<p>@glitterz<em>iz</em>gold; yeah i like stanford BECAUSE of the distance lol … Where are you from? I’m from NY so its the biggest jump of all, excluding internationals of course. You don’t have to stay in the theme housing if you don’t want to and it sounds like that financial aid package is calling your name ! Haha If you don’t mind me asking, what motivated you to apply to stanford? </p>
<p>princeton previews start tomorrow and I’ll be leaving nyc tomorrow morning . Ill dish on what happens and ill keep you posted .</p>
<p>I gotta say one thing that upsets me about Cornell is when I talk to students and I’m like why did you wanna go here? and the first thing they say is well, you know, it’s Cornell. THen some blah about prestige and blah about the ivy league. THen it’s like well they have good this and that programs too. As if the title comes first, which I guess it does. GOtta say, if I went there that would annoy the hell out of me.</p>
<p>@Mouse: Well with all of the people I met, I did not hear that reason once. Who were you speaking with?</p>
<p>Moreover, that is the reality of the situation. Most people choose ivies in general for the name and the great education. Why did you apply to the ivies you did? If it was not for that fact that ivies were not prestigious half of the applicants wouldn’t even bother applying. Not so say that I agree with it but that’s reality.</p>
<p>@justadream92: when i applied to stanford, i had imagined a huge, beautiful institute with great students (as i am friends with a few stanford students) and amazing facilities. I liked the campus community, the fact that people didn’t have to go out of the campus to have fun, and the dedication that the professors had. however, my views of stanford started to become hazy around the time i got accepted and started weighing my options. at one point, i was positive that stanford was where i was going to go. but when i started comparing it to columbia/princeton, those two became more attractive, and i saw advantages in them that were more important to me than the advantages at stanford, if you know what i mean. i.e. they seemed like a better fit. (i hadn’t even anticipated being accepted by either columbia or princeton!)</p>
<p>haha i feel you; i don’t want to push stanford on you … columbia and princeton are two great places and from the very beginning, you really couldn’t go wrong. i’m happy for you though! i hope you make a good decision within the next two weeks =D</p>
<p>Well, today was a scorcher in the northeast … Temperatures here at princeton rose to around 75 degrees but it felt much hotter because of the humidity . Anyway, the weather was ideal and as I came off of the train and entered the gates of the campus, I was immediately blown away . The campus looked ten times better than when I last visited … Its gorgeous here and all of the trees and flowers are in full bloom . It was just breath taking . Harry potter would love it here . </p>
<p>Soo, the first black guy I saw walked past me and introduced himself to a group of white prefrosh … We all have orange lanyards distinguishing ourselves . I thought that was a bit shady but I wasn’t going to judge the whole campus because of that one incident . All in all, however, I could count on one hand the number of blacks and latinos I saw on campus today. I mean, that’s to be expected at a pwi but the minority scene in general here is really in the dark. </p>
<p>Back to the discussion, there was absolutely no guidance for the prefrosh after we registered . I got here around 2 pm and the official welcome didn’t start until 4 soo I was left wandering around the huge campus by myself for a while . I ended up running into a whole group of other clueless prefrosh and we traveled in bulk until a few students stopped us for a chat on the grass about the eating clubs … It was rather interesting to hear their opinions . It seems as if there are two sets of eating clubs , bicker (selective… Sort of like rush… Typically elitists and jocks) and sign-up (when ordinary underclassmen can just go and sign up). I’m still indifferent to the idea of eating clubs though . </p>
<p>Anyway, @4, we were adressed by the provost and the dean of admissions . It was very nicee, especially when we were greeted by the marching band (lol they were characters… Nice drums) and cheering, clapping princetonians after we left the official welcome ceremony and went to meet our host at the residential colleges. I’m staying in mathey, and its really nice … I’m in a dorm with 3 guys soo its kind of all over the place (after all, we’re guys) but it has a fire place in our common room (where I’m sleeping) and its spacious . Its one of the older dorms though . My host is cool, kinda quiet but he’s a good guy . He gave me a real tour of the campus; we walked for a while and talked about a whole bunch of stuff (his dream school was stanford btw … Had to throw that in there lol). As a matter of fact, the whole campus is quiet . My host’s room mates are NOT quiet lol they’re pretty hilarious but as a whole, princeton is quieter than a lot of the other colleges I’ve visited . The food is GREAT ! I love it ! The dining hall is pretty fly too. The social life is centered around arts, eating clubs and accapella groups … We were invited to a showcase thing … It was awesome . The dancing and drama groups are pretty nicee. </p>
