I am currently a freshman at Cornell, double majoring in Computer Science and Economics. I have hated every second of my time here, since day 1. Here’s what’s on my mind - while I understand that this decision is ultimately mine, I wold certainly appreciate some outside perspectives since my negativity may be clouding my judgment.
I’ve been super homesick. I am very close to my family and it’s been insanely hard spending 8 months away per year. Yes, I’ve tried the usual advice such as joining clubs (which, by the way, I was DENIED at all three I applied to, despite making it to the final round interviews in all of them!). I’m from the midwest, so it’s not like I can drive home on a weekend. Every time I come back from break, I am super depressed because I realize just how much better home life really is. I haven’t had fun a single day that I’ve been at Cornell.
General college life absolutely, well, sucks. The food is terrible. The people are extremely immature and are either extremely stereotypical frat boys or never leave their rooms. The gyms are WAY overcrowded. My dorm is full of loud partiers who couldn’t care less about anyone else other than themselves. Oh, and there is too much work! I haven’t had a chance to read a book for fun since I got here - instead, my weekends consist of homework, office hours, eating crappy food, and more homework. To add, I’m not sure I can even handle the course work in CS here - it already feels like too much and this is the easiest it’ll be!
I have made one or two acquaintances, but nothing more (and yes, I did try to make friends for a few months until I realized that this place is full of either partiers or people who aren’t completely “normal” (think homosexual, goth, etc) - most likely because I am a more reserved individual who does not seem to fit in with the general riff raff here.
The weather. Being from the midwest, I thought I was prepared. Never have I seen so many depressing, cloudy days. Also, at least I had a car at home to get around instead of baring the -30 degree days in all their glory. The icing on the cake? Ithaca is horrible - best college town? Yeah right! I guess if you like mediocre restaurants and drunk people as far as the eye can see, then sure, it’s the best college town. I don’t find Ithaca particularly “gorges” either.
I feel so bad that my parents are paying full sticker price which will sum up to about $300,000+ by the time I’m done, and I really don’t think this experience will be worth a fourth of that. I’ve learned some things in my classes, but not close enough to warrant the $70,000 we’ve already spent here. Is a Cornell degree really worth it? The more I’ve looked into it, the more I realize that other people think of Cornell as a joke of a school that hardly belongs in the Ivy League.
I have been seriously thinking about transferring to Northwestern, as that is about a 2 hour drive from my home. At this point, that may not even be possible considering I need professor recommendations and, due to the insane number of people here, I haven’t had the chance to get to know a single professor. Moreover, it’s not like the transfer acceptance rate is 90% either. I know the CS degree has less weight there than at Cornell, but I don’t even want to be a software engineer - I want to go into consulting/venture capital.
How would this decision affect my future employability within such fields? Is a Cornell degree really worth this sort of suffering? How can I improve my experience here is a transfer is not an option? Perhaps I just needed to vent… Ugh, I’m at a loss…ANYTHING would help me at this point…
If you truly hate it then leave. No degree is worth four years of suffering (in my opinion). If you aren’t happy at Cornell , then you won’t be giving it your all, and you won’t find yourself where you want to be in the future. If this is really the case then now is the time to do something.
Research possible transfer colleges and before you pick one to commit to and make sure the place is really the right fit for you. Spend a few days in the area and try to grasp a good idea of what life there would be like. Make sure you would be truly happy living, learning, and socializing in this environment.
Maybe college life in general just isn’t for you. It’s probably not what you want to hear, but based on what you’ve said, this might be the case. If so get right into work experience. It’ll most likely be hard to obtain any sort of ideal job with no degree, but if you work hard and climb through the ranks, you may find yourself doing pretty well off (this is after a lot of time and hard work). It can be done. It can also be done easier with a college degree, especially a prestigious one, but you have to weigh the pros and cons of each side.
Overall, go with what makes you happy. Success will come if you’re committing yourself to something you enjoy.
Edit: Also, don’t forget to look for the positives in whatever situation you’re in
“Life is 10% what happens to you, and 90% how you react to it.”
Please go and make an appointment to speak with someone at Gannett Health services tomorrow. College is a difficult adjustment and some professional counseling may help. My son had a very difficult first semester until he was able to adjust to a new environment and make some real friends. Upon our urging, he went for some counseling and he is now in his third year and could not be happier.
Frankly, Cornell’s value proposition is probably at its worst freshman year. Particularly for those who don’t immediately fit in with “the masses”. It can take some sorting time to find ones group of like-minded individuals, if they don’t happen to materialize in your dorm. I thought it was a zillion times better afterwards, when one got away from the dorms, away from the frats, lived with people who had cars hence could really know and enjoy Ithaca., started getting into classes in your major, etc.
But there are no guarantees these things will get better for you, personally. And some of your issues are things that will not get any better for you.
Cornell isn’t for everyone. If you are living there and actually cannot see and relish the beauty surrounding you , if you prefer a manicured lawn in a suburb to a stream and a waterfall, you made the wrong choice.
I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it that way. I’ve had friends of all kinds from high school and from what I have gathered, I connect best with people who are a little more, how do you say this, moderate on the spectrum.
I believe Coriander was saying that you’re not pleasant because you, in that post, summarily judged just about every group that’s even a little bit different than you.
I don’t drink or do drugs either and I will be the first to admit that I judge those who do. But homosexuals? Goths? People who are enjoying sexual freedom for the first time? You judge people for going out and for staying in their rooms, and yet by your own admission you have been holed up in your own room doing homework. Maybe they are too – did you think of that? Doubt it, because you’re normal and they’re not, in your worldview.
I get it; I’m sorry, I just got back from spring break and was particularly angry. I’ve apologized twice now and will say again I did not mean it in a demeaning way. But perhaps the degradation of this post is yet another casualty of the toxic liberal atmosphere that pervades this campus.
Maybe I do; like I said I am open to any advice. Instead of attacking someone who is depressed and whose judgement may be clouded, why not offer some CONSTRUCTIVE criticism as to how I can do that.
If you feel liberalism is “toxic”, perhaps you should investigate a conservative religious campus where you may be more comfortable with your own kind. Most top tier universities are on the liberal side, and for good reason.
And studies show that as people grow older they become more conservative, perhaps because they realize more government and socialist policies are maybe not so ideal anymore… Your point is?
The point is that you’re conservative now and they’re liberal now and that’s making you unhappy. Whether they “join” you on that side of center later is irrelevant. Renomamma said to transfer, which is what you were asking about. I think their point is fairly clear and directly answered your question.
I believe his point is that maybe you should try checking out some conservative schools. Maybe you’ll find yourself surrounded by more like-minded people and be generally happier there.
I should have handled this thread better. I am just so frustrated. Conservative/liberalism is not the big issue here - my biggest issue is homesickness, everything else just adds to my unhappiness. Transferring to a school close to home is not an option as none offer a good education. My only option is Northwestern - I am worried about letting my parents down, having to explain to everyone why I transferred, whether my employability before and immediately after graduation will be affected…
@heat0213 my advice is to hang in there! The campus needs students like you. This is what gives a campus diversity. The learning experience you will gain will truly outweigh the difficulties that you are having now. It will get better as long as you are making good grades and moving forward. Freshman year is what it is. It can be rough but generally improves from then on. College is more than just academics. You are learning about real life and that’s a good thing. On a practical note, visiting student counseling can be very useful to help with your perspective and they’re free.
