I feel a little guilty

Colleges and Universities A-Z Cornell University
1

<p>I'm not going to lie. I feel kinda guilty about going to cornell. </p>

<p>Basically since freshmen year I have put forth approximately zero effort. Sure my grades stayed good (in fact my only B WAS freshmen year) and my sat's were pretty damn good. But the thing is, all these people, even people at my own school, were dying to attend cornell, and didn't get in. Meanwhile, I was very lackadaisical about the whole thing and got in. I did my application and wrote my essays the day the application needed to be submitted. I didn't even have anyone look over them. </p>

<p>I really feel I should be attending my local community college based on the level of effort and dedication I have shown. I feel like a jerk attending such a quality school over so many other qualified applicants.</p>

<p>On the plus side, I'm very psyched to start working in college. I've only had 3 years of relaxing to rest up for it after all...</p>

2

<p>Hahaha. Which school were you accepted to? You must be pretty brilliant to get in with absolutely zero effort =P</p>

3

<p>We need more lazy people to occupy the bottom of the curves at Cornell so you accomplish some function. Don't feel guilty.</p>

4

<p>That was a little rude. Yeah Cornell is going to be very different from high school. Make sure you are motivated enough to do the work before you come here or you will probably not do so well. Few people here can just rely on their smarts to do well.</p>

5

<p>masterofgrond: </p>

<p>what are on earth you feeling guilty about?? this is real life. jesus.</p>

<p>i am in the exact same situation as you. i took my SATs only once - in January of my Senior year. I stayed up till 4am on December 30th last year to start my essays and I used FexEx next day shipping. </p>

<p>I had a 3.58 GPA in high school cause I never studied. But my SATs were stellar. I never studied. I had a couple detentions for never even showing up for class. But man, it was the best 4 years of my life. Instead of studying, I spent all that time starting a small-business, writing a novel, and making my own records.</p>

<p>seriously, colleges need to be accepting more kids who can get by with little effort. these are the guys that are gonna end up with the biggest alumni contributions anyways... </p>

<p>in all honesty, I'd take a "smart-effortless kid" over an average hardworker anyday.</p>

<p>if you got by cause youre a smart slacker, then more power to ya!!</p>

6

<p>That's the idea. The disingenuous self-deprecating tone hardly disguises the "oh look what I can do with minimal effort" gloating of the original post. I tutor too many freshmen not to recognize the typical 0.8-0.9 GPA drop that comes with the transition from HS to college. I'm trying to save the OP some heartache later on by advising him to get his act together right now. Hopefully, he won't be so "lackadaisical" in college.</p>

7

<p>I think I already said this once on here, but I know someone who was the salutatorian of his high school class, had stellar APs and SATs and ECs, who is at Cornell right now on academic probation. He's already been on academic probation once before. His problem is not that he isn't smart. His problem is poor time management (i.e., watching too much anime and playing video games).</p>

8

<p>I agree with norcalguy and was about to say the same thing after I read the post. I think the OP just wants some narcissistic ego massage. Trust me, if you continue to be lackadaisical about schoolwork you won't make it past first semester.</p>

<p>Are you an underrepresented minority? Because then that would explain it.</p>

9

<p>lol Now, THAT urm comment was rude</p>

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<p>yeah..it may have been a girl in engineering haha</p>

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<p>I hope this guy is kidding.</p>

<p>Like hell you're actually considering going to community college. That only serves to irk everyone who reads this.</p>

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<p>If you didn't put in any efforts, and you still managed to get in, then you are most probably some kind of undiscovered genius. Then you deserve your place at Cornell. So stop feeling guilty about it and start enjoying it! :P</p>

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<p>"Decision: Accepted
Major: Computer Science and Engineering</p>

<ul>
<li>SAT I: 2320 (M790 R800 W730)</li>
<li>SAT IIs: 800 M2 790 Bio M 780 US Hist</li>
<li>GPA (W&UW): 4.0 (uw) Not gonna calculate my weighted but i had pretty much the maximum numbers of honors classes</li>
<li>Rank: </li>
</ul>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<ul>
<li>Essays: Not as good as those for my other colleges, but they were solid.</li>
<li>Hook (if any): psssh hooks</li>
</ul>

