<p>To the Cornellians on CC,
My GT/TO application has arrived for Cornell AEM, and I am not in danger in any way (my college GPA is high enough and I haven't done anything out of the ordinary). I would like to ask you guys a few questions, as this is a big decision for me and I don't want to risk getting it wrong.
1. If there's one thing I love, it's BC's faculty and staff. The faculty and staff are caring and fun to talk to. They are willing to spend office hours going over my questions some. Most that I've spent time with are passionate about their field and have pointed me to people I should talk to and what classes I should take. Some have even shared stories about their personal lives, which is really interesting to hear. I've heard Cornell's faculty is nowhere near as kind or as attentive. Is this true, and to what extent?
2. The student body at BC, on the other hand, is boring as hell. Or as I like to call it "too well-rounded". Don't get me wrong, I have a lot of friends there, but as a whole, the student body is homogeneous. Most I've met fall under the category of "president of student council/NHS, varsity sports, extremely involved, AP classes, good old American etc.". Even the interesting people have become more homogeneous as time goes on. The social scene revolves around beer and sports, which I'm not into at all. I want a much more tight-knit community where everyone has different personalities, interests, and stories to tell. To what extent does Cornell provide for a diverse and more low-key student body/social life? Also, are getting into clubs uber-competitive and cutthroat (as in I have to do applications for every single thing that I am interested in)?
3. Cornell's "no majors outside of your school" policy is hard to take in. Is there any way to get around it, because I would really like to couple AEM with philosophy in CAS?
4. How much more rigorous is Cornell AEM? I found this semester to be surprisingly easy and non-intellectual (hence my high first semester GPA). This might be because it's only the first semester, so I can't really talk about the rigors of the school. I want Cornell to be challenging, but not at the expense of my GPA (I am pre-law). Does Cornell provide a rigorous but not impossible to get a high GPA, environment?
5. What makes Cornell special to you?
6. Would you transfer to your top choice school (if not Cornell) if you were given the opportunity to?
Thanks for your help?</p>
<ol>
<li>Yes and no. I’m only a freshmen, but most of my professors are quite kind and caring with the exception of a couple. I’ve heard both phenomenal and unsatisfactory comments from other people.</li>
<li>Cornell has much, much more diversity than BC. Yes, there is a large drinking scene, but you will find a much more diverse group of people here than at BC.</li>
<li>I really don’t know the answer, though I know it’s difficult to do that, if you can. I’m interested in majoring in AEM and something outside it is as well.</li>
<li>AEM is a decent amount of work, but the grades are generally pretty high for the courses. I’ve heard they have been trying to crack down a bit, but I have a friend in AEM who is not really smart at all and does fairly bad in non-AEM courses, and he is managing close to a 3.5.</li>
<li>I know it’s cliche, but the diversity. There are so many kids here that do things you would never expect, and everyone really is different in their own ways.</li>
<li>Umm…good question. I actually considered transferring because academics are the single most important thing to me (yeah, I still have a huge social life/friends at Cornell), but I only have decent grades and the only schools I would consider are Dartmouth and Penn.</li>
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<ol>
<li><p>I’ve been to almost all of my profs’/TAs’ office hours, and they have all been extremely caring and eager to help. It’s only been one semester and I’m sure Cornell has its fair share of not-so-great faculty, but so far I’ve been very impressed. For ex., my astronomy professor spent an entire hour patiently explaining one important concept to me, and my psychology professor discussed not only majoring and pursuing careers in psych, but also related personal stories about himself and his family. If you take the initiative to go to office hours and get to know your profs (no one will take you by the hand and force you to go), I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.</p></li>
<li><p>Cornell’s student body is certainly diverse, although I think it’s much too overplayed…most of the people I’ve met are from NY/NJ. Still, you’ll find a wide variety of interests and personal backgrounds. Many students are into partying/drinking, but many prefer sobriety and have fun in other ways; I also don’t drink or party and had no trouble making friends and having a great time socially. Clubs are easy to join and get involved in…there’s a huge club fair during orientation week where you can sign up for as many as you want (with no commitment), and everyone is really open to receiving new members.</p></li>
