Why I transferred from Cornell University to Northwestern University

This has been the most highly requested video on my channel, and some of you have probably been wondering if I'd ever talk about why I transferred. Please know that I wasn't ignoring your requests. I was simply waiting until I was mentally and physically ready to open up. It wasn't easy for me to talk about this subject, but I think having such a supportive community here on my channel is what helped me build up the courage to share it with all of you.
Want to learn more about my transfer process? Check out the following videos:
👉How I transferred to Northwestern University | GPA, SAT/ACT, Essays, Common App: • How I transferred to N...
👉Reading my “Why Northwestern” Transfer Essay | College Transfer Essay Advice: • Reading my “Why Northw...
👉Transfer Letters of Recommendation | How to Ask Your Professors: • Transfer Letters of Re...
👉The TRUTH About Transfer Rolling Admissions and Decisions | Northwestern University and Top 20 Unis: • The TRUTH About Transf...
👉Transfer Application Timeline | When to Start Essays, ask for Letters of Recommendation, and More: • Transfer Application T...
👉Why I transferred from Cornell University to Northwestern University: • Why I transferred from...
Want to learn more about Northwestern University? Check out the following videos:
👉8 Things I Love About Northwestern University! • 8 Things I Love About ...
👉8 Things I Hate About Northwestern University: • 8 Things I Hate About ...
👉Northwestern University Meal Plan/Meal Exchange Options: • Northwestern Universit...
👉Northwestern University Meal Plan/Dining Halls: • Northwestern Universit...
👉Northwestern University Dorm Tour | South Mid Quads (SMQ) Shepard Residential College: • Northwestern Universit...
👉Northwestern University Workout Routine + Gym Tour: • Video
👉Quarter System at Northwestern University: • Quarter System at Nort...
👉Triple Major + Dual Degree Student at Northwestern University: • College Advice from a ...
👉Studying Abroad in Athens, Greece | Northwestern University | CYA College Year in Athens: • Studying Abroad in Ath...
Want to learn more about Northwestern University Computer Science? Check out the following videos:
👉10 Things I Love About Computer Science at Northwestern University: • 10 Things I Love About...
👉10 Things I Hate About Computer Science at Northwestern University: • 10 Things I Hate About...
👉Computer Science Major at Northwestern University: • Computer Science Major...
👉Weinberg CS vs McCormick CS at Northwestern University: • Weinberg CS vs McCormi...
👉How to get a BS/MS in CS in 4 years at Northwestern University: • How to get a BS/MS in ...
🔗 Connect with Me:
LinkedIn: @lucywbeck
Instagram: @lucywbeck
TikTok: @lucywbeck
💬 Have a question?
Comment below and I will make sure to get back to you!
🤝 Want to work together?
Message me on LinkedIn

[@tylerissoreal1331]

I'm really happy to hear all the reasons why NU was a better fit for you. Proud of you for having the courage to talk about dealing with loss, vulnerability is what makes us human.

[@lucywbeck]

Thank you. I’m really proud of myself too.

[@Lee-S22]

I'm sorry for your loss 😢 I'm glad you were able to transfer and find an environment better suited to you. This video highlights how much finances affect the kind of education experience we're able to have.

[@lucywbeck]

Thank you for always being so supportive. It means a lot.

[@Lee-S22]

@@lucywbeck you’re welcome. And thank you for the great videos you make

[@meowzillabang3780]

As a high school student, I do struggle selecting my ed school, since my grades and stats aims me into a T20 school but seriously I dont find much difference in them. Both cornell and northwestern are my possible reach schools, but everything I know about cornell seems to associate with stress... I do have a hard time making the decision, and thanks for your vid. Your experience does help me in making up the info gap, and hilariously I might go for a WashU or sth, at least at this moment I think so.

[@lucywbeck]

Thanks for sharing! I think you should focus on finding a school where you think you will thrive rather than only focusing on the prestige or what other people think. Good luck!

