<p>Hello,</p>
<p>Just wondering if any one has any opinions? UVA gave no grants, aid, only loans and work study. Cornell, although more expensive, offered grants, Cornell Tradition Fellow with very low loans and work study? Actually Cornell works out to be $2000 less than UVA on total household contribution.</p>
<p>Any opinions.</p>
<p>Are you a VA resident? Are you far away from Ithaca or within close driving distance? Bear in mind that $2000 will be sucked up fast in airline fees, storage, etc. As a parent of an OOSer at UVA (~20 hours away), I thought I was overly generous when preparing the budget for travel expenses…I fell way short. </p>
<p>Both schools are great. If you aren’t used to freezing cold temperatures, I’d think long and hard before committing to Cornell. It wouldn’t bother my son, but it would definitely affect our daughter (one of the reasons she didn’t go to NU). She has several friends who chose UVA over Cornell (mostly Echols kids) so it’s not that uncommon. Cornell does have the Ivy label attached, though, and that may be something that’s important to you. What are you planning on studying?</p>
<p>what do you want to study?</p>
<p>Hi everyone, thanks for your replies and important questions.
We live in PA - 3 1/2 hours to Ithaca, about 4 1/2 hours to Charlottesville. We are not Va residents.</p>
<p>My D has been accepted into the College of Arts and Sciences at both Cornell and UVA. She is undecided on her major. </p>
<p>We know that both are great schools. And yes, UVA does have better weather! The weather in Ithaca is probably very similar to what we get in Central PA, maybe a bit colder.</p>
<p>Cornell totally!</p>
<p>Take a look at snowfall totals. Ithaca is receiving an average of 64 inches of snow a year, and I imagine it stays on the ground because of the consistent cold. It is not nearby as bad as Syracuse at 123 inches/year, which is one of the highest amounts in the northeast. There is something to be said about going south for the winter and coming back north for the summer.</p>
<p>[Average</a> Annual Snowfall Totals in New York State - Current Results](<a href=“http://www.currentresults.com/Weather/New-York/annual-snowfall.php]Average”>Average Annual Snowfall Totals in New York State - Current Results)</p>
<p>I know you said undeclared, but what are possible majors?</p>
<p>Yes, I looked at the snowfall totals. Kind of like what we have in Central Pa. But Cornell does have a 5 week winter break, when it would be great to go south!!</p>
<p>Possible majors, International Relations, Business, Design, Theatre Management</p>
<p>My daughter was accepted at both, and decided on UVa. She is extremely happy in Charlottesville. We recently talked about weather and college life, and she commented on how important weather is. When she was in high school, she got in her car and drove to school. She darted into the building, often not wearing a coat, and sometimes with flip flops on in the winter. She was fine all day, and then darted out to her car to come home. At college, there is no car to run to, and you have to get out several times a day to go to classes and to eat (at the very minimum). The buses are often not convenient to use, so trudging through rain, sleet and snow is a requirement on a daily basis…Weather needs to be a consideration.</p>
<p>@madara. I’m not sure I agree that the choice is that easy - nor an obvious advantage towards Cornell. I may have thought that a year ago when we first started looking at schools and DS was a junior. But after the last year, and all of the college visits, UVA ranks higher for DS than Cornell. Both programs are very strong (Engineering), and size is similar, and reputation is fairly equal outside of their respective geographic areas (we are OOS at both). But there were a lot of other “intangibles” - which became tangible over time - that made UVA seem a better choice for him. The “best” choice is based on different things for different people.</p>
<p>kbtb --</p>
<p>My view on things – First – it doesn’t appear that the difference in cost is significant to you, so we don’t need to discuss this.</p>
<p>Both are certainly top schools and you will get an excellent education with superior opportunities at either.</p>
<p>Many would argue that Cornell has a better reuptation (though many on this board would dispute that). However, I think that you can look at it this way. Even if you are a believer in USNWR – Cornell is number 15 and UVa is number 24. These are, however just numbers. Can anyone explain to me what this difference means in the real world? This difference just isn’t THAT significant, given the excellence of both schools. Many of us here really fixate too much on the rankings and too little on the differences in philosophies and even the feel of the schools.</p>
<p>If Virginia is a much better fit, that’s where your D should go. If Cornell is a better fit, that’s where your D should go. BTW – this is the exact advice I’ve given to family members in your exact situation.</p>
<p>If it were me – and it was a Tie (or perhaps even a very close call)-- I’d probably lean towards Cornell, but that’s just me.</p>
<p>Cornell > UVA if you’re an engineer.</p>
<p>Otherwise UVA</p>
<p>Actually in your situation, I think Cornell would be a better. Ithaca is beautiful. When I visited UVA, I felt a snobbish vibe. This is obviously just my feeling about UVA. I truly think you would be happier at Cornell.</p>
<p>UVa all the way! For your mental sanity, you wouldn’t want to deal with Cornell’s weird inferiority complex with the other Ivies. (Cornell is often the butt of their jokes because it’s usually at the bottom of their totem pole.) Thusly, many Cornellians I know suffer from the following situation – They feel like they’re above most folks because they’re in the Ivy League, but then feel like they still have to prove their worth against Harvard, Yale, Princeton, etc. which they deal with regularly. They’re all nice people, but many seem to have this chip on their shoulder. I wouldn’t want to deal with that for 4 years…or as an alumnus.</p>