<p>I posted this in the Cornell thread, but I want to get an unbiased opinion, so I'm re-posting this here:</p>
<p>Hey guys, I'm STILL (yes, I know, it's getting late) not sure whether I'm going to Cornell or Wellesley. Here's the deal</p>
<ul>
<li>At Cornell I'd be doing human development, but at Wellesley it would be Psych</li>
<li>Wellesley gave me 26k, but Cornell only gave me 16k (and finaid is important to my family)</li>
<li>I like the close-knit community of Wellesley a little more than the huge school/huge classes thing at Cornell, but I'm not sure about going to an all girls school</li>
<li>Wellesley is REALLY close to home... maybe a bit too close</li>
<li>Both campuses are beautiful, in my opinion</li>
<li>I can honestly say I'm scared of freezing my butt off/failing classes at Cornell</li>
<li>Wellesley might be a little TOO small for college.. it's the size of my high school.</li>
</ul>
<p>Sooooo... what do you all think? Please! I really need some advice. Also, do grad schools, etc consider Wellesley a worse school than Cornell? I don't even know! Rah! Help!</p>
<p>I don't know if the Wellesley board is the place to get an unbiased opinion, but I'll put my 2 cents in. I think the difference between human development and psych would be minimal; I thought Wellesley had different concentrations with in the psych major too so I don't think that matters as much. Wellesley gave you 10k more and you rank money as important over time that's 40k more you'd be paying for cornell plus interest evaluate if you think cornell is worth that much more in money to you and your family. If you like to have a close community rather than a huge class I don't see the real reason to consider Cornell outside of the name / prestige factor, which Wellesley also has a lot of. As for the all girls thing, it's definately different visiting helps the most when trying to decide if you like it or not. For me it seemed quite normal because at my school most of the guys are a tad immature and tend to do worse in academics. I have many guy friends but most of them are from EC's I figure since Wellesley has many cross over EC's especially in my area of interest (theater, music) so that it wouldn't be a problem for me; but you should decide for yourself. Wellesley may be close to home for you, but if you think about it I'm sure you could arrange it so that you only go home / see your parents when you want to. They should respect your space and let you get out on your own even if you're only 50 miles away or however close you are. If you don't think they would do this then you could have a legit problem. But being close to home could also have a nice side, home cooked food, keeping in touch with those you have to leave behind. I am scared of freezing my butt off at Wellesley cause I'm from Florida, but I think I'll get through it. If you really don't think you could stand the weather don't go, but don't let it deter you that much. As for failing classes I think both places are about the same academically, But Wellesley definately seems like it would offer more individualized help. If you think that's what you'll need even if it's only in some subjects then I think Wellesley could be the better place. If you think Wellesley would feel the same as repeating high school then you might not be happy, depending on if you liked high school or not. Remember the all girls thing will definately make it different from your normal high school. I can't really advise you on comparing the size Wellesley was fine for me cause it's twice the size of my school. Keep in mind that while Wellesley as a college may feel small the area you will have access to (Boston) is rather large, diverse, and filled with students. At Cornell you'd have a larger school, but definately more isolated smaller town. I talked to a girl who goes to Wellesley from my city she said that even though she has never gotten above a B+ she doesn't have to worry that she won't get into a grad school because Wellesley carries clout as an undergrad institution. I think both Wellesley and Cornell have almost no grade inflation so both places would probably be about the same academically even though Cornell is Ivy and Wellesley is not. I think both schools are so different that the only way to really pick would be based on atmosphere and environment of the school. Have you visited both? After considering all these factors, unless the money is really a big concern that would make or break you decision, you should feel free to choose which ever feels right to you.</p>