Based on my own experience, this is my advice for seniors wondering what to do about the TO they just received:
First, allow yourself to feel however you want to feel about it for a few days. Some people are thrilled, some are not. Personally, I was devastated since I basically saw it as a second deferral and couldn't believe that they could actually do that. After settling down a little, I decided to move forward with the view that they DID want me, just not yet.
Please please please please do not go into your freshman year with the mindset of "I'll be leaving here next year to go to Cornell so it doesn't really matter". I chose my current school with this stuck in my head, and I'm really unhappy here and have applied to a number of different places as a transfer in addition to Cornell. Just wasn't the right place for me, but I thought it would be better because I wouldn't "get attached" too easily. This turned out to be true, but it's been more of a negative as my freshman year has kinda sucked. Put Cornell out of your mind and choose somewhere where you'll really be happy for four years, not just somewhere you can tolerate until you transfer.
Do not tell anyone at your current school that you have the TO offer. I kept it to myself and while it can be a bit weird when housing and course selection for sophomore year rolls around, you're much better off not telling anyone (except your advisor and professors, but only when it comes time to fill out paperwork).
Don't pester them with emails, they save ALL correspondence and put it in your file. Made this mistake myself, called them up the other day to ask if they had a received a syllabus I had sent them in January (note: the TO email address has a response time between 3 days-3 months) and while the lady was looking through my admissions file she read the dates off of every email I had ever sent to Cornell dating back to fall 2015 (probably 9 in total... geez I was annoying). Quite embarrassing.
Accept the offer. You have literally nothing to lose, it's not binding at all. Have a great freshman year, and then consider it again come March 2018.
@vlindo - Is it possible for you to share the Common Requirements list (for ILR) with me?
It’s not official I understand, but I want to start looking at the corresponding courses at my Community College. Their fall registration deadline is in the 2nd week of April.
You may email me if you so wish: cricketf at rocketmail dot com .
Two of the three distribution requirements (Science and technology, Western Intellectual Tradition (classes like AP Euro, Western Civ, etc.), and Cultural Perspectives (Comparative Politics, classes that focus on non-western thought, culture, society, etc.)
You should get the email in a few days and in the meantime you can email ILR with a tentative Fall schedule and see what they think.
My son also got the TO option for CALS. If he accepts the TO, he’ll have to face the difficult decision (as I’m sure most of you faced) as to where to go next year: (1) go to his 2nd choice school – which he loves & got a hefty merit scholarship; or (2) go locally to SDSU (dad is a prof there so he could go for free, but he didn’t apply, so not sure he could get in now) or go to CC.
@Pugslife I’m not sure exactly, but I would assume that as long as you meet the requirements you’re good. I had a bit of trouble reconciling Cornell’s requirements with my school’s requirements so I’m a little nervous about the outcome of my application, but it seems to be relatively guaranteed.
@Steglitz90 In my opinion he should go to his second choice. He’ll likely have an amazing year and it sounds as if it won’t be too bad financially. Wherever he would choose if Cornell had flat-out rejected him is probably the best place to go. The TO should not really be a guiding factor as to what school to choose for freshman year- I approached it this way and greatly regret it.
@Steglitz90@aihcxx
My situation is a bit different. I am already taking Community College classes for my HS senior year. At CC, just about everyone is looking to transfer to a 4 year university so nobody looks at you funny if they find out that you are a TO student.
I have made some great friends here at CC even though we don’t share the same classes. I will continue to be in touch with them even after we go our different ways.
I can understand the problem if I were to go to a 4 year university and then transfer out in one year. There are some articles I read where this is even called ‘unethical’, but with a CC there is no such dilemma.
@cricketfan re: I can understand the problem if I were to go to a 4 year university and then transfer out in one year. There are some articles I read where this is even called ‘unethical’, but with a CC there is no such dilemma.
I have seen some blogs where it is called unethical. However, many students transfer in & out of schools for various reasons. I am leaning toward him being committed to his 2d choice & going there because I think that school is a great fit for him (& also is very different from Cornell, which may not be as good a fit, despite being an Ivy). I think there is a very good chance that he’d go to his 2d choice & love it so much that he wouldn’t want to transfer. If he just goes to CC, he never finds that out.
@Steglitz90 - That is perfectly valid if his 2nd choice is a good fit.
For me personally Cornell is the best fit of all the colleges where I have been accepted (or semi-accepted).
@Steglitz90 As a TO student currently at a private university where very few students (<4%) transfer out after freshman year, I can understand the ethical question but I think more of the complications with the TO come from the different social expectations and atmosphere at a 4-year college rather than a 2-year. I entered freshman year hesitant to commit to an activity (for example, I really wanted to join a sorority but decided against it, didn’t take a student government position, etc) because I had the transfer option in the back of my mind. I’ve substantially deviated from a normal course progression at my university in order to fulfill the TO requirements, earning me some weird looks when people find out I’m a political science major in a class full of nursing majors (gotta love that 2-lab requirement for humec). It also creates issues around housing and course selection, I’ve had to make a lot of awkward excuses for why I did random housing selection instead of living with my friends next year, because my real reasoning was that I didn’t want to screw them over mid-summer by suddenly cancelling my housing contract and leaving them with a stranger filling my spot. I guess this can be taken back to the ethics of how Cornell feels it can put students in these situations, but in the end everything I’ve done was my choice, not Cornell’s.
