@cdc9981 Not trying to start an argument with you, but other threads on CC seem to say otherwise…
I am in no way knowledgeable about grad school (unless you count med school 
) but if I were to guess, maybe those that come from “top” rigorous and well-known undergrad schools don’t necessarily need the highest GPA but more the complete package in terms of research, maybe pubs, ECs, (LORs), etc? And those that are mainly from middle-level state schools need to also maintain the higher GPA? I hear that grad school does care about the level undergrad school to some extent.
@ArthurDent42
@cdc9981 “Not trying to start an argument with you, but other threads on CC seem to say otherwise…”
I think it depends on the program. Medical school’s for example are notorious for their gpa focus. Business schools tend to care about the GMAT more than gpa. Phd programs, may care a lot about research. In am not sure that there is a universal answer.
How often does it actually snow? How bad is it in the winter… haha
Haha, its in upstate NY right on the edge of Cayuga Lake so there is definitely a good amount of snow. But that being said, Cornell and its students have survived over 150 winters with almost no days off because of the weather. Its definitely cold and snow covers campus for several months, but most people get used to very quickly. Obviously if you come from Cali or Florida, its gonna a bit of a shock but you learn to love the snow and the weather; I certainly did and I am from the south.
How do you receive your admission decision? Is it an email? A letter? Do you check your online account?
@redbluegreen19
When I applied, (and this applies for most schools) there was an online account where a letter was uploaded and I was given a link to view it. I actually prefer it this way, compared to Harvard’s email thing. Hate getting emails with decisions.
1.) Did you apply RD or ED?
2.) Did you apply for financial aid?
3.) Did you receive the amount of financial aid you expected? In other words, was your concept of “100% need met”, as Cornell boasts on their College Board Website profile, the same before and after you received your estimated financial aid package?
4.) If you did apply ED, did your preliminary financial aid package (the one based on your CSS Profile) differ from your final, actual financial aid package? If so, by how much?
5.) Overall opinion on Cornell’s distribution of money (are they stingy or generous)?
@ArthurDent42 I will try to answer this for you the best I can since we just went through this last year. My D is a freshman.
- ED
- Yes
- Actually we received more than we expected to. We were very conservative in our estimates.
Also, 100% need met does not mean that Cornell will grant you all the money you need. It means that all your need will be met with a COMBINATION of grants, loans, work study. Please be aware of this, because wording can be tricky. Also, even if you are a zero pay, Cornell still wants each student to have skin in the game, so they make you contribute $2800 from summer work, savings, or your parents will pay it.
- Cornell is very good as estimating FA for Early Decision students. Ours was quite accurate and did not change by more than a few hundred dollars.
- Loaded question. If you have need, Cornell is very fair. If you don't have need, then they don't give you much. It's not rocket science. They don't have the endowment of HYPS, but they are generous.
I’ll second what @TiggyB62 said. Although I didn’t receive more aid than I was expecting, it was plus/minus 2k of the estimates that I was seeing through their online calculator. But keep in mind that the more unique your family situation gets (multiple houses, small business, etc), the more you might see differences between estimated vs actual. I’ll just say that without Cornell’s financial aid, I would be going to my state school. I also applied RD so I have no knowledge about ED financial aid.
And for certain situations, their fin aid office is pretty helpful too if you have any questions or such. Just keep in mind that they don’t have the resources of HYPS and that Cornell is one of the largest (if not the largest) top 15 schools in the country.
I agree with @matrixsurgeon in that Cornell is less expensive for my D to attend than our state U would have been. And we are very thankful and grateful for the FA from Cornell. This education will be a life changer for my D. Also, as stated, owning a business makes it trickier to estimate what you will get. I can attest to this since we are small business owners.
@TiggyB62 @matrixsurgeon Thank you both!
@ArthurDent42 @Much2learn When I saw grad school, I assumed we were talking about non-law non-medical graduate degree programs. That being said, what each program in each different discipline wants is entirely case-specific. There’s no one good answer.
However, my original point was that the importance of a person’s GPA moving from high school to undergrad, as compared to GPA moving from undergrad to grad, is handled in a different way. Obviously having a not-so-great GPA will affect you similarly. As someone who got into Cornell and a few top-tier schools for grad work without having a 3.8, you don’t /need/ to have a certain GPA level to get you in. Some places do cut offs at 3.5, though a lot of them won’t tell you that. But you’re more considered for how you best fit into the specific program you’re applying for, how your research interests mesh with those of the faculty, your employment/research history, and finally (the big one!) your statement of purpose. Your high school to undergrad Statement of Purpose (sometimes personal statement) is VASTLY different from that of your undergrad to graduate SoP.
Anyway, if you’re looking at grad school info, gradcafe is a much better place to talk about it. But just my two cents on the matter.
Which dorm halls are the best? If you’ve tried any of the group exercise classes, how are they?
@315181451212 (nice username first of all lolol)
Freshmen dorms really vary because they are all different in their own ways. Some are known for being really social, primarily because of layout (Donlon), some are not that great (Low-Rises). Others have weird set ups (High Rises) and Others are the newest and nicest dorms (Mews, CKB). So it really depends on what you get but no matter what the lottery turns up, the freshmen experience is great. You’ll meet a lot of people regardless of where you live, and I encourage all incoming freshmen to definitely consider joining clubs, club/intramural sports, etc.
By group exercise classes, do you mean like the normal PE classes that are done in a group? They are great. There are a lot of options (everything from shooting to bowling to weight lifting to yoga) and most people enjoy them.
Ok, thanks! And my username is Cornell with each letter as its number in the alphabet
@matrixsurgeon Is Risley still regarded as the dorm with “weird people”? Any truth to this?
@chootimes - snow day at Cornell.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sE-Gu3-DjT0
Hey can you tell me something about dorms? Ay advice?
Im an international student who got accepted ED and did not get any financial aid, although I applied for one. Is there any way I can ease this whole financial problem at Cornell? I heard that some people do this thing called TA (teacher assistant) that gives them credit (which will help in accelerated graduation) and also some money… if so, do you know anything about this TA opportunity?