Many of you are probably wondering about the intensity of Cornell’s workload so I’ll give you a run down of my experience so far as a freshman in the College of Engineering:
You are going to have to put a decent amount of work and studying if you want to get good grades. It can be disappointing for some to study a lot for an exam to only manage a B, but you are competing with some of the best students in the country, so you shouldn’t be discouraged by one bad test grade. Classes here are significantly harder than classes at my high school, but again, if you went to a college prep academy, you should be well prepared. Having AP credit or having taken an AP class even without the credit helps a lot, since you will already have a good understanding of the material before you are thrown into the giant lecture hall. And if this is not you, do not freak out! There are a lot of resources on campus for helping students who are struggling, given Cornell’s reputation for being difficult. As long as you put in an honest effort, you should be fine. I think that people like to exaggerate the workload here, and to be honest I have a fair amount of free time and I am able to go out and have fun most weekends. That said, do not go here if you think you can get through by lazing off and skipping class.
“…to be honest I have a fair amount of free time…”
Most people do, really. The key is to study effectively.
I think back to my own time “on the hill” I wasted a huge amount of time “studying” ineffectively.
I would have been much better served getting part time jobs, pursuing extracurriculars, etc
I advised my D2 accordingly, she did everything I didn’t do, did very well scholastically and had a great experience, socially and academically. And her extracurriculars were instrumental in achieving her subsequent career.
Good advice. Do the readings. Do the homework (aka problem sets). Don’t wait until the last minute. Common sense after a semester or two under your belt. I learned the hard way my first semester, but I adapted and everything went fine afterwards. That’s one of the most important things you learn at demanding schools - how to manage the workload. When you start your career, it will look easy 