Cornell University

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Students Say - Academics
Any person, any study. Thus goes the motto of Cornell University, located in rural, cold upstate New York. The school consists of seven different undergraduate colleges, all of which have "differing focuses and missions that are somehow unified and work together pretty cohesively." These smaller schools, including the well-known Hotel School and College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, allow students to "receive all the benefits of a smaller college with the access, excitement, and opportunity provided by a large university." However, "You have to strongly believe in what you're studying and why you're studying it so as not to be freaked out by others who are in different majors and colleges." Though Cornell "may seem awfully large," students say it makes finding a close-knit community incredibly easy and "constantly challenges you to do better." No matter what major you choose, Cornell offers "rigorous" academics, where "it takes a lot of hard work to succeed, but the resources are there for you to do so." The administration "makes huge attempts to be transparent," often using student panels for advice, though there's still some red tape clinging to a few processes (such as class registration). Class sizes range from small to large, but professors remain "incredible" and attentive across the board, though the size of the school (about 14,000 undergrads) often means you have to be proactive in seeking out help. "If you show genuine interest, [faculty] are more than excited to help you." Many are also focused on their research, which can be distracting, but it also pro- vides students with plenty of opportunities to work with the academic bigwigs themselves. "Just the other day in one of my biology classes, my professor was going over a very important topic and just added in, 'Yeah, I came up with this,'" says a student.

Students Say - Campus Life
Cornell is about studying hard, being involved in many activities, and always doing more than the average person can handle, all while still having a social life and partying hard, says a senior. "Work hard, work harder, stress hard, play hard," says another senior about the resounding ethos that makes for a "nice balance" of life. There's also a natural progression for students as they become upperclassmen-living in the dorms and drinking at parties or frat houses is quite popular for freshmen and sophomores, while upperclassmen often find apartments and outside venues for weekend entertainment. There are always "a variety of activities that do not include drinking" on offer, including "a capella concerts, movie nights, special speakers and discussions, and sports games." Hometown Ithaca offers a farmers' market, restaurants, bars, and a movie theater. On campus, extracurricular offerings abound, and "it's not too hard to find something that interests everyone"-there's even an origami club-and the majority of students choose to join multiple organizations. On top of all that Ithaca offers, the school's northeast location also allows for "access to great weekend and break destinations like New York City and Washington, D.C."

Students Say - Student Body
With such a large student body, "there is always a niche that any individual can fall into." Sure enough, the school's size and Ivy League status make it "a largely diverse and exciting bubble" where there is an abundance of "athletes or frat/sorority people," but at the same time, "you have a large group of students who do other activities." "We have our nerdy engineers, our outgoing hoteliers, our hipster art students, [and] our hard-core dairy farmers," brags one proud student. A "strong work ethic" seems to be the unifying thread among Cornell's diverse student body, as all students are "very focused on performing well in the classroom." "Most everyone has a secret nerdiness inside them that actually adds to their 'coolness,'" explains one. The different schools tend to naturally group together more frequently, so that each quad "has its own vibe," but "everyone is very friendly and approachable." Basically, "when you come here, you become the typical Cornellian."

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