<p>I visited Cornell at the end of August to get a feel of the school and its culture, since I'm considering applying there. I just wanted to get the opinions of others who may know more about Cornell than I do, since I found some things that puzzled me. For example, a lot of the kids were walking by themselves, not even talking to other students even when they were going to the same building. At the time, I was going from college visit to college visit, and at all of the other colleges I went to, people were walking in groups, or at least pairs, and were chatting and being happy. But at Cornell, people were running on their own, standing at the bus stop silently, etc. The only sense of "communication" was that they held doors open for each other, but that's what you're kind of supposed to do out of courtesy. Of course, collegetown was better- people were definitely there in groups. But at everywhere else, people were just kind of by themselves. I mean, maybe it has to do with the size of the school or something? I don't think it had to do with the time of day either since I was there at mealtimes too. </p>
<p>Also, I was eating at some asian restaurant in collegetown, and i overheard these two cornell girls next to me talking about how this was their senior year and they still didn't know a lot of people since they stayed in their circle of friends, and that they felt like the kids there were generally sort of closed-minded?</p>
<p>Does anyone know anything about this? Was it just maybe the day I went? I felt like since I went right after orientation week, people would sort of be trying to meet new people and make friends. Also, are there any other characteristics about Cornell anyone noticed? I'm not trying to stereotype them. I already know a lot about their academics, so I just want to know more about their culture, the students, and the social scene before I apply.</p>
<p>Did the other schools you visited have smaller campuses?</p>
<p>It is easy to make lasting friendships at Cornell. Cornell has a healthy balance of academic work and social life. There are lots of organizations to join. Roommates generally become close friends. Its a big campus and it is possible to walk to class without seeing someone you know. There are many different majors so you may go to a class that nobody else in your apartment building or dorm is taking. Workloads at Cornell are generally pretty demanding and I would guess that students spend more time than average in solitary study or working on group projects rather than just hanging out. But, there is time to just hang out. Cornell is a great experience and students are pretty down-to-earth and diverse. I never detected elitism or snobbery.</p>
<p>Look at it this way, how many friends do most of us have? 10, 20, beyond that they are just acquaintances. When you go to a small school, you may run into those friends frequently, but when you go to a big school you would need to make a point of meeting up with those friends. My younger kid’s good friends are in Hotel, Engineering, and she is in A&S, so the chance of them going to the same class is practically nil. But they’ll meet up for lunch at various dining facilities or go to same parties. </p>
<p>My older kid graduated from Cornell few years ago. She has made some long lasting friendship. They still meet up regularly for each other’s birthdays. They are all going up to Cornell for homecoming next weekend, and staying at a house on the lake that they have rented.</p>
<p>I’m quite introverted and as such don’t really connect to people as well as extroverts. Sure, I’ve got plenty of people I’ll say ‘hi’ to as I pass them, but for the most part, these are just acquaintances. There isn’t a single person who would just drop everything to take care of me if I got in a car accident or something. They might visit once, twice, maybe even three times-- but after that, they’d stop coming. The same goes for me-- there isn’t really a single person I’ve met at Cornell that I can’t imagine life without. They’re friends, but I just don’t have the same connection to them as I do with people I grew up with.</p>
<p>So I’ve got quite a few acquaintances and a fair amount of friends, but no real close friends. There’s significant distance between me and everyone I interact with. I mean seriously, how close can you get to someone in ONE year?</p>
<p>That is not my son’s experience at Cornell. He finds people open and friendly everywhere he goes. If you are open to it, you will, too. Last year, as a freshman, he got sick and needed to go to the student health center. Another student from his dorm escorted him there. He saw that my son didn’t feel well and wanted to help take care of him, make sure he found his way to the health center. People look out for each other. My son is younger than typical for a college student, so perhaps people look out for him more than most. Still, not everyone knows this (it isn’t obvious from appearance). When school started in August, he told me that random people kept sitting down with him for meals just to chat. He already has a wide circle of friends, but he is always happy to make new ones. He lives in a program house, so he’s still on north campus. With so many new freshmen, I’m sure a lot of those students sitting down to eat with him are new to campus. He simply loves Cornell and feels extremely comfortable and welcome on campus. Perhaps you visited when kids were learning their way? Maybe they were lost and rushing to class? I’ve observed a girl from my son’s high school walking from place to place on a few visits. She’s always alone. Always rushing. I think she’s just busy as an engineering student. When I call out to her, she smiles and rushes over to spend time with us.</p>