<p>^ Columbia does not have prestige for engineering. Ivy League prestige is not that important, and most of the ivy leagues are not amongst the stronger engineering schools (this excludes Cornell, Princeton, and, to a lesser extent, UPenn, which has a strong bio-med engineering program). Honestly, “prestige” is not that important and you need to pick a school based on the academics as they apply to you and social fit. For example, Harvard may be more prestigious in general than Georgia Tech, but Ga Tech creams it in engineering and it would be unwise to pick Harvard (financials obviously excluded)</p>
<p>If you’re doing engineering. Cornell is the best of the ones you listed. However, CMU is really strong in comp sci. If you are definitely going for computer science, CMU seems like the best choice; however, if you are unsure and feel you may switch majors, Cornell is better with stronger engineering programs besides computing/electrical.</p>
<p>Also, think about fit. I do not know much about CMU, but it is in Pittsburg. Cornell is in Ithaca. I imagine these cities having vastly different feels. If possible, visit both campuses.</p>
<p>Don’t do Columbia Engineering unless you want to flip that into a job in finance. If you want to do real science or engineering, don’t go there. This must also just hurt the quality of engineering because so many people just don’t have a passion for it. Also, don’t knock Cornell’s capacity to turn engineering into financial, as they do offer a financial engineering major.</p>