Question about Cornell Life

Colleges & Universities A-Z Cornell University
1

<p>I visited Cornell and loved it! I absolutely want to spend the next four years there and I am most likely applying ED.</p>

<p>But before I do that I have a few questions about Cornell life:</p>

<p>1) I realize everyone at the University is smart but does this intelligence result in students with pretentious "oh i am above everyone else" behavior? I hate that.</p>

<p>2) Are there a lot of book worms?</p>

<p>3) For engineering is the work so overwhelming that I will live four years studying or is there room for social interaction? </p>

<p>4) Are there are lot of events and activities to do - especially in the winter - where I can meet new people? </p>

<p>5) Lastly - is the winter really as bad as people say it is(i am from nj) ? is it hard to get to classes during the winter?</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

2

<p>1) There are some students with that attitude. fortunately they are a small minority.
2) there are plenty. If you want to find book worms, it will not be difficult. there are tons of very very outgoing and extraverted people as well, and everything in between.
3) It will be very tough (from the looks of it) but I know successful engineers who also have a social life so it can be done.
4) I don’t have a great answer, I’m sure someone else has one.
5) No, it will not be terrible for you. sometimes it’s quite cold, in which case a good jacket and good set of gloves/scarf/hat will do you just fine. there are only a couple days where there are feet of snow on the ground that you have to trudge through, and they can sometimes be difficult. it’s hard to predict the weather for this year, but it will probably be, for the most part, very easy to get around.</p>

3

<p>1) I realize everyone at the University is smart but does this intelligence result in students with pretentious “oh i am above everyone else” behavior? I hate that.</p>

<p>There are definitely people like this. They aren’t the majority, though. A lot of this may depend on the backgrounds of folks you run into.</p>

<p>2) Are there a lot of book worms?</p>

<p>A significant amount for sure.</p>

<p>3) For engineering is the work so overwhelming that I will live four years studying or is there room for social interaction?</p>

<p>There are definitely engineers that are social. I don’t think it’s impossible for any engineer to have a high level of social interaction. I met plenty engineers that were good conversation.</p>

<p>4) Are there are lot of events and activities to do - especially in the winter - where I can meet new people?</p>

<p>Things still go on during the winter. If you’re into partying (doesn’t mean drinking), you could go that route. Otherwise, there are also various clubs and recreational activities for you to choose from. I tended to play basketball a lot as a freshman during the evenings.</p>

<p>5) Lastly - is the winter really as bad as people say it is(i am from nj) ? is it hard to get to classes during the winter?</p>

<p>It’ll depend on whether the snowfall is heavy, really. The weather isn’t anything terrible compared to New Jersey, but the precipitation and temperature can be very erratic. One day it can be warm and sunny while the next day may have heavy rain, or colder temperatures in the span of a few days/hours.</p>

4

<p>1) Some people have that attitude, but most people don’t (at least they don’t show it that much).
2) Of course!
3) No, it’s possible to have a good social life & get good grades in engineering, it’s just hard to do.
4) There are a lot of ways to meet new people (especially during Orientation). So get involved!
5) I think that Ithaca winters are realllly bad, and I’m from Long Island. It’s BAD. But I might just be complaining haha.</p>

5

<p>Ok thanks for the reply everyone.</p>

<p>One last question, freshmann and sophomore year I went to a school down south with the general income levels for the area much lower than the national average. Now, for junior year and senior year, I go to a school and live in a county that is filthy rich.</p>

<p>Down south, I definitely liked the humbleness and the general attitude of people who know their families don’t make 500k a year but understand money isn’t everything. Here - in my rich county - everyone is snobby and have that attitude I previously mentioned.</p>

<p>I realize Cornell is not cheap so do most students that study there come from upper class or high middle class families? Or is there somewhat of a mix because of financial aid?</p>

6

<p>There are a lot of people on financial aid, but you will absolutely run into snobby rich folks (not that all the wealthy/well-off people are snobby). I wouldn’t worry too much, though. After a while, it’s pretty easy to tell who isn’t too amicable to be around.</p>

7

<p>1) I realize everyone at the University is smart but does this intelligence result in students with pretentious “oh i am above everyone else” behavior? I hate that.</p>

