Advice and answers from a current student

Colleges and Universities A-Z Cornell University
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<p>Anon311,</p>

<p>We've missed your candid answers, but I wanted to follow up on the homework, academic intensity at Cornell.</p>

<p>How much reading are you assigned per week, in an intro level class? How much homework is assigned in an intro level science have you experienced?
I'm guessing that if you are doing 6-7 hours a week, then you are really brilliant because my 12th grader might do that on any given night.</p>

<p>The academic pressure is a HUGE stigma for Cornell and I did notice that a lot of the students do not look happy; I just came back from a visit on Thursday.
Even the day for admitted students was challenging in that there was no preset schedule, no preset lunch and we were really struggling to fit in all the activities we could have chosen. Unlike Lehigh where the very next day we were treated like guests, Cornell treated us like we were on our own.</p>

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<p>y17k</p>

<p>I'm transferring out of NYU too. Why are you leaving NYU?</p>

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<p>whats the deal with the hotelies?</p>

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<p>
[quote]
How much reading are you assigned per week, in an intro level class? How much homework is assigned in an intro level science have you experienced?

[/quote]

That depends entirely on your major.</p>

<p>
[quote]
whats the deal with the hotelies?

[/quote]

They're in the Hotel School. They tend to get made fun of for not ever having work to do, but in actuality, they also go on to be extremely successful in their field.</p>

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<p>Ceramo, you mentioned that there are about 5 social fraternities...so I'm just curious as to what you would consider these 5 to be?</p>

<p>Thanks in advance</p>

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<p>Social life outside of frats/sororities: There definitely is one, but I'm not a part of it. All of my friends are invovled in Greek life, though that's probably more just because that's how I meet people and not because friendly people don't exist outside of Greek life.</p>

<p>Intensity of Cornell: It's intense, but you get used to it. It's nothing that you can't handle; if you work hard and stay relatively focused (aka focused on monday-thursday afternoon and drinking thurs, fri, sat) you should be ok. Obviously depends on the individual, too.</p>

<p>Winter: The winter really sucks. I'm from New York, so I was ready for it, but my friends from California and the South hated it with a passion. When it's sunny (like today), you appreicate it that much more, though.</p>

<p>Engineers studying: A lot of my friends are engineers, and it sucks. Just like being premed/a hard science major, if you don't want to do it, you'll probably drop out of the program and do something else (no shame in that). With that said, I know plenty of engineers who go out and have plenty of fun. It's all about time management.</p>

<p>ILR Stereotypes: There aren't too many stereotypes about them. The stereotypes are strongest about Hotelies (that they're not too bright, don't work very hard), Premeds and Engineers (workaholics), and that's about it. I'd say those rumors definitely have some truth to them.</p>

<p>Cornell to NYC: Depends how fast you drive. I'd say on average it'll take about 4-5 hours. </p>

<p>Snobby kids: They're here, but they self-segregate and don't really bother anyone else. They're definitely a minority, so don't worry about it at all.</p>

<p>Pressure/Happiness: Cornell definitely, absolutely does not hold your hand once you get here. You either sink or swim, and the vast majority of people swim. You're not going to get any handholding once you get out of college, so it's good to get used to it now. As for how happy people look; Cornell Days are scheduled at a funny time. They coincide with many fraternities' hell weeks, as well as the tail end of a prelim wave (basically, everyone's been studying a lot for tests). If people were happy during hell week, it wouldn't really be a hell week. And tests will make you miserable anywhere. </p>

<p>Amount of Work: It really depends on what you want to study. Hotelies do less, engineers do more. Intro sciences classes are a lot of work, though they're easier if you've taken the AP. Bio has 3 lectures a week (50 mins) and one lab (3 hours) every week. People who get As in bio typically do 10-15 hours of work outside of class/lab a week. Chem is a similar story. Don't let that scare you though - you get used to it quickly, and it'd be the same anywhere else.</p>

<p>The Deal with Hotelies: They do their own thing, and it's usually much easier and less time consuming than anyone else's. They're basically the butt end of every joke, and not to be too harsh, but often times they deserve it. I guess in the end the joke is on everyone else, because most of them get good jobs in the hotel industry afterwards.</p>

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<p>anon311, You are wonderful- our eyes and ears at Cornell. We love to hear your insight and you are helping a lot of us -thank you.</p>

