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Hi, I'm a senior from Long Island and I just found out I got bumped up on the waitlist at Georgetown. I wasn't expecting this, and so I had sent in my deposit to Cornell without thinking this might come up. Now I'm split 50/50 between the two schools. I'm going to see them both this weekend, but does any body have any advice?? thanks

By cache2 on Saturday, May 11, 2002 - 12:39 pm: Edit

Cornell is really big. Georgetown might be better for undergrad. Plus georgetown is in a very nice location -- great college town/much to do. cornell is sort of rural.

By Dadster on Monday, May 13, 2002 - 01:21 pm: Edit

Tough call from a quality standpoint, legs. Both are really good schools, and both have some unique features. As cache2 points out, the locations are quite different, as are the sizes. I'd be guided by how you liked the environments at each college (assuming you visited) and, if you are firmly locked in on a major, how well each school does in your area of interest. Good luck, and congrats on coming off the waitlist at Georgetown!

By Yoshi on Friday, July 12, 2002 - 05:17 pm: Edit

Hi legs,
I was accepted at both Georgetown and Cornell and decided to go for Georgetown for its location and specialty in the Foreign Service Field..

Have u made ur decision yet?

By ben on Friday, July 19, 2002 - 02:13 pm: Edit

What did u get on ACT or SAT?

By Yoshi on Sunday, July 21, 2002 - 07:04 am: Edit

Combined of 1410, Verbal 680 and Math 730. I am an international student...

By pinky on Monday, August 12, 2002 - 11:05 pm: Edit

Choose Cornell. Georgetown is not an Ivy League school.

By Yoshi on Tuesday, August 13, 2002 - 12:33 pm: Edit

Pinky,

sorry but I don't think that is a very good reason to base the next 4 years of your life on.

Some universities are not part of the Ivy League but still compete and surpass Ivy league schools in some aspects.. (I'd pick Stanford over Cornell any day)

As Dadster said, the two unis vary in their locations, sizes, and pretty much everything else. Actually, you might end up choosing one of them depending on your major (Engineering and Science oriented will definitely have better prep. at Cornell.. ) and so on..

Make sure you research each school well before you arrive at any decision... I can't say this enough, but just being a member of a much vaunted sports league is not synonymous with a good education or even your overall college experience

By strawberry on Wednesday, August 14, 2002 - 10:51 am: Edit

Cornell has a much better academic reputation.

By MrX on Wednesday, August 14, 2002 - 10:28 pm: Edit

Georgetown is in Washington DC, Cornell is in Ithaca. Would you prefer to be where everything happens, or in the boonies?

By Yoshi on Thursday, August 15, 2002 - 04:15 am: Edit

Strawberry-

If, by academic reputation, you mean the stats of enrolled students, then both Universities are comparable. In other aspects, Georgetown surpasses Cornell in selectivity just by looking at the acceptence rate in each University, as well as actual graduation rates.

Also, in my case, as Mr X pointed out, location made a difference. The locale of Washington DC is unbeatable (the Princeton Review ranks Georgetown as the #1 campus for Student Life.) So we need to keep this in mind as well as the other factors I pointed out above, instead of looking in one dimention as to which school is part of the ivy-league and which isn't...

By hikky on Wednesday, August 21, 2002 - 11:02 pm: Edit

According to US News, Cornell has a 4.6 academic reputation, whereas Georgetown has only a 4.0

You have to remember that stats published by US News are always from two years before.

Cornell's acceptance rate had dropped to 24 % this year.

I don't consider Georgetown a top school.

By Kush on Wednesday, August 21, 2002 - 11:10 pm: Edit

I heard Georgetown is more Jesuit-based.

By SF on Wednesday, August 21, 2002 - 11:24 pm: Edit

Yoshi-

Flames deleted by admin. You turned down a world-classs university (Cornell which is the 10th best university in the world according to Gourman Report) for a second rate school like Georgetown.

By Californio on Wednesday, August 21, 2002 - 11:33 pm: Edit

Yoshi, wat about ur twos

By Kush on Wednesday, August 21, 2002 - 11:34 pm: Edit

Well, it apparently floated Yoshi's boat so all is well that ends well.

By Yoshi on Thursday, August 22, 2002 - 08:40 pm: Edit

First, concerning the US News ranking index, there is a fatal flaw as someone already said: they are self-enforcing! That should be pretty clear since people are starting to handle the Top 50 Universities Ranking like gospel they base their lives on...

