Currently a sophomore at Cornell who is VERY bored at the moment just waiting to go back to Ithaca for the start of the semester (that winter break is unlike almost every other school I know). Feel free to ask me any questions whether you are admitted ED and excited to join or you just applied RD and are freaking out about admissions, etc. I’ll try to help as much as I can!
As with all of these “Ask me” threads, anyone can answer a question that is posed here. CC does not allow restricted POV threads. - FC, moderator
GT? Is that Guaranteed transfer?
If so, then actually I have yet to meet any guaranteed transfer people. But I am sure that they blend in just fine…(is it the transfer after 1 semester or 1 year?) If its 1 semester than they should have no problem as they will most likely be put into freshmen housing and its pretty easy to get to know people and make friends and such. Actual transfers, it might be a different story but it even then really depends on how active and social you are, its not hard to “blend in” if you join a bunch of clubs and just be overall active.
Hello
I am Sahil, currently in 12th standard and preparing for my board exams in March. I scored 9.6 CGPA in 9th, 9 c.g.p.a in 10th and 91% in class 11. I am expecting a 87+% in class 12.
In India we have GPA out of 10
Now comes the main part. I am desiring to get into Cornell and is expecting 1950+ on my SAT (i got 1790 on first try)
I can easily get 700+ on subject tests for Maths and Physics. I am aiming for Astrophysics.
The question is can i get into Cornell.
I am the finalist of the World’s largest inter school quiz, ‘Aqua Regia’, winner of many debate and quiz competition in school and many certificates for public welfare.
Nice to see that you are doing pretty well in school. What’s even more complementary to your GPA is your class standing/rank…does your school publish percentiles or anything that compare you with other people at your school? I hope you understand that being an international student (which I presume you are unless you have US citizenship) its an uphill battle for any top school in the US. Also, if you got a 1790 on the SAT, I would advise you to aim as high as you can go on the SATs, ideally this means above a 2150 because Cornell’s average SAT scores are usually in that range. Apart from the numbers (GPA, SATs, board scores, etc) there is also your ECs and stuff.
Just put your best foot forward and hope for the best (thats all I can really advise you).
Haha I was expecting at-least one hotelie question. I wouldn’t say they get a “bad” rep or anything but of course its a different curriculum than most A&S and engineering or premed stuff but that doesn’t mean anything. Pretty much every “click” on campus has a stereotype that people throw around but its all in fun and stuff, nothing actually serious (I am a premed lol). The hotelies do really well after school in terms of jobs and stuff and I know a good amount (they are pretty social haha) and for the most part its not stressful.
Yeah, I am always in the top 5 students of my class. But the problem is my SAT. I am reappearing for SAT on Jan. 23. The highest i am expecting is 1950+. So i am a bit worried but i can definitely get a perfect score on APs and subject tests. Please advise me. Its the last attempt of SAT my parents would allow. If i dont score good this time they would send me to a shitty indian college.
@bvo112
So the food at cornell is top notch…I believe that Cornell Dining ranks in top 5 pretty much every year…as a freshmen, North Campus food is pretty above-average college dining. West Campus is the true jewel of Cornell Dining (usually sophomore dining but freshmen can also eat there if they want). Dorms are also pretty good. Some freshmen dorms aren’t amazing (but u get that at every school lol) and its lottery. But the freshmen experience in dorms is pretty fun.
@college2021
The College of Human Ecology is top notch (I am in the college btw lol) because it is truly one of a kind that you won’t see anywhere else. Its different because its filled with majors that are specific and great in their own fields (PAM, DEA, Fiber Science, etc) and its got a lot of premeds because HBHS and related are great majors in CHE. And although its a smaller school, its just about as competitive to get into as A&S and might even be a little more if you are coming in as a premed.
I presume that you are looking at CHE in respect to one of their specific majors? Feel free to ask away any specific questions you have on it if you want.
1.) Haha, a 3.8+ in any major is pretty difficult and you would have work very hard for it (especially hard sciences and engineers). But don’t let that deter you, I have a good number of science/engineering friends that work their butt off and they do pretty well (maybe not 3.8 for a lot but well enough to get into good grad schools, get jobs, etc).
Cornell is an excellent place to go if you are interested in research opportunities. I personally have a couple of physics friends that are in research and they love it. Most people take research for credit (you can get started whenever and most professors do research). It definitely takes time management but doing research on the side and doing well in school is not hard. I do research on campus and love it.
You don’t need to drink or do drugs to have a social life haha. Some people I know don’t drink or anything and are able to have an amazing social life. You can decide to go Greek if thats your thing or you can find a group of friends through residential life, academics, sports, clubs, etc. Because there are so many different types of people on campus, you can easily find your niche.
How’s Ithaca as a town? I live close to L.A. and being within easy driving distance of a big city is pretty useful. Cornell seems a little isolated to me, but what’s it like for a student?
@ClarinetDad16
So several years ago (I believe around 2009-2010) there were some students suicides that happened around campus. And in response to media and student outrage, the university set up some protective fencing followed by netting around the main bridges on campus. But since then, I don’t believe that there has been a problem.
AND to clarify, cornell does NOT have a suicide problem. If you think about it, suicide by jumping off a bridge is more news-crazy than people ODing or something. In fact, I believe Cornell’s “suicide” rate is actually below average for college students. On a similar note, yea Cornell is a tough school and can be stressful at times (as a premed I can definitely attest to that). But there are also a lot of resources on campus for students. Everything from academic tutoring to mental health awareness to counseling programs. And at Cornell, there is no “cutthroat” environment. In fact I have never interacted with anybody that has acted in a cutthroat manner. Everyone is willing to help out their fellow students and we all work together to be the best we can be.
To be completely honest to you, I thought, when applying to Cornell, that I was applying to a school that was in the middle of nowhere. However, after coming to Cornell and actually experiencing Ithaca for what it is? Its actually much more than “isolate”. Obviously its not LA or Chicago or any city, but its Ithaca and thats what makes it special for us. Its got an amazing college town feel. The commons and college town areas have amazing restaurants, bars, etc. The townies (what we call local people) are very down-to-earth and easygoing.
That being said, if you are expecting a big-time busy city and environment, then thats not Ithaca. Ithaca is one of the (actually ranked #1 recently by a magazine) best college towns in the country.
It seems to be possible to major in biology in both Arts and Sciences as well as in CALS. My son has applied to CALS.
Is there any prejudice on campus or diminished chances for grad school if a student is in CALS vs CAS?
Not clear about whether all of these prograns are considered “Cornell” or whether CALS is considered some sort of diminished or inferior program that people will think is “technically Cornell, but nobody who knows would be fooled.”