Choosing between UVA, Cornell & Vandy. Input needed! Forum

[FlanAl]

I was between UVa and Cornell about this time last year as well. I visited Cornell and it.was.awkward. The only happy student I saw all day was my tour guide, and even that was questionable. Prior to visiting, I was warned by a partner at a law firm that they stopped recruiting from Cornell because all of their recruits were a "bad fit" socially and by the end of my visit I could see why. No one seemed to enjoy it there, everyone was going through the motions like a sad drone. It may be the case that the day I visited was particularly dreary for the majority of people who crossed my path...but somehow I doubt it. Conversely, when I visited UVa, strangers stopped me in the hall to offer their help and tell me how much they love the school. I chose UVa and can't emphasize enough how glad I am that I did. I haven't heard anything else about Cornell, from students or otherwise, so it may be the case that my experience and the partner's opinion are isolated incidents. But I can tell you that if quality of life or your overall well being are important to you, UVa will not disappoint. Besides, you know, it's not a bad school academically either

Good luck!

They have the asw at the worst possible time for people to be friendly haha. Its was the Friday we got back from spring break, no one is happy about school after a break. We also had moot court, a paper due and oral arguments all within two weeks not to mention finals coming up in three. The school also sets it up so that we have like zero social interaction with visitors. I was actually really weirded out by that this year. They don't tell us anything, then all of a sudden there's some kid in your seat in civ pro. They time it so that all the lunches and stuff are when we are in class. I've only even seen accepted students like twice.

That being said I think the quality of life up in Ithaca is great! I'm from California and it has a great vibe up here that kind of reminds me of Northern Cal or something. My guess is that Uva and Cornell are pretty similar and that if we timed the asw visits a little better the above poster would probably feel the same way.

[Law Sauce]

I would point out that UVA's cost of living, if you try to keep costs low, are lower than Cornell. I did a substantial housing search in both places and UVA wins, but not a huge factor. I would guess that there are more Californians and California connections at UVA, its just a bigger, and slightly more nationally focused school. That being said, as this thread shows, both are good choices.

[FlanAl]

i can't remember when i looked at this or where i found it but it seemed to me that UVA kinda killed it in secondary California markets like Orange County etc.