<p>If anyone has any questions I'd be happy to help.</p>
<p>Hi there, thanks for doing this! I had a couple questions… What do most people consider to be the best Freshmen housing? How is it selected? Also, how do people at Cornell usually feel about Hotelies?</p>
<p>Most people prefer Mews or Court-Kay-Bauer because they are the newest ones and look a bit more modern. Donlon is very social but often gets very loud from all the “events” that go on in there. The Low/High Rises (including Jameson, which is a High Rise) get a bad rap since they’re not as new as the other dorms, but their hallways are structured in a very bendy and homelike way, so they sort of feel more like houses in a way while the “nicer” dorms feel more like hotels.</p>
<p>Distance from Central Campus (where all your classes will be) is as follows (from closest to farthest):</p>
<p>Risley
Balch
Dickson
Bauer
Kay
Court
Donlon
Jameson
Mews
High Rise 5
Project Houses (JAM, Ujamaa, ILC, … etc)
Low Rise 6
Low Rise 7
Towhouses
Selection is random… you can’t choose which dorm you get put in.</p>
<p>Don’t worry about what house you get into, you’ll grow to love it. I lve in Low Rise 6 and I wouldn’t want to be in any other dorm.</p>
<p>We like to make jokes about Hotelies and how they sit in the lounge not doing work all day… but it’s all a joke and they’re just like everyone else</p>
<p>Why did you pick Computer Science instead of Computer engineering or Electrical engineering… just curious. I’m trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up and since I’m not sure I was thinking EE would give me the most flexibility for life after my bachelors degree…</p>
<p>Computer Science (CS) and Electric and Computer Engineering (ECE) are two very different fields. CS deals with programming, software development, how computers interpret data, and the like. ECE deals with hardware, electricity flow, circuit boards, wires, and how computers and other electrical devices work.</p>
<p>You can find more of the differences if you look them up online. I chose CS because I’m really into programming and software, but everyone has their favorite flavor.</p>
<p>thanks for replying!</p>
<p>what has the party scene been like in your relatively short time there? where do they mostly take place for freshmen?</p>
<p>what do people consider to be the best a cappella group on campus?</p>
<p>thanks!</p>
<p>I’m not a big partier so I never go to parties. Most people find parties in Collegetown or sonewhere.
As with A Capella groups, I have no idea. There are a lot of them though.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>What have you thought of your experience overall thus far? Do you love it? Like it? How is campus life? How were move in day, orientation, and welcome week?</p>
<p>I really like it so far. The campus is wonderful and everyone is really nice. However I’m not too big a fan of my classes so far, but we will see about that. I’m not exactly sure what you mean by campus life. Move-In Day was fine, Orientation / Welcome Week were alright - I’m not too big a fan of campy get-to-know-each other events.</p>
<p>" We like to make jokes about Hotelies and how they sit in the lounge not doing work all day… but it’s all a joke and they’re just like everyone else"
This is completely wrong. They party. They don’t sit around. I’ve never really heard anyone say this nor joke about it. They are amazing at networking, making friends, and getting drunk. If the person was asking if the other schools look down upon hotelies, not at all. CALS usually gets that rep.</p>
<p>“I’m not too big a fan of campy get-to-know-each other events.”
You should have tried more than the required events. A small minority of Cornell’s orientation events were icebreakers.</p>
<p>In our dorm we have a lounge where people go when they are not doing work during the day during the week, so by "sit in the lounge " I mean “not doing work.” Partying and getting drunk also classifies as not doing work. The point is the same.</p>
<p>I went to a lot of Engineering-related presentations and things like that. They were all pretty good. Overall, I felt the entire Orientation process was overly campy. I don’t understand the point of being so argumentative about this.</p>
<p>@cornelliann, what would you answer to all of the above questions?</p>
<p>I generally agree with peppino’s answers for all of the other questions. I could add a bit:</p>
<p>Post #3: Risley is actually a really awesome dorm. I was dickson, but I regret not considering Risley because I am not a theater kid. Because they have their own dining hall and it is a unique dorm, they form a nice community. Just to stress it, </p>
<p>it honestly doesn’t matter where you get into however. Everyone is sad when they don’t get into CKB/Mews when they first get their assignment, but then they realize that a room is a room. I had no complaints about Dickson and the only thing it was missing that CKB/Mews had was new paint and just some architecture.</p>
<p>I highly recommend everyone requesting a double, then a single, then a quad, then a triple. If Cornell can’t assign you to a double (which is EXTREMELY COMMON), they give you a single for the price of a double since they have way too many singles. You will most likely end up in Dickson, however.</p>
<p>Post #5:
Cornell is highly respected in CS- the starting salary of students is only $400 less than Stanford for 2013, which could easily be attributed to Stanford’s location or various other variables. EE at Cornell is pretty darn good. The reason I say this is because TONS OF PEOPLE CHANGE MAJORS. I know OP is a CS major, but it also seems like 40% of ALL engineers are CS majors, at least to me. Don’t overplan your four years at Cornell or really care what major you apply to as long as your application fits it since Cornell will be able to provide you an amazing education at whatever major you choose (although I would reconsider if you are majoring in Bioengineering).</p>
