<p>I think people with like mind tend to attract each other. LazyKid, it may help if you were to hang out with people with more positive attitude. I don’t mean it as a criticism, but that’s what I would tell my daughter if she was hanging out with friends who complained a lot. </p>
<p>My daughter did take academic and ranking of a school into consideration, but only so far. She turned down one LAC with full scholarhsip becasue it was too warm and fuzzy. At the acceptance student day, the President said advisors would check up on students if they should miss too many classes or fall behind with their work. My daughter thought it was crazy because it sounded too much like high shool. It may be perfect for some people, but not for my daughter. In the end it came down to 3 schools and they were all top 20s. She chose Cornell over one school that was higher ranked because of her visit to Cornell. There was nothing wrong with other schools, but the vibe was right for her at Cornell. She saw a lot of students playing frisbees and studying outside on a quad at Cornell, whereas another school’s quad was extremely quiet on a warm sunny afternoon. </p>
<p>If my daughter had thought Cornell was the wrong school for her after a year, I would have encouraged her to transfer. It’s the reason I told her to keep up with her grades so she could have that option. There is no reason why anyone should feel stuck at a school, job, house, or friends for prestige, money… This Jan my daughter was having a hard time deciding which internship to go with this summer. She was so caught up with missed opportunity, what if it’s a wrong choice, how it would effect her permanent job upon graduation. I told her that she was over thinking it. There’s no reason to think any decision is irrevocable. I told her that if she was good at what she was doing, people would be knocking down her door to hire her away, and that’s something which she could control. What she couldn’t control (down turn of economy, company going out of business), she shouldn’t worry about.</p>
<p>Cornell is a great school, but it’s not for everyone. Don’t feel you need to stay for the school’s reputation. It’s really more important to be happy and feel good about yourself. I think most parents would rather have their kids be happy. Don’t transfer out for the wrong reason and don’t stay for the wrong reason either.</p>
<p>Personally I thing a college town is a BETTER place to spend college years than a big city. Having attended at both. There are plenty of people attending in a big city and whining about that environment, as well, once they realize what it’s like there for a student with little money, and little connection with their schools. Best is decide which environment will work best for you, individually, and choose accordingly.</p>
<p>+1. You have the rest of your natural working life to live in a big city. And trust me it’s more fun when you’re not a broke student. People spend very big money buying vacation homes on the shores of the Finger Lakes, I’d rather go to college in vacation land/college town while I have the chance.</p>
<p>My daughter chose warm fuzzy LAC and has thrived. My son is a freshman in engineering at Cornell and loves it. He has found a niche with his friends in his suite and with the project he is working on. Aside from perhaps changing the grading system, I wish Cornell would have more dining halls open on the little breaks and, although it sounds silly, I wish they were able to allow more pets in the area…somehow. The dining halls would allow students to linger over meals if they are on campus in a more relaxed fashion and pets are just healthy for everyone (except those allergic of course). I’m thinking of some sort of on-campus shelter for animals where students could walk a dog occasionally or make a bigger commitment …The proximity of the gorges are a contributing factor to the tragic ease in committing suicide (students are perfect impulse age) and anything that would create a greater sense of connectivity with others, people or other sentient beings, could only help.</p>
<p>BlueDevil: I get my information from my son - last year 358 orgo one test had a median around 37, the other tests had higher medians, but not in the 80s where you’d have to be to get a B if the course was not curved. If I was misunderstood when I said the curves were generous, I’m glad you pointed it out so I can clarify. I want to point out that one can get what seems like low test scores & still do well. Not all the medians were that low, but I remember that one specifically. I know that these courses are hard & require tons of studying, but I definitely don’t expect high grades to be handed out, like Cadmium seems to. </p>
<p>Does anyone know of courses where a 90+ is curved down to a B as Cadmium suggests? I’ve never heard of that & would like to know if it’s true. Cadmium, is that what your son is telling you?</p>
<p>The Cornell administration is rationalizing a serious and prevailing problem by quoting statistics. According to their own campus newspaper, 10 students have died this academic year. That is not “within the norm” and the school’s history of suicides is very troubling. They need to stop the PR blather and start focusing on understanding why the school has the reputation of being a “suicide school”. The “pressure cooker” explanation is ridiculous - it’s all about how students are valued. Faculty members need to understand that they are employed because of students. There are better and more highly rated schools and this problem does not exist on their campuses.</p>
<p>You’re right. 10 student deaths are not the norm. And there have been a number of tragic deaths related to accidents and illness.</p>
<p>But Cornell does not have a ‘history of suicides’. It has not had a historically high rate of suicides. It’s not a PR spin. It’s fact. What Cornell does have is a problem of shockingly public suicides. </p>
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<p>Actually, it does. You just don’t hear about it because it happens in the privacy of a dorm room.</p>
<p>I have never heard of such a practice. I have heard of instances where if most students do very well on a first exam the professor will try to make certain that the second exam is more difficult to encourage more ‘separation’, but it wouldn’t affect the median grade.</p>
I certainly agree 10 student deaths in one year is both tragic and troubling … but the history of suicides is troubling? … how is any more troubling than any other school? You may not like the stats but the reality is that over time the suicide rate at Cornell is essentially the same as other similar schools and for young adults of this age … Cornell may have a reputation but it does not mean that reputation is based on reality.</p>
<p>There are actually lots of dogs on campus, and Cornell is probably one of the most ‘dog friendly’ campuses in the country. Many fraternities have dogs and a some students train dogs to be seeing-eye animals. The vet school obviously plays a role.</p>
<p>There’s a rumor that a wealthy benefactor left an endowment under the condition that ‘dogs roam free’. That’s not true.</p>
<p>MrsOwl - you posted twice on CC, both on the Cornell suicide on two different threads, why? Are you very concerned because you have a child at Cornell? There have been other suicides at other campus this year, have you posted on those school’s forum - CMU, NYU, NU…
How are you jumping to the conclusion that students are not valued and professors are not there for the students?