Some more objective stats would include the mid-range SAT scores, the percentage of students who were 10% of their HS class and so on.. and in those respects, both universities are comparable.

So in my case it really boiled down to the choice between the suburb and the city, and I was leaning more towards DC. And in terms of size, I found GT more undergraduate friendly. Finally, one of the most important factors that tipped the scales in favour of Georgetown is the School of Foreign Service... It has an indesputable academic reputation and is located right where all the political action is happening!

If I was too hung up on the Top 50 rankings I would have gone to Duke or Northwestern since they are both ranked higher than Cornell. But when you think about it, it's not all too worth it spending the next 4 years of your life based on figures many educators find problematic and too simplistic.

Find the school that matches you, and what you aspire to achieve and experience for the next four years of your life.

By Yoshi on Thursday, August 22, 2002 - 08:43 pm: Edit

Califorinio -

SAT IIs: Writing 600 Math IIC 740 and Physics 780. I am an int'l student so I guess the avg. stats might be different from accepted students from the US.

By Kush on Friday, August 23, 2002 - 10:34 pm: Edit

Well I myself agree with Yoshi although I myself would have chosen Cornell. Go wherever you feel best and don't only study all the time, have fun and make sure the college you choose is right for you.

By Yoshi on Tuesday, October 15, 2002 - 04:56 am: Edit

I'm in Georgetown now and I love it. Nothing beats SFS when it comes to International Relations!


Hoya Saxa!

By Ron S. on Tuesday, November 26, 2002 - 02:36 pm: Edit

I am a freshman at Georgetown. The U.S. rankings are low because our endowment is relatively low. That says nothing of the kind of education here, which is the best fit for me that I've seen. I turned down Stanford, Brown, Dartmouth, and Notre Dame for Georgetown (and it does NOT matter that this is not an Ivy; if you really need that to feel smart, then you're missing the point). Doesn't Cornell have one of the hightest student suicide rates in America? Also Jesuit does not mean wholly Catholic, like Notre Dame. This isn't a monestary or convent, Jesuit is only a term to describe a type of liberal arts education. This place is great.

By Xtreambar (Xtreambar) on Tuesday, November 26, 2002 - 04:46 pm: Edit

When I visited Georgetown, I got the feeling that it was preppy, elistist, overbarringly Catholic, and not a place where I would feel comfortable spending the next 4 years of my life. Cornell does not fit those descriptions. Hence, you can take a guess where I applied (in fact it was my ED school)

By Warrior (Warrior) on Thursday, November 28, 2002 - 01:32 am: Edit

according to Cornell, the suicide rate is around average in the nation - there's a thread on this.

Regardless, most students would choose Cornell over Georgetown based just on the reputation (and a logical reason too).

I still don't think you can compare these two though. It comes down to choosing either liberal arts or research university... two very different experiences.

By sad on Saturday, December 07, 2002 - 01:23 am: Edit

Yoshi, are you very strong in EC or have you won any awards? because you are VERY lucky to get into both Cornell and Georgetown with a 1410.
I got rejected by Cornell with a 1480 (700V, 780M), a 4.4 GPA, and all the APs.

By yoshi on Saturday, December 07, 2002 - 06:57 pm: Edit

sad, I am an international student (English as a 2nd language) so I was given leeway in my Verbal score. My ECs are not exceptional but I guess my essays were crucial to the decision. I have won a bunch of awards and scored perfect 7s on my IBs.

As for Georgetown being elitist, I think I'd really have to disagree, even though I heard that from everyone. So Warrior, I plead to know why Georgetown kids come off as being elitists when they are avg. college students?

Cornell is definitely superior to Georgetown when it comes to Engineering/Sciences, but Georgetown provides a better atmosphere for undergraduate learning esp. if you are into Foreign Service. The Grad. Programs in Medicine and Law are top par nationwide.

By yulsie on Tuesday, December 31, 2002 - 07:06 pm: Edit

Cornell is famous for certain departments and graduate schools - the veterinary school is a case in point - very hard to get into and a world class reputation. (And make no mistake - with managed care, most vets make more $$$ than MDs).

I know several people attending Cornell - they have all complained about the incredible work load and grading, using the often-repeated quote "Easiest Ivy to get into, hardest to get out of."

By JC on Friday, January 10, 2003 - 08:10 pm: Edit

Definitely choose Cornell over Georgetown. Cornell's academic reputation is higher which will translate into more top-notch job opportunities when you graduate. They are also great social opportunities despite the "rural campus" stereotype. I was in the top 10 of my class, 1430 SATs, and 5 APs, but was rejected from Cornell and accepted at Georgetown. I would have loved to have gone to Cornell had I been accepted there...

