<p>I've been looking at colleges, and so far I really haven't liked a lot of the kids that have been at the other Ivys i've seen (Brown and Dartmouth). One college that stood out though was the kids out Tufts seemed so friendly. How would you say Cornell compares? Also, I'm someone who gets anxious about tests and stresses often, and being around an environment that is super stressful might not be the best choice for me. So, in general, what is the feel at Cornell like? And I know you can't really generalize about such a big school, with such a diverse population, but IMO you are able to have a general feel about the environment.
Thanks</p>
<p>I know that Cornell has the reputation for a high rate of suicides, so if you’re an anxious person who freaks out about tests and stuff, maybe it’s not the best idea.</p>
<p>Would you say more stress and longer amounts of work than other top schools ie. Rice, Emory, or Tufts?</p>
<p>giatns4210, that’s actually just a myth. Don’t scare the OP like that lol.</p>
<p>“I know that Cornell has the reputation for a high rate of suicides, so if you’re an anxious person who freaks out about tests and stuff, maybe it’s not the best idea.”</p>
<p>…this has been discussed here numerous times. Cornell’s suicide rate is NOT higher than other Ivys. They are just more publicized. My impression of the students has been that most are very friendly.</p>
<p>Cornell tends to be more academically stressful than other schools (at least by reputation), but this largely depends on your major. Typically, Cornell students are the type of people that like to work hard, so that doesn’t necessarily translate to stress. I always found Cornell students friendly for what it’s worth. If you stress easily, any college is going to have tests, so it’s something you have to learn to cope with. I think as long as you can establish a good support system (read: friends), your time at Cornell will be fantastic. During finals week or in the height of exam season, during the day you’ll see the libraries packed with students studying, but there are definitely above-average amount of other activities to keep you occupied as well/get your mind off studies when you need to relax (there are over 800 student organizations).</p>
<p>PS. I’m actually not sure the myth being a myth is true anymore. In the past 3 years, there have been a higher incidence of suicide at Cornell and that could very well have pushed them above the national average. Even so, you’re talking about a small fraction of 1% of the student population.</p>
<p>I will just say that from the kids I know at other Ivies, tours, visits and classmates that are applying to those schools on Cornell’s level, I found that Cornell was different in that it appeals to a more down to Earth kid. Yeah, it’s still an Ivy, so no one there can deny they enjoy the prestige. But I got that “boys’ club” impression at UPenn (not to put Penn down, because it’s still an awesome school) that I just didn’t feel at Cornell. They put a lot of emphasis on legacy and the kids all had that cookie cutter look to them. Obviously I have a really biased account of this because I LOVE Cornell, but that’s just my personal opinion.</p>
<p>Oh and also, I get really upset when people stereotype Cornell as a suicide-prone school. I’m pretty sure the college with the highest rate is actually MIT. Numbers show that Seattle has an extremely high suicide rate in comparison to other American cities, but you don’t see people choosing not to live there because of that. Or maybe you do, but I think that’s pretty weird.</p>