Cornell - what makes it great?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My friends who attended Cornell loved it. But the only way to figure out if it’s right for your kid is to visit.

Another way to tell if you’d like Cornell is to stand naked in front of a refrigerator with the door open. After a few hours, when you are shivering AND falling asleep, have someone kick you in the groin. If you find that fun, you’ll probably enjoy 4 years in Ithaca.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cornell is huge and it's full of creepy and elbowy swots. Unless your kid is attractive enough and your family is wealthy enough to gain entry into a top tier sorority or fraternity, it's not a credential that impresses anyone and the network is mediocre.

Let's talk about "creepy" for a minute...

Creepy, grubby, wormy, neurotic… whatever you want to call it, Cornell alums have it in spades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My friends who attended Cornell loved it. But the only way to figure out if it’s right for your kid is to visit.

Another way to tell if you’d like Cornell is to stand naked in front of a refrigerator with the door open. After a few hours, when you are shivering AND falling asleep, have someone kick you in the groin. If you find that fun, you’ll probably enjoy 4 years in Ithaca.

lol, however true

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cornell is huge and it's full of creepy and elbowy swots. Unless your kid is attractive enough and your family is wealthy enough to gain entry into a top tier sorority or fraternity, it's not a credential that impresses anyone and the network is mediocre.

Let's talk about "creepy" for a minute...

Creepy, grubby, wormy, neurotic… whatever you want to call it, Cornell alums have it in spades.

Sure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My friends who attended Cornell loved it. But the only way to figure out if it’s right for your kid is to visit.

Another way to tell if you’d like Cornell is to stand naked in front of a refrigerator with the door open. After a few hours, when you are shivering AND falling asleep, have someone kick you in the groin. If you find that fun, you’ll probably enjoy 4 years in Ithaca.

Liar !!! It did not work !!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have always heard negative stereotypes about Cornell but don't have firsthand knowledge. My dc is now looking at Cornell (CALS - wants to study fungal biology, plant science, environment & sustainability, etc). What makes someone choose Cornell over another top 25/top 50 school? She prefers the vibes at SLACs but is intrigued by all the course offerings and opportunities at Cornell. She does not mind the cold (we used to live in Vermont).

Would be interesting to know which SLACs appeal to your daughter as Cornell University is close to being the polar opposite of an SLAC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have always heard negative stereotypes about Cornell but don't have firsthand knowledge. My dc is now looking at Cornell (CALS - wants to study fungal biology, plant science, environment & sustainability, etc). What makes someone choose Cornell over another top 25/top 50 school? She prefers the vibes at SLACs but is intrigued by all the course offerings and opportunities at Cornell. She does not mind the cold (we used to live in Vermont).

Would be interesting to know which SLACs appeal to your daughter as Cornell University is close to being the polar opposite of an SLAC.

My DC decided on Cornell and they were also considering Middlebury, Colby, and Grinnell. Lots of similarities despite the size difference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cornell is huge and it's full of creepy and elbowy swots. Unless your kid is attractive enough and your family is wealthy enough to gain entry into a top tier sorority or fraternity, it's not a credential that impresses anyone and the network is mediocre.

Let's talk about "creepy" for a minute...

Creepy, grubby, wormy, neurotic… whatever you want to call it, Cornell alums have it in spades.

You would know.

I have to go disinfect my hands now. Please go away before I return.

[Anonymous]

No one is really answering your question. It’s size means that there is a wide variety of students interested in different areas and potential careers. Yes you have your fiture Doctors lawyers and consultants, but you also have future architects, hotel executives or chefs, labor leaders, farmers, etc. The campus is beautiful despite the long winters. Pack properly and you will be fine. Greek life is significant but not mandatory. The campus is large enough that it creates its own ecosystem, making Ithaca feel less isolated. But, it is still the middle of nowhere, so you have to be OK with that, but I would rather be in the middle of nowhere at Cornell than at a smaller SLAC. And it’s full of really smart students who chose to go there. People on this Board irrationally hate Cornell, so you might want to look elsewhere for an honest assessment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My friends who attended Cornell loved it. But the only way to figure out if it’s right for your kid is to visit.

Another way to tell if you’d like Cornell is to stand naked in front of a refrigerator with the door open. After a few hours, when you are shivering AND falling asleep, have someone kick you in the groin. If you find that fun, you’ll probably enjoy 4 years in Ithaca.

It’s basically another “Michigan” for Jersey, Long Island and Maryland strivers. For undergrad, if you’re not wealthy and attractive enough for a top tier sorority or fraternity house, you’re basically attending a large public university.

[Anonymous]

Nothing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nothing?

Thought about replying at length but this thread went toxic too fast.

OP, it's a great school but not for everyone. CALS is fairly unique. If your daughter has specialized interests, see if she can get in touch with current students who can comment knowledgeably. Maybe Reddit can help.

[Anonymous]

I’m a Cornell alumni, class of 2017.

Pros:
- Absolutely beautiful campus, the gorges make its campus and the surrounding area more beautiful and more unique than pretty much any other college campus. If your DC likes outdoors activities they’ll love it.
- Cornell is quite strong in agriculture in particular which seems like it’s of interest
- Larger than other SLACs so it’s easy to find “your group” of people, no matter how odd or weird they might be. If you wanna do Greek life it’s there. If you wanna be in a finance club it’s there. If you wanna care for birds and do falconry at the Ornithology lab it’s there. If you wanna be a theater kid there’s a dorm centered around that. Etc.
- I personally didn’t find it very cutthroat, yes kids are ambitious and want to do their best but nobody is sabotaging each other and usually people are helping each other. The classes are tough though.
- Professors well known in their fields which can open doors regarding research opportunities
- Brand name. But everyone else in the Ivy League tends to look down on you lol

Cons:
- Even if it’s not as selective as some other schools it’s still a lottery to get in at this point so it can be painful if your DC gets their heart set on it.
- Really cold and dreary in the winter but you said DC can handle it.
- Extremely expensive if you’re paying in full vs a state school for an equivalent education.
- Very isolated. It’s an hour drive to the closest city (Syracuse) and 3 hours drive to the closest big city (I think Philly or NYC). My city friends were very bored
- Unfortunately the PP who said the alumni network isn’t great is correct in my experience. It did pretty much nothing for me when searching for a job, I ended up leaning on a state school network that was far superior.

Hopefully this is somewhat helpful, sorry you got basically no useful responses elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

PP above. Thanks for repping the school.

Alumni networks are a crapshoot everywhere.

I didn't go to Cornell, but my parents did. And I got my first job out of college because my dad heard about an opening from an old friend at a Cornell reunion. I happened to have the right background and my dad's friend trusted that I would be bright and hardworking so I got an interview. Always appreciated that.

All of my relatives who went to Cornell were either NY state or PA residents. The weather was unremarkable to them since they grew up with it. There is just too much whining about it. Don't like it, don't apply.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC got in and turned it down. Not worth the cost in his opinion. Chose large OOS public college instead. Cornell seemed like a competitive degree mill.

I’m so sorry for your kid. That sux.

Heard Cornell FA is not that good. They admit a lot of kids hoping enough will bite.

This is a ridiculous statement. The acceptance rate is very low.