Cornell Ivy Pride!

Colleges and Universities A-Z Cornell University
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<p>hahahahahaha</p>

<p>This is a never ending debate between "prestige whores" (as gomestar so eloquently puts it, lol) and those individuals reaping the benefits of a world class university at a world class school within that university. I just thought I'd put in a little anecdote about the prestige of the school of ILR (just as an example of how this school--despite being an endowed school--is just as prestigious as, say, CAS).</p>

<p>I was working one day and a man came in and started talking to me as some friendly customers do, and asked where I was in regards to my schooling. I told him I was attending Cornell in the fall as an undergrad at the school of ILR. He looked at me with his jaw on the floor and said, "Wow, you're set! I have a friend who attended school there a few years ago for graduate work and there were people from all over the world in his class. He also had a few shorter seminars which attracted students from around the world who would come for only that 3 week lecture."</p>

<p>Basically, if you want to know about ILR, go to Cornell. It is, from what I have gathered, the same for Hotel Administration, and the same for Veterinary Sciences, as well as for any science major within CALS. These schools offer a fantastic education equivalent to any other at Cornell University, while also being at the forefront of their respective fields.</p>

<p>Sorry for ranting, but I wanted to put in my 2cents, just cuz I'm bored and on spring break, so I have time to spare.</p>

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<p>From what I've researched ILR the starting salaries out are in the high $40000 range alot higher than a CAS liberal arts degree. So in my decision to choose ILR was career and oopportunity based, not prestige whoring attitude. bc Cornell is cornell intraschool fighting is ridiculous i doubt when people from different schools at cornell meet up they will be snobbish and looking down on people for going to statory over endowded schools</p>

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<p>abike (still tempted to say a-bike though i know that's not how you pronounce it ;)) ... </p>

<p>"i doubt when people from different schools at cornell meet up they will be snobbish and looking down on people for going to statory over endowded schools"</p>

<p>you are correct in this assumption. The only place i've really encountered it has been on these boards vs. people who may or may not be actual Cornell students. There may be some playful bashing here and there (like the engineers claiming that arch. is nothing but arts and crafts) but nothing along the lines of "well, i'm a CAS student, waaaaay better than ilr." I respect all Cornell students and I have gotten nothing but respect in return. </p>

<p>I also picked ilr for reasons other than prestige ... the curriculum is absolutely perfect for me and what i want to study. I've taken classes in the ag school, and a bunch in arts and sciences and they're not different from my ilr classes; ILR OB is just what I want to study and work in one day.</p>

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<p>wow redcrimblue is such an @$$...who does that. I hope I don't meet people like you at Cornell who just try to put other people down and make themselves feel better. Everyone at Cornell is there for a reason and will do great.</p>

<p>Thanks to everyone else for those nice ILR tidbits, they are really fun to read.</p>

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<p>Yet again you showcase your snootiness and complete lack of knowledge about the schools. Are you a DEA major? Have you spent hours in studio like them? How about HBHS or nutritional sciences- yea, I hear just about everybody "coasts" through organic chemistry. It's not like the kids in Humec just chill around taking design and food courses. HE is undeniably rigorous in certain majors as well, and I know very few people at Cornell who don't work hard. The mantra of this place is "any person, any study," which is why we have so many diverse programs, schools, majors. Stop putting down the programs in your own university of which you admittedly know very little.</p>

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<p>I've been following this thread with bemused interest. I'm an old dad, went to college 30 years ago (not to Cornell - to a major research university that is always within a place or two-either way- of Cornell in the rankings. So I have no ax to grind) I have long observed that many Cornell students and alums have a curious need to stress their Ivy credentials. Yes, I agree, there's power in branding, and the Ivy League - an athletic conference, and nothing more - has developed into a very high-profile brand. But each school ultimately stands on its own, and each is right for some students, and not right for others. My deepest sympathies are reserved for the brand-obsessed students (and parents) who believe in "Ivy at any cost," and end up at a school that is wrong for them. They are all very different schools, and someone who would enjoy Dartmouth for the things that Dartmouth uniquely offers, say, is unlikely to enjoy Penn or Columbia. Were it not for the Ivy brand, I doubt those schools would end up on the same list of any prospective student.</p>

