Anonymous
07/27/2025 13:28
Subject: Northwestern vs Cornell for gov/history/law oriented student
Northwestern benefits from being just outside Chicago and from having quasi-major sports (their teams don't tend to be great but they play in a big time league). Ithaca is kind of dreary. But there is a sense of "we're in this together" from being there for four years.
I live in NY so know a lot of pre-law kids who do ILR since it is a state school, a lot cheaper, and a logical feeder to law school.
I think Northwestern has a slightly more relaxed atmosphere overall, but I'm sure there are plenty of stressed kids there and plenty of chill kids at Cornell as well.
Quarters definitely have a different vibe and rhythm. There are pros and cons. I'm personally generally not a fan, but it isn't a deal breaker either.
I live in NY so know a lot of pre-law kids who do ILR since it is a state school, a lot cheaper, and a logical feeder to law school.
I think Northwestern has a slightly more relaxed atmosphere overall, but I'm sure there are plenty of stressed kids there and plenty of chill kids at Cornell as well.
Quarters definitely have a different vibe and rhythm. There are pros and cons. I'm personally generally not a fan, but it isn't a deal breaker either.
Anonymous
07/27/2025 13:25
Subject: Northwestern vs Cornell for gov/history/law oriented student
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:If DC is interested in law school, Cornell has a 3+3 Accelerated Pathway Scholar Program, which allows a Cornell undergraduate to graduate with a bachelor and JD degree in six years. The minimum requirement is 3.5 gpa. Though Cornell law school is not ranked high, it's still one of the T14 schools. Save one year of tuition.
https://www.lawschool.cornell.edu/admissions/jd-admissions/3_3-program/
Idiotic comment. Cornell Law School is typically ranked #13 or #14 among 193 or so law schools. Cornell law is outstanding & places well in Biglaw.
Well, PP said the same thing, but you were looking to find something to be aggressive about and call the comment idiotic when it wasn’t. Grow up folks and hope your kids are not like you.
Your comment is incorrect and equally idiotic.
Anonymous
07/27/2025 13:17
Subject: Northwestern vs Cornell for gov/history/law oriented student
The truth is if your kid end up having that choice, that is amazing. You cant go wrong with either school.
If your kid has international aspirations, Cornell has a better known brand outside of the US. But other than that, your kid should be happy with either.
If your kid has international aspirations, Cornell has a better known brand outside of the US. But other than that, your kid should be happy with either.
Anonymous
07/27/2025 13:03
Subject: Northwestern vs Cornell for gov/history/law oriented student
Anonymous wrote:Why do people ask these types of questions before their kid is even admitted? Chances are high that they’ll be rejected from both, even with amazing stats.
With that said, the settings are completely different. Which did your kid like better?
They ask now to figure out where to ED.
Anonymous
07/27/2025 12:46
Subject: Northwestern vs Cornell for gov/history/law oriented student
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:If DC is interested in law school, Cornell has a 3+3 Accelerated Pathway Scholar Program, which allows a Cornell undergraduate to graduate with a bachelor and JD degree in six years. The minimum requirement is 3.5 gpa. Though Cornell law school is not ranked high, it's still one of the T14 schools. Save one year of tuition.
https://www.lawschool.cornell.edu/admissions/jd-admissions/3_3-program/
Idiotic comment. Cornell Law School is typically ranked #13 or #14 among 193 or so law schools. Cornell law is outstanding & places well in Biglaw.
Well, PP said the same thing, but you were looking to find something to be aggressive about and call the comment idiotic when it wasn’t. Grow up folks and hope your kids are not like you.
Anonymous
07/27/2025 12:44
Subject: Northwestern vs Cornell for gov/history/law oriented student
Anonymous wrote:I am from a Cornell and Michigan family. Michigan is a larger school and not an Ivy but both schools have a tradition of breadth in all subjects (no one program is dominant). Northwestern is like this, too. So I can understand why you feel similarities between Cornell and Northwestern.
Cornell very much reflects its historic identity as a New York school. It has a significant population of New York state and NYC Metro area students. With NYC being such a globally dominant metropolis, it makes sense that NYC is the post-grad destination of many students. For me, I wanted to live in a different area after graduation (not NYC, not Eastern seaboard) and I wanted a little more chill grad school experience. SonI chose Michigan. Michigan has a big Michigan contingent (mainly from affluent suburbs) and noticeable LA/California and NYC Metro area.
I've known kids from Northwestern and Chicago. I'd say that they are also whip smart and some have had an urban upbringing similar to NYC, but Chicago and New York are still different on flavor.
There are kids from all over the place at both schools. But there's still a different geographic based energy that I think is real. If your kid is NYC bound, I'd do Cornell in a heartbeat. For Asia work, I might also consider Cornell due to really old, longstanding ties with certain countries.
I realize this might sound a little woo woo but it feels real to me.
There are as many Illinois residents at Northwestern (around 30 percent) as there are New Yorkers at Cornell, both are a distinct minority, and not all New Yorkers are from the NYC metro area. If you’re from somewhere else in NY culturally you might as well be Midwest.
Facts over feelings.
Anonymous
07/27/2025 12:38
Subject: Northwestern vs Cornell for gov/history/law oriented student
Anonymous wrote:If DC is interested in law school, Cornell has a 3+3 Accelerated Pathway Scholar Program, which allows a Cornell undergraduate to graduate with a bachelor and JD degree in six years. The minimum requirement is 3.5 gpa. Though Cornell law school is not ranked high, it's still one of the T14 schools. Save one year of tuition.
https://www.lawschool.cornell.edu/admissions/jd-admissions/3_3-program/
This. It’s kind of a secret but could be a really great option. You don’t need an LSAT score….