<p>I met a lot of cool prefrosh … A whole lot of internationals and someone who’s choosing between princeton and stanford, like myself . (FYI, our class is full of amazing people, just had to let yall know haha) I haven’t met any black or latino prefrosh though . I’ve seen them around every now and then but a few of them look hesitant … I hope things warm up tomorrow so I can talk to them and gain their perspective . Tomorrow should be interesting and I’ll give you guys part 2 . Until then, good night .</p>
<p>Came back from Cornell last night. It was beautiful. Got to see my big cousin. Pretty amazing. </p>
<p>Someone asked how Princeton was. It’s GORGEOUS. I love Princeton. I used to take private walks to what I called “secret locations.” It’s a beautiful, beautiful place with wonderful architecture, friendly people, and great shopping :-)</p>
<p>Okay … My mind has totally changed today . My prejudgements of princeton were wrong … Well, for the most part lol . Today was a good day; to my surprise, at 3.30 am, I woke up to a guy in a tux jumping on me while I was sleeping in the common room … One of the most awkward moments of my life . He looked at me and I could tell he was pretty shocked about what he did lol I don’t know if he was drunk and he damn sure wasn’t my host’s roommate . Anyway, I went to breakfast alone and was expecting another day in isolation . I ended up walking off campus and through the neighborhoods surrounding princeton … RICH RICH RICH ! It was nice to get away though .</p>
<p>I came back to campus and went to a student panel discussion and all of my questions were answered … Getting a broad student perspective was just what I needed. The grade deflation thing started to make sense to me … Princeton wants 35% of the students to get an A, signifying that it really means something. Harvard and yale have rampid grade inflation and princeton wanted an A to be a valuable thing . I also toured one of the eating clubs and I gotta say, it was pretty nice . But the tour guide was a little shady about discussing all of the aspects of it, like initiation and stuff and the sticker price for membership is pretty steep . </p>
<p>I went to the student group fair and was pretty impressed … This might sound a little weird but THEY HAVE ACTUAL BLACK PEOPLE ! LOL like that was the first time I saw a whole group of them together, wearing the same baggy jeans and fitted cap that I wear (don’t imply any animosity to any other kinds of clothing) . I got soo excited lol I wrote my email down for the black student union, the black men awareness association and the international relations council amongst a plethora of other groups … There were just so many handing me candy and brochures lol it was nice . </p>
<p>I was delighted to hear the BSU bumpin Biggie songs and they brought out some jump ropes for double dutch … I felt like I was home ! Lol it was just fantastic, everyone dancing and freestyling … That was a big barrier taken down and I asked them questions about black life on campus … They were just keepin it real, they stick together and support each other . I noticed a big divide between the blacks and everyone else on campus … Anyway, they invited me to their talent show (just came back lmao it was greatt stuff … Rap, spoken word, singing, dance … Very talented people) and now I’m on my way to their party . </p>
<p>Besides my epiphany, I chilled with a lot of prefrosh and got their perspective on things . Dinner was cool, uhmm… General comments; don’t make my mistake . Don’t have prejudgments until you stay on campus . Princeton is wonderful and it has officially entered competition with stanford .</p>
<p>Hi HBrown. Can you tell me what sold you on Cornell. My S was admitted to Cornell Engineering and I’m not sure I want him to attend. Even though its an Ivy and a great school. I’m concerned about the weather and distance (we live in VA), and what I hear reference the “pressure”. Again, what sold you?</p>
<p>@helicoptermom2
When I was debating over Cornell, I was also concerned about the workload. When I spoke to students they explained to me that although the work is challenging, they never felt overwhelmed. Teachers give assignments a month in advance before the due date, so students have ample time to complete them. I also met a African American senior who was graduating with a degree in mechanical engineering. He joked and said that he only comes out on weekends but if he had a choice he would do it all over<br>
again :)</p>
<p>I also learned with what I plan to study, chemistry, Cornell is one of the best places to study. They have great research opportunities for both science and engineering majors.
