Cornell Parents answer questions

<p>Bringing our thread back out for newly admitted students’ parents to come with questions. Congratulations!!</p>

<p>Do you know how long parents stay for Move-In day? We live in Spain, but will be travelling to Ithaca from NYC. thanks in advance</p>

<p>It really varies. There are many activities for families separate from the kids. There are tours and sessions in addition to some welcomes from deans. We stayed two nights. I think that is pretty typical. Make your reservations immediately. We actually made ours long before we knew that our son was accepted Early Decision. Ithaca is a small town that is unable to accommodate the demands for hotel rooms when there are major events happening at Cornell. Coming from so far away, you may want to stay a bit longer, but don’t expect your child to have much time for you. He or she will be very busy settling in and attending orientation programs. Ithaca is a beautiful place. Take some time to enjoy it.</p>

<p>Coming from Spain, you may want to stay few days in NYC before/after. You will find cheapest car rental at the airport. If you are coming to NYC first, you may want to take a car service from the airport to NYC then take it out again to pick up your car rental to drive up to Ithaca. On your way back you could just drop the car off at the airport before you leave. mlbrown is right that you should book your hotel now. You should plan on to be Thu night, move in on Fri, either leave Sat afternoon or Sun morning (drive back to the airport). Most hotels will want you to book for 3 nights anyway. Even if a hotel is full, put your name on the WL, spots often open up. My kid got in ED, so we were able to get a room at the Statler. Hilton Garden is centrally located. There is Holiday Inn too. Your kid should be able to get everything he/she needs at Bed, Bath and Beyond, and Target in Ithaca.</p>

<p>Thanks!!! You are both very helpful. My sister lives in NYC so we are planning on spending August in the US, but didn t know how many days would be needed for Move-in.</p>

<p>My kids are both engineering students at Cornell. The work load is extremely hard. Mine joke that you study, sleep, work or socialize but you can only do two of those. Engineering students cannot fall behind as the work load is constant. Many students do drop out of engineering in the first two years due to the work old or their GPA is too low so they cannot affiliate into their major within the college. My kids tell me that many nights they stay in and study when the majority of their friends are out socializing-- but the friends are not engineering majors. </p>

<p>I also recommend talking to your students about staying healthy while at school. Hand washing is really important, getting enough rest, using hand sanitizers, etc. One of my kids was constantly getting sick freshman year and this really hurt academically because one cannot get behind…but if one has a fever, one is not allowed in class…then one gets behind</p>

<p>They both love Cornell and are so glad they chose it. There are so many great options for research, classes, activities, clubs, sports, etc. They both have grown so much as individuals while there.</p>

<p>Any Architecture parents out there - what is it really like? I know it is lots of work, and I know it is dependent on the time management skills of the student, but what does lots of work mean? Even some generalizations would help like: # of all nighters a month, typical average hours of sleep a night, typical average hours working on projects/homework a week - just trying to find out how crazy it really is. And what about competitiveness between the students? Cutthroat or cooperative??</p>

<p>And I guess most important of all - are they happy and given the chance for a do-over would they choose Cornell again?</p>

<p>My D is in the design major and spends many, many, many hours in studio. Routinely working till 1-2 in the AM. Will work all day Saturday and then go out at night. Sunday back in studio. Will have dinner and catch a movie and then back at work. Which is not to say she won’t party on Thursday nights - I know she does. I believe arch is even more intense but if they love what they do, the hours aren’t that bad. And she just got back from spring break with her group who have been friends since freshman year. There is a balance but she does a LOT of work. She’ll talk to friends form HS who will gab about the latest thing on TV. My D and most of the people she knows at Cornell simply do not have time for entertainment like that. (Although there was that group of pot smokers in her freshman dorm who could ace every psych or bio exam without ever opening a book …just brilliant kids.)
She would definitely choose Cornell again and is really sad these years are over for her. The school gave her opportunities that we would have never thought possible for her. Currently interviewing for jobs that would put her in NYC with a lot of these friends. Really great kids.
(D’s BF is an engineering major and they spend a lot of time in her college’s building - mostly cause it’s so cool and also cause they’re usually the two of their friends who are working a lot of the time</p>

<p>Mine hasn’t been there long - he is only a freshman, but he is truly happy. He has found wonderful friends, great professors, interesting classes, unending choices of activities. He is really enjoying Cornell.</p>