<p>You’ll find that attitude, but I found Cornell students are mostly fairly humble. Getting your a** kicked by a prelim your first semester tends to knock a few people down. </p>

<p>2) Are there a lot of book worms?</p>

<p>Yes, there are a higher proportion of students that are book worms compared to other schools. That said, most students tend to find a balance. Even some of the most die-hard partiers I know were buried in the library when not partying, which speaks to excellent time management (Meaning wake up at 10am, study 12 hours, and go out at 10pm, although this is more the exception than the rule for people going out 5 nights a week and drinking). </p>

<p>3) For engineering is the work so overwhelming that I will live four years studying or is there room for social interaction? </p>

<p>I wasn’t an engineer, but knew plenty. It really depends. I would say of all schools, engineering is the most variable in terms of work. The actual assigned work-load isn’t necessarily all that intense (being a government major myself, most engineers were in awe of 100+ page reading assignments), but it depends how quickly you “get it.” My roommate for example studied maybe 2 hours for exams and still got A’s. Others I know were up all hours of the night trying to get through problem sets. That said, it’s all about balance and time management. If you are bad at it now, get good at it.</p>

<p>4) Are there are lot of events and activities to do - especially in the winter - where I can meet new people? </p>

<p>Yes. Cornell has over 900 student organizations. I encourage you to check out ClubFest which is normally the first Sunday after classes start. Join a few list-servs and feel a few out. While clubs recruit all year, you’ll be a bit “out of it” if you don’t join early in the semester.</p>

<p>5) Lastly - is the winter really as bad as people say it is(i am from nj) ? is it hard to get to classes during the winter?</p>

<p>Compared to NJ, winters in Ithaca won’t be significantly worse. Maybe a bit colder and a bit more snow. I came from upstate NY myself and the big difference is that at least for me, I was never outside in the snow all that often (walk to car, walk to school bus, etc which never takes more than a few minutes). At Cornell, you will be walking 15mins to/from classes so you might log an hour+ outside every day just getting to where you need to go.</p>

<p>6) Yes, there is a pretty healthy mix across income groups, though not too many people who are “poor.” But definitely the range across the middle classes. Some people are rich, but most don’t rub it in your face. That said, you will see students with the BMWs, Mercedes, etc.</p>

8

<ol>
<li><p>I haven’t found this. There are some scarily smart people, but prelims are hard enough that everyone commiserates together, and there is definitely a lot of collaboration. </p></li>
<li><p>I’m not sure what you mean by “book worm.” I love to read for fun, but it’s hard to find the time (I usually read before bed, but if I’ve just finished a problem set it’s hard to stay awake long enough).</p></li>
<li><p>I’m an engineer, and it is definitely possible to have a social life. You won’t be able to go out every night like Hotelies (Thirsty Thursday is definitely less well attended by engineers than the rest of the university), but you can definitely find the time to get away from work Friday and Saturday nights at the very least. I’ve found that I’m capable of taking Friday off (except for going to class), do very little Saturday and then finish almost everything if I work all Sunday. Furthermore, problem sets are a lot easier if you collaborate, so I do a lot of my homework with friends. Add that to eating meals with people, and hanging out at whatever extracurriculars you chose to join, and you get a pretty healthy social life. </p></li>
<li><p>YES. In fact that’s where I met most of my friends. It seems to me that a lot of organizations at Cornell become like families. If you join a group that you love, you end up being friends mainly with people from the group, and lots of people even live off campus together (I’m basing this observation from the band, which has an extraordinary sense of community, but a lot of sports teams live together too). Between parties, sports, Cornell Cinema and the random stuff that’s always going on, there are lots of things to do.</p></li>
<li><p>So it does snow a lot. I’m from Maine, so I thought I was used to this. But there’s a big difference between walking outside to your car and driving places and walking a mile or two to class while it’s raining or snowing. That being said, Cornell does an amazing job of keeping the path clear. Even if it snowed 2 feet the night before, by the time you have to get to class, chances are the sidewalks are perfectly clear. It gets a bit slushy along the edges and in the street, but if you keep to the paths you never have to wade through snow.</p></li>
<li><p>I think people are quite well off. But it’s not really noticeable. I didn’t think my friend was particularly rich until he gaped at how much financial aid I was getting (and my family is upper middle class). So I’ll go with saying that people are quite rich, but they don’t act obnoxious about it, so it’s not really noticeable.</p></li>
</ol>

