<p>I’m currently a freshman at UC Davis, but I have an opportunity to transfer to Cornell University next year (for my sophomore through senior years). I’m trying to decide between the two, taking into account cost, location, quality of education, my long-term boyfriend, etc. </p>
<p>Some factors that will influence my decision are:
-I’m from Northern California
-my boyfriend is here (in Northern California)
-I’m doing well in my classes at UC Davis, and am worried about not doing as well at Cornell.
-UC Davis is much more affordable
-I love Davis and my friends here!</p>
<p>I’d go to Cornell if you can afford it. Every CA kid who can should spend oe years back East. Davis is a fine school with massive budget cuts, Cornell is a great school with many more resources. If you and your bf are meant to be, you will be no matter where you go to college. These are the years to leave your comfort zone…</p>
<p>Cornell isn’t significantly better than UC Davis. It isn’t Harvard or MIT or Yale or Princeton. Stay at Davis, get great grades, enjoy living and studying with your bf around to support you go through your studies. A 3.8 at Davis is just as good as a 3.8 at Cornell.</p>
I agree with everyone else’s advice to stay since transferring is a huge challenge for students usually in terms of academic and social adjustment. However, saying that Cornell isn’t significantly better than UC Davis is ridiculous. Cornell is one of the most elite schools in the US and is a far stronger institution than UC Davis by any conceivable measure from student body strength to financial resources to faculty reputation.</p>
<p>If the OP intends to go into Engineering or Finance, Cornell may be worth the extra money and inconvenience of transferring but its still a very personal decision for the OP and her parents and hinges on what her professional goals are.</p>
<p>I hate this attitude on this site that if you don’t go to HYPSM, you might as well go to your local state school since no other institution is worth going to out of state. This is simply not true and is a self defense mechanism for certain state school grads to feel better about themselves.</p>
<p>You don’t have to be HYPS to be MUCH better than Davis. Few outside of CA have ever heard of Davis. Having Cornell on your resume if you’re ambitious and don’t plan to stay in CA for life is a BIG advantage. Even in CA, Davis is a good mid range school, but no one is confusing it with the CA elite.</p>
<p>What is your major? Take a long hard look at the specific department(s). What are the faculty members up to at each place? Is there a departmental focus that is different between these two institutions? </p>
<p>Ithaca, NY has long dark snowy winters. Some people like that. Some don’t. At minimum you would need to beef up your winter wardrobe.</p>
<p>Cornell is a great place, but it isn’t for everyone, and it certainly isn’t for someone who can’t afford it. Run the numbers for both universities through this handy calculator from our friends at FinAid.org, and see whether the money issue will work out for you: [FinAid</a> | Calculators | Award Letter Comparison Tool](<a href=“Your Guide for College Financial Aid - Finaid”>Award Letter Requirements - Finaid)</p>
<p>You people are overvaluing Cornell. It’s a good school but certainly not special like HYPSM or Caltech/Wharton. Cornell is not any different from Berkeley and Berkeley isn’t significantly or far better than UC Davis. Be “prudent” in using those adjectives, because, sometimes, they’re not appropriate for certain schools.</p>
<p>If you have the $$, I’d recommend Big Red. Going away to college is a huge growing experience by itself. Cornell offers a wonderful experience. A private school just offers more. (UC advising can be pretty bad/non-existant.) The odds are that you and the bf will break up sometime, so that should not be a factor.</p>
<p>I won’t put much value on this. The OP can always participate in exchange programs where she can spend a year in other school in the East Coast, or in Europe, if she wants it. I’m sure UC Davis has arrangements with fine universities in France, UK, Italy, Germany, Spain or Switzerland. When I was at Cambridge, I met a few students from the UC’s. If I remember it correctly, they have some sort of an org at Oxbridge where they (UC students and alumni) meet every weekend. They have visitors from other famous UK universities too such as LSE, Imperial, UCL, Warwick, Durham, Bristol, Bath, to name a few. The UC’s have arrangements with several hundreds of very established universities world-wide, from China to Brazil to South Africa, to Egypt to Scotland to Germany, to Japan, etc… If she wishes to stay in the West Coast, she can spend a summer at Haas, the business school of UC Berkeley.</p>
<p>I just honestly don’t see why she has to go to Cornell since it isn’t like she’s going to HARVARD or Yale or MIT, and the like.</p>
<p>No one has said that the OP HAS to do anything…the OP asked an anonymous board for comments. Just bcos the comments offered don’t agree doesn’t make them incorrect. All life is personal.</p>
<p>The OP has not given enough information to get good suggestions specific to the OP’s situation. Some information would be:</p>
<ul>
<li>Intended or possible major (and which division at Cornell the OP has been accepted to and what division at UC Davis the OP is in currently).</li>
<li>Difference in cost and affordability for the OP.</li>
<li>Eventual post-graduation plans.</li>
<li>Other reasons for Cornell (the OP listed only reasons for staying at UC Davis).</li>
</ul>
What do you mean by special? Cornell is an academic powerhouse that is better respected in every sector of society. A school doesn’t have to be Harvard to be a super elite. You seem to think that after HYPSM, the next hundred schools in the country are of the same quality for some reason. News flash: they aren’t.</p>
<p>Cornell is much closer to Harvard than UC Davis is to Cornell. Harvard and Cornell are both peers in a lot of way.</p>
<p>My major at Davis is undeclared; however, my major at Cornell is Environmental Engineering. I am fortunate enough that my parents can pay for my college education whether I go to a private or public school. I have no idea of my post graduate plans.</p>
<p>What major would you do if you stayed at UC Davis? (and would you have to apply to get into the major?)</p>
<p>If environmental engineering is definitely what you want to major in, Cornell has an ABET-accredited degree program in that, but UC Davis does not, though you can probably get something similar in civil engineering (which both schools have).</p>
<p>Yes, goldenboy8784, there is such a thing as HYPSM and whether you like it or not or agree with me or not, these schools (together with Caltech and Wharton) are special in the academic and corporate world. The next set of schools below them comprises of several schools, perhaps about 50 or so where Cornell and Berkeley are, then a group a little down below them where UC Davis belongs. A 3.9 from Cornell is not any different from a 3.9 from UC Davis.</p>