[jen]

First, are you sure you want to do chemE? That was my major, and honestly, I thought the chemE classes were the most boring of all the classes I took in undergrad. I'm happy that the engineering degree taught me math and general problem solving skills, but, in my opinion, chemE is pretty dry subject matter.

Second, are you completely sure that you don't want to go to grad school? I think GPA is more important for grad school; the name of the school is more important for industry.

If yes to both questions, then I think you should stay at Cornell provided that you can get a reasonable GPA (say, 2.7+) without hurting your entire way through. ChemE gets tougher past your freshman year. If you can't maintain some semblance of a normal GPA, then you're really not understanding the material. And if you're dead-set on chemE, then you should probably go to a school in which you would understand the material (not necessarily Clemson). Also, you shouldn't be miserable your whole way through -- working hard is one thing, constantly struggling to keep your head above water is another.