<p>In response to quiktrak mentioned that DEA is not in Art, Architecture and Planning school. When applying, it would perhaps be worth comparing the two kinds of interior design program - ones that belong to a architecture/design school and others that belong to a human ecology college respectively. Being in two different schools can suggest that they have different visions. This does not mean that one is superior to another, but just the different perspectives and kinds of possibilities they each offer. </p>
<p>(I will not further elaborate but leave it to one’s own interpretation from the respective websites, but on that note, I got a truly pleasant surprise on what I gained in retrospect.)</p>
<p>iaID- I’m so happy to see someone from ID/DEA post here. My d will be starting in the fall and she has a few questions.
What would be more appropriate to take - Human Development or Psych101?
Which Science lab course would you recommend? She has a horrible physics teacher now and feels she may not be prepared for Physics at Cornell. On the other hand, she feels that physics - as opposed to chem - would complement her major. An yadvice?
I think 17 credits is a LOT for a freshman - especially with the studio course. Many ID students she spoke to at Cornell Days felt the same way and either did fewer courses, withdrew from a course or 2, or did a course at a community college at home. Any input here??
Do DEA students have EC opportunities? She wants to do a club sport for one season as well as continue with her music in an ensemble. Thoughts?</p>
<p>Woody -
Best of luck to your daughter - Cornell is a great place to go to school, and the design program is truly top notch. To answer your questions . . .
Either HD115 or Psych101 are great. They cover the same material. The Human Development class might be smaller. I took Psych101 as a freshman with 500 other students, and now the class is even larger, and held in Bailey Auditorium. Depends on what you’d prefer - but both will give you a strong psychology background.
There are a lot of different science classes to take. Physics is difficult up here, but I had classmates who took it and did ok - some without taking physics in high school. I took Bio109 and Bio110 (the course numbers may have changed, but it was called Biology for Non-Majors). The biology courses fit best into my schedule, and I enjoyed them. I found material from that class applicable to a lot of my other course work. If however, you have more of an interest in architecture and engineering - physics may be a good choice.
17 credits IS a lot for a first year student. It’s important to only carry 15 at most. By sophomore year I was taking more credits per semester, but for the first 2 semesters at Cornell I was happy to only take 15. A lot of adjusting takes place in the first year - having a manageable course load is really crucial to enjoying freshman year and giving yourself a good foundation to build on in the following years. If over the summer she wants to take a course or two, thats fine. You just have to fill out some forms, and talk to someone in the Human Ecology Registrar office and they can guide you in this way. I took all of my required math courses one summer - I just filled out a petition form and they determined whether the classes I took were good enough replacements. They were - so it worked out nicely.
Yes, there is even time for extra-curricular activities. Many design students were athletes, musicians, etc. It’s not easy to balance everything, but it depends on how disciplined you are (and sometimes, how much sleep you require!) It’s good to be involved freshman year - social networks grow, and you have something other than “school” to focus. Club sports are great - club water polo is a big one for some of the undergrads - they seem to love it. And we’ve got a lot of musicians. It’s probably something she can manage - if it’s really important to her she’ll be able to make it work. Sometimes as students move through the programs, it gets harder to make time for extra-curriculars while sometimes for others, it gets easier because they learn better time management! And if you learn anything at Cornell - it is definitely time management! </p>
<p>I’d be happy to answer any other questions. Another good resource for you is the Human Ecology admissions office. They could probably put you in contact with more underclassmen who would also be happy to help!</p>