<p>I have visited Cornell several times, and have also visited many college and universities around the country. I know it rankles many Cornellians to hear this, but the overall sense I get of Cornell is a very similar vibe to that of the best state schools - Michigan, Berkeley, Virginia, North Carolina. It's large, diverse, has lots of vocational/pre-professional options (biz schools, hotel school, ILR, architecture, etc), lots of smart kids, many from middle-class backgrounds. And, I'm not saying this disparagingly - those schools are all fine places for certain students, and not for others.
My own preference for my child was to not have him go to a school where he'll be sitting in freshman lecture halls with 500-1000 other kids, and where his teachers, at least in the early years, will be grad students. I had some of that as an undergrad (on a smaller scale), and I don't think it's the best model for higher education. But obviously, plenty of people disagree with me -the numbers speak for themselves.
I just have to wonder, though, whether many students who attain their prized and very competitive entry into an Ivy school are happy once they get there - especially if their image of an "Ivy" - intimate classrooms, high-minded academic discourse, turns out to be vastly different than the reality.
Obviously, there are many good reasons to be at Cornell for many students. If you have decided at age 18 that you want a career in the hospitality industry, the Hotel School's a great place to be. But perhaps the worst reason I can think of to be there, given all of the other choices available - is solely because it's a member of a certain athletic conference founded in 1954.
So c'mon, kids, Cornell pride is a fine thing, but don't worry so much about its status relative to its co-Ivies, or relative to any other school. You will find as you go through life that the older you get, the less you will be concerned about what others think of you because of the brand identity of your life and the imagined prestige associated with those brands (your school, your job, your address, etc). Assess and enjoy these things for their intrinsic value- their real (rather than perceived) quality, and you will be a happier person for it.</p>

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<p>"But perhaps the worst reason I can think of to be there, given all of the other choices available - is solely because it's a member of a certain athletic conference founded in 1954." </p>

<p>I agree with this and in fact when people cite this as one of the reasons they're looking at Cornell I tell them to not bother applying. </p>

<p>"My own preference for my child was to not have him go to a school where he'll be sitting in freshman lecture halls with 500-1000 other kids, and where his teachers, at least in the early years, will be grad students"</p>

<p>That's not my preference either. That's not what i'm getting at Cornell. True, there are some big lectures, but this only constitutes a very small portion of the 4,500 courses offered at Cornell. It's possible to go all 4 years at Cornell and not have more than 20 students in every class you take. Also, we are not taught by grad students. The only classes where grad students teach are the freshmen writing seminars. But, you must understand that each of these is limited to like 15-20 students and it's a required class for every freshmen. There's around 3,000 or so freshmen (probably more) and in order for professors to teach these writing classes, 150 english teachers would be needed. It would be unreasonable to ask the university to provide professors to teach every one of these classes. Other than the writing class, all classes are taught by professors. I've had lunch with 3 (and will be 4 on monday) of my professors, and dinner twice with the dean of the ILR school. Much of this "self survival against apathetic teachers" stuff is just a myth that people have about large research universities. </p>

<p>The happiest people on campus are those who chose Cornell not becuase of its status as an ivy league school. I am here because the program I want to study is a perfect fit for me, and I wouldn't go to any other school (really). When I arrived on campus and started looking for summer jobs and internships I started to see the advantage coming from an ivy league school has, but I did not think of this when choosing schools. To be exact, Cornell was the only school i really applied to. No regrets.</p>

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<p>wtidad, I agree with most of what you have posted. The ivy label or prestige is a poor way to decide upon a school that a student will be at for four years. That said, in today's environment, many people (parents and kids) are obsessed with the elite schools be they ivy league or the other tops schools, (e.g. University of Chicago, Stanford, Duke). This is not limited to some Cornell students. So while this approach is misguided, it is unlikely to go away any time soon. </p>

<p>I don't know if you were directing your comments to Cornell in particular, but I don't believe the courses are taught by grad students. It is my understanding that professors teach all courses, although grad students hold sections of small numbers of students to go over the material. I think this is the same system for other elite schools, including schools with fewer students. And Cornell is a bit like Penn insofar as it has schools with a preprofessional focus as well as a liberal arts college. Columbia too has a separate school of engineering. But you are absolute correct that these types of schools are the perfect place for certain students, and it is important to find that out before enrolling.</p>

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<p>As a Cornell alum, I'm not in the least offended by having it compared to the top state schools, such as UVa or UNC. I would also put Penn (the Ivy League Penn, not Penn State) and Northwestern in the same group. </p>

<p>All of these schools have highly academic student populations, a wide variety of majors, and a large proportion of the student body in preprofessional rather than liberal arts programs. That gives them an atmosphere quite different from that of the other six Ivy League schools, all of which are basically liberal arts colleges with a bit of engineering thrown in.</p>

<p>Next fall, one of my kids will be applying to UVa, Northwestern, Cornell, and probably Penn as well -- all academically similar schools well suited to this kid's tastes, but with very different regional flavors.</p>

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<p>I'm pretty sure Cornell's student to teacher ratio is 10 to 1...which is AMAZING, especially for the amount of students going there. </p>

<p>I do agree with the Ivy thing. When I tell people I am going to go to Cornell some random people come up to me and are like..."So arn't you going to Yale or something?" or "I heard you are going to Brown" .... I'm like no, CORNELL! lol (Although I think Yale and Brown are great schools, and I especially like Brown's atmosphere)</p>

<p>Out of my range of interests every single one somehow falls into ILR (or at least Cornell) - Pre-law, International Relations, Business (maybe Business Management), English, and Psychology. I wanted to go to somewhere that isn't like the small town that I live in, but isn't plopped in the middle of a city. Cornell seems like the perfect opportunity for me and I can't wait!</p>