Congratulations! My daughter graduated in 2011 and she had similar options too!
I didn’t encourage my kids to look at any colleges in upstate NY, because I assumed it would become really depressing by March, and you are not seeing signs of spring.
@Charliesch I already live in Upstate NY so I’m used to the dismal weather… so i think I could hadle it but it’d be nice to get out of it
@Haileywilliamss My D is in the same boat. Trying to decide between UVA and Cornel. She loves the southern vibe at UVA–the overall feel is friendlier than Cornell. I took her to one of the “Cornell Days” last week and she couldn’t even enjoy the beauty of the campus–her eyes went directly to the suicide nets instead of the magnificent gorges. However, she is afraid of having regrets later on if she turns down Cornell for UVA. Also, OOS tuition for UVA has a steeper price tag than Human Ecology (In state) for Cornell. Tough decision.
@LvMyKids2 I agree, fit is important. But I tried to expresss that Cornell is so much more than just “an Ivy”. While the name and reputation of the school carries a lot of weight, the culture of the school is way more diverse than what some posters put on here seeing only stressed out kids at Cornell. Cornell is a large school, and engineering, CS, premed and architecture are majors with a lot of students in it so maybe they cause all the “I see stressed students at Cornell” perception…idk. I think anywhere you go to do premed, engineering or CS you’ll be stressed.
As for the name, regionally Cornell is better known in other parts of country as more prestigious than UVA. Where I’m from (CA) UVA isn’t known to be on the same level as an Ivy or Stanford, CalTech. So I do believe Ivies have that over the publics such as UVA, Michigan outside of their respective regions.
Last summer, my son interned and other students were from lesser known schools and one was from UCLA. The employees oohed and ahhed that they had an Ivy League student and never mentioned anything about the other students’ schools. I know it’s anecdotal but still. And as I mentioned earlier, my son recently applied to only one internship that had about 15-20 spots available nationwide. He got an interview and landed the position.
Now the OP and another poster’s daughter has been accepted into CHE which is a very small college with about 1,200 or so students. Its size gives all the students great access to their professors as well as very good research and study abroad opportunities. My son’s college is about 3,600 or so students and he’s never had a problem getting classes he needs or problem with access to his professors. Trust me there are a ton of other majors at Cornell that do not lend to the “I’m so stressed all the time” student.
It just would do Cornell a disservice if kids let fear scare them from a wonderful college experience. Again, April is a tough month for “Cornell Days” because some classes are in prelims (midterms) so you will see students focused on their projects and studying for tests.
That’s why I recommended to OP to carefully look into both colleges (CAS at UVA and CHE at Cornell) and compare the programs: the size of each college, class offerings, ability to change majors or take classes outside of their major,etc.
Now if the student’s top priority is good weather and perceived friendliness of the student body (cost not being a concern), then UVA has the upper hand.
I really do wish the students well and the parents too! 
@CALSmom All points taken. My personal issue is that I cannot “heavy-hand” my D, in good conscience, into choosing Cornell over UVA when she says that the school gives her a “bad feeling in her gut”…and she’s stressed out about going there even before committing to it. She visited Cornell and UVA–2 times each. She is set in her mind that UVA is a better fit for her…though she’s grappling with the reality that Cornell is a school of higher rank and caliber. Hopefully she will find clarity and peace with her decision…we still have a couple of weeks before May 1st. Good luck to everyone!
Regarding some of the comments above…
-Switching schools at UVA isn’t difficult. Students can email the Dean of Admission about this before they enroll or they can use the first year to explore an option before making a switch. Last year, about 7 students moved from the School of Engineering to the College and about 30 went from the College to Engineering.
-Those who don’t move from the College to McIntire can major in any area in the College. While Econ is popular with those students, it is not the most popular major among that group.
-In the School of Engineering, there is no cap on how many students can declare the BS major. In the College, you need to have a C+ or better in the Intro CS course to apply for the BA. One would imagine a student who can’t pull a C+ in the intro course would probably look elsewhere for their major anyway. [UVA’s Department of Computer Science has a page about the difference between the BS and the BA](https://engineering.virginia.edu/ba-vs-bs-computer-science).
-UVA McIntire has a minor that is open to all students at UVA. They also offer a 5th year option (a one-year MS in Commerce). The School of Engineering developed a business minor because there was high demand for that option. That is the most popular minor among UVA Engineers.
-A huge number of UVA Engineers minor outside of the E school. That isn’t even difficult to do. 10% of engineers double major, which is a bit more tricky.
-Double majors are extremely common in the College.
A good rule of thumb in these “this or that” threads is to answer questions about the school you attend and let those who attend the other school cover that school. Your information about other schools may be wrong or outdated.
Good luck, OP! You have two stellar options and you can’t really make a bad decision here!
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I am lucky enough to have been recently accepted into both of these universities, but I am having a very tough time deciding where to commit. I would be in Cornell’s College of Human Ecology studying Human Biology, Health, and Society, or I would be in UVA’s CAS studying Biology. However, I am not set on what I want to study and am open to new fields of study. I understand Cornell’s sciences are very good, and the schools at UVA are all fairly good, and something I worry about is being stuck in studying one topic at Cornell but its to my understanding I’d have a lot more flexibility at UVA.
I have yet to visit Cornell again, but I just got back from my second visit to UVA and it was just as beautiful the second time as it was the first. I can see myself having a great college experience at UVA, and Cornell is a bit of a question mark (not meaning I necessarily won’t have a good experience, I am just not sure – whereas at UVA i know for sure I’d have a good time). But another factor is the proximity and cost of the schools. I am about an 8 hour drive from UVA (would have to pay out of state tuition), but I am about 1 hour away from Cornell (I would pay in-state for the contract school). Cornell would be about 8k less per year, but I have enough money stored away for either school so it’s not a deciding factor.
So I guess in summary (though I know this is a UVA forum), it is worth passing up a closer, cheaper, Ivy League opportunity for UVA?
@CALSmom - I am from CA as well and the area I am from UVA is prestigious and known as a hard school to get in. I am not discounting that Cornell is an Ivy, but it is not Harvard, Princeton or Yale. People know this. And, for employers I find it hard to believe they would ooohhh and ahhh over a person from an Ivy - Cornell. To me, that is ridiculous as some of the hardest workers I ever hired were NOT Ivy. Sometimes I think “Ivy” is overrated and these kids think they walk on water. (I am not saying that about your son). I think if the OP had Harvard, Princeton, Yale and Stanford I might do some heavy encouraging as a parent to really look into those schools. Anyhow, good luck to the OP!
UVA is not known for STEM. Cornell would be my choice.
Cornell grad here (from a long time ago) but I have to agree with the positives already shared. I also wanted to say that you absolutely can switch majors but just remember that if you go to Arts or Eng (for example) there is going to be a big tuition jump. The move to Ag Ec would keep tuition the same. That said, you can take classes in any college and are encouraged to do so. I was in A&S but took some amazing course in Hum Ec, Ag, and the law school. I had an amazing summer internship with a Hum Ec prof as well. That said, follow your heart. UVA is a great school too. Good luck with your decision.