<p>Everyone of my friends, counselor, teachers told me Cornell was the wrong place to be in(though they said I had a good chance getting admitted there).
They said and I want you guys to comment:
1)It was in the middle of no where.
2) Not fun, because of above.
3) Extreme chill in winters.
4)Drugs
5) easiest ivy.
6) place is filled with weirdos.</p>
<p>I don't think any of that is true. But, before applying there, I want to know if it is really worth it.</p>
<p>I have no idea, Iām not a student, but taking a look at the sticky thread āmyth-bustingā might be helpful!</p>
<p>Saugus, care to weigh in?</p>
<p>Let me address each of those individually.
<p>Excellent and accurate post Masternika!
Quiverfoxā¦ You really have to visit the campus to see for yourself.
Cornell is a remarkable institution with amazing resources and a vibrant and spirited student body.</p>
<p>Not sure where all this info came from. Cornell is not filled with weirdos. I met many alpha, outgoing, and extremely sociable people at Cornell.</p>
<p>And being the āeasiest ivyā part. Nobody in real world gives a damn about where you went to college. Go out to a bar in nyc and drop that āI went to Harvardā line before a girl thatās a 9 or 10, and come back to tell me how that goes. Outside of banking / consulting job placement, college prestige matters very little.</p>
<p>I would love to apply to Cornell. I live far away, never had a chance to the united states. So seeing the campus, is only virtual. Well I guess friends were unhappy that got rejected there, that is probably why they hated the place.
Thanks for the comments guys! Want to hear more from you guys , thanks!!</p>
<p>Masternickaās post was right on the money. Iāll add just a littleā¦</p>
<p>Your list of negatives about Cornell, while completely unfounded and untrue, can be found at many colleges. </p>
<p>While Cornell is in a non-urban setting, it is absolutely beautiful landscape wise and architecturally. Cornell offers many interesting and varied activities/events for students all year long so itās never boring. And Ithaca was voted ānumber one college town.ā </p>
<p>Last winter it hardly even snowed and students were disappointed that they did not get to experience one of those infamous winters. </p>
<p>Drugs and alcohol are part of every college - remember itās the ācoolā kids, not the weirdos that often are partaking in these. </p>
<p>Easiest ivy? You havenātā even gotten in yet! Why donāt you reserve judgement until then. Better yet, wait a few semesters after you are there to comment. </p>
<p>Calling students at Cornell āweirdosā suggests that you are into labels. Sure, there are āindividualsā but if you just want to be like everyone else, then go to a place where there is no diversity. The best part of Cornell is that it is large enough that it is easy to āfit in.ā</p>
<p><strong>LIKE</strong> to masternikaās post. Iām an HYP alum and it always boggles me when outsiders (non-Ivy people, general population) throw out missives like Cornell or Penn are lesser than my school ā as if my crap smelled like roses.</p>
<p>Again, itās unknowing outsiders who throw out those banal comparisons. Those of us who have attended, know to be sufficiently humble to one another ā regardless if our colors are Red, crimson, blue/white, black/orange, etc.</p>
<p>I agree with Masternika (and I am a Cornell alum). </p>
<p>1) No, Cornell is not in any big city. If you want to have the city life, Ithaca is not going to do it for you. NYC is not particularly close either in my opinion; going there is a planned trip. Then again, I knew at least one person who went to the city EVERY weekend.
2) Cornell is plenty fun unless you need a bustling city life to have fun. How much fun you have in college is going to be determined by your friendships anyway.
3) Cornell isnāt any colder than the rest of the northeast and is outside the snow belt so doesnāt often get extreme snow storms like Buffalo or (sometimes) Syracuse.
4) No bigger a problem at Cornell than any other school. You donāt even need to make an effort to avoid them really; the drug culture is not all that pervasive.
5) Perceived ease is irrelevant. Yes, itās among the easiest to be admitted to, but that only matters to high school seniors applying to schools. No adult goes around saying āI went to Harvard and it has a very low acceptance rate.ā As for the coursework itself, itās probably on par with other elite schools. Iāve had friends who transferred from other good schools (top 30) who noted the coursework at Cornell was noticeably harder. Professors have commented that they are able to assign more work to Cornell students and expect them to do it compared to other schools theyāve taught at.
6) Weirdos are what make places interesting. Iām sure New Haven (Yale) would trade its criminals for Ithacaās weirdos in a heartbeatā¦</p>
<p>I am this forumās resident pessimist, and hereās my take:</p>
<p>1) Thereās a lot to do on campus, more than you have time to do. Big names COME to campus and do shows. Jay Pharoh was here yesterday, for example. The city itself has quite a few restaurants. The mall is terrible, though. Then again, why do you need a big mall? </p>
<p>2) No, a lot of the events are fun.</p>
<p>3) Itās starting to get cold right about now. Yesterday was actually perfect, but some days are bone-chillingly cold. Not much different from the rest of the NorthEast, though.</p>
<p>4) Drugs are at every school. And there are plenty of people who donāt use them.</p>
<p>5) Easiest to get INTO. Not the easiest grading-wise. Once you get here, you donāt care about acceptance rates anymore. You care about your GPA. </p>
<p>6) Thereās 3,000+ people per class. Of course there are going to be weirdos. But theyāre the minority.</p>
<p>Thanks Saugus!