Again, I would recommend that your son goes with his 2nd choice- I certainly wish I had. If he loves it and doesn’t want to transfer, great. If he has a good year but ultimately decides that Cornell is still the best place for him, great. If he gets there and realizes he hates it, Cornell is there for him!
@Steglitz90 - I don’t want to make your decision harder than it already is but there are pros and cons in both options. See some of the past threads on this subject. Apparently this option has been out there at least for 10-12 years now.
Pros of going to 4-year University:
*) If it is a good fit then your son can continue there and forget about Cornell (while keeping that as a back-pocket option)
*) Start with a proper Freshman year experience. Be surrounded by equal or higher caliber students and become better prepared for Cornell.
*) Less problem in explaining to family/relatives/friends who all keep asking where you will be going to college in Fall.
Cons of going to 4-year University:
*) It may be harder to maintain the requirements of the TO. For example, they require not just a certain minimum GPA but also NOTHING less than a ‘B’. Even a ‘B-’ could ruin his chances at Cornell. In Universities the students are generally graded on a curve so he will have to remain on the top of his class to maintain eligibility. In a CC it is much easier to maintain your GPA.
*) All the courses required by Cornell might not be available to your son at the 4-year university in the First year. Also the undergrad consular may be less sympathetic in making exceptions for someone who will be leaving in a year. They would much rather give those open seats to someone who will complete 4 years.
*) Professors also will be less inclined to bend the rules (e.g. occasional late HW submission) for the students they know will be transferring in a year.
*) I hear that in many Universities (even top tier ones), the lower undergrad classes are mostly taught by TAs and Grad-students and not professors. The quality of this instruction is typically sub-par from that of a CC where actual professors have to teach each class.
These are all legitimate experiences which students have faced in the past years. The old CollegeConfidential threads have many such examples.
At the end of the day, trying to ride 2 boats at the same time is not a good idea. Whatever he decides he must go full force with it.
Good luck to him.
Hi @aihcxx, I really appreciate your response. I was rejected for Fall 2017 (same as you, HumEc, but HBHS) but received the TO, and I definitely want to pursue it. I just have a couple of questions, if that’s alright!
In your experience, did you have any difficulty with meeting the course requirements? When you registered for classes/spoke with your counselor, did you let them know right off the bat of your transfer requirements?
Also, you mentioned deciding against joining a sorority, was there a reason you didn’t want to join then affiliate at Cornell? Are you planning on rushing as a sophomore once you transfer?
Depends on what you mean by “difficulty”. I go to a school with a relatively open core curriculum, I came in as a sophomore through AP credit, and there were no prereqs/registration barriers for the courses I wanted. The only issue I had was an “English composition” course, which I was unable to register for because of two 5’s on AP English barring me from “retaking” the course which I had already received credit for- I had to find a “writing intensive” class that I’m essentially trying to pass off to Cornell as English comp, even though it’s really not. In terms of difficulty of completion, I’ve struggled all semester through two very difficult biology courses and my grades are barely hanging onto the B+ required by Cornell- I’m not a 'science-y" person so it’s been a pretty rough experience haha. I’m also unfortunately only taking 4 credits towards my actual major (18 total) because there’s basically no overlap between my school’s reqs and Cornell’s. I did not mention the TO to my advisor until January, when she needed to sign some forms for me. I would say that talking to your advisor earlier is probably a good idea, especially if you anticipate issues completing the courses.
I was so close to signing up for rush, but decided against it literally right before the deadline. I know that I could affiliate at Cornell, but my school and Cornell only have 5 sororities in common so it would be taking a risk that I would get a bid from one that doesn’t have a presence at Cornell. Also felt that it would be unfair to the chapter if I joined knowing that there was a good chance that I would be leaving after one year. I am planning on rushing at Cornell if I’m admitted, I know that it’s more difficult to get a bid but I hope there’s a space for me somewhere!
@aihcxx Thank you for such a detailed response! I definitely have similar concerns with maintaining a strong GPA given the two lab science requirements, so I guess I’ll do my best to power through! It’s unfortunate that so few credits go towards your actual major, and I wouldn’t be surprised if I run into the same issue; at least I have a better idea of what to possibly expect. My major at my first-year school and Cornell are relatively similar (literally Human Bio there and Human Bio at Cornell, lol), so hopefully that can ease the pain. I’ll make sure to make my advisor aware asap (awk lol).
You’ve also given me a lot to think about in terms of whether or not to rush at my first-year school. I’m hoping to get a better idea once I’m actually there. As of now, I think I might want to rush anyway, just in case my transfer to Cornell doesn’t work out; honestly, that’s totally subject to change. Overall, I don’t think I know enough about Greek life.
Thanks again! Really appreciate it, and best of luck!!
Hey! I’m in the same situation with being a bridge student (hs senior taking courses at CC!) I don’t love the idea of staying at home another year but I think going to the CC next year is the best choice for me. I’ll be graduating HS in June with 23 credits so I’m really interested to see what the transfer office has to say about all that… I could have my associates by next May at my CC, one year out of high school.
Finance wise, this is the most economic choice for me. I’m a GT for the ILR school, which is state endowed or whatever so it’s cheaper and I’m in the top 10% at my HS so I actually get free tuition at my CC.
At the same time… I have apprehensions about Cornell in general. Friends who have attended/are attending cite having major mental/emotional breakdowns from the stress. I did enjoy my visit to the school this past fall tho… I think I may apply to a few other schools just as a safety measure (bc even tho these threads seem to say no GT’s haven’t made it in I’m super paranoid) and also just to make sure I have options in the end.
