<p>Simple question: Are you happy at the Cornell college of your choice and is the tuition worth it in your opinion? Yes or No? Feel free to elaborate. GO! :D </p>
<p>Yes.
…but managing time & work always feels like The Battle of Helm’s Deep.</p>
<p>purple: your tuition question is befuddling. What current student in Ithaca has ANY IDEA if the tuition is “worth” it? In 99.99% of cases, they didn’t earn the money to begin with. They haven’t seen much return on investment. That tuition check that goes to Cornell is an abstraction. Why don’t you poll parents? Or alumni who have been out for +10 years?</p>
<p>Aiming your question to current students won’t get you anything IMHO. </p>
<p>@T26E4 thank you forgot advice. Perhaps tuition was the wrong angle to take; basically I just want to know if the students seem to be truly happy or overwhelmed and regretting their choice. I am just trying to inform myself, I hope nobody was offended by this post in any way but I’m desperate for a bit of first-hand info at the moment. </p>
<p>no apologies needed – I think you’re trying to assure yourself – that makes sense. In reality, no one can have 100% assurance. What I’d recommend for my kids is (not in any particular order): </p>
<p>1) are there enough nearby and capable advising (academic, social, personal) services, 2) is the institution well run or are they do they give AOL-type of customer service?, 3) can you get the classes you need in your desired majors, 4) what opps do students have for fun (besides the surface keg parties and night clubs), 5) are instructors accessible? 6) are fellow students intellectually challenging or is there a “dumbed down” culture on campus?</p>
<p>I guess these are a reflection of what I value and hope my kids value as well. That being said, I personally have known 2 Cornell grads (one being an usher at my wedding). They enjoyed themselves and have done well with their degrees (both in engineering).</p>
<p>*for your (previous typo) </p>
<p>I understand what you mean. Good list as well, basically what I try to consider when researching a certain college. Of course I cannot say that all points are true from just what I’ve found out through visiting/asking around, but it seems to satisfy the questions posed. Do you mind if I pm you a few questions so as not to keep bumping the thread? @T26E4 </p>
<p>I love Cornell. I love Arts and Sciences. There were a few things I was worrying about coming in but the fears proved to be unsubstantial:</p>
<p>I was worried there were too many people. Cornell was the largest university I applied to; almost everywhere else was a small liberal arts college. But I am already recognizing faces in dining halls or on the way to classes. There are still a lot of opportunities to meet people individually. My dorm has dinners and desserts together once a week, along with other organized trips downtown or to NYC. Large lectures aren’t actually as terrifying as I thought they would be, and my class sizes really vary. One of my classes has only 5 people and one has over 900. So I get to experience both worlds and they both have their pros and cons.</p>
<p>I was also worried the campus would be too big and I would get lost. However, I had the advantage of living in Ithaca so I came on campus over the summer many times and my mom (who attended Cornell and still remembers how to get everywhere and what shortcuts to take) showed me how to get to all the quads and to all my classes. The campus also doesn’t feel huge because, for the most part, your classes are contained in one or two quads. You walk a ton every day but it keeps you in shape. I was worried I would never actually know my way around but by this point I can get practically everywhere on campus without a map.</p>
<p>I was worried it would be too competitive or that I would be the stupidest person in all my classes. There is a myth that colleges that are competitive to get into are also competitive once you get there. Personally, I haven’t seen this. Nobody sabotages other people’s notes or work or anything. People form study groups and try to help each other learn the material. I’m also not the stupidest person. Nobody here is stupid. There are people here who are extremely intelligent and perhaps see certain aspects of the world differently than I do, but likewise I see it differently from them. Everybody here has strengths and weaknesses. It isn’t like high school where you can point out the top and bottom of the class. I am good at certain subjects and bad at others, and so is everybody here.</p>
<p>Overall, I could not possibly picture myself at another college. Cornell is by far where I belong and where I feel I was destined to go all my life. That doesn’t mean it’s the right college for everybody. It doesn’t mean it’ll be the best choice for me for grad school. But for where I am in life right now, it is perfect.</p>
<p>thanks so much @Ranza123 !! You seem deeply involved with the school both on campus and off; I am assuming you may know some alumni?? I am afraid I am hopelessly infatuated with the school after just visits and research. Yet due to my family’s situation payment will be difficult. Too much money for any aid, too little to pay tuition in full…the eternal problem of the middle class! Anyway, do you know if any of the past students you may have had contact with found loans bearable and payable, and their education to pay off in terms of career positions/opportunities?? I am very grateful for all you’ve provided above!! Thanks again! </p>
<p>The financial situation is extremely daunting. I am lucky enough that my parents value my education above all else and are willing to do anything to pay off my tuition. We are middle class as well, making ~$150,000 a year prior to taxes. To give you a sense, we are paying $53K per year; we are receiving one $5,000 loan and then I am personally expected to work and come up with an additional $2500 (I am currently writing this from my desk at my work-study job). It’s a lot, to be sure. My parents are taking out loans of their own and making it so that I don’t have to worry a ton about finances right now; they take care of almost everything. </p>
<p>In my mind, a Cornell degree is worth it. My mother said her Cornell degree was what landed her her first jobs. She said it opened a lot of opportunities for her. Granted, she and all her siblings went for free because their father worked there which, at the time, meant free tuition for them. </p>
<p>I do have other friends who are alumni, but I honestly haven’t talked to them about their financial situations. I do know that their Cornell degrees have opened doors for them already; one is currently a grad student at Yale studying psychology and another is at NYU Law School right now. Whether or not the price tag ends up being worth it is ultimately up to you and your parents. </p>
<p>I have been here for a little over a month (transfer, ILR) and am absolutely loving it. The work is definitely challenging, but the environment here is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before, and is better than I had ever imagined. </p>