By Cru (Cru) on Friday, January 10, 2003 - 09:08 pm: Edit

cru = cornell lover

By cornell bound on Friday, January 10, 2003 - 10:53 pm: Edit

Why would anyone ever take Georgetown over Cornell?

By NittanyPride on Sunday, January 12, 2003 - 03:08 pm: Edit

I was a student at Georgetown and absolutely LOVED it. But, I wasn't fixated on a name. College isn't all about the name of the institution on your diploma. Notice I said 'was' a Gtown student; that's because I transferred out to do engineering (which is not offered at Gtown) to Penn State (one of the best engineering programs in the U.S.). And yeah, I got a lot of flak from people about switching from Gtown to a state university, but why would I want to spend four years of my life pursuing a degree that I wouldn't be happy with when I had it? You have to go where you'll be happy. Don't worry about the name of the college that will catch employers' eyes. You have to be somewhere where you'll be happy and able to make your own name something that will catch an employer's eye. If you aren't happy, you'll never get anywhere. And the whole purpose of college is to make yourself more able to create a HAPPY future for yourself. You can make 40000 lists of pros and cons and think this over for hours and hours, but when all is said and done, it'll be your gut that makes the choice, not your mind. Follow what you think is right, and just rememeber, no decision is so binding that you can't do something to fix it if you think it's wrong. I really wish I could've stayed at Gtown, and I've never been to Cornell so I don't think I can fairly make a comparison, but just go with what you think is right. Good luck, and remember, this decision is all your's, no one can make it for you. I know how you feel, when I was deciding whether to transfer and leave the college I loved I was in hell. It was awful. There were so many nights I honestly cried myself to sleep because I thought so much was hanging on my one decision and I was all alone in making that decision. But you have to push yourself and just do what you think is right, do not let someone put you in the direction they think is right. Don't worry about trying to impress people. Don't worry in general. Just make yourself happy.

By nnnna on Tuesday, January 14, 2003 - 03:16 pm: Edit

georgetown is better than cornell for undergrad education. no question.

By cornell is better on Tuesday, January 14, 2003 - 08:15 pm: Edit

nnnna, dont kid yourself. cornell has such a better education than georgetown, which had never had any reputation until bill clinton publicized it.

By jane doe on Thursday, January 16, 2003 - 07:21 pm: Edit

oh my god, are you people insane? i had legacy at cornell, do well at a top ranked prep school and almost surely could have gotten in at cornell - but have you SEEN the place?! my god, i could not IMAGINE a more horrible school to spend the next four years of my life.. not only are there a LOT of really strange people, but its cold and miserable and there are more policemen waiting to bust underage drinkers then you would find on new years eve in times square. its just insane that ANYONE would choose cornell over georgetown. i spent the summer taking classes at georgetown and i LOVED it. the people are great, the education is great, the city is great, and the NAME is FANTASTIC. don't kid yourselves, cornell is known as the "easy to get into ivy" and its obviously a whole lot harder to get into g-town.

By jane doe is stupid on Thursday, January 16, 2003 - 07:44 pm: Edit

Let me guess, jane doe. You are a rich white snobbish Catholic girl. Okay Georgetown might be better for you. But for everyone who is not in love with themselves, Cornell is the place to be. The school is elite, but not elitist. Cornell ALSO has a better reputation than Georgetown. Not only is it an ivy, but the quality of education at Georgetown is far inferior to Cornell. Also, it is not harder to get into Georgetown. Their acceptance rate is 1 or 2 percent lower, but the applicants to Georgetown are not ivy league material. Low acceptance rate does not necessarily mean hard to get into. Also, I may not be a fan of US news rankngs, but just look at the difference in rankings. It is huge. Cornell is obviously better, you frickin' idiot.

By rosiefin on Friday, January 17, 2003 - 02:52 pm: Edit

I got into Cornell as a transfer student, and I love it! I notice that there is some kind of fixation with location, and that's just crazy. Spending four years anywhere, even if it is in a small town is easy to deal with in the short-term if your prospects are much better once you graduate.
Georgetown and Cornell are both great schools, and to be honest, the school doesn't make a difference as much as your own personal character when it comes to jobs and grad school afterward (it doesn't matter where you go if you flunk out because you party too much, etc.). I also read somewhere in this thread that Cornell is the "easy ivy"; don't let the acceptance rate fool you. It is by far the most difficult to STAY in. At my previous institution I met a few people who managed to get kicked out of Cornell because they couldn't handle the difficult curriculum. Also, have a look at Princeton Review top 331 college list, Cornell is #10 under "Students Never Stop Studying".

