<p>Hey!
I just have a couple of questions regarding the Computer Science program at Cornell. I have researched the university in the past couple of months and have decided that I am absolutely set on applying ED to CoE next year, and would definitely consider Cornell much over Cal Tech, MIT, or Ga Tech, but I still have a copule of questions that would probably best be answered by someone who attends Cornell.
So to the point:
1.
I want to major in CS as I is implied previously, but I also want to learn about graphics/animation. Is there a minor in that or is it included in the CS program?</p>
<p>2.
Also, as a hobby, I have always enjoyed Photoshop and designing "stuff" in it , anyway, does Cornell offer any "glamour retouch" or professional retouch classes. I have been trying to figure out the process, but have had no luck, so I was hoping Cornell might have something to offer which I am sure it probably does.</p>
<p>3.
Also, I know that Cornell is well not persay isolated from big cities, but it is rather far away from NYC, and as far as internships go: what kind of companies can a CS undergrad intern with? ( I'm sure it includes big companies, but this is just out of curiosity question) also what summer would it be best to do so?</p>
<p>4.
I know that as freshman there are many core classes that I'd probably need to take, so how long does it take to actually get to the "core" of the actual major.</p>
<p>5.
Are the professors accessible after class for the large classes, or do they consider students as mainly numbers and only allow "questions" during office hours or whenever specified?</p>
<p>Oh and by the way, if there are any links that would explain any of the questions, I'd love to see.
Thank you!
Hopefull Cornellian.
:]</p>
<ol>
<li><p>There's a minor in game design which may cover a lot of what you want to study. But there is also a lot of room for electives in the core requirements (and even the major requirements - take a look at the 3-course upper level concentration). Take a look at the course catalog at Courses</a> of Study 2007-2008 and see what you like.</p></li>
<li><p>See 1 four course catalog. Again, big school, so there's almost always something along the lines of what you're looking for.</p></li>
<li><p>Speaking as a rising sophomore, I can't really give you first hand experience here. A lot of companies come by and visit, sometimes in Duffield Hall (Microsoft came by last year and gave away a boatload of free stuff). One of your summers can be spent doing co-op, which is pretty much an internship + one semester spent working at a company, generally with pay, so you can get more sizable projects done than one could do in a summer.</p></li>
<li><p>Depends on how many courses you've already done in AP / place out of, but with AP CS credit, I was taking all CS 200 level courses last year. Keep in mind also that even though certain courses are technically part of the core, they are pretty focused on CS - CS 211 and CS 280 are technically general college requirements. See the catalog along with the course requirements at the CoE website to get an idea of what I mean.</p></li>
<li><p>In every class I had, including the 700 person Chem 209, you could wait a minute and ask a quick question or two to the professor who was always willing to help. If you have more questions, they'll encourage you to go to office hours, but generally they seem to be very willing to help you out. You can check ratemyprofessors.com to get some idea of what a professor is like before you enroll for a class, but don't worry about that so much right now.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Hope that helps. In general, don't worry, everything will work out :)</p>
<p>On the internships question - Cornell attracts the top companies. We have great relations with Google, Microsoft etc and a whole slew of Ibanks if you want to go that route. Take a look at CornellTrak and go to the career services office to get more information. I'll guarantee you this, Cornell's location is by no means a hindrance to your ability to get an internship.</p>
<p>monkey89: Thank you for the information! I will deffinitely take a look at the course selection. Gaming is actually what I really want to do, so this will deffinitely help!<br>
4. Oh all right, I took Comp Sci A this year but I didn't think I did so well. :\ I transferred into the class half way through the year and our teacher didn't do anything. haha But you never know!</p>
<p>Thank you once again!</p>
<p>Cornell2011: Thank You! I will do some more searching.</p>
<p>From my limited experience, CS is generally not taught well in high school. So don't fret too much if you had trouble with it. You'll have plenty of time to get up to speed with CS 100.</p>
<p>BTW, sorry for using the old three digit course numbers. I don't have a handbook with the new ones in it yet, haha. But you should get the idea.</p>
<p>Yes, that is true!
I took C from EPGY for one year, so I think I have got the basic core concepts of programming, but obviously not all the concepts , probably just minor ones.
Still, thank you! The courses are interesting. It's making me excited for this upcoming fall, hopefully I will get in! It'll be devastating if I don't. :[ haha
Thank you though! You have been very helpful.
oh , by the way, can we all ready start on our essays? Or do I have to wait till applications are available for 2009?
I just want to get my essays over with.</p>
<p>You definitely don't have to worry about finding jobs/internships. I know of at least one person interning at every major tech company, save Apple (and from what I hear from a tech guy/manager at Apple, they don't recruit much outside of the Bay Area). I personally am at Cisco this summer, and I know there are at least 15-20 other Cornellians here with me (at least half of which are CS majors), and that's just one company. I also know of a lot of people who are working for banks and hedge funds this summer, so you can always go that route (provided you have good enough credentials). </p>
<p>Most CS courses don't have the "core" classes as prerequisites, so you can always put them off or take half CS/half other classes. I only just finished my Engineering requirements during my second-semester junior year (yeah I'm lazy like that).</p>
<p>Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions, or even just post more here.</p>
<p>Thank you towerpumpkin!
I'll PM you if i have more questions.</p>
<p>Hey, towerpumpkin,</p>
<p>Do you know of anyone who is interning in Japan? Well, my friends are all going to Japan next year, and if there is a chance to intern there, it will be so great.</p>
<p>I actually know two people there right now. One is a Hotelie and the other is an ORIE major. Don't know exactly what they're doing but I know that opportunities for work/study abroad are present. Specifically in Asia, I know a lot of people who have found work in Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Tokyo. Cornell also has extensive study abroad programs with various universities over there.</p>
<p>To go along with monkey89 on 4)</p>
<p>I also placed out of CS 100 (or whatever it is now) and took 211 fall, 280 spring -- but I also know of people who took CS 100 in the fall and then took both 211 and 280 (the sophomore level courses) in their freshmen spring. Either way, you definitely get ahead -- especially since the prerequisites for most 300 and 400 level classes are only CS 211 and CS 280 (or whatever their equivalents are now), so you can take them starting your sophomore year, which is pretty sweet.</p>
<p>Also, the professors within the CS department consistently amaze me -- my advisor won the Turing award (!!), and my CS 280 professor apparently wrote a paper cited over 500 times... every CS professor I've had has all these amazing accomplishments, it's astonishing.</p>