<p>I stayed with a friend at Cornell this weekend and toured the campus, went to classes, and basically just tried to get the feel for the school.</p>
<p>However, I walked away with a very negative feeling, after going in very excited and expecting to love it (like I felt last year when I visited). It seemed the half the people I met either didn't encourage me to attend or specifically told me not to come to Cornell. Everyone studied 25/7 and still didn't get the GPA they wanted, ending up with a low 3.something. Even if they get a rare break from studying, it seems that the only thing to do is drink yourself silly. My friend's roommate is even a Cornell Presidential Research Scholar, and she said she has thought about transferring to U of Minnesota. The vast majority of people didn't smile back at me on the way to class, almost as if they were too busy to be friendly. A few people were nice and introduced themselves, asking me about myself, but that seemed rare. Many people told me that a lot of the students are simply people who didn't get into Harvard, and so are quite bitter to be in Ithaca. A lot applied simply because "it's an Ivy - why else?"</p>
<p>Also, one of my high school friends was talking with her friend at Cornell, and she reportedly said that Cornell "sucks the life out of people", and that it is completely competitive; she said that she studies at least 8 hours a day at the library and still only maintains an "average" GPA. She said the average GPA for engineers is 2.7, and for bio is 3.0 or 3.1, and that many of the premeds simply drop out because it is too competitive and cutthroat.</p>
<p>So.... are my experiences the rarity or is this the true face of Cornell?</p>
<p>go to a state school if you want 4.0, i'm sure most grad schools know how hard it is for a student to get good gpa at cornell.</p>
<p>hey, go to cornell college in iowa. same name but im sure you'll get real good gpa and on your resume just put down cornell and i'm sure people will be impressed.</p>
<p>In no way are the things you stated true. Basically, those are all of the rumors that are spread about Cornell. I really encourage you to talk to more credible sources than a few disgruntled students who are looking to scare a prospective student. The GPA averages are certainly not that low, one thing worth mentioning is that on your transcript, the class average is listed next to your grade to give the person looking at your transcript an idea of how hard the course actually was. I've talked to many students who absolutely love Cornell and say that there is no other college that they would rather attend. If you work hard you will undoubtably receive a good GPA; hard work pays off in the end. Your major and willingness to work reflects your GPA a great deal. Personally, I love everything about Cornell, and that is why I applied early decision last november. At Cornell there are many activities to participate in and many clubs that you may join as well. The academic opportunities are also excellent in that you are attending one of the premier research universities in the world. I really hope that your bad experience this one time doesn't totally put you off to the university; you should definately research it some more yourself and perhaps even talk to some faculty members.</p>
<p>Yikes! I'm going up this weekend, with the same frame of mind as you had. I was really hoping that a visit would dispel a lot of that stereotype, as almost everyone I know up there seems happy. I'll try to keep an open mind, but
thanks for the heads up!</p>
<p>thelarson,
My newly admitted daughter was invited to a Cornell online chat today, 4-5-06, from 5 till 11pm. Although admissions and staff may scare students from speaking honestly, it would still be a good time to pursue Cornell's atmosphere.<br>
Like you, she is excited to be admitted, but really anxious for the amount of work that is expected. On our tour last August, we experienced the same lack of friendliness and avoidance of eye contact as you just did. And it was Cornell's first day at school. At Bucknell, where it was also the first day of school, the atmosphere was completely open, and friendly.</p>
<p>thelarson,
BLASPHEMY!!!!
you deserve to be boiled in whale oil, barbequed and then fed to hungry cannibal!!!!!
BLASPHEMY!!!!
