<p>D2’s BF just got a great job after getting a PHD in enginreering a year ago from Cornell. It took a year. One of the jobs he applied for got back to him 6 months after applying requesting an interview. Really?? 6 months?</p>
<p>Engineeringparent-- your child will get a job eventually. Do not worry. It is hard times for all, especially if you did not have a job already lined up at the beginning off you senior year. But engineers are in demand.</p>
<p>I don’t think it is ever a good idea to take out that much debt for a college degree, whether it is Cornell or not. I would encourage your student to continue to look aggressively. I just hired a new Cornell graduate. His GPA wasn’t great, but he was one of brightest applicants I 've ever met. He said he was having a hard time looking for a job because of his GPA, but I saw something else in him. Your kid shouldn’t rely on his professors to get a job. They are professors for a reason. He should continue to send out as many resumes as possible, call his friends (older) from Cornell to get leads. If he was close in getting a job earlier, contact those companies again to see if they have additional open positions - we turned out one applicant last spring, she called us in Jan when she saw a new job posting on our site and we hired her after we took another look at her. </p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>@EngineerngParent</p>
<p>I’m sorry for the financial strain, but honestly, I don’t see why you expected a Cornell diploma to be a golden ticket.
<p>P.S. Your son was the one who decided to switch majors; CoE only wooed him. Don’t blame them for your son’s decisions. He should have done his own research.</p>
<ol>
<li>I’m not an engineer, but even talking to my engineering friends, I’ve never heard of someone NEEDING a ‘reference’ to get a job off of CCNet. Hell, my friend went to Amazon this summer as a programmer, and he only goes to class to take tests.</li>
</ol>
<p>P.S. The professor is under no obligation to provide a reference for your son if he doesn’t feel comfortable with it. If someone doesn’t want to refer someone else, there’s a reason for that.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Why are faculty under any obligation to help a student just because they’re in their major? I’ve had professors help me find internships and land jobs; if your son was as hardworking and socialable as you say he is, I find it hard to believe that no one wants to help him.</p></li>
<li><p>This is what really annoys me about your statement. Your ‘the world screwed us because my family isn’t connected’ attitude.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>My parents make barely enough for us to scrap by, and neither one of them have any type of business world connections. I still went to a top bank this summer, and I’m not going to be unemployed when I graduate. That’s because I hustled. I emailed over a hundred alumni, went down to NYC and SF on my own dime to meet them, and did everything I had to get a shot at getting the job offer I want. Ya, I was less connected than other people, but because of that, I studied that much more, interned that much more (for free at crap, sketchy firms my freshman and sophomore year just so i could get applicable experience), and networked that much more.</p>
<p>Cornell isn’t a golden ticket, but it’s a place that has opportunities for people who are willing to work for it.</p>
<p>Own up to your actions, or lack there of.</p>
<p>Dude! That is so harsh. The man just needs to vent a little.</p>
<p>L’shana Tovah to all who are celebrating! A sweet New Year to Cornell parents, students, prospects and alumni!</p>
<p>My son received an information packet today from the ILR program at Cornell. This one wasn’t on his radar, but I read up about this program online and it honestly sounds right up his alley. This thread is great- full of very good information- one of the best I’ve found on CC here! My S is leaning toward smaller schools so I don’t know if he’ll consider Cornell, but after reading about the ILR program, I’m kind of hoping he looks into it. </p>
<p>I’m having a hard time getting a “feel” for Cornell. Liberal like Brown and Columbia? More preppy/conservative like Princeton or Yale? Totally eclectic, since it is larger?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>…with 20,000 students, including grad students, all of the above! The diversity of cultures, interests, colleges, etc. make it a place where everyone can find their niche. So many opportunities to get involved in extracurriculars that my D finally had to give one up this semester, which to me indicates that there is too much to do, rather than “nothing to do” as some complain.</p>
