Go Big Red!!!
Written: Dec 24 '99 (Updated May 25 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: offers many classes, many diverse people
Cons: weather isn't all that great, classes tend to be large
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| kornell_911's Full Review: Cornell University |
I don't really know if this can at all be an objective epinion. I like Cornell a lot. In fact, I may actually love it. I just don't know it yet.
Consequently, I'm very biased towards the school and do not have much bad to say about the place. And, I don't really have much to compare the school with, except for classes I've taken at other universities and high school.
Anyway, here's the lowdown on some of the finer points of Cornell.
Setting
Whether you like the country, rurual setting or not, you will find Cornell to be the most beautiful of ALL the Ivy League Campuses, perhaps one of the most beautiful campuses in the world. I've seen Yale, Harvard, Penn, Dartmouth, Brown, Columbia and all the rest (I'm missing Princeton huh?); they don't compare. Don't even try comparing them to 'gorges' Cornell.
From atop McGraw Tower, is one of the best views of campus you can ever see: the spacious Arts Quad w/ matching Ezra and Andrew White statues, the Ag Quad, Collegetown (most upperclassmen live and party here), North Campus (freshman reside here now b/c of Hunter's initiative), West Campus (small and Long Islandish), even the Vet School (about a few miles away), and of course, the natural beauties: Cayuga Lake and the gorges (hey, they don't come up with the term: "Ithaca is gorges!!" for nothing) .
The view of Cayuga Lake (one of the finger lakes) adds to the beauty and luster of Cornell. It stretches a few hundred miles. All Cornellians have one time or other ventured down to the lake or maybe have even watched the sun set (near it) from the lookout point near the Uris library (also a popular hang out during finals). The Lake is nice, but it also adds to our "ithacating" weather 9 months of the year, where there is nothing more than grey skies and chilly rain. This is one of a couple bad points of Cornell and Ithaca.
Location. Country (in the middle of no where)and Cold Weather. Get used to it if you come up here. It's five hours by bus to NYC (but the buses run every four hours and are right on campus) and about 45 minutes to Syracuse
Academics
Academics are rigorous. What do you expect? Ever hear of those gorge(they are huge!!!)/bridge jumping stories??? They are true!! Well, to a certain extent. There are a few every year, but the suicide rate is comparable to the national average, maybe a bit higher <that's what the administration tells us>.
There is always work to do, whether it be problem sets, papers, or prelims. Usually, most classes have prelims (we call them prelims and not exams, for some odd reason) two to three times a semester, and they are all clumped together during the same period (beginning, middle, end of semester).
Cornell does boast seven different schools within the university, and this adds to our diversity of courses and people. The schools include: Agricultural and Life Studies (Public school), Industrial & Labor Relations (Public), Hotel (Private), Arts and Sciences (Private), Human Ecology (Public), Arhitecture (Private), and Engineering (Private), Veterinary Medicine (grad Public school).....the med school is located in NYC.
You must choose a school within Cornell when you apply <and to affiliate yourself with>. Don't worry if you aren't too sure about the school; people do end up switching around between schools, and also taking classes within other schools.
One typical, diverse schedule could actually end up looking like this:
1. Ag school: Practical Bee keeping
2. Hotel school: Wine Tasting
3. Human Ecology:Human Sexuality
4. Arts: English: James Joyce
5. Engineering: Materials Science
Intro classes and many classes, for that matter, are large and un-intimate. They are taught lecture style. 500 of your closest friends (friends you've never ever seen before) in some classes. And maybe even 2000 plus of your closest friends if you take the world's largest lecture class: Psychology 101 (great class!!)
It seems the professors don't care for you. Some don't but most do. They are very approachable. And, most are very good professors. Just watch out for the TA's who don't speak English (many of them; this is also the case in many other schools). Research is also a big deal here. If you're in the sciences there are loads of opportunities. Don't be passive about research opportunities, you have to approach profs and ask them if you can serve as their "apprentice."
--For smaller classes, take higher level classes and more liberal arts classes.
Unlike many Ivies, there really isn't that much grade inflation at Cornell. Most of the time, you get what you deserve; but, a lot of times you might get screwed from the curves <in large lectures and weed out classes>. The pre-med classes, like all other very competitive schools, have these weed-out classes. This is typical of most intro level science classes, so do watch out.
We work hard and play hard here. Lots of fun. Many people can attest to this.
OVERALL & SOCIAL LIFE
There are just a wide variety of things to do, people to meet, and stuff to do. The school is very big. If you are looking for an intimate school, perhaps look somewhere else. Most students, unlike other schools (Yale boasts 96% undergrad on-campus living rate), live off campus (roughly 60% of the students). Off-campus housing is reasonable, affordable, and better than living on-campus. Most upperclassmen live in collegetown, after a stint in a frat or sorority house.
Cornell makes you learn and live by yourself. You make many big decisions where normally a guidance councelor or advisor or someone would help you through. Since there are so many students (one of the largest schools in the Ivy with 12,000 students total and about 3400 in the freshman class) you are sometimes left wondering: "Why me? And why doesnt' anyone care?" But we do...
The administration sometimes is called the Big Red tape for lots of politics that goes on. They make decisions that are futile to the students but matter most to the state of the university (for alumni donations). I don't think the board isn't bad at all and I don't think they do this kind of stuff. But, people do disagree with me.
Cornell does get loads of funding and donations from its strong alumni network. We had a $100 million gift last year from the head of Citigroup (Mr. Weill had the med school named after him and his wife) and
we just received another hundred mill for renovations for West Campus (where most upperclassman are supposed to be moved after President Rawlings' plan to move all freshman up North). Over a half billion dollars will be spent on undergraduate improvements over the next 10 years, according to President Rawling's letter to parents in which he asserts that this is the largest amount dedicated solely to undergraduates. Look for social life and academic life to improve tremendously as a result of this huge investment. Not many other institutions are doing so much at the undergraduate level.
The Lowdown
Cornell is an awesome place where students work hard and play hard. Expect lots of work, but also expect loads of fun. The reward at the end of four years and many many months of loss of skin pigment will not be for naught.
Those looking for a smaller, cozier, cushier atmosphere go somewhere else.
If you want to learn to live by yourself with the company of many great people, come to Cornell!!
Recommended:
Yes
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