USC vs. Cornell Undergrad?
I'm considering applying to Cornell for Early Decision, so if I get in I won't even know the result of my USC app and I'll be forced to go to Cornell. I toured the campus for a few days and I got this vibe of a big isolated campus in bum-fuck nowhere with sad lonely kids studying all day, and it's not even winter yet. I don't know if that's just my experience, or if that's what the school is like. Needless to say, I don't think I'm a fan, but I also feel like I got a particularly bad impression. I know plenty of kids that love it. I live in SoCal and leaving my family that I'm super close with will be hard enough. That + winter + course rigor + the social scene I saw doesn't seem like a good fit for me. USC is great, but obviously less prestigious, and if I don't get in then I would've given up my opportunity to go to Cornell ED for nothing, but I really do feel that I can get into both school. I'm not sure what I want to do after school, as I don't have any experience in the industry, but I think West Coast PE or Consulting is what I'll be interested in. Any advice at all is appreciated. Also, what about UCLA/Cal?
Harvard
If it’s such bad fit, why would you apply ED? Outside of any rank, if you’re miserable, you’re not gonna do well.
Sounds like you’re looking for someone to tell you not to apply.
If you're certain about finance and hate cold/isolated environments, I would argue USC is a much better fit for you. Kids at USC have no problem landing top IB/PE as the Trojan network is extremely advantageous if you know how to leverage it. Not to mention the great weather, girls, and social scene easily beats out the marginal difference in "prestige" that Cornell has.
If you want to do consulting, either school is fine (though you would need to put in more work at USC).
For PE, you would want to land into a solid IB role first. For that, Cornell is probably the better bet. USC does seem to have solid placements on the west coast, but for the east coast (where the majority of the seats are) it really isn't that strong. Meanwhile there are tons of Cornell kids all over the street.
At the end of the day though, even if Cornell has better placements or whatever, do you really want to be miserable 4 years (based on current impressions) just for a better chance at a good job? Both answers to this question are valid, but you need to decide for yourself.
Try EDing to Dartmouth or Duke instead
Also apply RD to Gtown / other ivies.
Stanford > Cal > UCLA/USC
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