Improve your chances of getting into college,

I'm really glad I did Arts and Sciences instead of one of the other colleges, because I wanted to get a liberal arts education, and I'm happy that I had the requirements I did, because I would not have taken certain classes otherwise--which I ended up being happy to take. In terms of academics, therefore, I am completely satisfied with Cornell. This is an education you could not get anywhere else. In terms of the social life, I was a little less satisfied. The Greek system is very big here, and it can feel like you have to do it if you want to have any friends. I think it actually ends up limiting you, instead of opening up your circle.

As I said above, I loved all my classes here. Of course, a lot of people end up not liking all of their classes here, but you have to pick and choose, and I think a good motto--even though it can be tempting--is not to take any "easy" classes just to get an "A." These classes may improve your GPA, but they end up not being very satisfying. My favorite classes were the ones that engaged and challenged me, that I had to work to do well in, and that stimulated me inside and outside of the classroom. For instance, a class I took sophomore year to fulfill my major's "pre-1800" requirement--"The English Literary Tradition"--was one of the best classes I took, because the professor was so demanding, but also brilliant. She really taught me how to write.

In terms of whether Cornell is geared toward getting a job or just learning for its own sake, it completely depends on your school and your major. If you're an English major, it definitely is not pushing you towards a certain career path. However, I imagine if you're an AEM major or a Hotelie, it definitely is.

This is the elephant in the room that no one wants to talk about at Cornell: Cornell supports voluntary segregation. The program and cultural dorms, and the greek system all support a form of self-segregation that I find very depressing. I understand that someone who feels like they belong to an ethnic, racial, religious, or cultural minority could feel more comfortable living with and socializing with others who belong to this same minority, but this kind of exclusionary practice only ends up creating more divides. This applies to the dorms freshmen and sophomore year, and also the greek system which has special multicultural fraternities and sororities. And as for the fraternities and sororities that are not multicultural, they are overwhelmingly made up of white, wealthy, jewish New Yorkers. I don't know how this phenomenon could be changed, but it really should be.

Because I am involved in theater, I have always gone to see alot. There are always plays going on, whether at the Schwartz center, at Risley, or at some other venue. This was my favorite activity to do and go see. In terms of "partying," you can basically go out every single night of the week, and there is always something going on, even if it's just going to the bars. People like going out a lot here, maybe because they do so much during the day that they feel they need to relax and drink at night. But if you don't want to drink, there's still a lot to do , like go to an old/obscure movie at Cornell Cinema, go hear live music at The Nines or The Haunt, or just hang out with your roommates. As I said above though, fraternities and sororities, are very big here, something I wish would changed in the future.

that we are all "dorky" and depressed and have no fun and just work all the time.

I would say that pretty much everyone is a "dork" inside, in that they care a lot about doing well and getting their work done, but everyone also likes to blow off steam and go out a lot.

Up Til Dawn