Cornell University Top Questions

The student body is extremely diverse covering every state of the United States and has a strong international body, especially from Korea and Asian countries. Cornell has a mandatory diversity program that everyone must attend during Freshmen orientation for better or worse. The majority of Cornell students are from the Northeast US and California, but still bring a wide variety of students from across the globe. The financial backgrounds are diverse from the affluent to those in need of financial aid and to those who have financial aid and do not need it. Cornell is politically to the left but still has the view of the right on campus, as seen from the campus debate about carrying arms on campus.

cornell is diverse, but there is still much segregation on campus. there are program houses which i think are an awful idea, as there is an african american living center, a latino living center, etc. I think the idea of these houses is so stupid, as i think it promotes separatism and does not allow students to integrate and better get to know eachother.

I'm a Christian on campus, and I feel sorry to say that most of my friends are Christian, even though this campus is so diverse and so full of many cultures and religions. I don't think any school has the diversity and social caliber that our school does, simply because we can learn so much more from people who are different from us.

As a whole the university is fairly diverse and there are a lot of international students. But naturally humans tend towards people who have similar interests and backgrounds to them. This is true at Cornell and everywhere in the world.

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.

There are various cultural organizations that students can join to feel more culturally involved - but I do not believe (or nor do I get the sense) that Cornell students segregate in that regard. Most students wear regular clothes (because most students tend to walk to class). There are buses that run (especially if you live on North campus, it is very easy to get from place to place). I believe Cornell is very diversified and that not too much segregation occurs. It is the student's choice to segregate themselves from other groups. Most Cornell students are from the East Coast Area (i.e. New York, New Jersey), but I've met so many people from a variety of places such as Alaska, California, Minnesota, Panama, Korea... the list is endless.

Cornell is a large school, and because of its size, its student body is really diverse so that it's pretty difficult to classify the "stereotypical" Cornell student.

I think a lot more Cornellians are from the tri-state area than I expected. Since Cornell's part land-grant, a significant percentage are from New York. Since I'm not, I feel like I've gotten to know all kinds of new people. Cornell has all kinds of diversity... not just the general ethnic kind, but there are all kinds of people who think differently and have had different experiences. There are always different clubs protesting something or another. Sometimes there are even counter-protests! Cornell is about speaking your mind and being heard, and it works.

Cornell is very diverse but very segregated- whites hang out with white, blacks with blacks, asians with asians, etc....of course there are exceptions, but this type of segregation is very noticeable around campus. I think certain things exacerbate the problem- such as Ujamaa, the African American living center- this really serves to segregate people and give students an opportunity to avoid learning to live/interact/be friends with people who are different from them. A lot of people are fro New York of course, but I have met people from all over - Ohio, California, Colorado, Turkey...

People have way too much money and way too little interest in helping others

In my opinion, no student should feel out of place at Cornell. Cornell is full of some of the weirdest and most unique people one would ever meet.

Open, diverse, proactive

Cornell, because of its size and its partial public funding, attracts a broader swath of people than most other schools, certainly than other Ivy League schools. We had rich kids in the Hotel School. We had country-folk in the Agriculture and Life Sciences school. And we had every geographic and socio-economic level in between. The school worked very hard to build a racially diverse student body, but ended up, like most Ivy League schools, with a disproportionate number of Asians and Jews (and a disproportionate number of the jews were from Long Island, which was very annoying for those of us who were Jewish and didn't like being accused of being from Long Island). Also, the school was only 10{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} African-American, much to the dismay of the African American students. There were some racial incidents while I was on campus. I think someone burned a cross on the lawn of the Native American themed living center. I vaguely remember a newspaper story about someone shouting racial slurs from their dormatory window. Much like American society at large, we at Cornell didn't know what to do about it, other than to all agree that racism is bad. You'll find racists anywhere, in any population over a given size; it's the law of averages. Cornell is, by and large, a typically pluralistic and open-minded college campus. Politically, there is some activity. I was there when the Iraq war started, and there was a 70 foot long "no blood for oil" banner hung outside one of the larger class buildings. Also, the leftist-activist kids would protest against corporations that were on campus or global warming or (to their credit) living wages for campus workers. That generally involved sitting in front of the administration building, playing guitar and occasionally talking to a local news camera. There was a small but vocal campus conservative contingent. I remember once seeing a pasty blonde kid in a green jacket and an American flag neck tie standing in front of a 20 foot American flag outside the student union, railing about the "silent majority" and extolling the virtues of Ronald Regan and George Bush. The Cornell Sun ran a number of political columns that dealt with campus and real-world political issues; I wrote one of those. In general, it's a left-leaning campus of the yankee-liberal-intellectual genus, the kind of place that would have confirmed all of Nixon's worst fears.

