Cornell University Top Questions

Describe the students at your school.

Steve

My classmates obnoxiously keep to themselves.

Diana

Friendly and very helpful.

Margaret

Within my major, my classmates are overall very friendly. There are a bunch of cliques that most people fall into quickly, but overall there is a decent sense of unity. Throughout the university as a whole, there is much less unity - more school-to-school comparisons/competitions and such.

Philip

Very diverse--many very social, but many not social at all.

Kayla

My classmates areinvolved in many different activities, especially ones not involving their major.

Kyler

My classmates are hard working, bright, innovative, original, intelligent and often helpful.

Josh

Hardworking and competitive but still know how to have fun.

Edipo

it depends on thier major. Bio: cut-throat, Business: friendly

Raymond

The students here are very diverse,. There are students who are very friendly, outgoing, and fun. Then there are the students who are very uptight and have no social capabilities.

Fiona

Most people are genuinely smart and creative, but obsessed with success and money.

David

Easily some of the smartest and funniest, most outgoing people I have ever met.

Lauren

Very intelligent with a wide variety of interests and social/economic backgrounds.

Kamali

Good Intentions, but can be little academically competitive. Tend to stick to familiar groups.

Kay-Ann

They are never too stressed, and usually laid back.

Alyson

Students at this school are very competitive, career focused, motivated, somewhat cocky, and ready to conquer the world.

Elena

Most sudents here study hard and play hard.

Lauren

Diverse

courtney

wonderful. there is not one group that defines the class as a whole so you can definitely find your place!

brittany

Eager to succeed.

Jordan

My classmates are fun, outgoing, extraverted and well-spoken.

Christian

They are an intelligent group of people with a diverse array of ideas.

Cornell

A look into the absolutely fabulous lives of students at Cornell University.

Andrew

They are great, in engineering, everyone has to work together or it becomes significantly more difficult to succeed; in biology (pre-meds) and architecture, everyone is cut throat, which is why i love my classmates.

Lauren

My favorite part of school is the diversity. I have friends from all over the world, and each brings his or her own views and personality. The thing about describing the people at Cornell is that it is impossible. Despite the stereotypes, there are so many different types of people, and these people cannot be described and do not fit into a label.

Jonathan

A very diverse group of individuals who all bring something to the university that makes a truly organic learning environment.

Dylan

Frat girls and frat boys.

Emma

The Cornell campus body is big enough so that there are groups of all different minorities. Cornell prides itself on diversity and that definitely shows. That being said, people tend to separate themselves out based on different groups (i.e. major, sorority or fraternity). You have to interact with other groups either in classes or in extracurriculars. I lived with girls in my sorority for four years, but rarely had a class with any of them, so I had another group of friends who I would do work with. Though there are people from every financial background, a large majority of the Cornell population is from wealthy families (often from the NYC metropolitan area). It can be frustrating dealing with loans when none of your friends have to. Politics weren't a huge deal on campus, at least not as I was concerned. The campus was pretty balanced between democrats and republicans,which is not the case for Ithaca as a town.

Alex

The student body at Cornell is great. I can honestly say that throughout my first year of college, I have never been in or witnessed a racial or stereotypical environment. Everyone at Cornell is usually friendly and welcoming to anyone. I have met people all over the country, from different ethnicities, and different financial backgrounds and everyone is perfectly integrated, with no discrimination of any kind.

Kat

As far as I can tell, if you can think of a group of people, it exists at Cornell. There seems to be a club or an organization for every sort of common interest, cause, belief, or unifying factor under the sun.

Amanda

Cornell is a very liberal campus, in general, but there is deffinately an outspoken conservative sect, too. In general, people don't go out of their way to be friendly, and alot of people just stick to their own group. Dress is formal. Most people wear jeans to class, but alot also wear sweatpants and stuff like that. The student body is mostly white or Asian, and most are probably upper-middle class.

Jamie

very diverse. In my opinion it's the best feature. Cornell does a great job of finding intelligent, personable people from a wide range of backgrounds.

KJ

Diversity- Racial: I would say predominantly Asian and White. I definitely wouldn't say that there is a HUGE population of African-Americans or Hispanics, but it's hard to say since I'm only in one college within Cornell and I don't see the entire student body every day. I come from a predominantly white hometown, so coming to Cornell was a big shock for me. As an asian, I discovered that there are many, many different types of asians (foreigners, bilinguals, American citizens, etc.) Because Cornell has such a large population I was able to get a good experience of meeting new people... it's been awkward at times, but Cornell places a VERY high value on respect. I feel very safe here; I'm just learning more about the nuances of differences in race and culture. Financial: A HUGE range! People from all walks of life here. Political: I would say predominantly right...but really, what college campus isn't? The Cornell Republican club is also pretty big here so I wouldn't rule out the conservative sector. It's not like people single you out if you're conservative.

Emily

The people are Cornell are amazing. Coming from all over the world, the students have a wide varieties of backgrounds, interests, socio-economic statuses, and lifestyles. Coming from a very homogenous hometown, Cornell pleasently surprised me with students of all races and nationalities. My core group of friends includes, 2 Indians, 2 Hawaiians, 3 from China, Japan, & Korea, 1 from Switzerland, and other from across North America. People in my classes have worked all over the world, and it's amazing hearing about all of their unique experiences and lives. I have friends who are extremely wealthy, and others who are on work study programs. People are very open to sharing their interests, beliefs, and ideas because most of the student body is very open and accepting.

Doug

Races don't tend to mix a whole lot. A lot of times there is a common language or cultural thread and you feel uncomfortable outside of this bubble. This is especially true of the african americans on campus although there are exceptions.

