Hello, My daughter has been offered the prestigious Nutmeg Scholarship at UConn — a full ride covering both tuition and boarding — for Healthcare Management in the School of Business.
She has also been admitted to Cornell’s Brooks School of Public Policy for Healthcare Policy, but this would be full tuition out of pocket.
Additionally, she got into NYU’s School of Arts & Sciences for Global Public Health/Anthropology with a $9K scholarship.
At this point, she’s leaning toward pursuing law after her undergraduate studies, likely in health or policy law.
We’re trying to weigh the options and would really appreciate hearing from others who’ve faced similar decisions.
Any insights or experiences would be greatly appreciated!
Fact - harvards first year class is not big but represented by 146 schools. Penn, as a college, is represented by over 200 undergrad. Cornell, btw, 216 enrolled law school students from 143 colleges…can you even name that many colleges I’d have a hard time. Yep - whether from Cornell or U of Nebraska, Kentucky, Alabama, St. Bonnies, etc - they’re all there.
Where you go undergrad arguably has no impact on law school admissions but how and what you do gpa, lsat, and otherwise do.
So why Cornell?
If you pivot from law, you’ll likely need a Masters.
So unless you have $350k+ extra and if you do, no issue, but otherwise UConn is a gift.
The real decision here is UConn vs. Cornell. Can you afford Cornell without parental loans?
Does she have a preference?
I’m sure she has visited - can she revisit and spend an overnight or an admitted student day, plus asking UConn a specific Nutmeg Scholar tour?
Congratulations on the Nutmeg award. As 1 of 20 selected scholars it is hard to believe she would not thrive at any school.
I think it is fair to say that while attending any school will not preclude attending an elite law school, attending certain schools does have a significant positive statistical impact.
As an example, law schools like Harvard and Yale have traditionally populated 50%ish of their law school classes with students from 11 schools (8 ivies + Duke, Stanford, Chicago). Those schools represent only about 3/10ths of 1% of total students.
Hope that math provides some context. I don’t however know how to translate that for someone with an opportunity and named scholarship like your child. This is a very personal decision and dependent on your families financial comfort level and priorities.
I would suggest you also consider the likelihood that Cornell may afford a student greater optionality post grad if they opt not to go to law school. For instance Cornell is a target school for IB and management consulting, while U Conn is not.
Lastly, Cornell law school itself should serve as another example and or consideration. From their website 13%, of their highly competitive (sub 6% acceptance rate) class came from Cornell undergraduate. Clearly she would have an advantage at Cornell Law if she attends Cornell undergrad.
“Cornell Law School’s incoming Class of 2027 showcases a wide range of backgrounds and experiences while boasting impressive academic credentials. The latest cohort of 216 students was selected from a competitive pool of 3,746 applicants.
Notable clusters include Cornell University with 28 students.”
I think the percentage would be even greater if you added NESCAC, 7sisters, the Claremonts, and Spelman/Howard.
That leaves a minority of seats to be split between the 2,450 other universities in the country, with one to a few students having a shot some years.
However being a Nutmeg Scholar would certainly position a student well to be that one potentially chosen, plus not all students want to attend Law School at Harvard or Yale.
Congrats on wonderful options! I would say NYU isn’t that appealing unless she adores NYC, but still it’s a lot of money for a program not as interesting as her other options.
We’re also comparing a scholarship (though not as prestigious) at a public vs. Cornell full-pay, and I had a meeting with a friend of mine the other day (connected with Cornell). He said that if you’re at all unsure about major, then Cornell will open doors in any area for the rest of your life.
I don’t really think you can go wrong but I’m so curious to know more about your decision
!
@HS2CollegeBound, I also live in Connecticut and have had a career in education, so I know how prestigious the Nutmeg Scholarship is at least here in state. So, congratulations to your daughter!
You asked for ideas and experiences from anyone who’s been in a similar position. Unfortunately we were not even though we had a valedictorian in the family. Good luck with your Sophie’s choice.
Me three. The Nutmeg Scholarship isn’t just about the money. It’s quite an honor to be selected for this.
Only you and your family can determine if the costs of Cornell are something you wish to pay. I will say, please keep an eye on what is happening to student loans as there is a possibility the federally funded loans will change before your student gets to law school.
Cornell is a great option if your family can be full pay with no financial impact to your family. Only your family can make that decision.
I’d have a hard time. Yep - whether from Cornell or U of Nebraska, Kentucky, Alabama, St. Bonnies, etc - they’re all there.
