Cornell Engineering/ CS - Cut Throat?

[Anonymous]

Have students recently found Cornell engineering/ CS to be cut throat ? Looking for a smart but friendly , supportive, collaborative experience

[Anonymous]

My daughter is a junior at Cornell Engineering, majoring in computer science. I would not call the College of Engineering cut throat. Its not like the students try to undermine each other. She has friends with whom she has formed study groups and they help each other. However, the program is intense for multiple reasons: 1) the students are top-notch so its a lot of work just to be average; 2) the workload is huge; 3) there are not enough slots on the project teams so it is competitive to get onto a project team. There is a sink or swim culture; not a lot of hand-holding. The teaching is ok, but at least in CS, classes are huge and its hard to get near a professor. Being able to teach yourself is key. While the program is intense, I think the students graduate able to perform at a high level. Might be a better experience for other majors. She had a friend that majored in material science, which is a smaller department in which they seem able to pay more attention to the undergraduates. For my daughter, it is a 4-year grind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter is a junior at Cornell Engineering, majoring in computer science. I would not call the College of Engineering cut throat. Its not like the students try to undermine each other. She has friends with whom she has formed study groups and they help each other. However, the program is intense for multiple reasons: 1) the students are top-notch so its a lot of work just to be average; 2) the workload is huge; 3) there are not enough slots on the project teams so it is competitive to get onto a project team. There is a sink or swim culture; not a lot of hand-holding. The teaching is ok, but at least in CS, classes are huge and its hard to get near a professor. Being able to teach yourself is key. While the program is intense, I think the students graduate able to perform at a high level. Might be a better experience for other majors. She had a friend that majored in material science, which is a smaller department in which they seem able to pay more attention to the undergraduates. For my daughter, it is a 4-year grind.

💯 above poster is accurate and nothing to add.

Also Material science is truly world class at Cornell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter is a junior at Cornell Engineering, majoring in computer science. I would not call the College of Engineering cut throat. Its not like the students try to undermine each other. She has friends with whom she has formed study groups and they help each other. However, the program is intense for multiple reasons: 1) the students are top-notch so its a lot of work just to be average; 2) the workload is huge; 3) there are not enough slots on the project teams so it is competitive to get onto a project team. There is a sink or swim culture; not a lot of hand-holding. The teaching is ok, but at least in CS, classes are huge and its hard to get near a professor. Being able to teach yourself is key. While the program is intense, I think the students graduate able to perform at a high level. Might be a better experience for other majors. She had a friend that majored in material science, which is a smaller department in which they seem able to pay more attention to the undergraduates. For my daughter, it is a 4-year grind.

Why would anyone want the experience you describe? All for 80k+

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Have students recently found Cornell engineering/ CS to be cut throat ? Looking for a smart but friendly , supportive, collaborative experience

Dartmouth

Great teaching, smart peers, but way less pressure in the stem programs compared rest of the t15

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My daughter is a junior at Cornell Engineering, majoring in computer science. I would not call the College of Engineering cut throat. Its not like the students try to undermine each other. She has friends with whom she has formed study groups and they help each other. However, the program is intense for multiple reasons: 1) the students are top-notch so its a lot of work just to be average; 2) the workload is huge; 3) there are not enough slots on the project teams so it is competitive to get onto a project team. There is a sink or swim culture; not a lot of hand-holding. The teaching is ok, but at least in CS, classes are huge and its hard to get near a professor. Being able to teach yourself is key. While the program is intense, I think the students graduate able to perform at a high level. Might be a better experience for other majors. She had a friend that majored in material science, which is a smaller department in which they seem able to pay more attention to the undergraduates. For my daughter, it is a 4-year grind.

Why would anyone want the experience you describe? All for 80k+

People that actually want to learn and push their academic abilities to the fullest

You know, like 1st/2nd gen immigrants who people love to deride

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter is a junior at Cornell Engineering, majoring in computer science. I would not call the College of Engineering cut throat. Its not like the students try to undermine each other. She has friends with whom she has formed study groups and they help each other. However, the program is intense for multiple reasons: 1) the students are top-notch so its a lot of work just to be average; 2) the workload is huge; 3) there are not enough slots on the project teams so it is competitive to get onto a project team. There is a sink or swim culture; not a lot of hand-holding. The teaching is ok, but at least in CS, classes are huge and its hard to get near a professor. Being able to teach yourself is key. While the program is intense, I think the students graduate able to perform at a high level. Might be a better experience for other majors. She had a friend that majored in material science, which is a smaller department in which they seem able to pay more attention to the undergraduates. For my daughter, it is a 4-year grind.

I have a daughter who is a senior in another engineering division at Cornell. Her experience and that of her friends who are senior CS majors in the Engineering school has been exactly as the above poster describes. The pluses are that her friends who were CS majors in engineering have had their pick of jobs in tech both in the summers and for post-graduation job offers. The other plus for women is that the engineering school is about 50/50 men/women. For a school that is less of a grind where one can have smaller classes, get to know one's professors, and have a better work/iife balance, I would suggest Dartmouth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My daughter is a junior at Cornell Engineering, majoring in computer science. I would not call the College of Engineering cut throat. Its not like the students try to undermine each other. She has friends with whom she has formed study groups and they help each other. However, the program is intense for multiple reasons: 1) the students are top-notch so its a lot of work just to be average; 2) the workload is huge; 3) there are not enough slots on the project teams so it is competitive to get onto a project team. There is a sink or swim culture; not a lot of hand-holding. The teaching is ok, but at least in CS, classes are huge and its hard to get near a professor. Being able to teach yourself is key. While the program is intense, I think the students graduate able to perform at a high level. Might be a better experience for other majors. She had a friend that majored in material science, which is a smaller department in which they seem able to pay more attention to the undergraduates. For my daughter, it is a 4-year grind.

