Comfort level at Cornell for the non-rich

<p>Well it looks like this question has been answered, but I just want to reiterate the point. I’m not wealthy, and I never once felt out of place during my 4 years at Cornell. This is not at all a school for only wealthy students. On the contrary, because of its generous financial aid, it’s very accessible to people from poorer or middle class backgrounds.</p>

<p>Wow finally found out some (non-international) people who were also paying full tuition today. Wouldn’t have guessed it though.</p>

<p>Petersuu - I think you’ll find most people from around major cities, where cost of living is higher, are paying full fare. The reason is for those families they need to make 200K+ in order to afford a home and employers around those areas tend to pay higher salaries too. What is unfortunate is that families with income of 150-250K living at those high cost areas have a very hard time paying full fare for college tuition, but are not eligible for FA and schools like Cornell do not offer merit aid.</p>

<p>Er, all the people i met from NYC are actually getting fin aid.</p>

<p>The people I met who were paying full are also from SW like me.</p>

<p>My experience is decades old, but I’m delighted to see that things may not have changed much. I was on maximum financial aid. Even after all the work study, student loan maximums, small merit scholarships from inside and outside Cornell, and my paltry parental contribution, there was still a gap of thousands of dollars that Cornell covered. I had an obviously wealthy roommate my first year (you could tell from her closet!). She was very nice but I found my own friends. I have no idea who paid full fare, none of us led expensive lives. The only thing I remember spending money on was the occasional junk food (hot trucks! Collegetown Bagels! Shakes at Willard Strait), on-campus movies (yay Cornell Cinema), and getting home over breaks (always an adventure). Thrift shop clothes were already in vogue. Maybe it would be different in the Greek system but I agree with Petersuu that even if people have money they don’t usually flaunt it. More interesting things to think/talk/learn about!</p>

<p>I am paying full fare for my D, but we are not rich. I am the kind that oldfort mentioned - have a hard time paying full fare for college tuition, but are not eligible for FA (and schools like Cornell do not offer merit aid). We don’t even live in high cost area but it is still difficult to pay such an amount of tuition/room/board.</p>

<p>Since there are about 50% Cornell students getting FA and there are many paying full fare who are not rich, I think most students are quite comfortable at Cornell.</p>

<p>Not all rich people are snobs. Some in the lower economic levels can be just as hard to get along with. It’s all about confidence and looking beyond this. Cornell is huge. It’s easy to find people you like and avoid those you don’t.</p>

<p>My kid’s on almost full financial aid. Nobody seems to care, and he has friends. “Mom, there are people here who think nothing of just spending five dollars whenever!” He’s certainly mentioned meeting people of higher income levels, but doesn’t feel uncomfortable at all. Don’t let a concern like that keep your kid from applying (or attending, if accepted).</p>

<p>It’s a big school–there will be great people and jerk people, and income isn’t always the dividing line. But I’m sure your kid will find friends.</p>

<p>A friend of mine went to Cornell from a family that wad very poor. She loved Cornell. A wealthy friend at Cornell would sometimes take 20 people out for dinner. She got along fine with him and his friends. But over break he was jetting to Italy and she was working to pay for the next semester. </p>

<p>Cornell has a cross-section, with 20% of students from low income families, 30% middle-income, 30% upper-middle ($300k to $600k per year) and 20% from wealthy families, ranging from the three house families to the dozen palace families.</p>

<p>The size of Cornell makes it easy to meet people with shared interests who don’t hold it against you that your family just bought a small country or if they live in a trailer park.</p>

<p>Wherever you go, there are a lot of rich people in higher education. That is because wealthy people tend to place greater emphasis on education in raising their children. However, I’m going to say that only an EXTREMELY small percentage of “wealthy” people are snobby. Someone’s financial background has little to nothing to do with how they fit in socially with other people at college.</p>

<p>Half the kids are on financial aid and at a school the size of Cornell, that’s a lot of kids. Plus a lot of those who are full pay are closer in socio-eco to those getting some aid than the those who come from truly wealthy familes. I don’t think it’s a huge issue there to find students who have to watch their expenses. Not to mention, some from well to do families are on tight budgets at college. My close friend from college came from a outright wealthy family but she worked for extra money and only got so much a month for her expenses. </p>

<p>I don’t know the % of PELL eligible students there, but for those coming from families that are close to or below poverty level, that can be a tough go. Even those from families who are not in great financial shape often get goodies and help from parents that make it a bit less than bare bones. Not so from those who come from households who are troubled and truly struggling, and that’s a whole other story. The drop out rates for those kids from some of the selective schools are troubling.</p>

<p>I wouldn’t go that far. I think a lot of wealthy, and even comfortable people can be pretty snobby in that they prefer the company of other people like them. Will someone who is not wealthy find friends at Cornell - absolutely.</p>

<p>Socioeconomic status does come into play at Cornell but it does not mean that one will not find their niche. Those from “average” middle class backgrounds do find it harder to afford things that richer students take for granted such as trips, the latest clothing, internship opportunities in the larger cities over summers, etc. That said, if one is comfortable from the background that they came from, it does make fitting in easier. My d’s friends do not seem to mind that she is not from the same socioeconomic background, but sometimes she does have to say “no” to certain activities because she is on a tight budget - and for her this could mean not going out to dinner.</p>

<p>The world that a Cornell graduate will probably live in will have many obnoxious, showy, rich people and even some obnoxious, showy people who aren’t particularly rich. We’re not poor but my kids really can’t stand those kinds of kids but they are there. There will be kids from comfortable backgrounds who are “down-to-earth” and those that aren’t. Might as well get used to life in the gilded age part II.</p>

<p>“I am Charlotte Simmons” by Tom Wolfe is a great book which has a very poor girl from Appalachia who is roommates with the daughter of a corporate CEO in a college that supposedly is modeled after Duke.</p>

<p>It’s hard to take someone named amazon seriously when they try to recommend you a book.</p>