Frankly, anyone who actually cares more about the location and weather (jane doe-you have GOT to be kidding me with that crap!) than the quality of their education doesn't deserve to go to either.

By Thedad (Thedad) on Friday, January 17, 2003 - 07:48 pm: Edit

G'town v. Cornell...it depends on a lot of factors.
If you're interested in Government/Political Science or International Relations, for starters, you'd be an idiot NOT to go to Georgetown. I don't know much about Cornell--as I proved in another thread--but I'm sure that as an Ivy it has its share superlative majors, too, not to mention entire schools, like Engineering.

Legs, don't let the Ivy snobs run you: there are some questions that don't have right/wrong answers and one of them is, "In which environment will _you_ be more likely to thrive, grow, and learn?"

Some of the people posting here are of the ticket-punching mentality...which is fine, if that's what you want out of life.

We visited G'town last Spring...funniest dialogue I overheard was:

Jewish Mother: It's _awfully_ Catholic, with the crucifix and everything....

College-bound Daughter: Shut up, Mother.

The availability of internships and having the reosurces of a world-class city at your feet are nothing to be sneezed at. And while I personally don't weigh social life that highly in choices, the city zings with possibilities.

By Jim on Sunday, January 19, 2003 - 11:54 pm: Edit

Georgetown or Cornell? Hmmm... this is like comparing apples and oranges... or maybe apples and asparagus. I am a recent grad. Let me tell what Georgetown is and what it is not.

Georgetown is essentially a liberal arts school, even the undergrad business program. It is undergraduate-focused, with the exception of the professional programs in law, medicine, business, and a few small graduate programs. All of the courses are taught by real professors, and most a relatively small, with the exception of a few survery courses (I had one seminar with 4 students). The campus is well kept, located in a beautiful part of town, and compact. As a recent grad, I assure you that a Georgetown degree will serve you very, very well in whatever you decide to do in life. The school of foreign service is second to none, and if that is what you are interested in studying, it would be crazy to choose Cornell over Georgetown. Georgetown has a very strong reputation among Wall Street firm, and its graduates have no trouble getting into the best graduate and professional programs. Fiinally, Georgetown has the enviable (in my view) position of a Washington, DC address.... if you want interships during the academic year, then this is your place. Also, few schools attract as many world leaders, in politics, business, and the humanities as Georgetown. It would take a page to list all the great individuals who came to campus while I was a student.

As for its reputation (meaning the USNews scores), Georgetown scores lower than its peers for two reasons. First, Georgetown has no money. Its endowment is only about 700m, which is very low for a school of its calibur. Second, its admissions scores vary widely - USNews uses a composite score which is entirely useless. There are five undergraduate programs - all maintain separate admissions criteria. The college hovers around 16 percent, though my year it was 12. The nursing school runs at about 50 percent with SFS and business in the upper 20s.

The negatives: Georgetown is populated by upper middle class students to a very large extent (myself included), though this has improved in recent years. It is very pre-professional..... it is not necessarily an 'intellectual' school in the vein of Swarthmore. It is Jesuit, and as a result toes the Catholic line, to wit, no birth control sold on campus, refusal to officially sanction a pro choice group while funding a pro life group, refusing to establish a gay/lesbian center even though outside funding was available. This is not to say that it is a bastion of conservatism, but if you are looking for a funkier, more liberal college experience (think Reed), then do not attend Georgetown. Also, as I said above, it is a liberal arts school. If you are math or sciences person, this is not the school for you unless you plan to go to med school.

If you've bothered to visit and research both schools, the choice for you should be obvious because Georgetown and Cornell are so fundamentally different. Let a grad offer you a bit of advice: DO NOT get caught up in the prestige-focuse, my friend said it was better approach to choosing a college. Georgetown and Cornell are both great schools with great people. The question in your mind should be, which school is right for me not which school is more prestigious (whatever that means). GU and Cornell are both very prestigious. The only school that beats the heck out of them all in this regard is Harvard, for very obvious, but also very silly reasons.

