ONE WEEK: Cornell vs UC Hastings vs U Washington Forum

[equalityLaw10]

I need to commit to one of these schools in the next week.

I've visited Hastings and U Washington and I'm visiting Cornell this coming week.

I'm a Northern CA resident and I like California; I could see myself living and practicing in the Bay Area. When I visited Washington, I loved Seattle and I could picture myself living there as well. I've been to NYC once and I really liked it, but I haven't spent enough time there to make a decision. Never been to Ithaca...yet.

As far as financial aid is concerned, Hastings has offered me ~63K in scholarships and grants. Washington has offered me 15K merit and I haven't heard about need-based yet but I hear it caps at about 7K. Cornell offered me 45K in need-based grants, nothing for merit. (All of these amounts are over three years)

I'm interested in a few areas of law, particularly corporate/business law and public interest law working with Tribes in an economic development capacity.

Things to consider: I really do not know where I want to live, and for that reason I'm attracted to Cornell because I believe it will give me the most degree portability. However, I'm reluctant to let go of Washington and Hastings because I really like Seattle and SF. I'm gay, and I feel like an urban setting would fit me well. However, it is only three years and I really believe I can live wherever I need to for the best education.

Any input? I feel like Cornell is the correct choice, but for whatever reason I cannot pull the trigger and commit.

Also riding 4 wait lists at schools ranked higher than Cornell.

Thanks for your help!

[equalityLaw10]

Anyone?

[dresden doll]

Neither Hastings nor UWash has given you enough money to make up for diminished job prospects. Moreover, I doubt Cornell teems with homophobes. Go to Cornell and enjoy urban setting three years down the road.

[NikaneOkie]

The money difference is not enough. Not even close. Yes, U washington may possibly be enough for you, but why hamstring yourself your whole life, and be unprepared for the wonderful possibilities.
Not to be too cheesy, but life is a journey, and going to a top 14, ivy league school is a really special opportunity that so many would kill for, and I cannot imagine you will ever regret- on the other hand, you may just wonder for the rest of your life, every time an opportunity passes you by, whether things would have been different for you had you gone to Cornell.
<3 me

[Bildungsroman]

In this situation I would definitely take Cornell. Neither Hastings nor UWash is giving you a great scholarship, and Cornell has job prospects that blow Hastings and UWash out of the water.

[dpk711]

Unequivocally Cornell.

[equalityLaw10]

The money difference is not enough. Not even close. Yes, U washington may possibly be enough for you, but why hamstring yourself your whole life, and be unprepared for the wonderful possibilities.
Not to be too cheesy, but life is a journey, and going to a top 14, ivy league school is a really special opportunity that so many would kill for, and I cannot imagine you will ever regret- on the other hand, you may just wonder for the rest of your life, every time an opportunity passes you by, whether things would have been different for you had you gone to Cornell.
<3 me

Thanks friend!

And thanks to everyone else for your input.

[CanadianWolf]

Work the waitlists at Harvard, Columbia, Stanford & Northwestern. If not admitted this cycle, reapply.

Ithaca is a rural college town. UC-Hastings & Univ. of Washington may be attractive to you because of the liberal big-city environment. Visit Cornell & you may realize why you are hesitant to commit or it may suit your taste. My advice, however, is to focus on Stanford, Harvard, Columbia & Northwestern--even if it takes another year.

[Bildungsroman]

Work the waitlists at Harvard, Columbia, Stanford & Northwestern. If not admitted this cycle, reapply.

Heinous Northwestern trolling and terrible advice.

equalityLaw10, what are your numbers?

[CanadianWolf]

Guess where the above poster attends law school ? (Hint: Misery loves company. ) Giving up a realistic shot at your waitlist schools to spend 3 years in Ithaca is not a terrible decision, but you should have better options coming your way.

[yngblkgifted]

Cornell. not even close.

[CanadianWolf]

OP: Your numbers are not relevant when you have already made the waitlists at Stanford, Harvard, Columbia & Northwestern.

[Bildungsroman]

Guess where the above poster attends law school ? (Hint: Misery loves company. ) Giving up a realistic shot at your waitlist schools to spend 3 years in Ithaca is not a terrible decision, but you should have better options coming your way.

How is he giving up a realistic shot at his waitlist schools by deciding to attend Cornell? He can ride the WL as long as he likes, depositing at Cornell doesn't change that. And you're hopefully smart enough to recognize that "if you're good enough to make the WL you're good enough for that school and should take that as a signal to keep trying until you get in" is a retarded argument that will likely have the OP asking this same exact question next June.

[CanadianWolf]

Egregious Cornell trolling.

OP: Don't waste an opportunity to attend Stanford, Harvard, Columbia or Northwestern for the wastelands of Ithaca. Even if you have to sit out a year.

P.S. It will be interesting to read OP's impressions after visiting Cornell. With your qualifications, you can do better.

[dpk711]

Egregious Cornell trolling.

OP: Don't waste an opportunity to attend Stanford, Harvard, Columbia or Northwestern for the wastelands of Ithaca. Even if you have to sit out a year.

P.S. It will be interesting to read OP's impressions after visiting Cornell.

What an idiot post. NU and Cornell are peers if anything.

