<p>Back when I was applying to college I spent a bunch of time on this website figuring out what to do and stressing out (probably too much) about the details. I ended up coming to Cornell, and it's been pretty sweet.</p>
<p>There was a guy who did this for me last year, so I figure I'll return the favor. If you have any questions that you want to ask, I'll do my best to answer them. Just try not to ask anything stupid or anything you can look up (e.g., how many students are there?)</p>
<p>Just a little background info: I'm a freshman, in a fraternity (one of the social ones - you'll soon learn that there are about 5 of those), and a biology major in Arts. </p>
<p>I will be coming to Cornell from San Antonio. What airlines/airport do you suggest, and what specific date to arrive this fall semester? Would you give specifics, also concerning ground transportation, costs, etc. Thanks.</p>
<p>Travel's not my specialty; I'm from New York City.</p>
<p>As for what day to get here, definitely get here the day that they tell you. I think for us that was August 16th. You do two things that day: move into your room, and get registered in Barton Hall. The move ins are staggered by last name, and each section of the alphabet has a time slot during which they're allowed to be on North. You can't get around that, but I recommend coming as early as possible. Unless you're on the first floor, if you come late, you're going to be lugging all of your stuff up the stairs. You can also do the registration at Barton at any time, so I think the best plan is to get to Barton and do all that early (takes like half an hour if you've filled out all of the forms Cornell has sent to you by then), move in to your room, and then go out to lunch or an early dinner. You'll be much more relaxed if you're not trying to get it all done at the end of the day.</p>
<p>And speaking of the ends of the day, no matter what anyone tells you, the orientation events are definitely not mandatory or even highly recommended. If you're not a very social person or don't know anybody at Cornell, it might be a good way to meet people. But if you're looking to get into the actual social scene (meet the people who will be going out during weekends), those people will all be in collegetown at frats' annexes (appartments) by the second or third night. I recommend that you go drink with them.</p>
<p>Could you comment on the rep as Cornell as cut throat or being too intense? Thnks. Also how did the winter affect your feel toward the school. Is it a hassel to get out for class or fun? Thanks for offering up your time</p>
<p>Do you know how long engineering kids usually study per night/week? Is there enough time to just chill and relax or are people always studying and working for class?</p>
<p>So.. Im still confused about what happens if you are a girl and request a single on a co-ed floor. Some people say that by requesting a single you are pretty likely to be put in Balch, regardless of whether you request a co-ed floor, but other people say that as long as you specify that you want a co-ed building it will be fine. Do you know how that works? I want a single, but I definitely dont want to be in Balch.</p>
<p>pm123:
The supply for Balch always exceeds the demand, so invariably there will be people stuck in Balch who don't want to be.</p>
<p>Darkestsith6:
I'm a freshman in Engineering. I don't study every night and when I do its usually only for a few hours except when i have a prelim coming up. On average, studying takes up maybe 6-8 hours/week for me, but then again I'm still in intro classes. There's still plenty of time to do whatever you want.</p>
<p>css22:
Cornell may be too intense for some people, but if you were accepted, you should be able to handle the work with little difficulty. I haven't experienced the cutthroatness that people stereotype Cornell with; though there is some competition for grades, most people are always willing to help out others if asked. The weather here sucks, but it isn't much worse than any other school in the Northeast. As for class being fun or not, it really depends on the person.</p>
<p>Amarnthine27:
I'm not in a frat; I haven't even been inside of a frat yet. I still have a sizable network of friends and I know that there are plenty of parties if you're into that thing.</p>
<p>Sheheke:
I find it much easier just to fly into Ithaca; sure, the plane ticket may cost $100 more than into Syracuse, but the bus from Syracuse to Ithaca costs like $60 one way and takes an extra hour. I know a lot of internationals take the bus to NYC and then fly out of there; that, I think, is another viable option.</p>
<p>I will prolly find out by myself in the coming weeks but since you are from NYC I might as well ask (I'm at NYU atm and transferring to Cornell):</p>
<p>How long does it take to get to Cornell from NYC?</p>
<p>amaranthine27: None of my friends thought they were the "sorority type" either, but we all came back for Rush and most of then LOVE their sororities now. I suggest that you at least give sororities a try by going to Rush in January.</p>
<p>pm123: That's not true. I can think of several specific examples where girls requested singles in a co-ed dorms and got them. However, I also know people who requested Balch and were put in Donlon, people who requested singles and got doubles, people who requested doubles and got singles, and so on. I suggest you fill out the housing form as honestly as possible.</p>
<p>can someone help here, I applied for Transfer student from Clarkson University, and I read that alot of students here have already received their acceptances letters, do Cornell delay Transfer student's letters??? and how much longer must I wait!!!</p>
<p>I want to go to a school that's really heavy on the academics, but also allows for some fun on the weekends. Will Cornell allow me to meet a lot of new people? Also, I'm really scared about ivy league schools because I don't want to be around a lot of snobby kids. I come from a small town where people are just really casual and relaxed. is Cornell kind of like this?</p>
<p>Also, I have a question. if i want to pursue a career in medicine and major in bioengineering in college... which university should i go to? Johns hOpkins, University of Chicago, or Cornell????</p>
<p>I don't know. but isn't jhu really centered around their science program? I kinda want to go to a well rounded school. Also, I heard that u of chicago isn't that bad either.... obviously, I'm just really confused. any advice would be greatly appreciated.
thanks.</p>
<p>ok, kinda a stupid question, but what exact is "fraternity" and "sorority"? (I know first one applies to guys and second one applies to girls =p) It sounds like some kind of society you have to "join"...</p>
<p>Cornell is probably the least snobbish of the Ivies, overall. Yes, there definitely are wealthy, preppy, snobby kids that go here, but there are also a LOT of upstate NY-ers, from small towns, low-income families, farms, etc. It makes for a very diverse, casual atmosphere. The school is so big that you can easily avoid the "snobs" if you choose, but they are actually a very small part of the student population.</p>