“How have your experiences influenced you to consider the College of Human Ecology and how will your choice of major(s) impact your goals and plans for the future?”
Do I have to mention Cornell specifically in the essay (Why Cornell?) or do I just talk about my experiences and future plans?
For this type of essay, you should be able to explain an interest of yours in a unique way while tailoring it specifically to Cornell’s resources. Let’s say, for argument’s sake, your field of interest is Biology. You might start off your essay in some way that demonstrates your interest, talk about experiences that have strengthened/convinced you off pursuing this interest, and then discussing what at Cornell will facilitate your pursuit of this interest (i.e. Biology labs,research etc). Note that this last point (discussing Cornell) should be unique; if you were to substitute College X with Cornell and the essay still makes sense, that’s not necessarily good.