<p>Location/Person:</p>

<ul>
<li>State or Country: NJ</li>
<li>School Type: public</li>
<li>Ethnicity: white</li>
<li>Gender: male</li>
</ul>

<p>Other Factors:</p>

<ul>
<li>Extracurriculars: Tutoring, Swimming, Columbia SHP, couple CTY courses. Ranked state-wide in Science League multiple times and the obviously clutch, Sunday School Teacher (Putting the fear of god in children? For volunteer hours? YOU KNOW IT!</li>
<li>Special Circumstances: Well, I'm slightly completely insane, good thing I didn't have to take a psychoanalytical test before they admitted me)</li>
</ul>

<p>UMich and UCLA at this point. Just waiting to see if i get in anywhere else now. Truthfully I wasn't too worried about either of these schools."</p>

<p>I wonder how can you get a 4.0 if you got a B freshman year. Also, judging from your ECs, it doesn't seem you were putting "zero effort" into hs.</p>

14

<p>a 800 math is understandable....but a 780 US History? Scoring a 780 on an exam that requires so much memorization...i doubt you didnt study for that one</p>

15

<p>You shouldn't feel guilty because I bet the other people who wanted to attend Cornell wrote about their studies or their grades or at least made some reference to them in their essays, which probably killed their chances. Explaining a bad grade to a college unless they specifically ask for it is a terrible idea no matter where you're applying be it even Harvard. The schools want well-rounded people, not bookworms.</p>

16

<p>life is unfair, don't worry about it</p>

17

<p>Don't respond to this thread anymore; he's a troll.</p>

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<p>Ouch. Thanks for all the support guys. </p>

<p>Sorry if I came off as arrogant narcissistic or any of other things you people thought. I was actually being genuine here. See this is the sorta thing i would talk to my friends about because that's what they're there for but they're not much help on this issue. One's going to Harvard, the other is raging mad he's not going to Penn and the third is worse than I am on this. </p>

<p>Excuse me if i thought perhaps people on this forum would be a little understanding. This post was deadly serious and frankly I could care less what you all think of me as a person. I'm feeling a huge doubt gnawing inside me that perhaps I really am doing something that I don't deserve here. </p>

<p>And the thing is, I REALLY HAVE put in no effort. School's easy for me always has been, I'm not gonna pretend it hasn't. I compete in things and win awards without knowing how or why. I feel like I've been on one big lucky streak. I don't even go to half my classes anymore because I just don't have to.</p>

<p>I'm not here asking whether I will be able to do the work at Cornell, I know I will. I'm merely questioning a system which allows students like me to get an education at a school like Cornell, while others are not so fortunate. It just doesn't fit with my world view very well.</p>

<p>and wavebrk, I studied not a lick for the us history AP or the SAT. The 5 and 780 came because history is my second great love after the sciences. While I should be working in school I read books about history. My current one is "The Battle for Spain" by Antony Beevor. Excellent book.</p>

<p>But anyway, please don't talk as if you understand who I am or why I'm posting this. You may know people who you think I'm like, but I'm not them. Trust me, if I merely wanted an ego boost I would not need to come here. I get enough of that nonsense at school everyday. I hate it, you have no idea.</p>

<p>So seriously, this was not meant as a troll post, sorry if it came off as one, I'll be sure next time to remember that genuine concerns aren't welcome here and I should stick to asking about which dorm I should want and whether I should've gone to Michigan instead. </p>

<p>And for the record I never considered going to community college, merely commented on the fact it seems the place I deserve to be. </p>

<p>That post was longer than I had planned. Oh well. kbye. oh and thanks for those of you who actually did not assume the worst and responded with some form of truthfulness, I appreciate it.</p>

19

<p>ok, so you did good because you enjoying studying history by yourself.</p>

<p>CON-GRAT-U-FREAKIN-LATIONS!!!!</p>

20

<p>I did well on the history bits because I enjoy history I suppose but there is a huge difference between reading for interest and studying.</p>

<p>But for the last time, I'm not posting here because i need your adulation. That isn't what gets me off. After having to deal with people constantly congratulating me or offering me respect solely on an overblown reputation I have been dogged with since middle school, you get tired of that. I don't need your respect nor do I really want it. I was just seeing if maybe anyone else felt this way that could offer advice or at least commiseration. Unfortunately it seems many of those who frequent these forums are as pompous and self-important as they think me to be.</p>