<p>kbtb–echoing mlbrown’s comments and wanting to add that one of the appealing aspects of Cornell is this ability to take courses all over the campus. It helps to plot out the courses in advance as some require pre-reqs, but it is very enjoyable to dabble in random subjects.</p>
<p>Congrats to your D.</p>
<p>I’m a NJ parent of an accepted Cornellian.</p>
<p>Found it. I think I requested to join?</p>
<p>bridgezon - I think it would be better for your kid to join the FB, just my 2 cents.</p>
<p>Bridgezon, do you mean you requested to join my Cornell University Parents NJ page? I’m pretty prompt at accepting. Welcome, if that was you today! Don’t worry, Oldfort, the official Class of 2017 page is only for actual Cornell students. No helicopter parents allowed. We have our own discussions about carpools and what supplies they need for their rooms (and where to eat, tour, stay when we are in Ithaca). We leave the kids alone.</p>
<p>woody and mlbrown - Thanks so much for your insights. Would love to hear from any other Architecture parents out there too…</p>
<p>Reservations for Cornell Days begins on April 1st. You can find info at [Welcome</a> To | Admitted Students](<a href=“http://admit.cornell.edu/]Welcome”>http://admit.cornell.edu/)</p>
<p>Hi Interested_Mom - our son was admitted to the school of architecture and, because he’s never been to Cornell, we’ll be visiting on 4/21-22 so he can make up his mind. Congrats to your daughter!</p>
<p>Hi, I have a question about the foreign language requirements at Cornell. My D has taken 4 years of Latin in high school. Does that fulfill Cornell’s requirement? Could she possibly take any of the FL requirements during a study abroad to fulfill the requirement?
Thanks.</p>
<p>My son took French through AP with a 4 on the test (they had a sub nearly all of senior year who put them at a serious disadvantage). He had to take a placement test at Cornell and then one more French class to fulfill the language requirement for Arts and Sciences. I would think that it would be possible to fulfill that during a study abroad program as well, but only if she was continuing in Latin. The requirement if for a higher level course. She is going to need the placement test upon arrival during orientation week.</p>
<p>[Arts</a> and Sciences Study Abroad Policy](<a href=“http://as.cornell.edu/academics/opportunities/study-abroad/policy-2010.cfm]Arts”>http://as.cornell.edu/academics/opportunities/study-abroad/policy-2010.cfm)
No, a student couldn’t fulfill the language requirement by studying abroad. He/she would need to fulfill it before the trip.</p>
<p>My older one wanted to go to Paris, but she didn’t meet the requirement. She ended up going to Australia. She did get placed out of language requirement, if I remember correctly (or only had to take one semester).</p>
<p>I guess it is a bit complicated when the language is Latin. There won’t be an opportunity to study abroad in Latin no matter how many courses she has taken. They may allow her to take a course in Latin literature during a program that is Cornell approved and have that credit count. It is always best to get pre-approval for any courses taken at a program other than your home university (no matter where you attend). Transferring credits back after can be a real pain.</p>
<p>Cornell is quite rigid when it comes to study abroad. They need to approve all courses taken abroad. No letter grades would be given, students only get P/F on courses taken abroad.</p>
<p>What do you need to study in Spain for example? Would AP Spanish be sufficient?</p>
<p>Be aware that there are not as many sections in Latin as in some other languages! My son took Latin in high school, took the placement test, and placed into a higher level course with only one section. It conflicted with a course he desperately wanted to take for his major. He didn’t want to postpone the language requirement and end up in a jam later on, so he started over in Latin I (the only one that fit in his schedule) and had to take three semesters of Latin! To make it worse, he really wanted to take German and possibly study abroad, but the Intro German class also conflicted with the same math class! I spoke to the CAS dean about it at First Year Parents Weekend, and he told us that language courses needed to be fulfilled at Cornell or through the Cornell placement test. I was hoping my son could do a summer program somewhere and finish up the requirement, but no dice! I was told such conflicts aren’t that common, but my son had had a couple that have been more than annoying!</p>
<p>[Foreign</a> Language](<a href=“http://as.cornell.edu/information/orientation/languages.cfm]Foreign”>http://as.cornell.edu/information/orientation/languages.cfm)
To fulfill foreign language requirement:
</p>
<p>I am surprised to see that Cornell Calculated our EFC 10K more than FAFSA (they refer using FAFSA app data). And then most of the Aid they gave is “loans”. Is that common at Cornell? I am shocked at the price comparing to what my S is offered at USC and UIUC…</p>
<p>I thought Ivy;s have good endowments to meet 100% need:(</p>
<p>For the only French course my child needed to take (beyond his AP score and placement test) there were two course choices available. One was literature based and had only one section. The other was spoken language and had multiple sections. My son preferred the literature course. He prioritized it in his scheduling, since he didn’t want to forget too much by waiting to take it at a later date. Scheduling does get complicated. He had some very long hours his first semester with classes starting at 9:05 am on Wednesdays and ending at 9:55 pm. Not every day was that bad, and he did have some breaks in the middle.</p>
<p>As for FA, I don’t know. Aid is definitely less at Cornell than some schools but more there than many others. There are a lot of kids receiving financial aid. I saw that tuition went up nearly $2,000 today. It certainly isn’t cheap, but it is the best fit for my son. I am very happy that he is there. I’m not looking forward to the years when we have two in school at once, but we will figure it out. I hope you can make it work, too.</p>
<p>Most state schools just look at FAFSA. Private schools look at FAFSA and CSS profile. The FAFSA by law cannot look at your home equity, I also think it cannot look at your 401k retirement savings. The CSS profile an look at home equity so that may be part of the difference. There is good info on the financial aid threads on this topic. Our package was nearly 20K over the FAFSa amount. We paid off our house before the kids started college and that is probably why.</p>
<p>And my engineering students love Cornell and are thrilled with their choice. Just spoke with my son who is actually ahead in his work, has a nice girlfriend, just got back from the gym and is “loving life”. He is a freshman. Daughter is a junior. Both think Cornell is the best. My sin has several friends from high school at other programs who are pretty unhappy with their schools-- but they are at schools that only have engineering.</p>
<p>As far as architecture, I know my kids have friends in that program, and they work constantly. The previous post about the many nights I studio till 2am is true. It’s a ton of work, but that is what the kids want to e doing. One of my daughter’s friends dropped out of the program after freshman year because of the workload. Some feel like they miss out on a lot. And some know that it is necessary to be in the top program.</p>