<p>I posted the same thread a while back but I can't find it.</p>
<p>Anyhoo, I graduated this past May from Cornell with a degree in Engr. Physics.</p>
<p>I can answer any questions regarding the school, the academics, life in general, what I ate for dinner, and why I keep procrastinating instead of studying for finals. I'll give my honest opinions, whether they are negative or positive, in response to anything that you ask. Just don't ask any "what are my chances" questions :)</p>
<p>what were you favorite elective classes???</p>
<p>ALS 494 - it was a 2 credit seminar class on terrorism. The topics change every year. </p>
<p>edit: I took it in 2003 and the war in iraq started halfway through the semester. it's amazing how accurate some of the predictions were. too bad no one listened to them.</p>
<p>Hmm...I'm not sure which physics to take. I'm debating doing engineering physics, so is it necessary to take the honors versions of physics 112 and 213? I know they suggest it, but if I don't and do decide to do AEP, will I be screwed?</p>
<p>I didn't take it and it's not necessary, but I suggest you do it. If you can survive the honors classes, you can survive the higher level classes. 112 and 213 are crap and you'll spend your time better with 116 and 217. just be prepared to work your ass off.</p>
<p>edit: the rigor of the honors courses prepares you well for the 300-level courses. the first exam i took in a 300 level aep course totally destroyed me. i think i got a 40 which was a good two standard devs below the mean. it's better to get your first shock in an intro course</p>
<p>Any words of wisdom for Physics 112 if you know about it. Also, I know i'm in CAS and taking a normal 16 credit work load, but I find that the work load here at cornell is nothing absurd like it was made out to be. What is your perception of the work load here. Perhaps it was different for eng phys though ;)</p>
<p>words of wisdom for 112: if you've never taken physics before, i recommend doing self-study before classes start. definitely review your calculus. it's a course designed for engineers and ive had friends surprised by the rigor and fast pace.</p>
<p>freshman year is easy. i think i took 18 credits each semester and drank a lot and did alright. by senior year, i was working my asssss off with 14-16 credit semesters. a lot of it also depends on your major.</p>
<p>This is kinda funny. how sparty, gomes, AND pumpkin are asking for help for a change. What a rare thread.</p>
<p>what can I say? baby, I'm good..</p>
<p>haha, feels different to be on the "other side" of the questions.</p>
<p>shizz - did you take intro to wines? any wisdom on that?</p>
<p>how cold is the winter? i don't drive, is the public transportation convenient?</p>
<p>didn't take wines. i heard from friends you actually have to take that class seriously.</p>
<p>they have a drunk bus at night time that takes you around campus and they have buses that go to the mall, both of which are actually quite nice. besides that, it's quite crappy because they charge money. it's useful as a freshman but worthless afterwards. </p>
<p>winter is cold but it's going to be bad anywhere in the northeast. it snows from thanksgiving to beginning of april. bundle up and invest in a quality cap and ear muffs.</p>
<p>i transfer to cornell in spring. maybe live in transfer center. do they have wireless networking? is there any telephone in the room?</p>
<p>i know that they have wireless in the libraries and certain parts of campus, but i don't know if they have it in the dorms. check <a href="http://www.cit.cornell.edu%5B/url%5D">www.cit.cornell.edu</a> - if it's going to be listed anywhere, it will be on that website. yes, there are telephones in the room.</p>
<p>the transfer center has phones but no wireless. High speed internet is provided via cable. </p>
<p>public transportation is very easy and is widely used, especially with newly entering students getting free bus passes. the busses go all over ithaca, cornell, and beyond.</p>
<p>I understand there's a lot of computers involved in EP. Unfortunately, I did C++ in 8th Grade, and I've forgotten most it by now. Other than that, I know no programming. I'm planning of doing Java after my IB exams. Will my lack of programming be a problem for EP?</p>
<p>You can learn whatever you need while you're there. I had no programming experience coming to Cornell. EP doesn't use much programming anyway.</p>
<p>Can a freshman participate in research such as those by GM and Kodak
What avenues do we freshmen have for acvtive research??????</p>
<p>If you are thinking about working for Kodak or GM, you are probably an engineer. A freshman would have to be truly exceptional and pretty advanced to get a research gig with big companies like those.</p>
<p>As an engineer, you can start research during your freshman year if you are persistent enough. However, professors usually wait till at least the end of your first year before they take you under their wing.<br>
They do this for a number of good reasons:
1) you need your first year, and at the very least your first semester, to adjust to college both academically and socially
2) they have no guage of your abilities.
3) freshmen don't know where their interests lie
4) freshmen don't know anything</p>
<p>I tried getting a research position in my freshman year with much difficulty. In retrospect, it's a good thing because what I wanted to do then is completely different from what I am doing now and I also didn't really know a lot back then. I suggest contacting professors at the end of freshman year.</p>
<p>-Winter is very cold, but excessive cold is numbing versus heat which is fatiguing. Therefore I don't mind the cold, as you're only in it when you're walking from place to place. The first few weeks here had some brutally hot days that you couldn't do anything about, but it's never so cold here that an extra sweatshirt under your jacket, a hat, and a pair of gloves won't make things OK. (I was walking outside in a shortsleeve t-shirt, two hoodies, a down vest and a beanie with earflaps the other night when it was -6 degrees F and was fine)</p>
<p>-Public transportation is very convenient. There are 3 bus stops within a few hundred yards of my residence hall. There is a shuttle that goes through campus every 10 minutes during the week, and busses to the malls. There is even a "drunk bus" in the wee hours of the morning on weekend nights.</p>
<p>-Some dorms have wireless networks. With the development of N-band wireless, you can probably expect wireless literally everywhere on campus in the next few years, even the middle of the slope. Every room has a phone.</p>
<p>You should email professors about your research once you're here. My good friend managed to get a spot doing research for Dan Luo <a href="http://luolabs.bee.cornell.edu/peop_dan.htm%5B/url%5D">http://luolabs.bee.cornell.edu/peop_dan.htm</a>, which is unheard of as a freshman (look at the places where the guy was invited to speak!). He (my friend) is building DNA and stuff now or something crazy like that.</p>
<p>Here is Luo's resume: it will make you cry...<a href="http://luolabs.bee.cornell.edu/pdf/Luo_CV_for_Web.pdf%5B/url%5D">http://luolabs.bee.cornell.edu/pdf/Luo_CV_for_Web.pdf</a></p>