<p>I know this is really weird, but I'm a sophomore thinking about transferring out of Cornell to go to Binghamton. I thought Cornell was the college of my dreams, but for some reason, I'm absolutely miserable here. I don't know if I want to transfer or if I just want to change my major (I'm majoring in biological engineering), but something has to change. I don't know if I'll be accepted as a transfer to Binghamton, though; my high school GPA and test scores were pretty good, but my GPA here is very bad. What do you think my chances are of getting in? My GPA here is probably somewhere around a 2.5 (and it's definitely not going to be going up after this semester). I was salutatorian in high school; I don't remember what my ACT score was but I think it was a 33 or somewhere around there, and my SAT score was a 2250 (660M, 790W, 800R). I'm just miserable here; I'm quite capable of maintaining a good GPA, but my current GPA is reflecting how happy I am. I just don't know what to do.</p>
<p>So, anyway... what do you think my chances are? Also, what will I need to do if I decide to apply?</p>
<p>It’s hard to explain… I’ve wanted to go to Cornell since I was 9. I never had to do ANY work in high school; everything was a breeze. I went to a small school, and I had a group of very close friends that I met in kindergarten and first grade.
I suppose coming to Cornell was a bit of a shock. I still maintain that it’s the perfect school, but the thing is… everything is so intense here. Everything is perfect and to the highest standard, including the beauty of the campus, the opportunities available to the students… and the schoolwork. I had heard people complain about the schoolwork here before, but it’s impossible to understand until you actually go here. Once you do poorly, your morale is lowered, and you keep doing worse and worse.
The first saturday after classes started my freshman year, I went around my dorm floor asking people if they wanted to get lunch. No one would, because they were all studying. I feel guilty if I go to bed before 2 o’clock in the morning, because everyone stays up all night studying. The first test I took here, over half the class walked out crying. When I tell people that I’m an engineering major, they all wince and apologize to me. My roommate calls her mom every night, sobbing that she can’t take it here anymore, and I know she’s not the only one. Every single one of my friends has had a nervous breakdown, and it’s considered very normal. The highlight of my week is if my friends and I go to the library together to have a “study party,” because it’s the only time we ever get to see each other. Everyone is always too busy to do anything during the rest of the week.
I feel like a failure. I feel… broken. I don’t know what to do. I’m not used to feeling this way. I’m usually the happiest person in the world. There’s no room for error, no room for procrastination, no room to relax here; the second you make a mistake, you’re out. I don’t want to deal with this stress anymore.</p>
<p>Thank you so much rodney hehehe you have no idea how much your little post cheered me up!!! I haven’t really thought about anywhere else… I was just thinking Binghamton because it has a very good engineering program and it’s in the general vicinity. Do you think I should look somewhere else, too? I’m not even positive I’m going to transfer at this point, but I figure I should decide soon and see what my options are.
Are you at Cornell? I feel so relieved to talk to you!!!</p>
<p>Check out engineering at Binghamton. It is not known as haveing a "very good enginnering "program. It is a top SUNY, but not for eingineering.</p>
<p>Mu son applied to and was accepted everywhere he applied, with lots of merit to none… Instate, OOS, and private schools. Ultimately chose U Buffalo due to its gret reputation in engineering. He and H were blown away at their open house. They are doing great things up in Buffalo. Do not exclude it. Out of all the schools he looked at, he loved Bing the most, followed by Buffalo, but picked UB over every other school. Perfect choice for him. Great fit. Kids there are known to be very happy.</p>
<p>By the way, my friends son at Cornell is remaining but not happy overall either. </p>
<p>It’s usually about work habits, or lack thereof. That’s where lots of people who were smart enough to cruise through high school get a rude shock.</p>
<p>You have to stay up with, or preferably ahead of, the work, all along. that means not just starting to study or write shortly before something is due, but working steadily all along.If you fall behind, you die. The all nighters you’ll spend towards the end, trying to right a sinking ship, would best be spent all along as needed, as soon as you sense that you need them to avoid lagging.</p>
<p>If you can but learn that lesson, you will survive there and have learned a valuable life skill for everything else you do thereafter. Time management is one of the keys to success in many realms.</p>
<p>If you can’t learn this lesson, or don’t want to, well then you are right to look elsewhere. There are other places where the high school approach may yet be successful, but not where you are now.</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Once you exceed 23 college credits taken after HS, your HS transcript & SAT scores are no longer reviewed. Your HS transcript is requested only to confirm HS graduation</p></li>
<li><p>A minimum of a 2.8 cumulative college GPA, of which only credits AFTER HS are counted, is required.</p></li>
</ul>
<hr>
<p>I wish you the best of luck elsewhere, and I hope you keep your options open. I’m really sorry about how things are going for you at Cornell.</p>
<p>To Mintchocochip: The most important thing you should’ve thought about in the first place was the overall-inner character of Cornell University. Experiencing something negatively valuable may be significant and could be addressable to Binghamton and Buffalo for the reason to transfer. Staying up all night to not flunk out of academics isn’t worth it. You need to consider holistic exercise when making a “fit” school. </p>
<p>Binghamton is known for its reputation in sciences and business. Buffalo, however, has a very good engineering program. I think Buffalo would be great, but I hope the long 7-8 hour distance from New York does not bother you.
