<p>They are defining characteristics, but they aren't "extremes" in any sense of the word.</p>
<p>ok, nitpicky. the point is, those are areas where cornell stands out in some way or the other. in those areas, cornell is some standard deviation away from the norm. whatever. i'm just trying to point out areas where people considering cornell need to focus their attention.</p>
<p>I will agree with that. It is these confluence of factors, among others, that makes Cornell so unique in higher education.</p>
<p>I think the HQ here is pretty decent. Like at any college, there is significant variation among people's opinions, which depend on a lot of factors not at all related to the college. I know people who love Cornell, people who hate it for legitimate reasons, people who were unfortunately depressed, and also a few people who hate it because they are immature and would not be happy anywhere. </p>
<p>In terms of academics, Cornell has been very enriching, even though sometimes I find myself insecure being around so many talented people. (I'm not saying that people here will be out of your league, but that you will notice a difference between being at the top of your high school class and being right in the middle at college.) </p>
<p>I often find the beauty of the campus awe-inspiring, and would encourage people to take walks around campus and explore new places once in a while. </p>
<p>The winters can be harsh, but in general they aren't much different from typical North East winters. </p>
<p>People from the city will probably find Ithaca a little "boring," though there are still many things to do if you're willing to look for them. I rather like the empty space and the relaxed atmosphere of being in a somewhat rural setting. </p>
<p>In short, this is all about fit.</p>
<p>Is it recommended that I join frat if I don't drink?</p>
<p>HQ also depend on your competitiveness level and stuff like that. Let's say you only have smart friends and they all have 3.8+ GPA and you are stuck with a 3.6 then your HQ might not be as high. Other cases might be you having a 4.0 and your parents beat you down cause its not a 4.3. There are many reasons for having a low HQ. It mainly depends on you. What makes you happy? I've met people who are happy and aren't stressed because the only thing they care about is getting a C+ or higher. I know some of you would be seriously not happy if your overall was a 2.0. So yea, it depends on you.</p>
<p>neineibu...not really, since frats center most everything around drinking, especially pledging. that being said, unless you're reallllly hardline about underage drinking, you may find that you start drinking even when you originally thought you wouldnt. it happened to a bunch of us lol.</p>
<p>Regarding the comment about engineering students - I agree with CayugaRed2005... my boyfriend is an engineering student, is very happy, in a fraternity, etc. He's only stressed around prelim times. Anyway, at every college you have stress during midterms, etc.</p>
<p>Cornell Is Amazingv And Thats All I Hav To Sya Baout That.</p>
<p>Have to appreciate drunken love</p>
<p>I would put my HQ at Cornell around an 8.5 -- but that's definitely not "all the time," as others have mentioned. Happiness anywhere is really dependent on you, not the place that you are, as your perspective makes all the difference in the world. I'm an Engineer, but the tough classes just make me feel validated, because if I can succeed in them then I can succeed in whatever I choose to do in life. (Note that this ideology got me through a few classes -- the "If I can do this, I can do anything" attitude really helps.)</p>
<p>Of course, prelim-stress can get to you, but managing time well can alleviate that pretty easily. All in all, I'm much happier at Cornell than in High School, and wouldn't want to be anywhere else, so... :3</p>
<p>pre-meds and engineers have it rough here, but a lot of it is their own fault.</p>
<p>who else locks themselves in their rooms the weekend after weekend just to procrastinate w/ facebook, etc? (i think we all do this the weekend before the weekend before prelims/exams)</p>
<p>they can make horrible friends, but then again, when you hang out with them or are having a bad week or something, you say, "at least i'm not an engineer" on the inside.</p>
<p>Cramming probably won't work in college right?</p>
<p>Is it the primary reason why some people have low HQ?</p>
<p>cramming is not the best way to do well on an exam...</p>
<p>it's like writing a paper at the last minute...</p>
<p>the best way to study is to have learned it well already...and then simply quiz yourself come exam time...</p>
<p>cramming like i did in high school def. didn't work so well when the grades came back.</p>
<p>Cramming is a bad idea. I do it anyway most of the time. It gets bad when you have several big assignments/tests at the same time, or if you're trying to do a research-intensive paper at 2AM the day it is due. It hasn't really affected my grades, though. While cramming might decrease your HQ temporarily, binge drinking to reward yourself for completing a large amount of work in a short period of time will bring it back up.</p>
<p>^ haha sounds like a large pop at Cornell</p>
<p>First semester I get up completely and was much less stressed n had better grades...tho had less time to be social during week (but did go out a lot on weekends). Second semester I was 1/2 on time 1/2 cramming and got really stressed and GPA went down .3 (from first to second semester)...but I hung out with people a lot during the week. I wish I could go back to my first semester work ethic but it's hard not to be social during the week lol</p>
<p>If u want max HQ DEFINITELY stay on time with things. U'll be much less stressed and have better grades.</p>
<p>Procrastinating then cramming then binge drinking is definitely what a lot of people fall into. Not ideal for HQ and grades but you get by.</p>
<p>I love Cornell I give it a 10</p>