Cornell

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the natural B+ students who are tutored to an A-, or legacies.

My DC is straight A, highest rigor, 1580+, not yet decided on major, but will be STEM related, possibly an engineering discipline. Some of the negative comments about Cornell make the decision to attend Cornell full pay even harder. We need more positive comments to make the decision…

What other schools to consider?

Thank you. Her other options are UVA in state and Georgia Tech, and a few others that she is considering less at this point. I would say she is relatively smart (far from genius level smart of course), got good grades or SAT scores without any tutoring, stronger in STEM related subjects than humanities. She hears the reputation of GT in engineering, and GT costs much less to attend, but since she is not firmly set on engineering, she hesitates about committing there.

Cornell is not ideal for her. Internal transfer into engineering school is not completely impossible but very rare. She won't have the flexibility/option to study engineering. Is she admitted to CAS?

Thanks. Our postings crossed. Yes she was admitted to CAS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DC is a second-year student majoring in ILR. The campus is large and sprawling, so you must enjoy walking—especially as an underclassman, since you commute from North to Central Campus for classes. The university offers excellent food and new, modern dorms for first- and second-year students.

There is a very intense pre-professional vibe here, with many students aiming for careers in investment banking, consulting, law, or medicine. Because it is a target school for IB and MBB, the environment is competitive; clubs are difficult to get into and the coursework is rigorous, with an average GPA of around 3.44.

Regarding social life, hockey games are smore popular than football. A major highlight is Slope Day, held on the last day of spring classes, which features a massive party and live concerts by top artists. This summer, DC will be interning in corporate finance/accounting for a Fortune 500 company. Overall, DC likes Cornell and would make the same choice all over again.

Did the school help with the internship or did your network?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the natural B+ students who are tutored to an A-, or legacies.

My DC is straight A, highest rigor, 1580+, not yet decided on major, but will be STEM related, possibly an engineering discipline. Some of the negative comments about Cornell make the decision to attend Cornell full pay even harder. We need more positive comments to make the decision…

i've held off on posting since i feel like i've painted a very rosy picture of DD's freshman year so far and didn't want to go overboard. but here's my positive 2 cents - she's having a blast in CAS and mix of humanities/STEM classes. has classmates in engineering who are working hard but some are actually doing quite well. it's a grind but she feels like she grinded harder in high school and is really enjoying her time. happy to answer further questions.

Thank you. If your DD is from the DMV area, how does she feel about the Ithaca weather? This is the first unfavorable factor listed by the person who posted after you (thanks to s/he too). I worried about the weather because I know my DD does not like cold weather, but now she says she is fine with that.

[Anonymous]

Good options she has. Passing UVA or GT is hard. For UVA if she is in CAS, she also has the opportunity to pivot, double major CS or data science, seems quite similar to Cornell with lower cost and nicer weather. GT is good to. Happy campus!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Highest acceptance rate among all ivies. The difficult part is not getting in, is how to survive there academically. Grind school for sure.

Whenever the conversation is about Cornell, it is always compared to the other Ivies and looked upon disparagingly. So you would rather go to Michigan or UCLA than Cornell for the same price?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC is a second-year student majoring in ILR. The campus is large and sprawling, so you must enjoy walking—especially as an underclassman, since you commute from North to Central Campus for classes. The university offers excellent food and new, modern dorms for first- and second-year students.

There is a very intense pre-professional vibe here, with many students aiming for careers in investment banking, consulting, law, or medicine. Because it is a target school for IB and MBB, the environment is competitive; clubs are difficult to get into and the coursework is rigorous, with an average GPA of around 3.44.

Regarding social life, hockey games are smore popular than football. A major highlight is Slope Day, held on the last day of spring classes, which features a massive party and live concerts by top artists. This summer, DC will be interning in corporate finance/accounting for a Fortune 500 company. Overall, DC likes Cornell and would make the same choice all over again.

Did the school help with the internship or did your network?

DC networked on her own and we tried to help, but yielded no results; she ultimately secured her internship by applying through Handshake. Early on, the career resource center helped her explore various roles within finance. DC only developed an interest in finance at the start of her second year, she had significant ground to cover. The career center assisted her with resume drafting and mock interviews. She worked hard on studying the behavioral and technical questions. There are tons of on-campus recruiting events hosted by all the major banks and consulting firms, opportunities are plentiful. DC is currently interviewing for high finance internships for summer 2027, and we are keeping our fingers crossed. All of her friends so far have landed internships for this summer at major companies across different majors ranging from business, economics, public policy, engineering, ILR, and computer science.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the natural B+ students who are tutored to an A-, or legacies.

My DC is straight A, highest rigor, 1580+, not yet decided on major, but will be STEM related, possibly an engineering discipline. Some of the negative comments about Cornell make the decision to attend Cornell full pay even harder. We need more positive comments to make the decision…

i've held off on posting since i feel like i've painted a very rosy picture of DD's freshman year so far and didn't want to go overboard. but here's my positive 2 cents - she's having a blast in CAS and mix of humanities/STEM classes. has classmates in engineering who are working hard but some are actually doing quite well. it's a grind but she feels like she grinded harder in high school and is really enjoying her time. happy to answer further questions.

