<p>It has been many years since we set out on a quest. Today we find our selves confronted by judgment day. We come from all over the world; we are unique in everyway and in anyway. We come from the ranches of the south, the buzzing cities, perhaps, even from the roaring deserts of Arabia. Some had it better tan others and others come from humble origins. But we have one thing in common, one thing that is able to unite us, Cornell. Every morning we woke up, every test we took, every spelling bee we passed, and every T we crossed, i we doted, it all has been pointing towards the few moments we spend on our applications. It dose not matter if one of us knows that he or she is not qualified, to apply is to fulfill a destiny we all have been working toward. Unfortunately a majority of us will be turned down. But we apply because our love for Cornell is greater than the fear of rejection. The few of us who get accepted will forever live a life of gratitude, for we know that what we have accomplished something so precious. Regardless of the outcome, we are what we are, cornellians by heart.</p>
<p>thats deep bro. Time to study now…</p>
<p>Guys, Cornell isn’t that big of a deal. It’s a really fun place but don’t be so serious about this kind of thing. I applied ED and I’m happy that I did but it’s not life-changing that I’m here instead of SUNY Geneseo or Brown or Johns Hopkins.</p>
<p>Actually, I feel that for a lot of people, Cornell is a big deal, and that’s perfectly fine to think like that. IthacaKid, perhaps you feel that it is no big deal or not life changing, but for someone else, it could be a HUGE deal and extremely life changing.</p>
<p>For some kids Cornell is a huge deal and for a most of Cornell’s schools it is an honor and dream to attend. Those who feel it isn’t a big deal do not realize how lucky they are to be at such an amazing place maybe because they are attending a school with standards that are lower than some of the others or a school who accepts transfers more readily. There are those who are working their butts off and dreaming of studying at Cornell. They will be the ones who appreciate this great opportunity and who will have Cornell in their life forever. My son’s are now alumni and Cornell was their dream from the moment they set foot on the campus. One is on the other side of the world and can’t visit but the one who is home has visited three times already. For my sons, Cornell is part of who they are and they love it as much as they did if not more than when they first visited. </p>
<p>Ithacakid, Why have you not tranferred to Geneseo or some other school?</p>
<p>I love Cornell after visiting and researching the school and am applying ED, but I would be just as happy at Rensselaer, which is my Safety; only applying to Cornell and Rensselaer.</p>
<p>This video by two graduating seniors says a lot:</p>
<p>[This</a> Is on Vimeo](<a href=“http://vimeo.com/23897683]This”>http://vimeo.com/23897683)</p>
<p>I am not an alumni but this video, and my kids experiences at Cornell make me wish I were.</p>
<p>Heck my D has only been there a month & I think I’m an alumni!!!</p>
<p>^ so true csdad…I guess part of the reason is when your kid is in a school that is right for them, and they are happy, we love what makes them happy. Also I happen to think Cornell is the most beautiful campus I have ever seen. I need a dose of Ithaca in the near future…hopefully by mid Oct.</p>
<p>I couldn’t agree more. My D who just started already feels at home and happy. It is the culmination of many years of hard work for her and so many of her peers. I know this is about applying ED which she did not…it took her awhile to get over an ED deferral from a top LAC and by the time RD came around her priorities had shifted to a larger more diverse school and Cornell ended up feeling just right. Make sure you keep your eye on the bigger picture that there is more than one good choice for you.</p>
<p>“Ithacakid, Why have you not tranferred to Geneseo or some other school?”
There’s a difference between not holding my attendance here as the most important thing in my life and wanting to leave. I love the school, but I know that I’d likely be just as happy in Hanover, St Luis, or Nashville if I’d ended up there instead of Ithaca. I would never want to leave here, but I’m sure that I’d feel the same anywhere else. To me, a transfer from any reasonably regarded school would be ridiculous. If I’d been rejected here and ended up at Geneseo, I’d probably be content enough to not bother transferring here, assuming the experience there mimics mine here.