The professors and students are very supportive and easily accessible through office hours and TA’s. I got to sit in on a couple classes and they were all pretty engaging. </p>
<p>All of the aforementioned are great but it was about the overall experience that sold me. I want my college years to be enjoyable and the atmosphere at Cornell made me sure that it was the place where I want to spend the next 4 years of my life. On my way to classes I got lost twice and both times there were students that volunteered to walk me to the classes I was looking for. My host was very sweet and honest with me about the pros and cons of attending. The student ambassadors loved being there and were having the time of their lives. And of course the great food and beautiful campus are just perks. :)</p>
<p>So there are some of my reason for deciding on Cornell Good Luck deciding!!</p>
<p>HBrown, thanks for your response. Congratulations on your acceptance and decision to attend Cornell. I hope we can make the same decision. By the way, are you from the NE? I’m asking because of the weather.</p>
<p>My son is a freshman at Cornell. He chose Cornell over Rice, Vanderbilt, UNC, and a number other schools. Initially, his chose to major in Chemistry but decided to switch to Chemical Engineering midway during is first semester. His first semester consisted of Calculus, Chemistry, Biology, Freshman English and PE. Overall, he did well but had a tough time with Biology. Biology at Cornell probably is good preparation for medical school. His professor covered 30 chapters of material in one semester which suits students who have superior recall. We’ve realized that my son does not have a strong memory but does have solid problem solving skills which is his reason for switching to Chemical Engineering. </p>
<p>The level of pressure that Cornell students are subjected to appears to be related either study skills abilities or whether they were exposed to a rigorous high school course load. My son took AP biology, chemistry, calculus, physics, english, etc. in high school and I asked him to explain how well prepared he was for Cornell over the spring break. He indicated the following:</p>
<p>AP Calculus was extremely easy and did not adequately prepare him for Calculus at Cornell; however, because he was on the math team in HS his teacher gave him more challenging problems. We believe that this is the reason why he is excelling in calculus at Cornell.</p>
<p>AP Biology was very easy in HS and also did not prepare him for biology at Cornell. AP biology in HS was setup so that nearly every student would do well. Also the amount of material covered at Cornell was significantly more intense than in HS.</p>
<p>AP Chemistry was somewhat challenging in HS but the amount of material covered was nowhere near as comprehensive as Cornell. The material that was covered in HS was at an adequate level of intensity and adequately prepared him for Chemistry at Cornell. </p>
<p>AP Physics was the best AP science class that my son took in HS. His HS teacher was very competent and offered excellent advice because my son struggled initially because he did not take regular physics. My son took the non- calculus based physics in hs but the concepts are identical. Currently, he is taking physics (calculus based) for engineers and doing well.</p>
<p>Let me know if you would like any additional information.</p>
<p>guys i need some advice … i was wondering if anyone is actually studying for AP exams. i mean, regardless of what school i choose to go to, none of them will give me credit for any of my scores. should i even bother putting myself through the stress of a test score that no one will EVER look at and something that won’t even benefit me in college ?</p>
<p>Even though I’m a senior, I think I will still study for most of my APs. Two are self studies, so I have to, sort of. If I don’t study for both of my physics exams, I will fail and I’d rather not waste about $160 like that. If I don’t get a 5 on chem, my sister will make fun of me, so I have to study. As for my last two, well, we’ve learned nothing in World History, but I don’t think I care enough to study, and I won’t study for English either.</p>
<p>I’m at Northwestern’s Wildcat Days. It’s pretty awesom. Lol I bought some “magic gloves” from the bookstore since it’s a bit chilly. But Chi-City is my home, and I love it. Princeton’s Preview will be awesome. After staying at Princeton for 7 wks, it’ll be like returning to my home. Can’t wait!</p>
Good Luck deciding!!</p>