Thank you. If your DD is from the DMV area, how does she feel about the Ithaca weather? This is the first unfavorable factor listed by the person who posted after you (thanks to s/he too). I worried about the weather because I know my DD does not like cold weather, but now she says she is fine with that.

we are in boston suburb so she's totally used to it (doesn't love it but is fine). i grew up in dmv and went to school in new england, but it's not like my college memories are colored by the weather at all. sure, i remember the wind tunnel i had to walk through, snow in april, and how it was super hot one summer without ac but what mattered more were the friends i made, the new experiences i tried, and the academic opportunities that led me to my current career path.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the natural B+ students who are tutored to an A-, or legacies.

My DC is straight A, highest rigor, 1580+, not yet decided on major, but will be STEM related, possibly an engineering discipline. Some of the negative comments about Cornell make the decision to attend Cornell full pay even harder. We need more positive comments to make the decision…

WHUT? I am pretty sure this is the wrong approach. Your DC needs "positive comments" from a forum to make their decision? Just visit and talk to kids there on the tour. If they feel lukewarm it's nto the right place, and if they love it then attend.

Cornell engineering has separate admissions, how is it possible "possibly an engineering discipline"? You should know by now.

In terms of negatives, Cornell is grade deflated, and this is transparent.

Thanks to you and the other posters who provided insights. I fully agree seeking others’ positive comments to commit to a school is not the right approach. The main reason she can’t decide is probably she is not sure about what to study in college. She applied to CAS at Cornell and indicated interest in a STEM major. She already visited, talked to current students from both CAS and Engineering, and learned that transferring from CAS to Engineering (in case she finds stronger interest in engineering) is not too difficult provided she does well in the required classes.

Hope to see you on campus this fall. You’ve got a tough choice to make. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Cornell parent here, weighing in just to say that you/your DC really needs to drill down on varying requirements between Engineering and A&S and how realistic it would be to explore A&S with possibility of transferring to engineering. Engineering on its own is a very hard degree in terms of the numbers and types of credits/classes required, and while some classes might count for graduation at both schools, the engineering requirements diverge from A&S in many respects. For example, most A&S students have to take 2 freshman writing seminars, while engineers don't. A&S students have a world languages requirement, while engineers don't. And of course distribution/major requirements differ as well. And A&S (and presumably engineering) has a minimum number of credits you need to take in your home college to graduate. It's hard to see how you could leave open the possibility of completing an engineering degree within 4 years while still moving toward completing A&S requirements for more than a semester or so, if that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the natural B+ students who are tutored to an A-, or legacies.

My DC is straight A, highest rigor, 1580+, not yet decided on major, but will be STEM related, possibly an engineering discipline. Some of the negative comments about Cornell make the decision to attend Cornell full pay even harder. We need more positive comments to make the decision…

i've held off on posting since i feel like i've painted a very rosy picture of DD's freshman year so far and didn't want to go overboard. but here's my positive 2 cents - she's having a blast in CAS and mix of humanities/STEM classes. has classmates in engineering who are working hard but some are actually doing quite well. it's a grind but she feels like she grinded harder in high school and is really enjoying her time. happy to answer further questions.

Thank you. If your DD is from the DMV area, how does she feel about the Ithaca weather? This is the first unfavorable factor listed by the person who posted after you (thanks to s/he too). I worried about the weather because I know my DD does not like cold weather, but now she says she is fine with that.

DD graduated a few years ago. It colder than the DMV but not as cold as it used to be. We bought her super warm boots that were rarely worn. Not much snow either. Grey skies

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the natural B+ students who are tutored to an A-, or legacies.

My DC is straight A, highest rigor, 1580+, not yet decided on major, but will be STEM related, possibly an engineering discipline. Some of the negative comments about Cornell make the decision to attend Cornell full pay even harder. We need more positive comments to make the decision…

i've held off on posting since i feel like i've painted a very rosy picture of DD's freshman year so far and didn't want to go overboard. but here's my positive 2 cents - she's having a blast in CAS and mix of humanities/STEM classes. has classmates in engineering who are working hard but some are actually doing quite well. it's a grind but she feels like she grinded harder in high school and is really enjoying her time. happy to answer further questions.

Two of our kids just graduated from Cornell CAS in the last couple years and both were very pleased with their decision to go to Cornell. One was a STEM major and is now applying to medical schools. Other is going to grad school for IR. Both kids enjoyed their time there in vastly different ways which is a benefit of a larger school with a diverse student body. One was heavily involved in theatre and a writing club. The other was heavily involved in club sports, Greek life, tour guides. They both took advantage of having local golf course, ski slope, lake sailing and wineries. Weather did not faze them (grew up here in the DMV) but understand how that can be a personal preference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the natural B+ students who are tutored to an A-, or legacies.

My DC is straight A, highest rigor, 1580+, not yet decided on major, but will be STEM related, possibly an engineering discipline. Some of the negative comments about Cornell make the decision to attend Cornell full pay even harder. We need more positive comments to make the decision…

WHUT? I am pretty sure this is the wrong approach. Your DC needs "positive comments" from a forum to make their decision? Just visit and talk to kids there on the tour. If they feel lukewarm it's nto the right place, and if they love it then attend.

