<p>I’ve visited both, as a parent.</p>
<p>Princeton is lovely. A lovely town, a lovely campus, and when it’s called a “country club” it is not a big stretch. My friend’s D is a sophomore so I have been there a few times to visit her.</p>
<p>The contrast to Cornell is huge. Cornell is more gritty, more crunchy granola, more upstate. There’s a real ‘remnant of the 60’s’ feel to Ithaca and the surroundings. I’ve heard comments that downtown Ithaca really needs an update – but I think it <em>had</em> the update already. And someone else commented that nowhere else can you go to a <em>steakhouse</em> and find a vegetarian section on the menu. The natural beauty surrounding Cornell is amazing – gorges, waterfalls, hills, cliffs, the lake etc. My S is also a sophomore, so I have visited a lot. </p>
<p>Population wise, Cornell seems more diverse demographically and academically. Probably economically too.</p>
<p>Just my observations and opinions. YMMV.</p>