<p>Post #7: I know nothing about a capella groups except that they sound nice—that’s all. Parties happen every weekend and they are there if you want to go. Drinking is pretty popular along with kind of marijuana (Ithaca is a pot town). I also had a group of friends who didn’t party and I progressively slowed down after homecoming weekend. YOU WILL NEVER FEEL FORCED TO PARTY. There are plenty of girls AND guys who are shocked when they hear that someone they know went out and drank; they much prefer movies. Thus, you really have access to whatever life you want. It’s a big school.</p>
<p>I need to go to shower and then go to a class, but I’ll answer the rest in 3 hours.</p>
<p>In addition to the partying theme, I have never gone to a party and I don’t plan on it. It’s just my choice about how I like to spend my time and I have no problems at all doing so.</p>
<p>Big thanks to both of you!</p>
<p>Post #9: The first month of my freshman year was awesome. The most frustrating part for me, at least, was finding clubs. In HS, many people were a part of 5+ clubs. At Cornell, people often pick 2-3—rarely more. As an engineer who was also interested in business, I found that project teams and business clubs were EXTREMELY competitive to get into. For example, Cornell Venture Capital has a 1% acceptance rate, Cornell Consulting Club less than 5%, Cornell Consulting Group 5%, Mutual Investment Club of Cornell must have under a 30% acceptance rate. Remember you are competing against CORNELLIANS. It is not easy.</p>
<p>Come to college with a plan about what clubs to join. GO TO EVENTS DURING ORIENTATION. Nothing against OP (well nevermind), but everyone really hates people who think they are too cool for icebreakers and orientation events. It is an awesome way to meet people and if you have any social skills what-so-ever, you’ll find them to be an amazing experience. </p>
<p>Post #11: I’m not being argumentative about anything. You bring a different perspective than what I bring; you have the viewpoint of more of a traditional engineer. That’s fine, but I feel that when people ask a question, they should see multiple perspectives of students at Cornell. I’m not trying to change anything that you are doing because you are presumably 18+ and you are old enough to make your own decisions.</p>
<p>Floors really depend on just luck. Balch floors are deathly quiet, but everyone is super friendly (I’m a guy, but I’ve spent a fair share of time in there). On my floor freshman year, a group of people smoked marijuana in their room, but I didn’t really care. The RAs and police here are really chill in my opinion and as my RA said: “I know that you guys will drink, but as long as I can’t smell anything or hear screaming at 1am in the morning, I couldn’t care less.” </p>
<p>They do take complaints rather seriously though. The RAs are responsible in the way that if they are put into a situation, they will handle it however Cornell would want them to. However, they don’t look to put themselves in these situations. Hope that makes sense.</p>
<p>The lobbies are nice, but I’ve never really cared for them. Everyone just hung out in the kitchen.</p>
<p>@Cornelliann: Is it really necessary to disparage random people you find on the internet? I’m sure we would all appreciate if you could answer the other posters’ questions without inferring that people with other opinions are “hated.”</p>
<p>You can decide for yourself whether you like the orientation events or not. You may be like Cornelliann or you may dislike them like me. I’m going to flat out disagree with Cornelliann here and say that no one will hate you for not liking icebreaker events.</p>
<p>And that is true, do not count on getting into any of the project teams. Definitely give it a shot, but don’t plan your life around it. They are VERY hard to get on (and some more than others).</p>
<p>My RA was different, he told us no parties, or alcohol/drugs, at all in our unit. The Low Rises aren’t exactly conducive to parties without the entire building finding. All the RAs are awesome though.</p>
<p>The Low Rise lobbies are really nice to study or hang out. I’m not exactly sure where Cornelliann lived, but the Low Rise kitchen is pretty small and it would be pretty hard for more than two people to comfortably stand inside it.</p>
<p>I meant nothing against you. All I was intending with Orientation events is yes, they may seem lame at first, but they are really awesome at getting you to meet other people. You are right that nobody will hate you, but at the same time, I have seen many people be isolated for a period of time due to their unwillingness to participate.</p>
<p>Also don’t stress out if you don’t make a project team S1. It really doesn’t matter in the big picture. Teams don’t come close to only recruiting freshmen.</p>
<p>Did you take any programming classes before going to Cornell (AP CS or classes at a Univ or CC?)</p>
<p>Is getting in between classes a problem? We have heard the campus is spread out.</p>
<p>Are your classes interesting? Is there a lot of repetitive, rote work? Are instructors accessible? Is group discussion fostered in class or discouraged (as in, there is so much material to get through that the instructor cannot allow much time for discussions)?</p>
<p>About how many hours per week do you spend on homework?</p>
<p>Are there many opportunities for non partying type activities? Casual science discussion groups or programming, gaming or maybe robotics clubs?</p>
<p>Thanks for your time! Peppino, by the way, my kids sound like you.</p>