Which Ivy League is the Best Fit for You: Cornell Edition (Part 4 of 8)

Let’s continue this 8 part series to find the best Ivy League college fit for you! Next up, Cornell University.

Cornell University

Quick Cheat Sheet

Size: Large. Not as large as big state universities, but almost twice the size of Harvard. Biggest of all Ivy League Schools.

Cost: Tuition $52,853. Room, Board & Expenses: $17,468. 3rd most expensive in tuition for Ivies, and 3rd cheapest for Room & Board. 

Financial Aid: Follows the need-based and need-blind application process. International students are evaluated in need-aware basis.

Location: Ithaca is a small city in upstate NY. 4 hours from NYC. If you’re a city person, this may not be a good choice for you.

Campus: Massive. It takes 30 minutes to walk across campus. Students drive around campus or take shuttles.

Weather: Just pack coats, boots, and gloves. There will be snow at Cornell 70% of the time you’re there.

Notable Academic Programs: Architecture, Hospitality, Engineering.

Student Life: On-campus activities. Greek Life presence.

Overview:

Cornell University is the largest school in the Ivy League. With about 15,000 undergraduate students, Cornell’s graduating class have about 3,700 students. While you may not have a tight knit community that a small college offers, there are a lot of perks that come with attending a large university.

Cornell has 8 undergraduate colleges that offer its student body a much wider range of fields they can study. The few that stand out are the College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, College of Human Ecology, Industrial & Labor Relations, and the School of Hotel Administration in its business school. These are much more specific areas of study that not all Ivy League school offer, so if you are interested, put Cornell on your list!

Cornell’s location also gives students a unique college experience. While Harvard, Columbia, Penn are the only schools located in major cities, Cornell differs from the rest of the pack because the harsh winters students endure. Social life is more focused on campus, and Greek Life is has a strong presence but not dominant.

Applying to college next year?

View the application files, essays and advice of accepted students.

LEARN MORE

Do you have any other questions about Cornell? Comment below and let us know! We’ll answer any questions you may have and update the post with suggestions. If you are set on applying to Cornell University, make sure to search through profiles of students accepted to see essays, stats, and advice. See how they got in, and how you can too!

Stay tuned for more! Up next is Dartmouth College! 

Sources: US News, Cornell

About The Author

Frances Wong

Frances was born in Hong Kong and received her bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University. She loves super sad drama television, cooking, and reading. Her favorite person on Earth isn’t actually a member of the AdmitSee team - it’s her dog Cooper.