[KMaine]

I am not sure getting on waitlists does mean you have a realistic shot. CW is right about all schools (other than Northwestern) giving you better prospects if you have a realistic chance of getting in. Maybe he thinks NWern is better for CA, I am not sure. I consider it a peer school with Cornell. I would choose Cornell over Northwestern at even money. I understand why others would not, but it is a pretty realistic debate. Right now, your offer at Cornell is your best, but it is alot of debt. I am sorry if this is trolling, CW, but I don't see how Northwestern is in the same category as the other schools in the discussion.

[CanadianWolf]

The North Shore of Chicago & Ithaca are as different as night & day. Seattle, San francisco & NYC have little in common with Ithaca.

OP: Ignore the Cornell trolls. Just visit Ithaca & you should be able to make a decision with confidence.

KMAine: Northwestern is in a city & 2 years ago was the number one law school for NLJ250 placement. OP has expressed interest in San Francisco, NYC & Seattle. Ithaca is a bit different.
I am not focusing on NU, that is started by our resident Cornell troll.

OP: Even w/o NU, wait for your other waitlist options even if you have to reapply next.

[Bildungsroman]

Egregious Cornell trolling.

Yeah, you caught me. I'm being all biased, telling OP to attend the indisputably best law school out of the three options presented and suggesting that it would be retarded to wait another year for law schools that already had a chance to admit him and decided not to. You're the one showing your bias, calling his numbers irrelevant to whether he should sit out and reapply despite them being really the only factor that tells us whether he'd even have a chance at getting into those schools on the second attempt.

OP: Don't waste an opportunity to attend Stanford, Harvard, Columbia or Northwestern for the wastelands of Ithaca. Even if you have to sit out a year.

Northwestern and Cornell are peer schools. Proclaiming Northwestern is better enough to justify throwing away the sure thing that is Cornell tells me that you're not being objective.

P.S. It will be interesting to read OP's impressions after visiting Cornell.

I agree with that. Some people on this board talk about Ithaca like it's in Antarctica or Siberia, which the OP will probably find to be an exaggeration.

[CanadianWolf]

Ithaca is not Seattle, San Francisco, NYC or Chicago. Try to consider OP's preferences---not your own.

OP's qualifications have to be outstanding to make Stanford, Harvard & Columbia waitlists. Reapply & add NYU & Chicago.

P.S. I agree that you are giving biased advice because you attend Cornell & are ignoring OP's other options & his apparent preference for major cities.

[yngblkgifted]

Op what the hell happened in your cycle? Wait listed at HSC, but then you get rejected from MPD? Did you write why not statements to these schools? Are you a URM? That cycle is ridiculously unpredictable.

[bhan87]

I need to commit to one of these schools in the next week.

I've visited Hastings and U Washington and I'm visiting Cornell this coming week.

I'm a Northern CA resident and I like California; I could see myself living and practicing in the Bay Area. When I visited Washington, I loved Seattle and I could picture myself living there as well. I've been to NYC once and I really liked it, but I haven't spent enough time there to make a decision. Never been to Ithaca...yet.

As far as financial aid is concerned, Hastings has offered me ~63K in scholarships and grants. Washington has offered me 15K merit and I haven't heard about need-based yet but I hear it caps at about 7K. Cornell offered me 45K in need-based grants, nothing for merit. (All of these amounts are over three years)

I'm interested in a few areas of law, particularly corporate/business law and public interest law working with Tribes in an economic development capacity.

Things to consider: I really do not know where I want to live, and for that reason I'm attracted to Cornell because I believe it will give me the most degree portability. However, I'm reluctant to let go of Washington and Hastings because I really like Seattle and SF. I'm gay, and I feel like an urban setting would fit me well. However, it is only three years and I really believe I can live wherever I need to for the best education.

Any input? I feel like Cornell is the correct choice, but for whatever reason I cannot pull the trigger and commit.

Also riding 4 wait lists at schools ranked higher than Cornell.

Thanks for your help!

Cornell is the clear choice here. Degree portability and educational quality seem important to you. Also consider employment prospects, PERIOD. Hastings and Washington are both struggling ITE, but Cornell just rocked it in NLJ250 placement last year despite the economy. That, on top of the very comparable financial aid. Go with your gut.

[CanadianWolf]

His gut instinct is what is holding him back from committing to Cornell. OP clearly states his preference for an urban setting.

[Bildungsroman]

OP: Ignore the Cornell trolls. Just visit Ithaca & you should be able to make a decision with confidence.

So, the argument you keep repeating in favor of throwing away his Cornell acceptance is that it's what, cold? Remote? In a college town instead of a major metropolis? All great reasons to choose between competitive offers at peer schools. Not great reasons to throw the chessboard in the air and start a new game. If OP visits Ithaca and absolutely hates it then maybe that's a good reason not to go there, but enduring some discomfort and less-than-ideal situations for the better payoff in employability and quality of education over the other offers he presented sounds like something OP is willing to do.

KMAine: Northwestern is in a city & 2 years ago was the number one law school for NLJ250 placement.

And this year Cornell was 2ndand Northwestern was 8th. Let's spout off more random stats selected without context and with obviously biased intent.

I am not focusing on NU, that is started by our resident Cornell troll.

If anything you're the resident anti-Cornell troll.

[CanadianWolf]

No, I actually am the only one considering OP's preference for city living as stated in his post.

[The Gentleman]

Cornell and it's not even close. The money's just not anywhere near discrepent enough to justify choosing Hastings or Washington. Also, when I visited Ithaca I got the sense that it's a pretty liberal and tolerant place.