<p>Also, regarding class size and professors... what is an average class like? Do prof try and get to know their students, or do you really have to make the initiative?</p>
<p>What kind of students do you find at Cornell generally? Preppy, jocks, artsy, nerdy..etc.</p>
<p>What is the social life like?</p>
<p>How about general and career advisers?</p>
<p>I know that Cornell is generally considered one of the more "stressful" colleges and also one of the hardest to graduate from. Why is this?</p>
<p>First and foremost, what makes Cornell special is something you've already mentioned: the fact that it is rigorous and still holds its students to a high standard which is something most other schools no longer do. I considered this a plus when I was deciding colleges but it seems this is something that scares a lot of people away. If people want to get watered-down education for their $$$, it's their perogative I guess.</p>
<p>I chose Cornell because it had the best engineering and Arts school in the same package. I got into a more highly touted school but it's full of nerds and I would have been depressed being surrounded by Everquest nerds for four years. Also, Cornell is pretty :)</p>
<p>There is no average class. Classes range from small seminars to gigantic lectures.</p>
<p>You'll find all types of people in good numbers at Cornell. It's a benefit of a large student body - something for everyone.</p>
<p>Social life is good because you're surrounded by 12000 peers. Ithaca itself is boring but you'll find yourself on or near campus almost all the time and you'll have plenty of friends to hang out with.</p>
<p>Advisors? It depends on the field. I heard the bio advisors suck ass but the engineering advisors for the most part are good. My academic advisor in my major was simply phenomenal and she is one of the big reasons I'm going to the grad school I got into for next year.</p>
<p>It's rigorous. You'll find yourself pushed and everyone here is a high achiever.</p>
<p>whoa it lets us type ass? ass ass ass? wow, before we couldn't even type **** (in case that gets filtered its the word for urine that starts with the letter P and ends with the sound a snake makes)</p>
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[quote]
First and foremost, what makes Cornell special is something you've already mentioned: the fact that it is rigorous and still holds its students to a high standard which is something most other schools no longer do. I considered this a plus when I was deciding colleges but it seems this is something that scares a lot of people away. If people want to get watered-down education for their $$$, it's their perogative I guess.
[/quote]
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<p>If only the world rewarded a rigorous education. But the fact is, a rigorous education is not particularly well rewarded. The fact is, sadly, the world rewards watered-down education. As said famously by Margaret McVicar, former dean at MIT, "Too many MIT graduates are working for too many Harvard and Princeton graduates".</p>
<p>Cornell's ok rigorous. First semester's kind of a joke though... they encourage you to only take 4 classes. Supposedly it gets intense around sophomore year... don't know for sure though, but I'll find out this fall! And Harvard curriculum's a joke! you can graduate having taken as little as ~25 classes (if I remember correctly from reading their application 2 years ago)... and they force philosophy courses on everyone! yuk! Some schools (i.e. Cornell, MIT, U Chi) produce legitimately hard workers, whereas others produce BS'ers.</p>