[@reignsmith4141]

“Aim” means nothing there’s people with perfect ACT and SAT scores and GPAs at state schools. Just because you have the stats doesn’t guarantee you a spot and you’ll miss opportunities for great scholarship offers from other schools if you only apply t20 with one to two “safeties” just because you think your t20 material only.

[@lindaschultz1707]

I’m so proud of you bc you’re so honestly and brave to face yourself! It’s definitely not so easy for someone who got into Ivy League school then dropped off. Your family is so supporting as well as the Asian one. Btw, my daughter has been deferred then rejected by some ivy schools but waitlisted from Harvard. She’s sad a while and now deciding from Bowdoin and Tufts and make the final decision by May 1st. Which one do you recommended? And should she try to transfer to Ivy League school later? Hope you have a great days in Northwestern. Thank you.

[@lucywbeck]

Thank you! Congrats to your daughter for getting into Bowdoin and Tufts! I think both are amazing school, so there is no right/wrong decision. I would look into which school has a better program for her major. Regarding transferring, I think it really depends on how her first year of college goes. I think transferring is something to continue to re-evaluate over time. I hope that helps!

[@lindaschultz1707]

@@lucywbeck Thank you 🙏it’s really helpful. Have a good one.

[@johnklin]

Sad that your Cornell experience was all remote, just one year. Obviously being in person is a much different experience. Also, Cornell is a pressure cooker and was even known more for suicides when students jumped off the campus bridges into the gorges. That's why there are anti suicide nets by those bridges now.

[@lucywbeck]

Thank you for your support. I heard about the nets as well. It’s honestly really sad.

[@johnklin]

@@lucywbeck I forgot to add that I'm a Cornell alum. Was curious when I saw your KZbin video (for some reason) the comparison between Cornell and Northwestern. A long time ago I saw a video of a UMass transfer student who had transferred to Cornell but then decided to transfer back for a few reasons, one being because she wanted to actually enjoy her college experience, lol. While at Cornell, I had a graduate school student friend in my program house who went to UPenn undergrad and he was so glad he didn't go to Cornell for undergrad because it made UPenn look like a party school from the workload standpoint. That being said, I overall appreciate my Cornell experience and of course the lifelong friends I made there.

[@lucywbeck]

@@johnklin that’s really interesting. I’ve also heard of people who have transferred into Cornell and then transferred back to their previous university. I’m not trying to hate on Cornell. There are definitely things that Cornell does better than Northwestern. And I made 2 of my best friends at Cornell. Thanks for sharing! I found your insights really interesting.

[@Hades-tw4ql]

Man wtf😮... I'm over here spending 11+ hours a day studying so that I can apply to the biostat data science program at Cornell (among other unis). is this going to be worth it??

[@melissascott6112]

Yeah, not quite true. Cornell is intense, on par with Columbia & Princeton, but definitely more so than Brown & Harvard and like every school, dependent on your program. If you're in HumEc, ILR, or in non-science majors in Ag (comm, Appl Econ, etc.), it's going to be a LOT easier and lower-key than being a MechE, Arch, Gov't, or Econ, for example. Regardless of which school/college/major you're in, yeah, it's tough. It's an Ivie. BUT... The suicide myth is just that. Sadly, suicide is a problem on every campus (it is the leading cause of death 18-25y olds in the US), but Cornell is MUCH larger than the other Ivies, so unfortunately when people do tend to take their own lives, they sometimes choose a more public method. The students who died in this girl's class died in their dorms of undisclosed causes (code for OD). The suicide rate at Cornell is lower than Harvard, MIT, even Notre Dame. It's not even top 10 in the US. Cornell takes psychological health & self-care pretty seriously, and help is available, but like any major university, they aren't going to come knocking on your door to see if you're ok (your friends will, but not the school!).