Emily

One of the reasons I enrolled at Cornell was the diversity of students. Since I've been at Cornell, I've also noticed that the students are friendlier than students at other college campuses I've visited. They are open-minded, environmentally conscious, and athletic. The student body is predominantly left. I've been at Cornell for a year, and I still walk around and think, "I LOVE the students at Cornell!" They are really awesome people, and I'm reminded of it every day.

Erin

One of the best things about Cornell is the students that go here and the diversity that they all bring with them. We have every race, ethnicity, whatever that you can think of. However, Cornell is pretty self-segregated: the black kids tend to stick together, the Asians tend to stick together (although not as much as the black kids do), the Latino kids tend to stick together, and the white kids tend to stick together. African Americans are the minority in the minority at Cornell- there are WAY more Asians at Cornell than there are black kids. This segregation is not imposed at all by the University, but it is self-imposed by the students themselves. I'm not really sure why this is, but I guess it's because kids want to find those most similar to themselves. The only type of student that would really feel out of place at Cornell would be emo/punk kids. Cornell has a lot of preps, a lot of hippies, a lot of jocks, and a lot of artsy kids, but there really aren't many punk-type students. The town of Ithaca itself does, but Cornell does not. Cornell on a whole is not overly political; however the political groups here that do exist are VERY political. Although most students would probably identify themselves as much more liberal than conservative, there is a substantial group of conservatives and Republicans, and they make their voices heard as often as possible. The same goes for the leftists and Democrats: they like to get their opinions known. There is often a rally or demonstration of some sort going on in Ho Plaza (right by the main student union, Willard Straight Hall).

Molly

No student would feel out of place at this university. There are so many niches into which anyone can fit. There are hundereds of extracurricular clubs and activities, and if you can't find what you're looking for, you can apply for funding and make your own thing. There are all kinds of races, classes, and religions represented in the student body, and quite a bit of support for everyone. I'm friends with billionaires as well as kids who are on full-scholarship. And then a lot of kids in between. The freshman experience was especially exposing as we were all living in the same residential campus and were thus in close contact with every type of student.

Jesse

I do not really bother with this stuff.

Steve

There is very much racial self-segregation here. Asians, blacks, and other ethnic minorities will generally associate disproportionally with their own respective ethnic groups. We also have dormitories that house blacks, latinos, and native americans only, which might play into the lack of interracial interaction. The diversity numbers on our student body pie charts are very "good," but recognize that they do not guarantee you will be introduced to a motley of cultures at Cornell.

Owen

The student body is very diverse, but noticeably Asian-dominated. There are preppy, nerdy, social, quiet, etc students here- & everyone is accepted. Most students are from New York, New Jersey or California. Most are also wealthy and liberal.

Shawn

I'm a poor kid, seriously, and there are not many of those here. But those differences only mattered for the first few months of Freshman year. We all get bloodied by the same exams, and there is solidarity in that. Activism runs high in many circles. Volunteerism, too. There are active LGBT, Black, Jewish, etc etc etc groups on campus. There have been some issues with racism and sexism, but the Cornell community as a whole is very interested in discussing these issues in an open forum. Most people are genuine and pretty nice. I could name a few real do**e bags who talk about their wealth, their supposed future earnings, their GPAs.. But the fact that I can only name a few off hand means they aren't all that common. Have I mentioned that this is a great place to find a boyfriend/girlfriend with money?

Michele

Very diverse, with not much racism that I've come across. There are all types of ethnicities, nationalities, and socio-economic groups, and all seem to find a place to fit in. Ithaca is very liberal in general so that helps, and everyone being well-educated and for the most part concerned about society's advances helps eliminate negative aspects of differences. Still, it's true that that most people you'll see in a library on Friday nights are Asians, and the sororities are filled with skinny, blonde, white girls. It doesn't really prevent people from interacting when they have to, like for classes, but groups of friends seem to always have many background issues in common.

Kai

Cornell's student body is diverse, and on the whole, inclusive. People seem to integrate within their own "race" but that I feel is natural. Financially, there seem to be many wealthy students here, and there are some "entitled" students,

Emily

There are tons of niches at cornell. First of all there is a major for everyone and classes in almost every field imaginable. There is a prominent and diverse greek life with frats and sororities that fit all different personalities. The fashion sense at cornell is so diverse that you can wear almost anything and not feel out of place. There are also lots of varsity and club sports that students can do.

Jen

Cornell is pretty diverse and is very accepting of other cultures. I don't think any student would feel out of place because there are so many different types of students on campus. In the hotel school, most students dress nicely for class and tend to like to impress with their clothing. A lot of Cornell students are from CA, PA, and NY, and they come from a variety of financial backgrounds.

Melissa

Cornell students tend to be above average socioeconomically. There are a lot of really rich kids here who have no problem showing off thier wealth. But there are also a lot of really down to earth kids who could care less. Hotelies and Design majors dress up for class, but mostly there are a lot of sweatpants (esp Juicy sweats). There is not a lot of racial diversity, though Cornell promotes its 29{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} minority status. It has only 5{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} African American, the lowest in the Ivys, and it tends to be fairly self-segregated. There however, is a lot of support for multicultural groups, and religious groups also. If there were four tables in the dining hall, Mean Girls Style, they would be Greeks, Geeks, Jocks, and Alternative (Ithacans, stoners). Most students are from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, with a large number from DC area, and Cali.

Erin

The student body is not connected on any level. There is no political or student union amongst students which leaves the community in a moderate level.

michelle

I believe that Cornell is so inclusive that no type of student would feel like an outsider here. Although there is a high proportion of students from New York, particuarly Westchester and Long Island, students come from all around the world to attend the university.

Josh

Keeps well segregated.

Katie

Very diverse.