My point is just that Cornell isn’t so special. It’s a wonderful school filled with amazing students and I absolutely adore it, but that doesn’t mean that you should obsess over Cornell and its “special meaning” to you. You’ll get here, have to work, and party whenever you feel that you can. From my friends’ experiences, that’s the same at their schools.</p>
<p>I disagree…You will realize when you graduate that the Cornell experience is very unique. It is not the same at other schools. Did you happen to notice the thousands of alumni who were at Cornell this past weekend? My son met a frat brother from a graduating class older than his grandfather. Where do you see that kind of love for any university decades later. Sure people may love their colleges but rarely will you find alumni so dedicated as a Cornell alum. My son said over 80 brothers showed up at the frat this weekend and traveled from around the country and even two from Europe. I don’t know what year you are in but I can say for sure that by the time graduation comes you will discover that what brings you back to Cornell is the fact that once you have that shared experience of working your —off in that beautiful place you are a Cornellian for life. Let us know in a couple years if your friends at Geneseo or other schools have the same attachment. Heck my son was in England for work and ran into 2 Cornell alum one evening because he had on a recognizable jacket. He didn’t even know these guys and he ended up having beers at a pub with them. That kind of thing is unique to Cornell.</p>
<p>I think what makes Cornell unique is the Ithaca setting. It is rural but has many naturally beautiful spots and is filled with young, energetic, collegiate atmosphere. Although I hated the long and brutal winters of Ithaca, it was a chill place in which I made many deep friendships, had much fun, had chance to reflect on many things, and had opportunities to appreciate the beauty of this world we live in.</p>
<p>Now that I am an alum and think about it, there were some notable professors who were nasty and so stingy with grades. And, I wish these professors weren’t like that. I remember when I went to one of the professors for office hours and asked him some questions on my mind, he was surprised that I did not grasp such an ‘easy’ concept and made me feel humiliated. Not to mention, the tests were so damn hard and grading was brutally harsh.</p>
<p>However, most professors were reasonable, yet there are notable exceptions and some courses that are just horrid. Cornell is a good school, yet it is not immune to some professors who can’t teach for crap, or some professors who are just downright nightmares. </p>
<p>As a result of my mixed experiences at Cornell, I do not think that it is a place that is without faults. Actually, Cornell can be a repulsive place for select groups of people. Those who appreciate the city settings more than rural settings may not like Cornell’s location. Those accustomed to warm weather may be turned off by the harsh winter at Cornell. Those who are used to being hand-held by teachers and attaining easy A’s may not fare well at all with Cornell’s rigor of academics/grading, as well as the fact that it is filled with professors who don’t make extensive efforts to get to know and help each student individually in depth, like some liberal arts colleges. Hence, I am of strong opinion that one should do due research as to figure out if Cornell is the place for him or her and make the intelligent decision. </p>
<p>I’ve seen some who absolutely loved their Cornell experiences, yet, I’ve seen some who were just so glad to get the hell out of Cornell/Ithaca when graduation week approached.</p>
<p>
I’ve seen almost the same words written about, for example Harvard. While on vacation in the caribbean I’ve seen at least three older gentlemen sporting Harvard merchandise, a few dartmouths, and stanfords too. Once, while wearing a Dartmouth basketball jersey bought on a visit, I was approached by an alum curious about how my time at the school was going. In my experience at least, Cornell is no more beloved by alumni than any comparable school.</p>
<p>^I would agree that alumni show great love for specific schools but not to the extent that I have seen regarding Cornell. You will never see that kind of love at State schools like Geneseo. The Cornell experience is a lifelong experience with alumni who go back year afer year until they just physically can’t travel anymore. </p>
<p>Ithacakid…maybe Cornell is not the right place for you because it seems like you are missing something in regard to your experience. I don’t know how ILR works but for the schools my kids were in there is a great appreciation for the education they received and a unity in that they worked to their capacity. When they graduated they knew they achieved something that all Cornell grads feel…pride. I really hope your attitude changes otherwise it would have been a shame to have missed this important aspect of Cornell.</p>
<p>I somewhat echo IthacaKid’s sentiments in that more often than not, Cornellians need to get over themselves. I wouldn’t trade my Cornell experience for anything. That said, college is what you make of it and while Cornell definitely provides more opportunities than most, it doesn’t mean Cornell in and of itself automatically should yield pride. It’s what you put into Cornell that should give you pride. I think IthacaKid is saying that if he put what he put into Cornell into another school, he’d have also had a great experience. That’s probably true. It would have been different, but that doesn’t mean worse. I’ve certainly met my fair share of Cornell students who shouldn’t be proud of their 4 years at Cornell (or at least I wouldn’t be proud).</p>
<p>^I thought I had implied that the sense of pride comes from working to your fullest potential, and than pushing it a little bit further. The opportunities at Cornell are vast so there is no reason for any student at Cornell to not be involved in any number of things. What made it so special for my sons’ was that it was located in a place that they loved with opportunities to enjoy everything that they love. They could never have found everything that they were looking for, in any other place.</p>
<p>Cornell offers but one unique, great college experience, among many unique, great college experiences. The opportunities Cornell provides are unique, but so are those offered at thousands of other colleges. Rating opportunities is quite subjective, but I’d be comfortable saying that the opportunities Cornell provides in terms of quantity are not significantly different from any top 30 school, and any “good” school will offer way more opportunities than anyone single person could hope to take advantage of.</p>