<p>This is a corollary to this</a> thread in order to offer a different perspective of Cornell.</p>
<p>I graduated from Cornell in May 05 with a degree in Engineering Physics. I'm now living in Harlem doing my PhD in chemistry at Columbia University.</p>
<p>I won't answer "what are my chances" or any questions that can easily be found on the Cornell website (e.g. what majors are offered at Cornell?), but everything else is fair game and I will be honest.</p>
<p>i can't find this on cornell's website: what is the average of SAT verbal for B.arch students? Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>found on the cornell website</p>
<p>25th percentile: 610
75th percentile: 700</p>
<p>i think this can be easily found on the website, it only took me less than a minute to find the page</p>
<p>Will it matter in the admissions that my parents are low incomed?</p>
<p>Is it easier to get into CALS Biological Science or CAS Biological Science?</p>
<p>
[quote]
Will it matter in the admissions that my parents are low incomed?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Not in the slightest.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Is it easier to get into CALS Biological Science or CAS Biological Science?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>CALS because it is an easier school to get into.</p>
<p>oh thanks psquared...wait, this is AAP average. does anyone have a general idea of arch. only? </p>
<p>ah, the reason i am being so picky is because i suppose the portfolio is more important than SAT scores for art applicants...</p>
<p>Since I want to major in biology, which college do you think I have the best chance of getting in; Human ecology, Arts and Sciences, or Agriculture and Life Sciences?</p>
<p>Shizz, what's the toughest year of AEP? Also, can one take electives in the AEP major program that coincide with the most theoretical aspects of physics (Quantum, etc)? Kind of the most theoretical route of the most theoretical engr. major, but still within the engr. school. Are EP majors labeled with a concentration like they are in CAS physics?</p>
<p>Last question. What type of specific GPA, research, classes would one need to really have great options from graduating from EP. ie- good law schools, top 5 engr/physics schools, and pursuing grad school in a somehwhat different topic ie chemical engineering, etc. I realize that EP is "Cornell's hidden gem" and is the best one in the country, so are people who do decently well in EP in one of the best positions for options to the best after graduation? (Seeing as it is so tough and unforgiving :S)</p>
<p>OK, one more. When do the EP majors take their liberal distribution credits? The major seems so structured! Could I take, say, German at a local state u over the summer and trasnfer the credit, simply to save time for other things during the year at Cornell? I am hoping I can fit things in. I'm in Physics 116 (which is very odd this year :S), Math 192, Com S 100M, Physics 117 (Concepts of Modern Physics S/U) and a FWS. Ok, that is all. Have a nice day!</p>
<p>can u apply to one school and then transfer once ur accepted.</p>
<p>my friend said he heard u can apply to an easier school, (i.e. hotel) and then if accepted transfer to another school (i.e. arts and sciences)</p>
<p>Is Engineering Physics a big major at Cornell? What do graduates typically do afterwards? It does not appear to me that Engineering Physics is a common path towards a PhD program in Chemistry.</p>
<p>Can you describe your experience at Cornell? Strange quirks of your university/fellow students? How were your professors? What were your expectations going into Cornell and do you think they were met? </p>
<p>I'd like to apply ED and one can never be too sure when going into a possible... bind. So please, any advice/suggestions/reassurances (or not) would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>bneg: portfolio is the most important...if your SATs are decent or better they don't matter. I have never seen an SAT score breakdown my major. Sorry.</p>
<p>Drinkingmilk: Remember that acceptance statistics are deceptive in picking your college to apply to, and that the best approach is to pick the one that matches your interests best. CALS is more science oriented, CAS is a liberal arts college. Assuming your major is in all 3 of the colleges you mentioned, CALS or HE are easier than CAS. If you are from NY, definitely pick CALS or HE because of the reduced tuition.</p>
<p>stonecold: yes, but you won't get accepted if you pick hotel. at least you have a very small choice. Schools like hotel are easier statistically, but harder in actuality, due to the small size and very specific qualifications. Do you have background in the hospitality industry? Will you be able to get through an interview on your hospitality industry experience pretending your life goal is to own a resort or run a hospital or night club or something? If you answered no to any of these questions, don't apply to hotel. If a prospective english major applied to engineering because of its 38% acceptance rate...yeah, bad idea. Hotel is not an easier school either...those kids are working hella hard. No school seems particularly easy at cornell.</p>