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<p>Yeah anon311 you are a wealth of info, thanks a lot! </p>

<p>On that note, I want to do a Bio/History double major (I'm in Arts) n go premed, but I heard Bio major is very hard in Cornell. Do you think I'd be better off gpa/work wise if I did just a History major n just did the premed track?</p>

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<p>Double majoring with Bio: Practically nobody does it. Majoring in history and doing premed - also practically nobody does it. The premed track involves one year of bio with lab, one year of chem with lab, one year of physics with lab, one year of orgo with lab, one year of math, one year of english (usually your Freshman Writing Seminars), and a semester of upper level bio. Those classes are almost all very hard, and you're going to need all of your focus to do well in them. The bio major itself includes all of those classes as requirements, so it's just easiest to major in bio when you're premed becuase you're killing two birds with one stone. Doing some sort of humanities program is very difficult. If you're still really interested in humanities stuff but are set on premed/bio, then consider something like Biology & Society or Human Biology, Health and Society. You can read up on them on the website.</p>

<p>Just as a realitiy check for everyone, particularly those going into science: you're going to get bad grades. Sooner or later, you'll get a C. You'll get Bs. Most science classes are curved to a B- or a C+, so you've gotta be way better than the average Cornell student to get an A. And the average Cornell student is probably just as smart as you, and working just as hard as you. I'm not saying this to scare anyone; it's just something to be prepared for.</p>

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<p>You can major in anything and still do premed so majoring in history and doing premed is just fine. I have heard that non-science majors do worse than science majors in thier first two years of med school (not really that surprising).</p>

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<p>Im hoping to take the "Biology and Society" major and concentrate in genetics. How large is the average bio class and are the professors accessible?</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

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<p>what about double majoring in computer science and business? is it possible to do that cuz i heard double majoring is not possible at cornell.....</p>

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<p>Bio classes: Bio 101 and 102 are the first two semesters of biology, and I think the lectures are around 400-500 people. The labs are about 20-25 people. After that, the lectures are much smaller. The professors are pretty accessible, and there's a big support staff that you can go to if you're having trouble (TAs, bio advising office, etc.). </p>

<p>Comp. Sci./Business: I don't know much about this, though I'll tell you what I do know. There is no undergraduate business major per se, so most people who think they want to go into business either major in Econ or AEM. From what I hear, econ is one of the easier majors. AEM is without a doubt the easiest major outside of the Hotel school. All of the recruited athletes are usually in AEM, people who drink 5 nights a week are in AEM, you get the idea. I don't personally know anyone who is doing a double major, though I imagine that it's easier to do when one of the majors you're doing is AEM/econ.</p>

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<p>hi. i put this ques. in its own thread, but its getting no responses, so i thought i'd better relocate!:</p>

<p>I am from California and planning my trip to Cornell as a freshman.</p>

<p>Since it is substantially cheaper to fly to Syracuse nonstop than to Ithaca via New York or Philadelphia etc., like to know how much a hassle would it be to and from Syracuse airport? Any better route? </p>

<p>Any way to avoid having to ship all stuff home over summer break?</p>

<p>As a Californian driver, am I eligible to apply for a NY driver license without taking more tests?</p>

<p>Thanks.</p>

<p>Karen</p>

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<p>hey, i was just wondering if you send in your intent to matriculate quicker, do you get your housing app. earlier? are the dorms assigned as housing apps. come in or does Cornell wait until after May 1st when it receives all the packets back?</p>

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<p>Hey, you mentioned AEM being relatively easy, but for some one who wants to work in Wall Street and wants to go to investment banking, how is the recruitment? Is it heavily recruited by bulge bracket firms? - Thanks</p>

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<p>Since I'm not sure if I want to do a double major at Cornell, has anyone taken the single major + double minor route? Anyone you know? Any opinions?</p>

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<p>Housing: From what I remember, it's a lottery, and sending in your stuff won't get you placed any sooner.</p>

<p>Single major/two minor: If what you mean is major in one field and minor in another, this is more common. At Cornell minors are called concentrations, and they're much easier to do. You can do a concentration in any college, which makes the idea more appealing for a lot of people.</p>

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<p>warren_buffet89, I've heard that AEM is very very heavily recruited.</p>

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<p>Are are the regular college kids allowed to take courses from AEM?</p>