CALS Freshman Taking Questions!

<p>So I know this is highly unoriginal, but I'm sick at home and most of my friends are out of town, so I'd be happy to answer any questions about Cornell! I'm an Animal Science major in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and I just finished my first semester, and I know I definitely relied on CC as a resource when I was in high school, so I'd love to offer any insight into dorms, campus, academics, drinking, grading, friends, Ithaca, professors, dining halls parties, life at Cornell, anything really! A bit of background: both my parents attended Cornell and when I was younger I always resisted fulfilling the family stereotype of going to Cornell, but as I grew up and seriously looked at colleges, it just so happened that my parents' alma matter was the perfect school for me. I applied Early Decision last year, was accepted, sailed though the remained of senior year, and flew out to Ithaca in August! I went on an Odyssey trip(which I would highly recommend, it's where I met some of my closest friends!), live in JAM, go out on occasion, work/study very hard, I'm involved with a few groups on campus and I'm applying to jobs for next semester! Ask away CC, I await your questions!</p>

<p>I am applying for animal sciences at CALS and wonder what the student body is like? I grew up on a horse breeding farm, raised 4H show beef, chickens, etc. I guess you could say I am a country boy who likes the outdoors and being active. I have worked on farms my whole life. I occasionally resent being treated like an ignorant " farmer" especially from classmates who do not know me and assume because I drive an old dually my IQ <100. Does the same bias exist at CALS? What about the campus as a whole? Thanks and hope you feel better soon!</p>

<p>How would you say the rigor of courses is? Is getting a 3.8+ or even a 3.5+ realistic?</p>

<p>Okay, I’m not sure if you can answer this but I’ll give it a shot</p>

<p>I want to be an Actuary, always have. </p>

<p>Would I be better off applying to CAS and majoring in math, or CALS with the AEM program? Again, I know this isn’t your field, but I figured I’d give it a shot :)</p>

<p>I’ve been accepted at Cornell and will be pursuing an Animal Science major as well! What were courses like freshman year? How big were class sizes and what is the rigor of their coursework like? Also, how large is the animal science major? Do you and others in the AS major interact much as a whole?</p>

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<p>Thanks for doing this! My question is what do you/people think of Hotelies and the Hotel School?</p>

<p>Thanks!! and feel better!</p>

<p>Do you feel that you are getting a lot of hands-on experience? Also is there more of a concentration in small animals vs large animals? Thanks!</p>

<p>Is it harder to get into certain majors at CALS? For example, do you know if there’s a significant difference in admit rate between something like bioengineering and agriculture?</p>

<p>To get into animal science at Cornell do you have to have a lot of previous experience working with animals?
Thanks!</p>

<p>@rosie
In my app I didn’t mention much besides being part of 4-H breeding rabbits, my granddad having a ranch, and that I’ve had a diverse range of pets. Also that I was interested in veterinary medicine for graduate studies. Nothing detailed with my work with animals. Originally I planned on a bio major and the admissions advisor asked me if I would like to be considered for Animal Science. So it doesn’t seem like you need a lot of experience, but you should have some.</p>

<p>Thanks Jeremy!</p>

<p>@Cundalini It’s so nice to see another potential Animal Science major on here. I definitely cannot speak for everyone, but in my experience at Cornell, I really have not seen any bias towards farmers or country boy types. I feel like there is definitely a sense of mutual respect across campus in that everyone understands that we’re all smart, hardworking students facing the same academic hurdles that everyone else is. I have several friends who come from farming backgrounds and they feel right at home at Cornell. Especially in CALS, where even the title of our college features agriculture, there are no stigmas associated with farming or anything of the sort. Sorry for the delayed response, I’ve had family in town and been very preoccupied. Let me know if you have any other questions about Cornell or the Animal Science program in particular. I’ve found it to be wonderful and everything I was looking for in a major so far, and I’m only a semester in!!!</p>

<p>@magnificent6 I can honestly say that the rigor of Cornell classes cannot be understated. I came in with a very strong academic background (12 AP classes, top public high school in my state, etc.) and I’ve had to work very hard here. But I can honestly say I’d much rather go to a school like Cornell where you truly have to earn your grades than a school with ridiculous grade inflation (cough<strong>Harvard</strong> cough cough). I’m very studious by nature, and I worked hard this semester, but it all payed off as I received a 3.8. If you’re willing to prioritize academics over going out every weekend or sleeping ridiculous amounts, then you can certainly do well here. Cornell has countless resources, many of which I just started to take advantage of towards the end of the semester. For example, Chem 2070 (general chemistry, i.e. the bane of my existence) has a supplementary course that meets once a week that saved my ass on several occasions, in addition to office hours, practice questions, and school organized study groups.</p>

<p>@XAQXAQ I’m really not at all qualified to help you out on this but, from what I’ve picked up from the AEM and math majors I know, AEM is a business program through and through, which math seems to be more theoretical. So I suppose if you’re looking for a more practical, applicable business background I’d go with AEM, but if you have a real passion for math, then I’d go with CAS. Also, I don’t have any statistics to back this up, but I know AEM is incredibly hard to get into (acceptance rate of around 5% I believe), but once you’re in, the difficulty of the work is on the lesser side when compared to the rest of Cornell’s programs. From what I’ve heard, the true math courses here are very difficult and the students are some of the brightest here, so that’s also something to consider. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help!</p>

<p>Nope, that was more help than I expected, so thank you so much</p>

<p>Also, I’m from NY, so CALS has more benefits there… I’m still not sure, I’ll think it over, but thanks for the help!</p>