<p>SchoolDuh0610: Everyone's experience will be different. I've been here only a couple weeks, but: Quirks--chalkings: advertisements for organizations and clubs are chalked onto the sidewalks all over the place; gorge jumping: students jump off the bridge/cliffs/trees on cliffs by beebe lake into the water (30-50' drop :)) All of the professors I'm taking class with or have met have been very interesting, helpful and smart. I've even gotten fairly friendly with one professor who's writing seminar I tried to get into (I didn't accomplish the feat:() But yea, so we're friendly and have conversations and I haven't even taken his class. Expectations met--almost everyone here is really really smart. Expectations not met--the girls look way better than I thought they would after hearing so much bad stuff about them. There are quite a few real hotties.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Since I want to major in biology, which college do you think I have the best chance of getting in; Human ecology, Arts and Sciences, or Agriculture and Life Sciences?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>HumEc does not have a traditional biology program if I am not mistaken, so that leaves you with Arts and Ag. See above for my answer to that question.</p>
<p>
[quote]
can u apply to one school and then transfer once ur accepted.</p>
<p>my friend said he heard u can apply to an easier school, (i.e. hotel) and then if accepted transfer to another school (i.e. arts and sciences)
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I don't know if you can go from something like Hotel to Engineering, but yes you can go from Arts to Engineering or Ag to Arts. You can try and game the admissions like that, but I do not recommend it. For one, you will have to explain to your advisor why you want to take a 4 liberal arts courses instead of whatever the Hotellies take. Also, you could potentially lose up to a year of school "wasting" your time on classes in your college instead of taking classes you want to take.</p>
<p>If you want to risk it and deal with the hassles of gaming admissions, then good luck. In my opinion it's a dishonest thing to do and it reflects on your abilities because you indirectly say "I'm not smart enough so I have to cut in through the backdoor."</p>
<p>what about human ecology to arts??? the acceptanec rate is significantly higher for human ecology (around 10% i believe) , the courses u take wont be useless if u transfer...?</p>
<p>you can take any course at cornell while in any college assuming you have met the prerequisites.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Shizz, what's the toughest year of AEP?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Junior year, or whenever you take the core classes (321/333/355 etc). BY FAR. It is hell but you learn work ethic.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Also, can one take electives in the AEP major program that coincide with the most theoretical aspects of physics (Quantum, etc)? Kind of the most theoretical route of the most theoretical engr. major, but still within the engr. school.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I'm not sure what exactly you mean by theoretical. The physics you learn is the same whether you are in CAS Phys or AEP. The real theory stuff you probably refer to is stuff like quantum field theory and stuff like that. You can take that in your senior year after you've taken all your core courses. The main differences between AEP and CAS Phys are the college requirements, the elective requirements for the major, and a slight differences in focus. AEP has only 1 semester of quantum and 2 of EM, while phys has it the other way around. In AEP you also never take courses in relativity or "Modern Physics" which is something that I regret. </p>
<p>
[quote]
Are EP majors labeled with a concentration like they are in CAS physics?
[/quote]
Nope.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Last question. What type of specific GPA, research, classes would one need to really have great options from graduating from EP. ie- good law schools, top 5 engr/physics schools, and pursuing grad school in a somehwhat different topic ie chemical engineering, etc. I realize that EP is "Cornell's hidden gem" and is the best one in the country, so are people who do decently well in EP in one of the best positions for options to the best after graduation? (Seeing as it is so tough and unforgiving :S)
[/quote]
</p>
<p>For PhD: you'll need a good GPA (3.4 or 3.5+, I dunno) and a lot of substantial research in your intended field.
