Cornell vs. USC for ibanking
Hey all,
I was recently accepted into both Cornell and USC. I am very happy about this but it has left me with a difficult decision. I was accepted into Cornell for Information Science, whereas USC i was accepted into Marshall. Cornell requires that i take a lot of science classes and I know it will academically more rigorous than USC. My brother goes to USC and i know the academics fairly well. It wouldnt be a problem for me to keep a 3.5+ at USC. Cornell is an unknown to me. I have spoken with quite a few people about how challenging Cornell is and they say its super hard but doable which is encouraging.
I don't want to make this too long, so basically... Do you guys think information science is a fine major to go into ibanking/finance with? Is the risk of a much harder academic experience worth the return of a cornell degree in regards to a USC marshall degree? If any recent Cornell/usc graduates hve insights i'd love to hear them.
Cornell.
Major doesn't matter. Information Science is not one of the hardest majors at Cornell, and you're already in CALS so can even apply to transfer internally to AEM if you want. USC would be great if you want the better weather and want to work on the west coast..I honestly haven't seen many USC alumni on the east coast or at most banks here. That could be a function of the kids just not aiming for NYC, though. Either school you'll be fine, just know that if you go to USC and want to come to the east coast, you'll have to do a lot of hustling on your own but people do know it's a great school. Cornell I'm sure has a ton of alumni on either coast, so take that for what you will.
I appreciate your thoughts. I've spoken with quite a few people from each school and the consensus from USC students/grads is that bb only take 20 kids each year (west/east coast combined). However that number grows substantially when you factor in boutique firms in LA. Cornell ive heard has a crazy large alumni network in nyc.
I want to work in ny for a few years regardless of what aspect of finance/business i work in because i feel like its an unbeatable experience. I can't switch to AEM unfortunately but i am going to minor in it which is nice. I guess my main apprehension lies in the difficulty of cornell and it being an unknown to me considering my brother goes to USC.
The difficulty is not that much of a concern - go where you think you'd be happier and have a better experience. I know tons of kids who went to Cornell, but I would advise you don't go there solely because of the name. Visit the campus, meet some people, and see if you think you'd have a good time there. Yes, the alumni connections will be greater if you attend Cornell, but what matters more is that you do well and actually build relationships while in college. If you're miserable, that isn't going to really work well for you. I know many kids who turned down Cornell, or decided to transfer out and just know that it's perfectly acceptable to turn it down for USC..you definitely are not alone, just do what feels right for you.
Overall, Cornell is a marginally better school (#15 vs. #23 this year. Ivy League.) that probably places into banking at a marginally higher level but your weather, women, sports, location, and college experience will be dramatically better at USC. Is NYC important enough to you? Do you want to work in banking in NYC or on the west coast? Is that marginal difference a big enough deal to you personally? Is there dramatic cost/scholarship difference?
Not exactly USC v Cornell decision that I went through last year; it was USC Marshall vs Notre Dame. Ended up choosing ND even though I loved the life at USC, simply because better placement at Wall Street. Turns out I just as much love the lifestyle at ND.
My friend goes to Cornell and he loves it; a lot of alumni power. My consensus is that from USC, you need to network hard early to get back to the east coast.
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