Cornell (Dyson Pre-Admit) vs UNC(Econ)

I posted earlier and I am looking to make a final decision. I am between Cornell Dyson AEM (pre-admit) and UNC( would have to apply to the business school as sophomore). I plan to break into BB IB. Which school and major would best set me up for success. All schools relatively cost the same to attend after financial aid.

UNC has better weather, greek life, sports and overall quality of life, but I am afraid that I will regret not attending Cornell because of its stronger alumni network and better IB placement. Especially considering that me being admitted to Keenan-Flagler is not certain. I visited both campuses and could see myself at both universities but with that being said I did visit Cornell in the spring while the weather was great. Additionally Dyson only accepted 3 percent of students this year. Is that worth throwing away for a better life style.

Will the ivy title really provide more opportunities later in life? How much does the recruitment vary between the two schools?

Thank you for the advice!

 

Congrats with the offers!

I think your offers are not even comparable since you were not accepted to UNC's business school and from what I heard, it's not so easy to transfer once you are there. Even if you were accepted, I think Cornell is a much stronger brand.

I would pick Cornell, but it's totally okay to pick UNC if you think you will love it there. Just prepare to work hard to transfer to biz school and to network your way into IB.

 
Best Response

I'm going to play devil's advocate...

What type of person are you? Are you excited by UNCs sports, greek life, social life, etc? Or does that stuff hold less of an appeal for you?

Cornell, especially as a pre-admit into Dyson, is pretty strong and objectively better in terms of job placement than UNC. UNC will still give you good opportunities in the Southeast and a few in NYC northeast, but Cornell still does very well and it is an Ivy league school.

With that being said, social life will be very different. Depending on where you're from the weather can be pretty shocking and it's generally pretty miserable from November - March/Apr every year. Cornell can also be a bit of a pressure cooker so not a great environment there and the competition will be much higher UNC will have good weather and great social life in terms of parties, sports, etc. Not to be an ass, but the overall caliber of the average student will probably also be lower, which will help you to stand out.

At 18 I would have gone to Cornell (and in fact went to a similar type of school) now in my mid 20s I look back and wished I would have gone to a big "public ivy" type of school. You only get to go to college once, and schools like UNC, UVA, Duke have a pretty good blend of being good academic schools, having a good reputation, and having good social scenes.

At the end of the day If I knew what I know now... I'd take UNC with the goal that I'm going to have a great time while still maintaining solid grades with an eye towards picking up relevant jobs/internships through college.

Good luck with the decision.

 

As a graduate of a public ivy I would echo this completely. I would also add that getting into the business school or some prestigious banking club shouldn't be considered too much of a hurdle. From my observations, the students who don't make it into business schools or clubs generally wouldn't be competitive for IB/consulting/etc. anyways. If you are a top caliber student you will very likely make it through those hurdles, although there is relatively small room for error. Undergraduate business schools are looking for underclassmen with good grades, involvement, and solid goals. If you check those boxes and execute your application you should be good to go.

 

I would go with Cornell AEM, I personally am against the 'gamble' of having to apply to undergrad business programs 1 or 2 years in. Have had a few friends burned this way and I think the pre-admit you have for Cornell is a great thing. Congrats on both offers though!

 

Was looking back on my posts and cant believe how long its been since I posted this. Ended up choosing Cornell and will be interning at a BB this summer virtually. Thanks for the advice guys!

 

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