<p>@Barnard Mom</p>
<p>When I am asked to describe Cornell, I always ask if they’ve ever been to Sedona an experienced an energy vortex. That’s my feeling at Cornell as I drive onto campus – an intellectual energy vortex. All of these really bright engaged kids doing all these interesting, fascinating things. Any person, any study and all that. </p>
<p>I describe it as looking a bit like a Vassar or Yale plopped down in the middle of UMass. The look of the buildings is a bit – eclectic. Much like the student body. Diverse interests and backgrounds, but all very smart and motivated. </p>
<p>As a parent of 2 Cornellians – '10 and '14 – I really do think very highly of the school.</p>
<p>BarnardMom.</p>
<p>Wow … I feel compelled to answer. My daughter just graduated from Barnard and my son goes to Cornell (as did I). A couple dimensions to the answer.</p>
<p>College life in Ithaca is the polar opposite of Morningside Heights. Cornell has a classic campus located in a great college town … lots of outdoors stuff in the area … and there is a bit of a hippy vibe to Ithaca. However it is a long way from real cities … most kids have a strong reaction (pro or con) to the campus and town when they visit. I LOVED it from the second I first visited there while my Barnard daughter would have hated it.</p>
<p>The description of the school itself above are pretty good … it’s big enough it’s got some of everything. My description, which I view as a compliment, is Cornell is full of stealth intellectuals. The culture of the school is not too pushy or too egg head or too preppie. When you meet students they seem pretty typical students but as you talk to them you realize … hmm, this gal/guy is smarter than I first thought … there’s a lot going on in that head … s/he just didn’t seem to be in your face with their intellect/talent/accomplishments.</p>
<p>Barnardmom–this excellent student-produced video will give you a decent overview of the look of the campus.
[This</a> Is on Vimeo](<a href=“http://vimeo.com/23897683]This”>http://vimeo.com/23897683)</p>
<p>The video does not include the newly-completed Gates building and I can’t recall if the Arch building appears in it either. Another new building will soon go up behind Goldwin Smith on the arts quad, so the look of the campus is ever-evolving. cnp55’s description of eclectic is correct!</p>
<p>I agree with the above comments, especially 3togo’s. While Ithaca is an excellent college town, it is NOT a city. Having said that, there’s more up there than had been there thirty years ago.</p>
<p>ILR is marketing this year, which is odd, as they were slightly over-subscribed last year (for the class that entered this fall). ILR is not a typical program that a 17 year old would seek out, so they need to market themselves more than say the specialized Hotel, Architecture or Engineering colleges would need to.</p>
<p>Thanks all. It might be too big for him, but when he was reading about ILR, he was very excited- social statistics and public policy are two huge interests of his. </p>
<p>3togo- My Barnardgirl would definitely not like it! She loves NYC- loves that she has a small school in a big city- loves her class sizes, loves everything about Barnard! They are very different kids though and my son is not big on NYC.</p>
<p>Reviving to answer questions for new prospects, ED accepted families and others. Ask away. I’m off to pick up my sophomore from campus tomorrow. He is done with finals.</p>
<p>There’s no way he only applied to Cornell…how could he have been sure he would get in? Highly questionable having no backup,but glad it worked out I guess.</p>
<p>I assume you are referring to my son. He was an excellent candidate. He was also double grade skipped. If he hadn’t gotten in, he probably would have taken a gap year rather than go somewhere he didn’t want to be. He had plenty of options and no real risk.</p>
<p>WORST MAJOR EVER: Materials Science & Engineering. Still no job one year later. Not only are there no jobs for students with only a BS in it (MS or PhD yes, but not BS), but employers in non-engineering fields preclude his application because they expect anyone with any engineering bachelors is not a serious candidate and wouldn’t stay long. Add in the complication that many businesses use the term “materials” to mean purchasing and inventory activities, so they drop his application once they figure out that’s not what he studied. Cornell NOW recommends a SECOND MAJOR with MATERIALS SCIENCE: mechanical or electrical engineering. I wish they’d known that back when my son signed on in 2010.</p>