Does this include a student who died of a ski accident while on vacation with his family? Does this also include a student who died of cancer, which many of us followed his courageous journey. For you to come on here to imply some how all of those unthinkable events were attributed to Cornell is disrespectful to those students’ families and insensitive to what they are going through. I am sure some of those families are desperately trying to find peace and figuring out as to what happened with their kids. It is inappropriate to trivialize their deaths by blaming it on grades, professors, or Cornell in general.</p>
<p>Thanks for your post, oldfort!
PS I just finished dinner with 4 Cornell freshmen. All sorts of animated talk about life at Cornell: Greek life, bball, different majors, workload, the beautiful campus, Dragon day…not one word about the recent deaths or a hint about somber mood on campus. Thankfully, young people are very resilient.</p>
<p>Talked to my daughter tonight. She was overjoyed at Cornell’s win over Temple. She also stated that the Cornell campus was very serious and “abuzz” about the suicides. She said a community group brought animals on campus, mostly cats and dogs, for students to pet. Research shows…animals seem to increase a positive attitude, i.e.,make people happier.</p>
<p>There is no dispute, Cornell’s suicide rate is not above average. But that doesn’t help the family of those students who have died. But Cornell is not to blame. What is to blame or the cause? OMG, if you had the answer to that–you’d be famous and rich!! Or worshiped.</p>
<p>Regarding fences: Like most people, I’ve always figured, “Someone bent on suicide will find a way.” But this turns out not to be the case; at least in a study of thwarted suicide attempts off the Golden Gate Bridge.</p>
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<p>The same phenomenon was observed in England:</p>
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<p>It appears that suicide is rarely a long-planned, thought-out act, but is rather highly impulsive and opportunistic. Maybe there’s something to the fences, after all.</p>
<p>MrsOwl is absolutely correct. I was surprised to read on the online news stories how there may actually be 6 suicides, not 4 total this year Again, why??? Talked to son and his friends visiting from Cornell, and they even said the pressure in classes, particularly engineering apparently and other social pressures are causing this. These are the kids talking. Also, the there are those posting here who have graduated years ago and are not at all describing what is current. When you always say only 30 % join frats. Well the rest of the so-called 70% unfortunately consists of very tight separate groups according to culture. There are actually only 20% left, not in frats, if you are apart of the particular culture group that usually joins frats. You need to examine what is really taking place. Many kids also wasted their precious time and stressed, I heard, from trying to get into co-ops. The poor kids were mislead by the housing office into attending the so-called 'Mosey" week where you totally wasted time getting to know the Co-op members (attending pointless dinners),only to get rejected because it is based on a lottery system, with little spots. It is so ridiculous, because some kid’s names were placed into the lottery more than once, because they failed in the past to get into a Co-op. Sophomores were scrambling to find apartments because of the poor housing options. Again more pressure on the kids during first year in addition to academics. to figure out where to live. This should be a given. Just my opinion.</p>
<p>The reason for my posting was to respond to a parent who is concerned about the current situation at Cornell. For the record, I am the mother of a Cornell Alum. I did not post on other college sites because no other college or university is front and center in the media spotlight for student suicides. Many here are protesting that there is no problem - if that’s that case, then the university has no obligation to do anything different - after all, " it’s the norm" - I don’t agree and believe that this is an opportunity to probe a serious problem. It is my hope that those who feel there is no problem with student suicides at Cornell are correct It is my fear, that they are not, and we will all be reading the same headlines during the next academic year.</p>