From reading your posts over the past year and knowing your dismay about HYP rejections and trepidation about Cornellā¦ I knew you would be the perfect person to respond.
Quiverfox, you can take what Saugus writes to the bank. He had the same apprehension once as you do now.
Best to you in your college search!</p>
<p>I went to Cornell, albeit almost 40 years ago, and #1, #2, and #3 definitely applied went I went there. </p>
<p>I hated it there, and as a result, did not encourage my son to apply there.</p>
<p>It IS in the middle of nowhere.</p>
<p>It is hard to get home from there, if you live in New York or Boston.</p>
<p>There is no air service, at least when I went there.</p>
<p>I made the mistake of not joining a frat. Big mistake. If you are not in a frat, you are out of the social loop. </p>
<p>Further, when I went there, it was 2/3 men, although I understand that has drastically changed since the olden days.</p>
<p>Now, that being said, my brotherās kid is now going there, and I have heard that he loves it.</p>
<p>If you have issues with it being isolated, Cornell is obviously not for you. Go to NYU or BU. Iāve lived in the city all my life and I am excited to get away for college so Cornellās gorgeous isolation was very attractive. </p>
<p>Why are you applying if you donāt like it? With your amazing stats, you can get into a lot of exciting city schools that donāt have drugs and have plenty of cool people you can stay abstinent with. </p>
<p>obvious ā ā ā ā ā is obvious.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>1) I guess it is, itās not that close to any major city. There is Ithaca, obviously, but thatās a fairly small town, not a big city. Still, weekend trips or even day trips to NYC, Philadelphia, etc. are possible, if you are so inclined.
2) I donāt see how 2 follows from 1. There is a lot to do here. You wonāt get bored with all the stuff going on on campus (and in downtown Ithaca, I suppose) coupled with schoolwork. If you do, do something worthwhile with your extra time, like research, a job, etc.
3) Where Iām from the low temperature in the winter daytime is around 55, and it has not snowed in 30 years. However, the weather here hasnāt been a problem for me yet. Sure, in most of November itās not comfortable to walk around in a T-shirt, but with a sweater (and head covering) itās not bad. These forecasts: [Average</a> Weather for Ithaca, NY - Temperature and Precipitation](<a href=āMonthly Weather Forecast for Seattle, WA - weather.comā>Monthly Weather Forecast for Seattle, WA - weather.com) say it will be around 10-15 degrees colder in the heart of winter, so maybe thatās pretty cold, weāll see.
4) A lot of people do drink, and a fair number do marijuana, but from what I gather from friends at other colleges thatās true almost anywhere, except at very strict/religious schools. I donāt think hard drug use is common. Anyway, you can just stay away from if you want. I do not drink alcohol or do drugs and itās not been a problem. I assume that is what you mean by āDrugs.ā
5) Quite possibly the easiest to get into, depending on your major (although still lots of people get rejected here and get into another one, and vice versa). Not easiest work wise - Brownās average grade is an A-, for instance. It can be easy if you take joke classes, but very challenging if you take advanced ones.
6) Thatās just dumb, there are 14,000 undergraduates here, of course some of them will be āweirdos,ā but most are normal.</p>
<p>Bottom line: If you dislike Cornell, then donāt come here. But those reasons you gave donāt make a lot of sense to me.</p>
<p>apparently one change since floridadad55 went to Cornell is that thereās now an airport in Ithaca. obviously itās not always the best choice depending your travel plans, but it does work for some folks.</p>
<p>I havenāt read everyoneās replies but what I did see looks totally reasonable. as for the people youāve talked to previously, donāt put too much stock in anyoneās opinion if itās been formed based on a few snap judgments.</p>
<p>@FloridaDad</p>
<p>I thought you said your brotherās kid goes to Yale? Or does he have both a Yalie and a Cornellian?</p>
<p>Also, where did you go to Law School? Donāt you make a lot of money as an attorney now?</p>
<p>@Collooker</p>
<p>The grass is both figuratively and literally greener at HYP, at least to me. (And I say literally because Princetonās lawns look very nice. Ours are nice too, but there are yellow spots from where people have stepped on the grass.)</p>
<p>But there are pretty ridiculous opportunities here too. One of my professors was named the MOST influential scholar in International Relations. He was also President of the American Political Science Association a few years ago. You donāt get any higher-caliber of a professor than that.</p>
<p>The faculty at HYP are overall higher, but a full Professor here is better than an Associate Professor over there, etc.</p>
<p>Iāve gotten to shake hands and talk to Sandra Fluke, the former President of Chile, Rick Santorum, Howard Dean, Charles Blow, some guy from Americaās Got Talent, Doug Usher, etc. </p>
<p>Cornell is an amazing place. Itās just human nature to be greedy and want an even more amazing place. (By the way, there are people here who picked Cornell over HYP.)</p>
<p>Thank You guys! I think I will definitely apply after what you guys said(except for the chill!).I was just talking of drug usage, since it was the first thing that caught the eye of my counselor(U Penn undergrad). Isolation is not good, I donāt enjoy it that much, then I guess ill join some frat. Iāve also heard It is one of the hardest to get OUT of.Is that myth of fact >??
Thanks Guys! Please do post back !</p>
<p>^
I just told you. Weāre the easiest to get into, but are reputed to have some of the harshest grading standards.</p>
<p>How is your counselor only a high school counselor if he went to UPenn undergrad?</p>