<p>Oldest daughter is an engineering major - will be a senior next year. Made the decision to accept imperfect grades in order to have a semblance of a social life. She’s kept her GPA over 3.0 and has taken as many as 24 credit hours in one semester (had to get special permission for this) while working 10 hours a week, attending chorus rehearsals 2 nights a week, and directing an a cappella group. That was her most stressful semester, but she pulled it off. As almost all parents here have mentioned, the first semester, or first year, is a real wake-up call for our kids, especially kids who had it relatively easy in high school and never had to develop any real study skills. But, thankfully, they all seem to quickly rise to the occasion during their first year at Cornell (and yes, it is a tough school). While Harvard has a rep for grade inflation, Cornell has one for grade deflation! According to the counselors we’ve heard from, if a kid’s grades start to suffer it’s usually because they are either taking on too many ec’s (like mine) and/or the never developed any decent study skills. The learning center has much experience dealing with this, and the students’ advisors are also on alert. Best advice I’ve seen here is to take it easy the 1st semester, don’t freak out when you get crappy grades on your prelims (you’ll be one of many), and don’t be afraid to ask for help.</p>

<p>That is a very respectable GPA for an Engineering student! Congrats to her for nearing the finish line and being able to balance work/social life.</p>

<p>Will Cornell price match financial aid offers from other Ivies?</p>

<p>I remember that the deans told parents to LEAVE right after the final college event for parents! For us, I think it was a question and answer about the College of Arts & Sciences on the quad. There are plenty of scenic things to do/see in Ithaca, especially if you like the outdoors, if you need to stick around to catch a flight – maybe even better without the kids!</p>

<p>lucya01995 - yes they will, at least for the first year.</p>

<p>Yeah, there will be events for orientation on Friday and Saturday for the families. That’s it. Beyond that, explore Ithaca. We arrived on Thursday and left on Saturday night. Depending on your travel needs, leaving Sunday would probably make more sense. We are only a 3.5 hour drive. </p>

<p>As for financial aid, Cornell does match for a specific group of schools. You can appeal. We didn’t have that option, since my son applied ED. Good luck!
[Appealing</a> Your Aid Decision | Financial Aid](<a href=“http://www.finaid.cornell.edu/special-circumstances/appealing-your-aid-decision]Appealing”>Appealing Your Aid Decision | Financial Aid)</p>

<p>Thanks for making yourselves available to answer questions! What do you suggest re freshman housing? Do kids choose dorms? My son is unlikely to join a frat; should that influence his freshman year housing choice? Any pointers much appreciated!! We are so happy he’s been accepted!!</p>

<p>Kids don’t actually get to choose specific freshman dorms in most cases. They either choose program houses, townhouses, female only dorms or freshman dorms (there are many). You and your child can read up on the various options on the housing pages and see what might appeal to your student. Housing is guaranteed for all students for the first two years. My son lives in Risley Residential College (fine arts program house) which provides housing for four years for those who prefer that. Some do, some don’t. Many kids will want to live in an apartment at some point. His program house has students who are in all four years of their undergraduate studies where north campus dorms are all freshmen. </p>

<p>[Application</a> Process: New Undergraduate Students](<a href=“Residential Life | Student & Campus Life | Cornell University”>Residential Life | Student & Campus Life | Cornell University)</p>

<p>Hello, Just a question. My D just admitted to the College of Arts and Sciences. Is she able to take classes in any of the other schools. She is undecided on a major and would like to be able to explore some of her interests, maybe a business class or a hotel management class. Also can students switch schools at some point, if necessary? Thanks.</p>

<p>Students can switch schools with a solid GPA and preferably having explored the department they will switch to. It depends on the change. It may be easy or complicated. Switching from engineering into arts and sciences may be fairly straight forward. Going into architecture may be extremely difficult. </p>

<p>Taking classes in other colleges is not a problem. That requires no effort at all. Just know that course sign up is like the lottery at times. She needs to create a list of possible classes. She may not get everything she wants. Some courses will fill before she can sign up for them. When she gets to her sign up time, she should prioritize the ones she absolutely has to have (and be prepared to move quickly to the next one). You can see the capacity on the course schedule. </p>

<p>[Office</a> of Internal Transfer](<a href=“http://internaltransfer.cornell.edu/]Office”>http://internaltransfer.cornell.edu/)</p>