Anonymous
07/27/2025 12:37
Subject: Northwestern vs Cornell for gov/history/law oriented student
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Why do people ask these types of questions before their kid is even admitted? Chances are high that they’ll be rejected from both, even with amazing stats.
Because you can only apply ED to ONE school.
But the OP didn’t ask that?
Anonymous
07/27/2025 12:36
Subject: Re:Northwestern vs Cornell for gov/history/law oriented student
As a side-note: Northwestern's law school (& medical school) is located on the Chicago campus, not in Evanston. Both campuses are beautiful; the undergraduate & MBA school in Evanston enjoy a spectacular setting.
Anonymous
07/27/2025 12:33
Subject: Northwestern vs Cornell for gov/history/law oriented student
Anonymous wrote:If DC is interested in law school, Cornell has a 3+3 Accelerated Pathway Scholar Program, which allows a Cornell undergraduate to graduate with a bachelor and JD degree in six years. The minimum requirement is 3.5 gpa. Though Cornell law school is not ranked high, it's still one of the T14 schools. Save one year of tuition.
https://www.lawschool.cornell.edu/admissions/jd-admissions/3_3-program/
Idiotic comment. Cornell Law School is typically ranked #13 or #14 among 193 or so law schools. Cornell law is outstanding & places well in Biglaw.
Anonymous
07/27/2025 12:14
Subject: Northwestern vs Cornell for gov/history/law oriented student
If DC is interested in law school, Cornell has a 3+3 Accelerated Pathway Scholar Program, which allows a Cornell undergraduate to graduate with a bachelor and JD degree in six years. The minimum requirement is 3.5 gpa. Though Cornell law school is not ranked high, it's still one of the T14 schools. Save one year of tuition.
https://www.lawschool.cornell.edu/admissions/jd-admissions/3_3-program/
https://www.lawschool.cornell.edu/admissions/jd-admissions/3_3-program/
Anonymous
07/27/2025 12:04
Subject: Northwestern vs Cornell for gov/history/law oriented student
Anonymous wrote:My kid, who is majoring in security policy and international affairs, hesitated between Georgetown and George Washington. He preferred George Washington. They are both in the top 10 *worldwide* for undergraduate and graduate international relations, according to the journal Foreign Policy. Cornell and Northwestern are not in the top ten for that undergrad specialty. Cornell is 15th for graduate school.
https://foreignpolicy.com/2015/02/03/top-twenty-five-schools-international-relations/
This is an insane response. What do GW and Georgetown have to do with the OP's query? And does the PP realize they're citing a 10 year old 'survey' by a junk online magazine?
Anonymous
07/27/2025 11:42
Subject: Northwestern vs Cornell for gov/history/law oriented student
This information might be out of date, but the grading curve at Cornell was harsh. A high GPA is important for admission to law school.
Anonymous
07/27/2025 11:38
Subject: Northwestern vs Cornell for gov/history/law oriented student
I am from a Cornell and Michigan family. Michigan is a larger school and not an Ivy but both schools have a tradition of breadth in all subjects (no one program is dominant). Northwestern is like this, too. So I can understand why you feel similarities between Cornell and Northwestern.
Cornell very much reflects its historic identity as a New York school. It has a significant population of New York state and NYC Metro area students. With NYC being such a globally dominant metropolis, it makes sense that NYC is the post-grad destination of many students. For me, I wanted to live in a different area after graduation (not NYC, not Eastern seaboard) and I wanted a little more chill grad school experience. SonI chose Michigan. Michigan has a big Michigan contingent (mainly from affluent suburbs) and noticeable LA/California and NYC Metro area.
I've known kids from Northwestern and Chicago. I'd say that they are also whip smart and some have had an urban upbringing similar to NYC, but Chicago and New York are still different on flavor.
There are kids from all over the place at both schools. But there's still a different geographic based energy that I think is real. If your kid is NYC bound, I'd do Cornell in a heartbeat. For Asia work, I might also consider Cornell due to really old, longstanding ties with certain countries.
I realize this might sound a little woo woo but it feels real to me.
Cornell very much reflects its historic identity as a New York school. It has a significant population of New York state and NYC Metro area students. With NYC being such a globally dominant metropolis, it makes sense that NYC is the post-grad destination of many students. For me, I wanted to live in a different area after graduation (not NYC, not Eastern seaboard) and I wanted a little more chill grad school experience. SonI chose Michigan. Michigan has a big Michigan contingent (mainly from affluent suburbs) and noticeable LA/California and NYC Metro area.
I've known kids from Northwestern and Chicago. I'd say that they are also whip smart and some have had an urban upbringing similar to NYC, but Chicago and New York are still different on flavor.
There are kids from all over the place at both schools. But there's still a different geographic based energy that I think is real. If your kid is NYC bound, I'd do Cornell in a heartbeat. For Asia work, I might also consider Cornell due to really old, longstanding ties with certain countries.
I realize this might sound a little woo woo but it feels real to me.
Anonymous
07/27/2025 11:33
Subject: Northwestern vs Cornell for gov/history/law oriented student
ED advantage is larger at Northwestern. Cornell has recently reduced the size of its ED class. If two schools are otherwise no different for your DC, go with Northwestern.