Good luck, man. Feel free to talk to me if you need to.</p>
<p>My heart goes out to you, because my son was in the same position at Cornell. He ultimately became ill and ended up withdrawing from Cornell in his sophomore year. He applied to transfer to Binghamton, but was denied, presumably due to his poor GPA at Cornell. The irony was he went Early Decision to Cornell, his dream school, and probably could have gotten in to Binghamton as a freshman. He ended up transferring to Stony Brook, where he is doing very well (nearly a 100 average) and living a much more balanced life. Needless to say it is much less expensive too! For him, leaving Cornell was the right decision. Cornell is undoubtedly a great school for certain people, but it is not a match for everyone. If you are not ready to leave it, you can explore the possibility of changing majors, and getting academic counseling at Cornell (A.S.A.P.). You can also try to see if you may be suffering clinically from anxiety and depression. Try to get help, and if necessary, get it in the community if not at Cornell itself. Check Uncle Ezra archives on the Cornell website for other answers.</p>
<p>Another thought. The economy probably has played a role in retention of students at Binghamton, so there may be fewer openings for transfers. I also have heard that SUNY universities make commitments to the public community colleges to accept their successful grads/students as transfer students, which cuts down on the no. of seats Binghamton may have available to other transfer students.</p>
<p>Mint, I am so sorry to hear how your first semester is going at Cornell. You are in a very difficult major at a tough school and the whole situation seems to be taking its toll on you. I wish you all the best in whatever you decide to do. If you feel that you need to transfer, don’t look back. Even when a school has been your dream school, you never really know what it is truly like until you get there. It’s not worth risking your health to stay if you now know it is not the right place for you. Good luck and hang in there.</p>
<p>mint, I wish you the best of luck with your transfer options. Consider the other SUNY’s as well, including Bing, Stony Brook, and Buffalo. All have great engineering programs, but not as cutthroat as Cornell. I’m actually EDing Cornell, so I hope I made the correct decision assuming I am admitted. My backup options are those listed above ^^, so we’ll see if I need to transfer also eventually…</p>
<p>Cornell Alum, Class of '84 here. While I am extremely proud of my Cornell degree, I certainly earned it and, by your description, looks like things haven’t changed since I was there. Thank you, mint, for being brave enough to share Cornell’s dirty little secret, one that I finally had to admit myself when I told my S, who is in the midst of the college process, now that it was okay if he didn’t even want to apply after I had a memory flashback to what I’ll call the “Itzhak Perlman incident.” You see, the renowned musician was performing one evening while I was a student at Cornell, but as I packed up my books to leave Uris Library and go see him play (talk about a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity), I looked around and saw everyone studying for the same prelim that I had the next day. I asked if anyone wanted to come and I got the strangest looks like I was crazy. Cornell is an intense school because it seems to attract an intense student body. Well, the guilt got to me so I sat down, unpacked my bag and went back to my studying. Of course, I don’t remember the test, grade or even the subject but I do remember the “choice” I made, and I regret it to this day. Why go to a school like Cornell if you are not going to be able to enjoy those kind of experiences? Cornell can be great for some, but it can suck the spirit out of you if you are not that “type.” By the way, my D is at the NYC Ivy and loves it. She has a lot of friends in the SEAS who manage to do well academically, participate in clubs and activities, perform in the school shows and enjoy all that NYC has to offer. Something to think about, mint. Good luck --follow your heart!</p>
hehehe you have no idea how much your little post cheered me up!!! I haven’t really thought about anywhere else… I was just thinking Binghamton because it has a very good engineering program and it’s in the general vicinity. Do you think I should look somewhere else, too? I’m not even positive I’m going to transfer at this point, but I figure I should decide soon and see what my options are.