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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Why would anyone use their ED card at Michigan instead of northwestern or Cornell?[/quote]

Because they prefer a bigger school with more spirit than Northwestern or Cornell. The three schools certainly draw from a similar applicant pool, but face it, Ithaca and the Ivy League is not the same as Ann Arbor and the B1G. I visited all three when I went through the process as did one of my two kids, they are different places with different vibes, and Northwestern is on the quarter system which can be a good or bad thing, depending on the kid.[/quote]

PP.  I'm from a Michigan and Cornell family.  The schools have a lot in common, including a historical exchange of administrators and egalitarian core values.  If you are thinking about academics (what you can study at a deep level), the schools indeed have a lot in common. Hat tip to Cornell for having a higher scoring student body, but it's also completely fair to say Cornell is grindier.  Michigan suits a Midwest vibe and Cornell has more than a dash of NYC attitude.  For those who don't care about sports, Michigan has plenty of fun things to do, just like Cornell.  And it's far less expensive for in-state students.

I took my son to see Cornell and he pronounced Ithaca "Ann Arbor in a gorge".   That's when I realized the Ivy legacy situation wasn't going to be a strong pull.[/quote]

We are a MI, Northwestern and Cornell family. So far no one is back in Ann Arbor, but at the other schools. All are great choices. Just different kids. Mine felt Michigan was too too large.[/quote]

PP of replied-to-post.  I understand the overlap of Northwestern, Michigan, and Cornell very well.  It makes sense.  All great schools to attend, with strengths in a wide variety of programs.

I got a grad degree from Michigan.

My major issue with Cornell is still that the college names/program names are traditional and relics from the 1900s.  That really was a factor in my decisionmaking in high school.  Plus the insane tuition prices.  Because the degree name stays with you for life (both my parents and sibling have quirkily named Cornell degrees).  Two years out of college, I realized that ILR would have been perfect for where my college and career journey took me.  But I couldn't have predicted that at 16 when I was torn between being a history or business major.

I decided on Michigan vs. Cornell for grad school due to post-grad regional living and employment preferences and trailing spouse career needs.  Ithaca is really isolated, and although I would have loved the chance to be a Cornellian, I really should have done it for undergrad like my sibling.

One thing that seems true of both Northwestern and Cornell is that even ED gives a poor chance of acceptance. I would have asked my kid to look at Northwestern but I knew he would not ED there, so I knew he had no chance.  He also didn't ED Cornell because Michigan was likely to be far less expensive  for us.

For engineering and comp sci, I think Michigan is very competitive with Cornell.

Regarding ED, Ross, and limiting transfers from LSA, I think that makes sense.  Demand has pushed them to it.  It makes sense not to have a bunch of disgruntled economics majors who are mad they didn't get picked to transfer.  It's better when students start where they want to be.[/quote]

Everything does end up working out. Don’t look backwards.

My 2 got into these schools in RD after misplaying ED. Never would have predicted the RD outcomes.

I do think MI offers a lot but don’t think it’s helpful for me to second-guess or rethink their decisions. Plus there’s always grad school.

All great undergrad options - and all only 4 years[/quote]

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