<p>When I searched some information of Cornell online, I got that the courses in Cornell were difficult and as a result, undergraduates often got a low GPA. I think low GPA may affect students' chance to get to good universities as postgraduates. But I am not sure whether the information I got is true or not. If anyone can tell me the fact of the life as a undergraduate in Cornell, I will be grateful.</p>
<p>the rumors are true, you actually have to do work to get a good grade, unlike Harvard.</p>
<p>So Cornell undergraduates have to study really hard if they want to go to good universities for further study?</p>
<p>In any non science major</p>
<p>Minimal work - 2.7-3.0
Some work - 3.0-3.3
Some work + strong intellect 3.3-3.5
Lots of work - 3.5-3.7
Kills self and spends vast majority of waking hours doing work 3.7-4.0</p>
<p>There are exceptions for some majors that may be harder and this is far from a set rule, more a general set of observations. Engineers who work really hard can pull 3.5+ but many are in the low 3’s high 2’s. Cornell is very much a pragmatically minded, get a job type school, so few people outside of pre-law/pre-med are that concerned with GPA. Employers generally view GPA’s especially from a school as demanding as cornell, as a tiered thing, with a 3.9 and 3.75 being essentially the same. If you have over a 3.5 you qualify for pretty much every employment program’s minimum. And that is generally enough for cornell students.</p>
<p>Thanks a lot!</p>
<p>I can’t speak for all grad programs, but medical schools at least (and I’m assuming other competitive graduate school programs are similar), do NOT view a 3.75 and a 3.9 the same. The adjusting they do for coming from a school like Cornell is minimal. Moreover, a 3.5 most likely won’t be good enough to get in.</p>
<p>That said, you can do well at Cornell without killing yourself. It’s not impossible to get a 3.8+ - I know plenty of people who have done it and still managed to have a social life. You’ll work hard for sure, but I doubt that’s different from most top schools.</p>
<p>I really want to go to Cornell. ED. And I know the importance of hard work. But I am just a little afraid of the too difficult courses and strict professors those rumors said…
What should I do? :(</p>
<p>If you’re motivated and willing to put in the effort, and if you’re smart enough to get in (have the grades and SATs), then you can do well once you’re there. It’s not a walk in the park, but it’s definitely possible. I was worried about that too when I was applying since I knew I wanted to go to medical school. I worked hard and it wasn’t a problem at all.</p>
<p>Thanks a lot!!! 
Besides, I also want to know that how hard should I study in Cornell, like how much sleep could I get everyday? ( though I am used to stay up late).
More importantly, since English is not my first language, I wonder if I need to keep working with much less free time for rest and other activities.
Thanks for your help.</p>
<p>It’s hard to answer your questions without knowing what you want to study. What are you interested in? For example, a government major doesn’t have to work as hard as an engineer, although English as a second language will give you a lot more trouble in government than it will in engineering.</p>
<p>What do you guys think about the amount/type of work for Hotelies? Any info would be appreciated, thanks.</p>
<p>I also hear there’s no safety net…so yes, you have to work fairly hard from the moment you step foot in there, and from day 1 you have a chance of dropping your GPAs.</p>
<p>I want to choose economics as my major. No matter what, I am grateful for your help.</p>
<p>[GradeInflation.com’s</a> Sweet 16 of Tough Graders](<a href=“http://www.gradeinflation.com/sweet162010.html]GradeInflation.com’s”>GradeInflation.com's Sweet 16 of Tough Graders)
After some research, I think data in this page can show that compared with those universities, Cornell is a better choice.</p>
<p>Honestly though you have to work hard at some point, so you might as well do it in college and get ahead.</p>
<p>Yes! I think I will keep working hard.</p>