<p>So, is anyone going? Can any current Cornell student tell us the benefits of going?</p>
<p>I’m considering it. The thing is that I live on the west coast and it would require a significant time and financial investment just to get there. Plus, I’m not really sure it would help me make my decision. I mean, sure I’d get to see the campus, but from what I’ve heard, I already know that I"ll like the area (Cornell sounds gorgeous). The rest of the experience could just depend on luck and random samples that don’t accurately reflect what my Cornell experience could be. So, I’d be interested to hear what students who have attended it in the past (or others who just have opinions on the matter) have to say about its benefits.</p>
<p>I am so depressed, I didn’t get invited …I am a white female that was applying as an electrical engineer. 2340 SAT’s only 2 B’s over 4 years (all the rest A’s with lots of APs). tons of EC’s. 3 sport varsity athlete all 4 years and served as Captain Jr & Senior year… I thought I had a chance but I guess I didn’t make it. the people that made it must have been pretty good. oh well.</p>
<p>Not to be insensitive to anyone, but</p>
<p>if we got a likely letter and an invitation to this women in engineering program does that mean we’re definitely in? I’m so excited about going to cornell, I just don’t want to be misled.</p>
<p>@iamme306: We are DEFINITELY in.</p>
<p>I’m kinda on the fence. I should probably go because I’ve never seen Cornell and its currently tied (in my head) with another school that I’ve gotten into. I’m actually kinda scared of how small and how secluded Cornell is. But it just seems like Cornell Day for all admitted students might be a better experience?</p>
<p>@iamme306 i’m going to assume this means we’re DEFINITELY in because if you look carefully the due date to register is march 29th, which is the day after decisions officially come out. considering some people would have to order plane tickets and hotels (if parents come) there’s no way they wouldn’t accept us (unless something really really terrible happens, like you get arrested or something).</p>
<p>i’m going just because i’ve never visited cornell before and it seems like a really good experience especially if you’re deciding where you want to go. i mean there’s a cornell day on april 11 if you wanted to attend that one early or on april 13th. the engineering thing ends at 11am on the 13th and the really important stuff for cornell starts around 1pm so i’ll be attending cornell day right after the engineering thing ends.</p>
<p>My d is very excited to attend the WIE visit. She plans to do the same as lucya…WIE with the cornell day following. We visited campus last spring, however, I’m in support of a revisit to help her clarify her college choice. The agenda looks a like a great way to evaluate the engineering program and to get a sense of the engineering community. Congrats to all of you! Pictures of Cornell do not do it justice…it is breathtaking and while Ithaca is somewhat isolated, it is a great college town. We live in the midwest so we will still have to decide on air or car travel. With the cost of education, it makes sense for her to take a second look…</p>
<p>thechor346
</p>
<p>Cornell? Small?</p>
<p>And secluded? When I think of secluded I think of – for example --Williamstown, MA, but I suppose that is a matter of where you are coming from. </p>
<p>But, both of your concerns would suggest that it would be a great plan for you to visit and see it firsthand. I would think (and others who have participated know more) that the more specific WIE program would be more informative for you personally, rather than the more general Cornell Days program. My D did Cornell Days (after already deciding to attend) and felt that the experience would not have been that helpful had she still been undecided. It is a big school with a lot going on and trying to get a real feel for it in a ‘condensed version’ is a difficult task. WIE, being a much more specific, may give you a better feel for the school and the info you need to make a decision.</p>
<p>@Michellel. If you can afford it financially and you have not visited the campus before/been away from home before, I would suggest you make the trip. I’m a dude (from engineering) so I can’t speak much for the WIE program but think about your time/money spent on this trip as a hedge for the next four years. Cornell’s not cheap and it would suck for four years if you hated the place. </p>
<p>I didn’t visit Cornell until after I got accepted and the visit was neutral for me in terms of getting me excited. I also had no concern about the people/location/etc etc since I figured I’d be fine being a loner at worst case lol.</p>
<p>Fallenmerc, you definitely raise a valid point. The cost of paying for a plane ticket to Cornell pales in comparison to four years of tuition at whichever college I choose, so if a preliminary college visit could help me make the right decision, it would be worth it. But the reason I hesitate is that I’m not sure a visit would help me make my decision. While most people suggest it’s important to get a “feel” for the place, you mentioned that your visit was neutral; if I experienced the same neutrality, then the trip wouldn’t really be helping me make my decision.</p>
<p>So I would ask you, if you didn’t come away with strong impressions from your own visit and if you believe the people/location/etc isn’t too concerning (a sentiment I share to a certain extent) why exactly do you recommend the visit?</p>
<p>We visited over Thanksgiving week. D wasn’t overwhelmed but it did elevate Cornell to 2nd choice (the wait continues…). HOWEVER, that visit acquainted her with the quirkiness that she really likes (a student union built because the donor said the $$ couldn’t be used for education?), the lovely walk from the dorms to the main campus, etc. Hard to visualize from a book. Schools we didn’t “tour” have fallen off her list. If you can afford it, a visit is worthwhile in my opinion.</p>
<p>@Michellel. If you know yourself well enough, then hooray! But I made some assumptions there since when I entered college, I found from my peer group that my “meh to everything living related” attitude was not predominant. Also, I got in ED so since I was gonna go there anyway, I didn’t really care whether or not I liked it. The recommendation was just a simple cost-benefit analysis to put things in perspective.</p>
<p>Also upon further inspection on the Cornell website, I’m not really sure if this is for students who have been accepted or are still in high school… The website conflicts with what some of the other posters are saying… </p>
<p>However, assuming that it is intended for accepted women in engineering: If you’re pretty much set on Cornell, then the visit is largely unnecessary. But if there’s the lure of another college AND you’ve found both of them comparable on paper, an actual visit might just give you a few impressions to make or break that decision as long as you give the other college a chance too. Think of it as a peace of mind in case you hate your choice. That gut feeling of "I wish I had visited ______ " or “I shoulda went to another college instead” can be pretty depressing. Exhaust your options to make the most informed decision</p>
<p>Fallenmerc, I really appreciate the advice. I am torn between Cornell and a few other schools. Plus, I’m definitely the sort of person who, if I end up not liking my college pick, would really regret not taking the time to acquire some additional information. It’s not entirely true that I don’t care about living related factors, I just try to make myself forget them because I think these factors are highly variable and can be good or bad at any college, depending on factors like what dorm I get, what people I happen to meet, etc. </p>
<p>I guess I was mainly just worried about being influenced by inaccurate information, like if I happened to interact with students who were miserable/stressed/unpleasant in some way and came away with a false impression that all Cornell students fit this mold, which is why I gravitate towards an approach that focuses on the objective big picture instead of subjective experience. But I guess more information is always better as long as I’m aware that my experience is just a small sample of what Cornell is and what it has to offer. I’ll see if it’s possible for me to visit Cornell!</p>