9

<p>Sorry for intruding into the thread, but I have a similar question. I plan on majoring in one on the following, Math, Biology, or Biometry, and I know that these are said to be very time consuming (right below engineering), how hard would you say it is to have a social life with one of those majors? also, how is it compared to engineering? a little easier or a lot easier?</p>

10

<p>I knew a lot of pre-meds that were very social. That’s all I can really say about your question, though.</p>

11

<p>Last question, does anyone going to Cornell resent their decision? What I mean is - are most students happy that they are a Cornellian? Is there school spirit and unity?</p>

12

<p>No, I’ve found the opposite. I don’t know a single person who has transferred/wanted to transfer out of Cornell. My freshman year, when I was talking to friends from other schools, they all knew three or four people who were transferring. Cornell is too big to have a really tight knit community, but everyone I’ve met is very enthusiastic about being a Cornellian (alumni included).</p>

13

<p>I’ve only ever known of one person who wanted to transfer out. This is because he/she didn’t feel comfortable at such a “big” school for whatever reason. He/she is headed to a smaller liberal arts school in New England, but I didn’t talk to the person, so I couldn’t tell you the full details.</p>

14

<p>I am in the same boat as the thread starter (almost exactly) and I want to thank all the responders for putting quite a few of my fears to rest without me even asking. That said, I’d like to add my own question, if I may.
When I was visiting, a freshman told me “What’s nice is that when I’m here with the people I know, I forget that it’s an Ivy League school because I don’t see many of the negative stereotypes.”
How true would you say this statement is based on your own experience?</p>

15

<p>I don’t know what you would expect at an ivy league school exactly. but I can confirm that there are plenty of people around to be silly with, or watch stupid movies with, or to eat junk food with. you know what I mean? all the normal, fun activities enjoyed 18-22 year old people (still quite immature as adults go) are out in full force, especially if that’s what you enjoy.</p>

<p>mikeyc765 made a really good point on #1 about prelims taking people down a notch - even when people come into Cornell really successful, most people encounter some class or situation that is going to present a challenge, and I think it’s good for a lot of people. you don’t think you’re the best ever, even though you know you’re still capable.</p>

16

<p>1) I see a lot of self-pitying behavior. A lot of moaning about how they’d have a better GPA if they had gone to Harvard or their state school, which probably isn’t true. In this sense, some Cornellians overestimate their intelligence and blame their academic failures unfairly on Cornell. </p>

<p>2) Most people manage to find a balance. Some people study a lot. Some people hardly ever study. </p>

<p>3) Again, some engineers manage to have wonderful social lives and achieve great GPA’s. </p>

<p>4) Definitely a lot to do on campus and there are definitely many avenues for meeting people (on your floor, at parties, in classes, joining clubs, etc.)</p>

<p>5) Weather’s not great but how bad you perceive it will depend on what you’ve experienced so far. It’s fairly typical Northeast weather. My biggest gripe isn’t the snow or cold but rather the fact it’s overcast a large portion of the time.</p>

17

<p>Excellent to hear that immaturity is still a thing into college :D. As for the second part, I would think that most people coming to Cornell would have been near the top of their classes, always the golden boy. I have already told myself that and accepted that there will be a day when a room full of us golden boys will be collectively shot out of the clouds.</p>

18

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<p>This wouldn’t be the first time that I have heard that mentioned.
Exactly how much harder is Cornell than other universities?
I am willing to work but is it to the point where I have to slog night and day to maintain a 3.0 GPA?</p>

19

<p>Honestly, I think that the overall consensus is that it is pretty easy to maintain a 3.0 (excluding pre-meds and engineers). But, it’s a lot harder (and requires a lot more effort) to get in the A range for most classes.</p>

20

<p>I’ve only ever attended Cornell, but a couple transfers I know can confirm Cornell is indeed harder. One came from BC, and the other NYU so they were coming from excellent schools.</p>