Cornell is hugely diverse, something in which the administration seems to take great pride. Occasionally, especially freshman year, I felt a little overwhelmed by the number of students from the Tri-State area (and their perception of upstate New York; no, we don't all live on farms) and California, but you're sure to know at least a few students from outside of the U.S. and from some of the more "obscure" states in the union. As far as non-ethnic/cultural groups go, I've found that I don't know a whole lot of people in the LGBT community and it's a bit unusual, I guess, because probability just seems to imply that it'd be at least somewhat well-represented in a campus of this size.

Different types of people I've met interact very well, I personally haven't noticed any problems.

The Cornell Student Body is diverse. Cornell's motto is "Such diversity in One university." This applies to both academics and the makeup. Cornell has tons of religious, racial, ethnic and political representation on campus. Campus does have a liberal feel, but there is still a conservative present on campus.

As far as race is concerned, different types of students do interact. Upon closer inspection, however, it is noted that similar people still group with each other. Sorority girls get ready for parties with other sorority girls, engineering kids argue over problem sets with other engineering kids, and archies bond over coffee with other archies in whatever dark corner of campus archies hang out in. No one seems to be willing to seek out other unique individuals and acquire new perspectives on life. I have not heard a single intelligent conversation since I've been here.

Cornell as a whole is very diverse. There are support and living centers for Jewish students, an Africana living center, and International living center as well as a Multicultural Living Learning Unit, and the Latino living center. This unfortunately means that you don't see a lot of the black or latino students around campus, since they're so concentrated. P.S. There are a LOT of Asians. As in many. I don't notice it so much now, but I remember that I did when I first got here, and friends who visit usually comment on it within the first half our of being on campus. LGBTQ is a strong presence on campus. There are a lot of high-rollers here, but the regular middle class kids get by too. I'm not sure who would feel out of place here. Dumb people? In other schools, students go to class in their pajamas and sweat pants and Uggs and all that. In the Hotel School, we are classy. We don't wear suits every day, just sometimes. But everyone does make an effort to look professional. We're the fashion plates of Cornell. The four tables are: engineers, jocks, bio/pre-med, and sorority girls.

I honestly don't think any student would feel out of place at Cornell. Although there are plenty of sorority and fraternity kids, there are also intellectual groups, environmentalists, political activists and people who fit into multiple categories. Students wear everything from sweats and Uggs to jeans and sweaters to cute skirts (for the girls, obviously). Four tables in the dining hall - not like high school. Freshman year, they're filled with a diverse group at every table, with engineers and hotelies, greeks-to-be and hippies, since you live with a mix of everyone. Things do get a little more clique-y in later years, but you'd be surprised what a cross-section you can still find at each table. There's a large contingent of Cornell students that comes from a comfortable economic situation and doesn't really want for much. But a lot of students have financial help, whether or not you know it. Not everyone goes away for spring break, or can afford fancy dinners every night. Lots of people have some sort of job, at least a few hours a week, and it's not frowned upon AT ALL. While at first glance a lot of people look spoiled, dig a little deeper and you'd be surprised. Cornell is definitely a liberal school, although political activism does come from all sides and the Cornell Republicans are just as loud as the Cornell Dems. Ithaca is a historically leftist city, and you should be aware of that. If you're very uncomfortable with open homosexuality, this probably isn't the place for you - the current mayor is a lesbian, for example. While Cornell is historically an activist school, I think that strain has faded a bit over the years and a lot of people are too apathetic. Maybe that's changing with the 2008 election, but when I was there, I was a little disappointed with how unengaged people were regarding world affairs. Students don't really talk about how much they'll earn one day, although there definitely is the I-banker/consultant contingent. Cornellians go on to some pretty creative careers, and they talk about how much they'll change the world over how much they'll change their bank accounts.

I think that there could be a lot more diversity at Cornell. The Greek system makes anyone not in a frat or sorority feel left out, especially minorities and lower class students (not that they want to be in a frat or sorority anyway). However, I also think that Cornell has a very supportive environment, and in that way it breaks a lot of stereotypes that other colleges have.

