornell). I need a 2.7 to stay in the Meinig program.</p>

<p>Finances:
USC is much better. Because of the trustee scholarship and outside scholarships so far, it would cost me about 14,000 total each year, and I could still apply any additional outside scholarships I get. </p>

<p>Cornell would cost about 33,000 each year because of need-based grants, and any future scholarships I get would make no difference because they would simply take away my grant aid. </p>

<p>Both of these costs are without any loans. </p>

<p>Gut Instincts:
I love USC's school spirit and emphasis on well rounded engineers. I love how easy it is for engineers to minor inside or outside of viterbi, and how much the school works with engineers to facilitate study abroad and other opportunities. I visited and felt very happy and excited and I really like the university as a whole, and if rankings didn't exist, I would most likely go to USC (and the price difference doesn't hurt it)</p>

<p>I recently visited Cornell and was impressed with how hard working the students are, but it was also really, really easy to see how stressed out a lot of the students were. They said they were happy and they have fun, but it seemed like the depression to happiness ratio was a little high. Granted, I visited right before prelims, but I was also told that the average engineer's GPA is a 2.7 which seems depressing in its own right. I feel like I would fit really well here, but my gut is still saying USC.</p>

<p>Other Pros (things that matter to me):
USC:
+More relaxed attitude (perceived)
+Encourages well rounded engineers
+They seem happy and very willing to work with engineers on double majoring, minoring, and studying abroad
+Weather!
+LA is an interesting/exciting city
+School Spirit (wow!)/Everyone I met there LOVES USC
+Trojan Network
+The computer science(gaming) and related minors sound really cool</p>

<p>Cornell:
+Higher Ranked (as a school and in Bio/Biomedical engineering)
+Stronger Peers? or maybe more academically focused?
+More programs in conservation/environment
+Alumni Network/is an ivy
+Safer Area
+Very beautiful campus
+Food!</p>

<p>Please feel free to tell me that something I think (or have been told) is way off base</p>

<p>BIG QUESTION:
-Cornell is ranked higher both as a school and for biomedical engineering, but I'm not sure how much that really matters. How much do ranking and prestige really matter for grad schools or for getting a job, considering the special programs I'm in at each school and the price difference in my undergrad education?</p>

2

<p>I don’t think you’ll have any problem in terms of peers at USC. If anything else, you’ll be around plenty other trustee/presidential scholars (most of whom will have turned down highly ranked schools as well)</p>

<p>If you are a trustee scholar, you will not have any trouble maintaining that 3.0, as long as you don’t totally slack off. Even in engineering, they are only asking you to be slightly above average.</p>

<p>And in engineering, having an “ivy league” degree is fairly meaningless. Cornell is one of the better ivy’s for engineering, but still - even though it may be somewhat better ranked/regarded, I certainly don’t think it’s $60,000 better. </p>

<p>If I were you, I’d stop worrying so much about rankings. You’ll be successful with a degree from either place.</p>

3

<p>Take USC. Unless you are from a very wealthy family, it is not worth the extra expense to go to Cornell. CONGRATS!</p>

4

<p>Go with your gut instincts and ignore rankings. For graduate school, I know people who got into the Phd in Engineering at UCLA that came from a non-prestigious undergraduate engineering college. So if you do well at USC bioengineering, I’m sure you have no problem getting in any graduate school in the nation.</p>

5

<p>“Cornell:
+Stronger Peers? or maybe more academically focused?”</p>

<p>If you decide to join the Thematic Option Honors Program for your GEs, believe me, you will be in a group of academically focused and very strong peers, on top of those you will find in your major. TO is very challenging and is one of the most highly respected liberal arts Honors programs in the nation.
I don’t actually know if there are many engineering students in TO, but no doubt you would much enjoy it given your statement that you appreciate USC’s encouragement to be academically well rounded.
You have a great choice, best of luck whichever school you decide on.</p>

6

<p>My Son had the same delema as you, USC vs. Cornell, but his major isn’t engineering, it’s Broadcast Journalism. </p>

<p>He visited the Cornell campus last weekend and also thought it was absolutely beautiful. </p>

<p>Like you, it would have cost us a lot more to go to Cornell than USC because my son received the Presidential Scholarship at USC but no merit aid from Cornell. Since cost was not a make or break for us, we tried to evaluate Cornell without considering the difference in cost.</p>

<p>If you listen to other people outside the recruiting process, the presumption seems to be that you just can’t pass up an Ivy League education. The public perception seems to be that a degree from an Ivy League college is the be all end all. So this was really the main reason we gave Cornell an extra hard look.</p>

<p>In my son’s case however, he ultimately chose USC over Cornell for a number of the reasons you listed as Pros above, including weather, the LA location, the Trojan Family and the flexibility in choosing a minor or even a double major. </p>

<p>I think it may have been a slightly easier decision for us because USC actually has a much better program for my son’s field of study, although we measured this directly against the perceived higher prestige of Cornell.</p>

<p>The thing is that USC is on the rise academically and with the generous merit aid they provide we’ve discovered that many others like us are choosing to pass up the Ivy League prestige because USC has so much to offer.</p>

<p>In the end, you will get an awesome education from either school, so it really should just boil down to which school is the best fit for you. Trust your gut feeling and don’t put too much emphasis on the fact that Cornell is in the Ivy League.</p>

<p>Fight On!</p>

7

<p>I would only consider TO program for an Engineering student if that student is a fluent, gifted writer and you love to write. The Engineering program is a full program.</p>

8

<p>My son had almost the identical decision, as Cornell engineering vs. Viterbi was his final two. He has the Presidential scholarship, so the finances were on USC’s side also. He visited both, and just felt more passion for his future at USC. He ultimately reasoned that he could get into about any graduate school after doing well at USC, so why spend the almost $100k difference to go to Cornell.</p>

<p>I think he also felt he would be missing a rare college experience at USC, and being from the west coast felt he would rather tap into a west coast alumni group for his future.</p>

<p>They are both great schools, but I know my son has not had a second thought since picking USC, and is ready to pack up and head there now!</p>

9

<p>OT, not related to Engineering.</p>

<p>Here is why I suggest that you should ignore rankings, concrete example, UCLA MBA program ranks a lot higher than USC in the US News 2008, 11 vs 21, but the Median Base Salary is just a smidge higher than USC and the percentage of job offer at graduation is a lot less than USC.</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>MBA rankings from US News
[Search</a> - Best Business Schools - Graduate Schools - Education - US News and World Report](<a href=“http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/grad/mba/search]Search”>http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/grad/mba/search)</p>

<p>Law school rankings from US News
[Search</a> - Best Law Schools - Graduate Schools - Education - US News and World Report](<a href=“http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/grad/law/search]Search”>http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/grad/law/search)</p>

<p><a href=“The New York Times > Education > Image > M.B.A.’s and Law Grads”>The New York Times > Education > Image > M.B.A.’s and Law Grads;