Why would anyone want the experience you describe? All for 80k+

For all that, I'd choose a top-notch ivy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My daughter is a junior at Cornell Engineering, majoring in computer science. I would not call the College of Engineering cut throat. Its not like the students try to undermine each other. She has friends with whom she has formed study groups and they help each other. However, the program is intense for multiple reasons: 1) the students are top-notch so its a lot of work just to be average; 2) the workload is huge; 3) there are not enough slots on the project teams so it is competitive to get onto a project team. There is a sink or swim culture; not a lot of hand-holding. The teaching is ok, but at least in CS, classes are huge and its hard to get near a professor. Being able to teach yourself is key. While the program is intense, I think the students graduate able to perform at a high level. Might be a better experience for other majors. She had a friend that majored in material science, which is a smaller department in which they seem able to pay more attention to the undergraduates. For my daughter, it is a 4-year grind.

Why would anyone want the experience you describe? All for 80k+

+1 this is why DC chose to apply to small engineering schools. They still have weed out courses, but the rest of the experience is much, much better for learning. FIL is a professor and we are so glad DC followed his guidance on that point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My daughter is a junior at Cornell Engineering, majoring in computer science. I would not call the College of Engineering cut throat. Its not like the students try to undermine each other. She has friends with whom she has formed study groups and they help each other. However, the program is intense for multiple reasons: 1) the students are top-notch so its a lot of work just to be average; 2) the workload is huge; 3) there are not enough slots on the project teams so it is competitive to get onto a project team. There is a sink or swim culture; not a lot of hand-holding. The teaching is ok, but at least in CS, classes are huge and its hard to get near a professor. Being able to teach yourself is key. While the program is intense, I think the students graduate able to perform at a high level. Might be a better experience for other majors. She had a friend that majored in material science, which is a smaller department in which they seem able to pay more attention to the undergraduates. For my daughter, it is a 4-year grind.

Why would anyone want the experience you describe? All for 80k+

For all that, I'd choose a top-notch ivy.

Cornell is an Ivy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My daughter is a junior at Cornell Engineering, majoring in computer science. I would not call the College of Engineering cut throat. Its not like the students try to undermine each other. She has friends with whom she has formed study groups and they help each other. However, the program is intense for multiple reasons: 1) the students are top-notch so its a lot of work just to be average; 2) the workload is huge; 3) there are not enough slots on the project teams so it is competitive to get onto a project team. There is a sink or swim culture; not a lot of hand-holding. The teaching is ok, but at least in CS, classes are huge and its hard to get near a professor. Being able to teach yourself is key. While the program is intense, I think the students graduate able to perform at a high level. Might be a better experience for other majors. She had a friend that majored in material science, which is a smaller department in which they seem able to pay more attention to the undergraduates. For my daughter, it is a 4-year grind.

Why would anyone want the experience you describe? All for 80k+

People that actually want to learn and push their academic abilities to the fullest

You know, like 1st/2nd gen immigrants who people love to deride

You can do that, and much better, at a school that cares about learning, not grinding and beating out your classmates.

[Anonymous]

How would you compare Cornell engineering to University of Michigan engineering (if you know)?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My daughter is a junior at Cornell Engineering, majoring in computer science. I would not call the College of Engineering cut throat. Its not like the students try to undermine each other. She has friends with whom she has formed study groups and they help each other. However, the program is intense for multiple reasons: 1) the students are top-notch so its a lot of work just to be average; 2) the workload is huge; 3) there are not enough slots on the project teams so it is competitive to get onto a project team. There is a sink or swim culture; not a lot of hand-holding. The teaching is ok, but at least in CS, classes are huge and its hard to get near a professor. Being able to teach yourself is key. While the program is intense, I think the students graduate able to perform at a high level. Might be a better experience for other majors. She had a friend that majored in material science, which is a smaller department in which they seem able to pay more attention to the undergraduates. For my daughter, it is a 4-year grind.

Why would anyone want the experience you describe? All for 80k+

For all that, I'd choose a top-notch ivy.

Cornell is an Ivy.

And kind of *the* top notch Ivy with regard to engineering.

[Anonymous]

I have a friend who is a Cornell engineering grad and she really hated it there. She appreciated the value in sticking it out and the value on the backend now that she's working...but she said the culture was not good and wouldn't do it again or recommend it. You can get the same education and pedigree with better culture elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My daughter is a junior at Cornell Engineering, majoring in computer science. I would not call the College of Engineering cut throat. Its not like the students try to undermine each other. She has friends with whom she has formed study groups and they help each other. However, the program is intense for multiple reasons: 1) the students are top-notch so its a lot of work just to be average; 2) the workload is huge; 3) there are not enough slots on the project teams so it is competitive to get onto a project team. There is a sink or swim culture; not a lot of hand-holding. The teaching is ok, but at least in CS, classes are huge and its hard to get near a professor. Being able to teach yourself is key. While the program is intense, I think the students graduate able to perform at a high level. Might be a better experience for other majors. She had a friend that majored in material science, which is a smaller department in which they seem able to pay more attention to the undergraduates. For my daughter, it is a 4-year grind.

Why would anyone want the experience you describe? All for 80k+

People that actually want to learn and push their academic abilities to the fullest

You know, like 1st/2nd gen immigrants who people love to deride

You can do that, and much better, at a school that cares about learning, not grinding and beating out your classmates.

Cornell engineering isn’t competitive like that.