<p>I'm not gonna be able to visit far away colleges and I feel like research has only gotten me so far. Can any Cornell students tell me about
- the general atmosphere (academic + social life, and whether the pendulum sways more toward one or the other)
- surrounding life + whether the school feels really isolated or integrated
- research opportunities--are they hard to get or can anyone start researching right away if they seek out opportunities?
- what are the students like? Is the college diverse or is there a "typical" student?
- history, anthropology, other social science majors--generally, are they amazing, good, okay, or subpar?
- the quality of the premed program or advising/whether it has much success or not</p>
<p>My son was accepted off of the Waitlist and never had stepped on Cornell’s campus until student orientation last August. I had offered to take him to visit the campus in late June/early July but he declined, as he knew Cornell was where he was meant to be. He just completed his freshman year in COE and is a total “Big Red”! He has made incredible friends, from all over the US, with a wide range range of back rounds and experiences. His professors have been passionate about their subjects and have “stoked the fires” for learning not only his intended major but other areas. He has found the “social scene” active, and the opportunities to become involved in so many sports. I can not comment about history, anthropology etc. as he has not taken any, nor does he intend to, as he was able to “AP” out of the requirements. Research opportunities abound and from what he tells me, a student will find professors that will welcome one in their lab. </p>
<p>I’m not the most ideal answerer, but I’ve spent the night with my host for a program (class of '18).</p>
<p>Firstly, from my observations there isn’t really a typical student. It’s extremely diverse and honestly many people that I met I would never expect to go to an ivy league.</p>
<p>Most of the students told me that it’s hard, but not impossibly so. Now, I plan on going into engineering and I didn’t meet one engineer, so I didn’t know what to make of that. My hosts (ILRs and Human Ecology ) kept talking about “anti-social, suicidal engineers locked in their rooms”, but it’s not that bad. You need really good time mamagement skills so you aren’t confined in your room all day to study for Prelims (I came the day before prelims so at night the campus was barren).</p>
<p>Now, Cornell is isolating even though it’s close to a city, but most students thought of it as a reinvigorating experience. You can make of it as you will, but I doubt you’ll ever be bored. You’ll always have something to do (like study lol) and social events, and parties.</p>
<p>You’ll need to seek out research opportunities but having good relationships with professors really helps and something can come up even from a short conversation with one. I wouldn’t worry about research because you’ll have to be under a rock to not find something. Even just talking to other students, you’re bound to find internships, research, and actual nice paying jobs. I’m not even a student yet and just by connecting with upperclassmen I’ve had multiple job opportunities come my way (my field of expertise allows for freelancing, however ). As long as you think you have the stats to be a good applicant I encourage you to apply. It’s worth it and Cornell has very active alumni (I get invited to networking events and others things quite often and I haven’t graduated high school yet ).</p>
<p>Hi! I’m a current student and social science major so hopefully I can help you out.
-the general atmosphere: the balance between social life and academics is completely up to the individual- I have friends that go out 3+ nights a week and never seem to study and I’ve seen students that never go out, but most find themselves somewhere in between. regardless, the atmosphere on campus is very energetic and always seems to be buzzing.
- surrounding life: the school is very much a part of Ithaca, and the bus system makes it very easy to travel into the center of the city. Whether you think of Ithaca as isolated or not depends on where you’re from, but it’s definitely a unique place to live (they close down major roads to celebrate apples for a full weekend in september, people are always biking around, cool shops and restaurants, etc)
- research opportunities: most faculty members are open to having students join their labs, you just have to express interest. sometimes your department office will email you about professors who have openings in their labs.
- what are the students like? VERY DIVERSE. but great.
- history, anthropology, other social science majors- i’m an HD major but I am taking a course called Six Pretty Good Books next semester which is cross-listed across many social science majors. Basically, you read a book in each of the major social science fields (for example, Blink by Malcolm Gladwell) and then a different professor/author comes in each week to discuss it. All of my social science classes have been very interesting and not as challenging as I had anticipated.
- the quality of the premed program: I’m not pre-med, but generally if you take advantage of your assigned advisor they will be extremely receptive to your needs. To be pre-med you just need 5 specific science classes, so as long as you take them you’re good to go. There are plenty of resources (study groups, learning strategies center, academic support classes) to make sure you succeed in them if you are willing to put in the effort. </p>
<p>Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any questions.</p>
<p>Hi! I’m a rising sophomore in CALS as a biology and society major with minors in business and law & society. Here’s my bit (which is probably slightly biased because I truly love with this school). Nonetheless:
General atmosphere: Cornell is a school that feels, well, alive. The students hear are (broadly stereotyping) very friendly. Do we get stressed? Yes. Do we work hard? Yes. Do we party? Not going to lie…yes. The best way to describe cornell is what Princeton reviews student comment section said a few years back: “cornell is about taking on more than most people could handle, accomplishing it, and then going out having fun”. Cornell life is about balance–there are times when we work nonstop (finals, prelims); times when we hang out and party (O week) and times when we find the perfect balance (everyother time) what I always tell prefrosh is that cornell has a huge social life if you want it. If you don’t want to drink, that’s cool–there’s about 20things to do on campus every night anyways. The general atmosphere is flexible and accepting.
Surrounding life:
Ithaca is the perfect college town. In fact, right off campus is “collegetown” home to ctb (amazing bagel sandwiches) sushi, residential and student housing, Starbucks, a convenience store, and some schools that have big red pride. It’s a pretty safe area (I’ve never felt unsafe) and a great place to go out to dinner or hang out.
Students:
I could go on forever. The students here are amazing. They are incredibly diverse–in culture, in beliefs, in where they hail from. At cornell we have people who come from all walks of life, and seem to be impossibly different. And yet, at the same time, there are some things that unite cornellians. We are all hardworking. We are all passionate about learning something, about doing something. And, most of us learn to be united by a love for cornell.
Social Sciences: I don’t know a ton about all the social science departments, but I have taken classes in psych sociology ethics and history. I loved them all.
Research:
This is our strength. If you want to do research and you look for research you will find it, I promise you. If a professor doesn’t have room in his or her lab, they often recommend colleagues who do. And you can get involved early-a friend of mine published first semester sophomore year.
Pre-med/ Advising: you can actually get a pre med advisor. Your advisors themselves are always pretty helpful. And the best part? Say you’re a bio major, and your advisor doesn’t know a lot about it, or you just don’t hit it off, but you and your intro bio professor become close. You can switch advisors, no hard feelings. It’s great.</p>
<p>Inbox me if you have any other questions!</p>