You dare insult the Cornell!!!!</p>
<p>Are you sure you weren't visiting Cornell's alter ego campus on Planet Bizzaro?</p>
<p><a href="http://www.batman-superman.com/superman/cmp/bizzaro.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.batman-superman.com/superman/cmp/bizzaro.html</a></p>
<p>In all seriousness, I think this could be an issue of preconditioning...if you're looking for people complaining you can find them at any school particularly one the size of Cornell.</p>
<p>However, for every complainer there are 9 more who enjoy the social life, like being challanged academically and are really having a good time at Cornell.</p>
<p>Don't be afraid of the work. If you got accepted to Cornell you can handle it. </p>
<p>Just a few quick thoughts...</p>
<p>Cornell is probably one of the coldest places around....weather wise and emotionally! The people are highly competitive with eachother and very unfriendly...My advice is stay away....My son transferred from there a few yeas ago and I feel that it was a wise decision....College should be a positive experience...</p>
<p>My experience is quite dated, but I found Cornell to be a very tough school. And the kids I've spoken to at alumni functions didn't give me the impression that much has changed in this regard.</p>
<p>I think to some extent it depends on what you're studying though. I was in the sciences & engineering mostly, and these areas were quite tough. My impression was that the "true" liberal arts majors had a somewhat different, and more managable though still demanding, existence.</p>
<p>To give some balance here, there are many positives about the place as well. It is beautiful there, you can study virtually anything, and at an advanced level, you are together with highly motivated and intelligent peers. There is more to do than your impression indicates. I liked Ithaca so much that I spent almost every summer there.</p>
<p>Hoewever it is no place for would-be slackers, no question about it.</p>
<p>FWIW, MY Cornell transcript does NOT have any indications of the average grades in each of the classes. Evidently this is a more recent innovation.</p>
<p>The work is not the only problem there, however. The attitude of the students and the entire institution is competitive and harsh. It is definitely something to consider. Some can handle it and may even thrive on it, but there is no denying on the parts of anyone there that it exists!</p>
<p>sounds like you ran into a few disgruntled students. Midterm grades are comming out and they probably neglected to study like they should have. Freshmen mistake. </p>
<p>"The attitude of the students and the entire institution is competitive and harsh"</p>
<p>says who? popular stereotype? as a student, i'll let you know if i run into this myself, i havn't yet.</p>
<p>gomestar...just curious...what year are you in?</p>
<p>FWIW, I didn't notice so much direct competitiveness between students when I was there. Except among certain pre-meds. Mostly though I saw more of a "we're all in it together" thing. Everyone was trying to do their own best, but we still had study groups, etc. People weren't stealing other people's homework or anything. So I can't corroborate that part, really, from my own experience.</p>
<p>Can't guarantee things haven't changed though.</p>
<p>My son was premed so maybe that explains some of it! And believe me there are many positives to the school but the place is highly competitive!</p>
<p>If he was a freshman pre-med, and was taking Bio 101-102 and Chem 207-208 (if those are still the course numbers) at the same time- well one can definitely get a negative impression.</p>
<p>IMO those particular course sequences are to be avoided at all costs.</p>
<p>The rest of the college experience there is a lot better than the experience in those particular courses.</p>
<p>In particular, I think it's a lot better for "true' liberal arts majors.</p>
<p>Cough.. to tell you the truth, my brother went to cornell for 3 years and he said the same thing you said. People who didn't get into other ivies and seeing how he had to pull a 3 all nighter in a row (he's constantly studying) they really do study hard. Not only that, their grading system is different from other ivies so its really hard to get a good GPA... Easy to get in, hard to get your degrees... but they do have nice libraries so it might not be so bad for you.</p>
<p>Ithaca is lovely to look at, but i REALLY did not like living there. The town is way too small...</p>
<p>Although i don't know people not smiling and all that... just remember.. its going to be COLD.</p>
<p>ACornellA,
Who told you about the transcript showing the class's average percentile? I just called CALS admissions, and the woman I spoke to who even called the registrar, said that a Cornell transcript shows only the student's individual letter grade.
If your source is accurate though, and the transcript does indeed show the average %tile in each class, then I can see why cutthroat competition would run rampant.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Transcripts and grade reports for undergraduate students shall indicate, along with the grade earned, the median grade given in the course and the course enrollment.
[/quote]
<a href="http://registrar.sas.cornell.edu/Student/mediangrades.html%5B/url%5D">http://registrar.sas.cornell.edu/Student/mediangrades.html</a></p>
<p>Wow, that must add to your stress level in ways I can't even imagine. And I do believe that this is Cornell's policy. Thank you for the clarification.</p>