Most of the people I have met at Cornell are from greater NYC. The stereotypes of Long Island, Westchester, and Manhattan are prevalent here, and it is hard to disagree with them. I would certainly say that students from diverse backgrounds interact, but the kind of free-thinking liberal student who would thrive at Oberlin or Brown would probably have trouble meeting a lot of people like them here.

Because 3 of Cornell's schools are state schools, many students are from New York. However, I cannot think of a single person that would feel out of place here because of race, religion, sexual orientation, etc. Admittedly, there are cliques at lunchtables--athletes, asians, african americans, etc. But there is a noticeable respect for all kinds of people, and very few incidents of discrimination are heard of.

- I see everyone at Cornell as equal. It is true that some people come from families with more income than others but overall it does not show. I have friends of all races and with different financial backgrounds, and it does not make a difference to me. - It is true that most students come from families with fairly large incomes (median, I am guessing around $60,000) - Most students I know are from Northeast (New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania), but I also do know many people from California, Washington, Florida and from abroad.

Cornell is incredibly racially divided. Its most prominent among the minority groups on campus. The asian kids don't really associate with the rest of the population, and the same goes for the black and hispanic students. The asian group tends to be the most separated, especially the ones that are not from America. I've found it very difficult to get along with most students that fall into that category. Class differences exist, but most students here are upper-middle class. I suppose its more difficult for low income students, but I don't see them standing out in the population. Despite these differences, I have the most diverse group of friends, from all over the country and even some international students. Everyone brings different ideas and I enjoy spending time with all of them. Students are actually very politically active, myself included, and its refreshing to see that students are involved in what is going on on campus and off. We all know that we'll have great jobs when we graduate, we don't talk about our salary as much as what we'll be doing in those jobs.

students wear jeans/t-shirts. warm jackets because ithaca weather sucks. ghetto people would be kind of left out because the black community exists but they are very separated off to themselves. students do not talk about how much they learned in one day. but some are politically aware, and its predominately center i believe.

THEY BETTER NOT ALLOW GUNS AT CORNELL!

A large number of students come from New York, New Jersey, and California. There are also many international students from China and Korea. A large fraction of the student population is middle and upper class. You'll see some incredibly wealthy students here. Lots of girls fit the Jewish-American princess stereotype: curly brown hair, leggings, and Uggs. Greek life is also a big scene on campus. You'll see many girls wearing sweaters with Greek letters on them. Some sorority girls can be pretty catty in fighting over which sorority has the hottest girls. Political life here isn't too active. You can certainly be involved in political groups if you want, but Cornellians don't stage protests every day. As a whole, the campus is pretty liberal. Overall, Cornellians are very friendly and open. You probably won't have trouble making friends here.

Four Types: New Jersey/Long Island kids/Hotelies Engineers Aggies People speaking another language

Cornell brags not stop about it's diversity and I believe that VERY much after going here, but there is one single group not represented: unmotivated individuals. If you are not very motivated you will NOT find many people like you. It's almost scary sometimes, but the drive within the student body is incredible.

I feel there is so much diversity here, and from what I can gather, just as much tolerance. During the winter, you see your fair share of boots and sweats. But there are definitely girls who will still dress like its spring, just to look good (yet very very out of place). Four tables- geeky, multicultural, frat/sorority, athletic Students from- Tons from New York (both upstate and the city) and New Jersey. Financial- many students have highly successful parents. But many of these who come from money aren't pretentious or materialistic. Political- definitely more liberals than conservatives. But as a conservative, I've never felt it was a big deal.

Cornell has a representation of almost every single possible association. If by chance a club for your (insert hobby/ethnicity/want here) does not exist, it's so simple to create one. We have clubs that cater to minorities, to LGBT people, to those that love DDR etc. Most Cornell students tend to be from the NY, NJ, Connecticut area and California. However, since we have a considerable population that comes from places outside those mentioned above, no one feels left out. We also have a good amount of international students.

In general, a typical Cornell student is nice,intelligent and friendly. However, there are some extremely catty girls with LV bags hanging off their shoulders and nasty jocks who party day and night. The campus is very inclusive. Therefore, everyone should be able to find his or her own place at Cornell since it has a such a diverse student body. Most Cornell studetns come from the East Coast. The two most popular states are New York and New Jersey. There is also a fair share of students who are from other parts of the country.Of course, we do occasionally bump into someone who is from France or China. International students make up about 10{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the student body.Most of them(excluding the ones from Canada) tend to hang out with people of their own. There is a wide spectrum of political awareness in students. Some students are extremely active and organize rallies while others hardly know the difference between Obama and Clinton.