Cornell engineering has separate admissions, how is it possible "possibly an engineering discipline"? You should know by now.

In terms of negatives, Cornell is grade deflated, and this is transparent.

Thanks to you and the other posters who provided insights. I fully agree seeking others’ positive comments to commit to a school is not the right approach. The main reason she can’t decide is probably she is not sure about what to study in college. She applied to CAS at Cornell and indicated interest in a STEM major. She already visited, talked to current students from both CAS and Engineering, and learned that transferring from CAS to Engineering (in case she finds stronger interest in engineering) is not too difficult provided she does well in the required classes.

Cornell is a great school for a mature student who knows who they are and what they want to do and is willing to work hard for that.

Transferring into engineering will not be easy, and she may need to be there longer to catch up on requirements. It’s not just declaring a major, it’s transferring schools and getting admitted to the engineering school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the natural B+ students who are tutored to an A-, or legacies.

My DC is straight A, highest rigor, 1580+, not yet decided on major, but will be STEM related, possibly an engineering discipline. Some of the negative comments about Cornell make the decision to attend Cornell full pay even harder. We need more positive comments to make the decision…

i've held off on posting since i feel like i've painted a very rosy picture of DD's freshman year so far and didn't want to go overboard. but here's my positive 2 cents - she's having a blast in CAS and mix of humanities/STEM classes. has classmates in engineering who are working hard but some are actually doing quite well. it's a grind but she feels like she grinded harder in high school and is really enjoying her time. happy to answer further questions.

Two of our kids just graduated from Cornell CAS in the last couple years and both were very pleased with their decision to go to Cornell. One was a STEM major and is now applying to medical schools. Other is going to grad school for IR. Both kids enjoyed their time there in vastly different ways which is a benefit of a larger school with a diverse student body. One was heavily involved in theatre and a writing club. The other was heavily involved in club sports, Greek life, tour guides. They both took advantage of having local golf course, ski slope, lake sailing and wineries. Weather did not faze them (grew up here in the DMV) but understand how that can be a personal preference.

Did your med school kid find it difficult to maintain GPA?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the natural B+ students who are tutored to an A-, or legacies.

My DC is straight A, highest rigor, 1580+, not yet decided on major, but will be STEM related, possibly an engineering discipline. Some of the negative comments about Cornell make the decision to attend Cornell full pay even harder. We need more positive comments to make the decision…

i've held off on posting since i feel like i've painted a very rosy picture of DD's freshman year so far and didn't want to go overboard. but here's my positive 2 cents - she's having a blast in CAS and mix of humanities/STEM classes. has classmates in engineering who are working hard but some are actually doing quite well. it's a grind but she feels like she grinded harder in high school and is really enjoying her time. happy to answer further questions.

Two of our kids just graduated from Cornell CAS in the last couple years and both were very pleased with their decision to go to Cornell. One was a STEM major and is now applying to medical schools. Other is going to grad school for IR. Both kids enjoyed their time there in vastly different ways which is a benefit of a larger school with a diverse student body. One was heavily involved in theatre and a writing club. The other was heavily involved in club sports, Greek life, tour guides. They both took advantage of having local golf course, ski slope, lake sailing and wineries. Weather did not faze them (grew up here in the DMV) but understand how that can be a personal preference.

Did your med school kid find it difficult to maintain GPA?

Finished in 3.5 years with a 4.04 so managed it well. Also had leadership roles in a few ECs as noted above so was not studying all the time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC is a second-year student majoring in ILR. The campus is large and sprawling, so you must enjoy walking—especially as an underclassman, since you commute from North to Central Campus for classes. The university offers excellent food and new, modern dorms for first- and second-year students.

There is a very intense pre-professional vibe here, with many students aiming for careers in investment banking, consulting, law, or medicine. Because it is a target school for IB and MBB, the environment is competitive; clubs are difficult to get into and the coursework is rigorous, with an average GPA of around 3.44.

Regarding social life, hockey games are smore popular than football. A major highlight is Slope Day, held on the last day of spring classes, which features a massive party and live concerts by top artists. This summer, DC will be interning in corporate finance/accounting for a Fortune 500 company. Overall, DC likes Cornell and would make the same choice all over again.

Did the school help with the internship or did your network?

DC networked on her own and we tried to help, but yielded no results; she ultimately secured her internship by applying through Handshake. Early on, the career resource center helped her explore various roles within finance. DC only developed an interest in finance at the start of her second year, she had significant ground to cover. The career center assisted her with resume drafting and mock interviews. She worked hard on studying the behavioral and technical questions. There are tons of on-campus recruiting events hosted by all the major banks and consulting firms, opportunities are plentiful. DC is currently interviewing for high finance internships for summer 2027, and we are keeping our fingers crossed. All of her friends so far have landed internships for this summer at major companies across different majors ranging from business, economics, public policy, engineering, ILR, and computer science.

Are the on campus recruiting events open to students from all the different colleges or only Dyson or CAS? Daughter is considering CALS.