<p>@JeremyMC27 Welcome to Cornell Ansci! Ok so for your freshman year courses, everyone takes Ansci 1100 (Domestic Animal Biology) first semester as your first core major class. I came into the class expecting it to be easy. I figured I knew plenty about animals, and it would be a breeze. About two lectures into the class, I realized how wrong my preconceptions had been. 1100 serves as a true introduction to the field of animal science, and a lot of students treat it as a sort of litmus test to see if they’re really in the right program. You’ll cover all the different systems of the body (Skeletal, Muscular, Digestive, Cardiovascular, etc.), along with histology, meat science, reproduction, chickens, and a few other topics I’m sure I’m forgetting. There’s also a weekly laboratory portion of the class, in which you’ll dissect a chicken and a cow, and do a whole bunch of other things, like preparing blood smears, making yogurt, and meeting a fistulated cow. The class is ridiculously broad and time consuming, and I’ve never worked harder or learned so much. Definitely a good introduction to the field! </p>

<p>Along with 1100 most other students will take Chem 2070 or general chemistry, which is a terrible class, but almost a quarter of the freshman class suffers through it, so you’ll bond with others over the misery. You’ll probably also have to take a freshman writing seminar, which will be hit or miss, entirely depending on the professor or TA instructing it. I actually placed out of both FWS’s so I took a history class instead, which I really enjoyed. Most freshman take four classes, and you have some leeway in your fourth class. I took another ansci class (2150) called Avian Husbandry and Propagation, which actually turned out to be my favorite class! The first half of the course was all about psittacines (parrots) while the second half covered falconiformes (raptors) and strigiformes (owls). Another great class that I would definitely recommend to anyone with any interest in birds. Oh, and everyone has to take two PE courses. I took day hiking, which turned out to be blast!</p>

<p>Next semester I’ll be taking Ansci 2400 (reproduction), Ansci 2410 (reproduction lab), Ansci 1105 (contemporary perspectives of animal science), Ansci 2710 (big dog little dog), chem 2080 (gen chem II), intro to sociology, and a FWS (long story, but after talking with my advisor, we decided it would be a good idea for me to take a composition course even though I technically placed out of both, as almost all vet schools require at least one).</p>

<p>As far as course sizes, ansci 1100 had ~110 students (60ish per lab, but most labs were divided into two groups, so really it felt more like 30), 2150 had ~100 students, my history class had around 100 (8 in my discussion section), and chem 2070 has around 1000 students divided between two lectures, with 30 students per lab. </p>

<p>The animal science major is one of the largest in CALS, and has around 100 students per years, so around 400 total, I believe. </p>

<p>You’ll definitely interact with plenty of other ansci majors. 1100 kind of forces you to meet other people through the labs, as there are a few major group projects that you do. Others you’ll just kind of meet in random places, like lecture, sitting around Morrison (the Animal Science building), randomly mentioning an ansci class in your chem lab (actually how I met a good friend!), and other weird places. For me personally it was really nice to finally meet a whole group of other people as passionate about animals as I am. In high school all my friends knew me as the animal lover, and while they totally respected that part of me, it’s another experience entirely to be surrounded by people who share your passion.</p>

<p>@dougieb92 My dad was actually a hotelie, so I know plenty about the Hotel School! If I’m being honest, a lot of students here do kind of joke about the Hotel School as being super easy and question why a college about hotels even exists, but no one really means it. I actually know only one current hotelie, but he’s very smart and speaks highly about the courses and his peers. I have nothing but respect for hotelies, as most of them do have a real passion for what they’re studying and will go on to lead the hospitality industry. My dad actually ended up going to law school after he graduated from Cornell, so he never really worked in the hotel field, but he had a great time and his peers have done amazing things! And hey, if you’re truly looking to study hotels, then Cornell is absolutely the best place in the world to do it!</p>

<p>@fluteplayer742 It’s probably too early for me to comment on hands on experience as I’ve really only got one semester to go off of, but I feel like there are tremendous opportunities here for those students who take the effort to seek them. Ansci 1100, the core introduction animal science course that everyone in the major will take, has a farm component called Ezra’s Farm that takes place at one of the teaching barns on campus. Every student is assigned 5 chore times that each take around half an hour. Basically, you go in and perform the regular barn chores (i.e. feeding, mucking out stalls, grooming) for piglets, chicks, sheep with lambs, Dora the horse, and two adorable calves. So that is definitely immediate exposure that is about as hands on as it gets. One week into school, I was bottle feeding a calf and hosing down a muddy piglet. Labs also provide exposure, granted it is largely with dead animals used for dissections, although we did get to meet a live fistulated cow in one of our labs (google it!). Animal related clubs also have many opportunities for hand on experience, especially the more farm related groups, like the Block and Bridle Club.</p>

<p>As far as the emphasis between small animals and large animals, I really haven’t been exposed to enough of the program to make that call. I know there are plenty of classes that emphasize large animals (mostly cows), but also many classes on small animals and even exotics (I took a class about parrots my very first semester)!</p>

<p>@puellamagi I’m really not qualified to answer that, but I do know that in CALS students are admitted by major, so I’d assume there are differences in acceptance rate between programs. I know for sure that AEM has a very low acceptance rate, but I’d imagine that for majors like Viticulture or Entomology, both of which are incredibly specific fields that would attract a limited number of applicants, the acceptance rates are higher. My advice would be to apply to the major that you are best suited for. Sure Viticulture may have a higher acceptance rate than Animal Science(this is pure speculation on my part), but had I applied to that major, I simply would have had nothing to discuss in my application essays and none of my ECs would have had any relevance. Apply to the major that you’re most suited for, and if after you’ve gone through a semester or two at Cornell and decide you want to switch, then that’s a very realistic option.</p>

<p>cornellian926–thank you for your very informative posts; I am learning as I read. I am a Cornell alum and I never knew that animal science majors had farm chores!</p>