For PhD in something like chemistry or chemE: good gpa, substantial research in the field, and a lot of classes (minor if possible) in the field
For law school: don't do AEP because law school is a GPA whore</p>
<p>
[quote]
OK, one more. When do the EP majors take their liberal distribution credits? The major seems so structured! Could I take, say, German at a local state u over the summer and trasnfer the credit, simply to save time for other things during the year at Cornell? I am hoping I can fit things in. I'm in Physics 116 (which is very odd this year :S), Math 192, Com S 100M, Physics 117 (Concepts of Modern Physics S/U) and a FWS. Ok, that is all. Have a nice day!
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Freshman and sophomore year. I was lucky because I came in with like 30+ AP credits so I only had to take a few courses to satisfy the liberal arts distribution. I used that extra time in my schedule to take classes in different fields to see what I wanted to do. I also took two courses at my local State U during the summer, so yes that is an option.</p>
<p>
[quote]
what about human ecology to arts??? the acceptanec rate is significantly higher for human ecology (around 10% i believe) , the courses u take wont be useless if u transfer...?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I really don't know specifics about such things. Listen man, I don't mean to discourage you here but my suggestion is to focus on what you want to do and apply to the appropriate school.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Is Engineering Physics a big major at Cornell? What do graduates typically do afterwards? It does not appear to me that Engineering Physics is a common path towards a PhD program in Chemistry
[/quote]
</p>
<p>It's the smallest major in Engineering. 20-40 people graduate with a degree in EP every year. ~75% (an estimate, not official figure) go on to some form of graduate school be it PhD, Master's, Law, etc. The rest go into the workforce. My classmates are now pursuing PhDs in astrophysics, physics, applied physics, aerospace engineering, electrical engineering, chemistry (that's me!), optics, and probably some other stuff at schools like Stanford, Princeton, Caltech, Columbia, Harvard, Boston, and Michigan for example. A lot of students do their Master's in Engineering (M.Eng) in applied physics, biomedical engineering, EE, CS, and other related fields. A lot of people work after graduation. I have a friend that is working for Northrup Bruman, another for a national defense lab in Boston, Google, and investment banking firms like Goldman Sachs.</p>
<p>EP --> Chemistry is not a common path at all.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Can you describe your experience at Cornell? Strange quirks of your university/fellow students? How were your professors? What were your expectations going into Cornell and do you think they were met?</p>
<p>I'd like to apply ED and one can never be too sure when going into a possible... bind. So please, any advice/suggestions/reassurances (or not) would be greatly appreciated.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I had no expectations coming into Cornell. I have the philosophy "whatever happens, happens" so for better or worse I never really know what to expect. I do remember being extremely nervous when I first came to Cornell about adjusting, making friends, being away from home, etc. I absolutely LOATHED my first week at Cornell but after a few weeks I've absolutely loved it here. I don't really know how to describe my experience at Cornell because the question itself is very open-ended. I can type up a few pages in response to that, but mostly due to laziness on my part I'm going to ask you to be more specific :)</p>
<p>Strange quirks? People here like to complain a lot and many people incorrectly interpret that as dissatisfaction. The truth is Cornell is a tough and demanding school and venting is a way to relieve the pressure. I haven't met many people who regret being here.</p>
<p>Professors vary from excellent to horrible. It depends mostly on your learning style to be honest with you. There are some universally hated profs and some that are universally loved. This is true for every school though, not just Cornell. In my personal opinion, Chemistry had the best professors. ECE had the worst. Many people will disagree with me however, so keep an open mind about it.</p>
<p>Visit Cornell, spend a weekend there, and then see if you'd like to attend. If you think "hmm I want to apply ED but I also want to see if I can get into _____ University ..." then don't apply ED. Apply if you KNOW you that is THE school you want to attend.</p>
<p>I never applied anywhere ED (only EA) because I was never sure where I wanted to go.</p>