By M on Sunday, February 16, 2003 - 10:55 pm: Edit

I DONT KNOW ABOUT WHAT SOME PEOPLE ARE SAYING. I HAVE A FRIEND WHO HAD 1410 SATS AND PROBABLY A 3.7-3.8. HE DID EVERY ACTIVITY KNOWN TO MAN, WAS A VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER AND TAUGHT SUNDAY SCHOOL. HE DID EVERYTHING. HE GOT INTO CORNELL EARLY DECISION AND WAS DEFERRED BY G-TOWN EARLY ACTION. I DONT KNOW WHICH IS MORE SELECTIVE. I GOT INTO G-TOWN AND I HAD THE SAME SATS AND A 4.0. I THINK THE ONLY REASON I GOT IN WAS BECAUSE I WROTE MY ESSAY ABOUT BEING GAY AND ITS SOME KIND OF DIVERSITY THING THAT C0LLEGES WANT.

By Teich (Teich) on Monday, March 10, 2003 - 03:06 pm: Edit

what do you guys know about the masters of foreign service program at georgetown??

By Cornellrules07 (Cornellrules07) on Monday, April 07, 2003 - 02:35 pm: Edit

Well, Cornell is better at everything. Cornell is a better school, has a better campus, and it rules the Ivy League. Bascially, G-Town is a Cornell wannabe, and I wouldn't go there.

By Xerox (Xerox) on Monday, April 07, 2003 - 03:25 pm: Edit

opps! So sad when people are really good. I'm an international student so Verbal is suck for me! By the way, I will enroll Ithaca College and hope to transfer to Cornell.

By Cornellrules07 (Cornellrules07) on Monday, April 07, 2003 - 08:56 pm: Edit

Not a good plan Xerox. You have to see that Ithaca is commonly reffered to as Retard College on the Cornell grounds.

By Cru (Cru) on Monday, April 07, 2003 - 08:58 pm: Edit

How close is Ithaca College from Cornell?
How much are they respected?

By Cornellrules07 (Cornellrules07) on Monday, April 07, 2003 - 09:16 pm: Edit

Cornell and Ithaca College are both in Ithaca, but Cornell basically has their own little "hamlet" located on a hill which is surronded by an electric fence in order to keep off kids from Ithaca College.

By Cornellrules07 (Cornellrules07) on Monday, April 07, 2003 - 09:20 pm: Edit

You have to see that Ithaca College only became famous because of the movie Road Trip, in which Tom Green was from Ithaca College. But we all know what happened to Tom Green.

By Cru (Cru) on Monday, April 07, 2003 - 09:59 pm: Edit

Is tom green really from there?

By Cornellrules07 (Cornellrules07) on Tuesday, April 08, 2003 - 09:15 pm: Edit

Cru he is from there in the movie. He isnt actually from there. Trust me, you dont want to go to Ithaca college.

By Cornellrules07 (Cornellrules07) on Tuesday, April 08, 2003 - 09:48 pm: Edit

All I have to say to Jane Doe is that I agree with Jane Doe is an Idiot. Even if you say that G Town is harder to get into, everyone knows that Cornell is harder to graduate from. The curriculum is superb. Plus, I think you probably already go to G Town so we know that your opnion is not valid. Heck, we probably dont even know if you are a woman. Why don't you just call yourself John Doe for all I care.

By Xerox (Xerox) on Friday, April 11, 2003 - 11:34 pm: Edit

Cornellrules07: I know Ithaca is ridiculous when comparing to Cornell. I did apply to Cornell as well as Ivy Leagues but all rejected, so sad. Only Columbia GS school accept but I don't know is it better or worse than Ithaca Honor Program ? BTW as I did post, Do you think is this better if I take Math IIC again in June instead of October ? I'm afraid that admission offcial don't like SAT score which is taken during college time. I got 760 Math IIC before and wish to get a 800.

By Autodidact (Autodidact) on Saturday, April 12, 2003 - 02:28 am: Edit

Cornellrules07: If Cornell is that superior, and you desire to uphold their lofty standards as an admitted student; you should be able to afford those without that distinction some courtesy. Please do so, and refrain from insulting other people and institutions. Show some class, please.

By Redbeard (Redbeard) on Saturday, April 12, 2003 - 10:59 am: Edit

As a graduate of both Georgetown and Cornell, I guess I can contribute (although the discussion seems to have gotten a bit stale).

Cornell is the better school, except in a few, specific majors (international studies, for example). As for "student experience", my memories of Cornell are warm and vivid. My memories of Georgetown are a blur.

I hope this helps the folks who wander onto this thread in future years.

By Stargzrlilychk (Stargzrlilychk) on Wednesday, November 19, 2003 - 05:02 pm: Edit

they're both great schools. just do an eenie meenie miny moe.