@okie97 Admitted students day consists of many things. First and foremost is a welcoming and information session done by the college you were admitted to. Here you’ll learn more about what to expect the next four years and meet some potential classmates. There’s also many tours of your college, the entire university, and even the libraries. Another thing they do is host info sessions on financials, which should definitely be attended by your parents. Cornell ambassadors will have question panels at RPCC only for students, and various student groups will probably be around North Campus to advertise. There will also be student life showcases in RPCC for things like living situations, dining, fitness facilities, etc. I don’t think there are tours of the dorms at least from what I can remember, which sucks. Overall, there will be more things going on than you could possibly attend in one day all relating to your 4 years at Cornell.
@TalkTheTalk Cornell doesn’t require interviews for most colleges (Hotel and AAP are the exceptions). Unless you applied to either of those schools, the interview is not what you’d think of an interview. It’s more of an info session for you to ask an alum about his or her experience at Cornell, and it’s not really formal at all (Going off of what my “interviewer” told me). My advice is to not stress about it if you’re not in Hotel or AAP and to come up with good questions to ask the alum.
hey thanks! the tips u gave are not only for people who are going to cornell, they are also helpful for students in general:) @IndoorCloud25
@IndoorCloud25 thanks a lot!! I was concerned with the dorm policies in cornell
Any idea when the declaration of finances form for accepted international students will be available? Need it for my I-20 visa.
Two questions:
1.) Let’s say I go to Cornell for the first year. Right now, my family will be able to just barely pay the financial aid. So my freshman year will be covered. However, we expect them to increase the amount they expect from us a decent bit for my sophomore year due to a change in finances, so much so that we know we would not be able to afford it. We also expect the amount we have to pay to stay at this higher number for my junior and senior year as well. Will Cornell make an effort to keep me for my sophomore year if we cannot honestly pay the second year? Do they help current students more than admitted students? Or will I most likely have to transfer out? That would be the ultimate nightmare…
2.) I have read a lot about Cornell’s grade deflation, grading policy, and notorious rigor, etc, and I’m a bit terrified. I plan to major in astrophysics (for simplicity’s sake, I’m basically majoring in physics). I want to go to a top 10 grad school for a PhD in (Astro)Physics, and I know I will need at least a 3.8 gpa (with time for a good bit of research) in order to achieve such a goal. Is this crazy? From what I’ve heard, it’s impossible to get a 3.8+ at cornell and do research and have something recognizable enough to be called a “social life” without killing yourself.
The only other school I applied to was a small college that is in my state. It has an astrophysics program, but it’s not that well known by any means. Could I still get into a top 10 grad school even if I go to a basically unknown school for my undergrad, assuming I dominate in gpa and in the research opportunities? I don’t want to make a regrettable decision. Thanks in advance for your response.
@ArthurDent42 - if you know you are not going to be able afford Cornell, it is better to find a school that would give you merit aid. Cornell, like all other need based schools, will expect your family to contribute EFC. Do not expect Cornell to give you more just because you are already at Cornell. I would have a discussion with the FA office now to see what your EFC is going to be and ask your parents if they could afford it. FYI - as a transfer student you wouldn’t be eligible for as much aid. Don’t go to Cornell for one year and then have to transfer due to finance. If you want to go to graduate school, you should try to graduate with as little UG debt as possible.
Good luck with your decision.
@ArthurDent42 I can’t really comment on the finances because that seems like a highly specific and individual question you should ask the Office of Financial Aid.
With regards to grades, it is well known and true that it’s difficult to get and maintain a high GPA without making some sacrifices. However, it’s not out of the realm of possibility. That being said, if your goal is to have a 3.8+ while doing research and having a life outside of academics, you need to learn time management. For me, I was able to get a 3.786 in engineering my first semester by sacrificing some social and extracurricular activities that I sometimes regret not attending. You really have to think about the goals you want to achieve. If getting into grad school is your end goal, then spending more time on academics is probably worth it for you. I think many would agree that myths about the difficulty of getting a high GPA are mostly accurate, but can be blown out of proportion. Plus, by the time you reach higher level classes and become an upperclassman, most classes are curved higher and average GPA rises considerably. Lastly, one of the things I’ve noticed is that a lot of grad students at Cornell are not from Ivies or comparable schools, but state schools and mid-tier schools because it’s not as difficult to do well there and much cheaper. If you want, check out some of the department pages like the math department to read some of the profiles of PhD candidates to see where they come from.
Hi, I have a question regarding AP credits. I’m hoping to self-study AP chemistry this year, but I have been told by some people that some colleges require a lab notebook to give credit for AP courses (because outside of just the facts, students also need lab experience - which makes sense). On the collegeboard AP credit search, it says that getting a 4 or a 5 on the AP chemistry exam will give me the proper credits for certain intro classes at Cornell, but it doesn’t really elaborate on the requirements of a lab notebook. Is a lab notebook required? Do you have any personal experience with this (handing in a lab notebook when you signed up to skip certain intro level science classes, for example)? I have enrolled to the college of engineering.
Thanks.
No, you do not need a lab notebook.
Any idea when will we be given our Net ID and housing options???
@ibandcollege NetIDs should be issued by May. It might be earlier for ED students, but I wouldn’t know. The housing application opens around May as well.
Does the interview have any impact on admissions as an engineer?
^^ @aBitOfLuck no, not really.
@TiggyB62 Thanks! I already had an interview because it was offered, but I was hoping that my unexceptional performance would not hamper my candidacy.
Hello, @IndoorCloud25
It’s almost time for me to apply to the Cornell freshman residence halls, and I was wondering what content the housing application has. Do it have options to select single/double/triple rooms within specific residence halls like CKB, Balch, etc?
And does it have a slot where I can write down my roommate or suitemate preferences?
I personally hope to get a single room in a suite at CKB…I’m just worried as to whether I can easily get it though.
Thank you!
@seniorlife555 You are able to make room preferences (single/double etc), as you have to rank them on the form as well as some additional roommate questions (what time do you go to sleep? etc) as well as roommate preferences, however you cannot request buildings. That is totally random. You should have a pretty good chance at a singe room. (Single rooms are higher rates)
Oh…that sucks. I thought we could choose the buildings.
@3rdsontocollege Oh, and are the individual suites single-sex?
@seniorlife555 If you want a single, you will most likely end up in Clara Dickson where a lot of the rooms are singles. Suites are in the high rises and low rises I believe, and I’ve heard they’re not the best kept buildings. Triples are not very common in the residence halls. The newer dorms (CKB and Mews) are mostly doubles with some singles. Where I live (Donlon), there’s about two quads per floor one for each gender, a few singles, three of which are occupied by RAs, and all others are doubles. Every housing option is single sex, though some buildings have gender neutral bathrooms. You won’t be able to choose exactly what room you live in until sophomore year, but even then your selection time is completely random.