<p>Hi!</p>
<p>I’m currently a freshman at Cornell and I had to make a similar decision last year (UC Berkeley vs. USC vs. Cornell). I’m a native Californian from the Bay Area so it was definitely a hard decision.</p>
<p>As for money, definitely wait for the financial aid package! I come from a middle class family and Cornell actually gave me the most financial aid (~30K in grants) out of all the schools so it was actually cheapest to come here.</p>
<p>Aside from money, I really love Cornell and I’m so so so glad I went so far away for college. Sure it’s far, but you get to experience something completely new. I actually never visited the campus before the first day of school. And to this day, I still can’t believe how beautiful it is. Berkeley’s campus seems so puny compared to Cornell’s campus and I personally love the sprawling gorges and trees. Fall in Ithaca is simply breathtaking–the orange trees and beautiful sunsets… Winter’s are pretty as well (and very cold!). But here are some things that I think would affect your decision.</p>
<p>Going to Cornell meant a completely fresh start and an opportunity to learn and grow. None of my high school classmates came to Cornell, while I would know at least 20 people if I went to Berkeley. It’s so freeing to completely reinvent yourself. Also, for the first time in my life, I felt unique. I’m an Asian female and in the Bay Area, I was one in a million… But at Cornell, I’m different. People are always so curious about what California is like or what my culture is like.</p>
<p>Going to Cornell also means exploring the east coast. People on the east coast are different from people on the west coast and I am able to meet people that I never would’ve met in California. Also, Cornell is much more diverse than Berkeley/USC/UCLA, thanks, in part, to affirmative action, so you get to meet people from all walks of life and ethnicity. You can tell that each person’s application was read carefully and not put into a machine that only looks at numbers (Berkeley/UCLA). People here are very well-rounded; I have friends who have written books, are on the board of major medical associations and won science competitions such as Intel/Siemens while graduating from the top of their class. The people around you will push you to be better and many truly love what they do.</p>
<p>I too want to go back to California to work, but going to Cornell gives you so much perspective in life. You realize the world is a big place, filled with opportunities and different people. It’s easy to get trapped in the California bubble, but going out of state makes you rethink that.</p>
<p>Hope it helps! If you have any specific questions let me know.</p>