<li><p>Other than certain dual degree programs, you can unfortunately only major within your college. However, many minors are listed across colleges, and you are allowed to take courses in any of the 7. So you can major in AEM and take philosophy courses as electives, although keep in mind that CALS will limit the number of CAS credits you can take.</p></li>
<li><p>I’ve heard that AEM isn’t rigorous, but that’s purely speculation on my part.</p></li>
<li><p>The people I’ve met, the endless academic opportunities, the beauty of the campus…it really is a place for any student, any study, and you’ll make amazing friends along the way. I honestly wasn’t sure how much I’d like it here - I literally applied to Cornell at the last minute because my dad suggested it - but choosing to attend was the best decision I ever made.</p></li>
<li><p>I wouldn’t transfer out of Cornell, no. But as much as I love it…if you are happy at BC and feel like you’re getting a good education, I don’t see why you should transfer. What’s most important is that you’re comfortable where you are and will enjoy your college experience.</p></li>
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<p>I actually went to Boston College for my freshmen year and transferred to Cornell so I feel that I can help answer some of your questions…
- My favorite thing about Boston College was how caring the faculty and staff were. I still keep in touch with some of my professors today. In terms of forming connections with students/getting to know their students, Cornell’s faculty doesn’t measure up. They definitely do exceed BC’s faculty in other areas though. If you put the effort in to get to know your professors, however, it is very possible to get to know them and form connections with them. Putting yourself out there was not entirely necessary at BC.
- I feel like I was in the exact same boat last year. The student body at BC was by far, my biggest problem with the school. Cornell’s student body is so much more diverse and down to earth. That doesn’t mean that the social life is “low-key.” You have Boston at BC. At Cornell, the social life is built around the school and is very prevalent and never boring, in my opinion. Getting into clubs are not uber-competitive or cutthroat. If you want to join a club, you can.<br>
- Unfortunately, you cannot major within more than one college at Cornell. However, you can take classes within any of Cornell’s 7 undergraduate colleges.
- I had a 3.9 at Boston College and I have a 3.9 at Cornell with a similar amount of effort/work put in (slightly more at Cornell because Cornell’s workload is slightly greater though still ENTIRELY manageable. I felt like I didn’t have enough work at BC.)
- I feel like I found my niche at Cornell and I wasn’t able to say that about Boston College. Cornell’s campus is stunning, its student body is so diverse, the academic opportunities are endless and the social scene is awesome.
- No way… I love it here… if you have any questions about the transfer process, feel free to ask :)</p>
<p>Thanks for all your responses, guys.
I don’t know how to explain what I feel about BC. BC was everything I expected it to be, yet it’s so bland. It didn’t contain many surprises for me, which makes it so boring. Cornell was my first choice when I applied for colleges. Its beauty died down a little for me when it sent that “rejection” letter, yet from my research, it still has everything I want out of the college, both academically and socially. The only reasons I don’t want to transfer is because I don’t know if I can handle the workload at Cornell (the moniker “hardest Ivy to get out of” does mean something to me) and because I don’t want to risk having to start over socially and academically.</p>
<p>You really shouldn’t worry about the workload as an AEM student…it is really managable. But yeah, social repercussions are always an issue.</p>
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<p>Just because you can’t major in it doesn’t mean you can’t take classes (and honestly, there is no job difference between a single and double major). For example, I’m an ILR student, this was my schedule:</p>
<p>Fall:
- Econ class
- ILR class
- Government class
- Philosophy class
- Philosophy class</p>
<p>Spring:
- ILR class
- Stat class
- Econ class
- Math class
- Philosophy Graduate Seminar</p>
<p>The requirements for AEM are similar in that you will have much room to take electives in whatever fields you want (from what I’ve seen no major outside of engineering will need more than 3 required classes in any one semester to fulfill graduation requirements by senior year, and most semesters will require 2; this means you’ll have 1-2 classes per semester to take electives in whatever you wish).</p>