<p>To what extent did the Ivy League affiliation spur you to applying to Cornell?</p>
<p>Seeing as this is CORNELL, I think not.</p>
<p>I came here in spite of the ivy affiliation, thank you very much.</p>
<p>It mattered to me.</p>
<p>The Ivy association is a just a fringe benefit of going to Cornell. Cornell could easily be an independent university, sort of like the Stanfords, MIT’s, and Pukes (er Dukes) of the world and it would still remain and continue to be the awesome institution that it is.</p>
<p>Septiambre, I actually would argue that Cornell would be better off without the Ivy title.</p>
<p>Sure, there are benefits in reputation and stature that come from being one of the Ivy League schools. But I feel like Cornell is always underrated since people call it the “easiest Ivy to get into” or the “lowest Ivy”, when in comparison to many of the top schools, it still remains one of the most difficult universities to get into.</p>
<p>Yeah, personally, the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Cornell isn’t Ivy, but rather “famous school” or “research”. Plus we could get rid of all those annoying students who don’t really even want to go there, other than the fact they got rejected from every other Ivy and think they’re too good for everyone.</p>
<p>Yes it matters. I think a small, exclusive league like this would let us have some intense rivalries. You did mean Ivy league as in the sports league right?</p>
<p>I think it matters to myself more than anything. There’s a certain level of pride that comes with saying you attend an elite institution, and to some extent it’s a bit of tangible justification for the accomplishments most people have worked so hard for.</p>
<p>That being said, other than the HYP rejects I don’t see a lot of kids opting for Cornell who are just looking for acclaim and social prestige. In my own experiences a lot of people outside of the academic world (as in a lot of Average Joe’s) are not very well acquainted with Cornell; in fact multiple times I’ve met people who have never heard of the school at all.</p>
<p>Exactly roneald. I’ve met a number of people that are like “What? Where’s that?”</p>
<p>I decided to apply to Cornell before I even knew it was an Ivy League school. Got a free trip for DHW last fall, and loved it. Didn’t really realize how good it was until I came back after falling in love and doing my research.</p>
<p>But yes, the fact that it’s considered one of the best schools in the nation was a driving factor for me choosing it over McGill. The Ivy name doesn’t hurt either, I just don’t really play it up. If someone knows it is, then woohoo, if not, it doesn’t really offend me. I really couldn’t care less what they think.</p>
<p>"I came here in spite of the ivy affiliation, thank you very much. " </p>
<p>Those are my feelings exactly.</p>
<p>I really hope you spelled Ithaca wrong as some kind of joke or something…</p>
<p>Really hope.</p>
<p>Very well educated adult: “…he got rejected by all the ivies; he’s going to Cornell.”
Me: “Cornell is an ivy”
Adult: “No, it’s much younger than the ivies blah blah blah”</p>
<p>You’d be surprised.</p>
<p>Oh yes, I know all about that justaverage010. It’s funny that most of the people who say that didn’t go to an elite school, whether Ivy or not.</p>
<p>Not trying to sound arrogant, but a lot of times I think it’s just a little bit of envy. Even some of the people I know who are really congratulatory, still sometimes sneak in a snide comment.</p>
<p>The way I know that I’m not choosing it for the prestige is because the only reason I chose it over McGill was because it was cheaper (this year anyway… we’ll see in the future). If McGill had been the same or cheaper, I’d more than likely be going there.</p>
<p>I know I didn’t choose it for prestige because I got into Harvard and I’m going to Cornell.
With that in mind, prestige is still a factor whether you admit it to be or not. However I was more concerned about its prestige in the eyes of future employers, not neccessarily random people who will say I choose the “worst Ivy” when they’re going to a state school.</p>
<p>I think your point is valid roneald. Landing a good job was certainly high up on my list when I first entered college.</p>
<p>I think you will be very happily surprised in three years when you enter your senior year and utilize Cornell’s career services. It is absolutely first rate, and the number of companies it manages to bring all the way to Ithaca to recruit is mind-boggling. Do well at Cornell, and I think you’ll be absolutely fine.</p>
<p>i wont lie, it was part of my decision.</p>
<p>but i’m not one of the HYP rejects, since cornell was the only ivy i applied to</p>
<p>The “Ivy” aura is nice because it often gives you the benefit of the doubt when it comes to your intelligence–whether you deserve this perception or not. </p>
<p>For example: there are many very smart kids in state universities; but the thing is, when you meet such a person (for the first time) and they tell you that they went to a state school, often one does not automatically view the person as bright. Unfortunately, one might view the person as not very bright due to his or her education. </p>
<p>In contrast, when you meet someone for the first time and you tell them you go to Cornell, people will usually peg you as intelligent. Now, we all know people who go to Cornell or other Ivies who probably don’t deserve this title, but such is the advantage of the Ivy allure. </p>
<p>And this can be as useful as it is deceiving.</p>
<p>cornell was the only ivy i applied too also. i do care that it’s ivy. i kinda like the name ivy.</p>
<p>I completely agree with a lot of what’s been said. Cornell’s connections across the world are so excellent that so many graduates find work right out of school, even if they’re attending grad school at the same time. It’s excellent, and Cornell in particular has always been the school I’ve wanted to go to, not Harvard or Yale. Spring semester I’ll FINALLY be there and I’m so excited.</p>
<p>At the same time, I also agree with the Ivy part being a fringe benefit. You don’t go around saying ‘well <em>I</em> went to an Ivy League school’ you go around saying ‘I graduated from Cornell’. I know students come from all over to attend, but at least here in New York everyone knows it so I always get the “WOW!” reaction rather than the “where’s that?” :P</p>
<p>I like that it’s ivy, I don’t focus on it, though. In fact when people bring it up, (like my uncle who congratulated me over the weekend saying ‘our family’s first Ivy Leaguer’) I often have to say “oh…that’s right, Cornell is an Ivy…” I just know in my head (and when talking to my Cornell friends) that attending this high of an institution is so satisfying when you finish, you can’t pass it up.</p>