Alex

Some people continue to believe that the student population stressed out, overworked, and likely to jump off a bridge at any moment. I am here to tell you that this cannot be further from the truth. As an engineer (the hardest college at Cornell) I can assure you that people are fun, friendly, and are not cutthroat in their studying. Yes, Cornell is a hard school, but you are going to an Ivy league institution, and you cannot expect anything less. A good part of the population is from New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, but there are all 50 states and plenty of other countries represented here. Cornell is large, and that makes the student body very diverse. You will find the people who want to sit in and study every weekend, but you will also find plenty of people who want to have a good time, and are fun, sociable, and not solely focused on school.

I am incredibly happy I decided to come to Cornell. I love almost everything about the school, including its campus, the classes I took last semester, the people I met, the opportunities for extra-curricular activities, and the general feel of the student body. If I had to change one thing about Cornell, it would be the weather or the walking. Cornell does get cold and has a lot of snow in the winter, but people learn to manage it. Also, for some classes there is a long walk from dorm room to classroom, but proper planning (and not sleeping through your alarm) will easily solve that issue. Cornell is large enough that I don't feel like I am in high school again, and where there is plenty of things to do on a weekend, but you can easily make it as small as you want by joining an organization or the greek system. There is a vibrant Collegetown less than 5 minutes walk from Central Campus, where you will find almost all upperclassman housing, and tons of restaurants and shops. There is a good amount of school pride, with the most popular sport being hockey. There are a lot of traditions and history surrounding Cornell, and the 161 Things that Every Cornellian Must Do list is great way to immerse yourself into the magic that is Ithaca and Cornell.

Academics and classes at Cornell are really what you make them. There can be classes where the only time you see the professor is when you are sitting in lecture, but then again I have professors who have invited the class of less than 15 over to his house to eat lunch and talk. Going to office hours is one of the best recommendations I can give, because you get to talk one on one with the professors and the TA's. Students are eager to learn, but there is no cutthroat competition that I have found. The requirements vary by the college you are in, but in my college (Engineering), I have had no problem completing the requirements. I am looking to major in Operations and Engineering, which combines aspects of system analysis into optimization and engineering. The professors I have worked with are all more than happy to help students with questions, facilitate undergraduate research, and instruct students looking for internships and jobs.

There are hundreds of student organizations representing and myriad of interests. I am involved in the Society for India, despite not being Indian, simply because I enjoy the company of some of the people in the club. The student body is very accepting, and incredibly diverse. Few students would feel out of place at this school. Any open-minded, friendly individual will find a niche at Cornell. Students, depending on the weather, usually wear jeans and sweat shirts in the winter along with normal winter coats, and shorts and t-shirts in the summer. Most of the students are from the Tri-State area. Students are politically aware, with a slightly left leaning campus, but anyone of any political orientation will have numerous groups supporting their interest.

Fraternities and sororities are a big part of Cornell life, with 30% of the student body involved in Greek Life. Also, club and intramural sports are a large part of campus. I am a part of the club Ultimate Frisbee team, and I love it. We practice together, travel to tournaments on the weekend together, and party together, and the sense of unity is great. Students are usually involved in something on campus. If you are an engineer, a Project Team is a popular option, where students create some sort of project in their spare time, like an underwater robot, a fully functioning drag racing car, or an off-road ATV. Athletic events are not very popular, mainly because Cornell is not very good at athletics. People go to games for every sport, but it is not the same attendance as an SEC or Big 10 school for all sports. There are plenty of options for things to do on the weekend that do not involve drinking. Many people choose to stay in, talk with their friends, watch some TV, play games in the Student Union, go down to Collegetown for a nice dinner, or go to the Cinema on central campus for newly released movies. Off campus there are a huge number of outdoor opportunities around Ithaca, there is Ithaca Commons (restaurants and shops), or a trip to the mall for some shopping.

I have not been here for too long, but one day I will never forget is my first Homecoming day. All the week leading up to the Homecoming football game, we were getting excited about the weekend, having giveaways, and preparing everything for Saturday. We got free t-shirts and a ton of free Cornell spirit items. On Saturday before the game, it is a tradition for the new students to rush the field, so we formed a giant mosh pit on the field as everyone stormed into the stadium. After we won the football game, we all moved over to giant indoor gym, where rapper B.o.B was putting on a Homecoming Concert. He had an amazing show, and it set the scene for the rest of the night.

Probably the weather. Walking to an 8 AM when it is less than 8 degrees is never fun. The thing people forget to mention when complaining about the weather is the fact that all freshman get a years worth of free bus services, which usually run every 10-15 minutes from multiple places around North Campus. If you learn the bus schedule you can usually avoid the worst weather Ithaca has to offer.

While some people may think that Cornell is a "suicide school," a "nerd school," or a "rich white New Yorker school," no stereotype can even come close to describing Cornell. There are too many diverse people to have one sweeping generalization about all the students.

Our campus is unique in the amount of opportunities it offers and the diverse set of people that are here. There are hundreds of clubs, intramural sports, organization, and chances to get involved with the Cornell and Ithaca community, all while interacting with some of the best people you will meet in your life.

Dorms are generally good at Cornell, but it depends on where you are. For freshman, everyone lives on North Campus, which is a great plus for coordinating things with your new friends, seeing other freshman at the North Campus dining halls, and generally having a sense that everyone around you is going through the same stuff. I have a single in a Suite setup, where there is a small hall way with 2 singles, a double and a triple, and everyone shares a bathroom with a shower, toilet, and two sinks. There are 6 suites per floor, along with a large commons room and a kitchen. My dorm is not typical, however, and most students live in doubles. As a sophomore, you get the opportunity to enter a lottery for on campus housing (if you choose not to go off campus/frat/sorority house) in the West Campus housing system. These are all very nice dorms set up in mostly singles and doubles, and are the most coveted on campus housing at Cornell. By junior and senior year, most students live off campus in Collegetown houses or apartments.