[@shakurbarnes]

thank you so much for this video

[@lucywbeck]

Your welcome. I know you asked me multiple times so I hope this answered everything

[@melissascott6112]

I think it's nearly impossible to get past a fully virtual freshman year. I have a lot of friends whose schools didn't either open the dorms in '21, Some universities did the opposite and had the entire campus open with no Covid vax requirements - so then you either had to pick to stay home and be safe, or go to school and risk it (and risk your family too). That said, I'm not sure you would have liked being in Ithaca (or in the Northeast) because it's a tough thing to be far from home for school, and you talk a lot in your video about always wanting to be closer to home before even going to campus. I'm surprised though that you didn't even give it a try your Spring term, if for nothing else than to be certain you wanted to transfer since it's pretty much a one-and-done opportunity and to see if the reasons you chose Cornell were all still there for you. As for the loss of your classmates, it's a rough thing and never easy, regardless of campus. But as I'm sure you've seen at NU, the university is there for you but they're not going to be texting you to see if you're doing okay for whatever might be troubling you. The only difference is if you were in a relationship or roomed with a student who died or lived on their floor or possibly their dorm (if it's a smaller one than say, Donlon). My freshman year we had two tragedies that rocked our floor - my roommate's mom died suddenly a month after our friend's dad and uncle were murdered in his hometown just before Christmas. Cornell had our RAs, therapists, and Student Life right there for the floor. They talked with us, and were really there for my roommate, helping her navigate the rest of her semester as she took a month off to be with her family. Our friend decided to come back to campus in January, and he was a mess as you can imagine, but we helped him, Cornell was there, we all rallied around him. But if either had been virtual... or if I'd been, would it have been the same help & support from the Cornell community? I don't know. I don't see how it could've been. I'm glad that you found a spot that works for you and had the courage to make a change rather than just suck it up. This is also why transfers are easier than freshman admissions, because some students go to other schools, change their mind, drop out, take a leave, etc. Good luck, and glad you're happy.

[@lucywbeck]

I didn’t go to Cornell spring semester due to financial reasons. I’m glad that you experienced a more supportive community. Good luck to you as well.

[@jacquelinebecker9131]

Basically because of the pandemic and financial limitations you never had a chance to actuall experience Cornell. Then you wanted to double major. In other words, Northwestern was always your first choice, you just got in eventually as a transfer student.

[@JohnVKaravitis]

Are those ventilation conduits running through your dorm room???

[@lucywbeck]

Yes in my apartment. Why do you ask?

[@iahve8874]

Is there no limit of NU on the number of years a transfer student should study at the previous university? Since most of university, in my memory, only admit student who has studied at the previous university at least 1 or 2years. I’m just curious about it.

[@lucywbeck]

Most people I know transferred after studying at their previous university 1 or 2 years. I hope that helps!

[@iahve8874]

@@lucywbeck Thank you!

[@melissascott6112]

Most accredited schools require that you complete at least 60 credits at that college, and most departments won't accept classes toward the major from other schools except intro classes, or they'll limit it to 6-9 credits similar to double-major overlaps. Transferring after sophomore year is hard to do - I've seen it done, but it sucks to come into a new school junior year (and quite possibly not have junior year status due to credits accepted). Keep in mind too that the cap on applying 60 credits toward the 120 includes all credits outside of the university - AP, summer classes at other schools, etc. Semesters abroad or in Washington organized through the university almost always count toward the 60-credit in-residence rule, as do classes taken at other campuses of that university (or online BY the university).

[@ronney5297]

did u transfer your freshman year or sophomore year?

[@lucywbeck]

Freshman year

[@JamesJoyce12]

does anyone really know the difference between Cornell and Northwestern - I mean seriously

[@piscesgroovesupreme]

One is the Ivy League, the other is not. One is the middle of nowhere upstate NY and has a dark reputation of mental health neglect and on-campus suicides, whereas the other is located in a major city (well in the suburbs, but ya know) and is often described by its students as a fairly happy place to be.

[@littlev1002]

are you from evanston by chance?

[@lucywbeck]

No I’m not. Why do you ask?

[@littlev1002]

you said you were from the area so i was curious, as I am from evanston myself. I myself might end up at northwestern too because of the higher acceptance rate they have for evanston students!

[@lucywbeck]

@@littlev1002 ohh I see. I grew up in West Chicago. It’s a little over an hour drive from Evanston. Lmk if you do end up going to Northwestern!