Cornell University Top Questions

Classes here are what you choose to make of them. As an underclassmen, there are a LOT of larger classes, where the professors love what they're teaching about and show enthusiasm, but generally only know the students who take the extra effort to talk after class or in office hours. Students are really smart here, and will often get into conversations about classes, politics, and social awareness. Students can also be really competetive, but it depends on the major. Pre-meds are probably the worst, and will often refuse to work together, share work, etc.

Favorite classes are one's that can hold my attention and the teacher is very engaged with the students. I don't like the competitive factor that drives most of Cornell students.

Academics at Cornell are rigorous, but if you put in the effort you are rewarded with good grades. Professors only know students' names in seminar-style classes, but I enjoy large lecture classes even though they are somewhat impersonal.

Engineering will eat your soul.

Depends on the class.

(All comments are for Engineering) In engineering, nearly all classes through your first couple years will be massive, and the professors will not have any idea who you are. For those of you that need individual attention, you will have to rely on section TAs to explain concepts to you. The required courses will not grant you much freedom in terms of electives. Students come out of the engineering college with great job offers. Every senior I know got a job in the field he wants to pursue. (All comments are for general academics) The AEM program, while nationally recognized as one of the top business programs, is notoriously easy.

Classes are hard. Period. It's college: what do you expect? If you actually value your education (and you should if you are willing to apply to and pay for college) this shouldn't be a problem. If you want a place where you can relax and party for a few years, take your forty grand and go to Tahiti. Otherwise, suck it up and learn something.

some of my professors know my name. the majority know my face. favorite class- DEA 150 most difficult- Honors chem some students are very competitive, while the majority hide it. many students ask questions, even in lecture

My favorite class is Organizational Behavior. My professor is amazing. She is very committed to being an effective professor. I'm in the Hotel School. I absolutely LOVE it. My classmates are amazing. I think the fact that we have to do an interview for admission makes our class much better. Students can be very competitive. Especially my friends in the hard sciences. I understand the purpose of having a well-rounded education, but I would much rather take more hotel classes than take the required courses outside the hotel school. I like things that are relevant to what I am doing. There does not seem to be very many courses outside the Hotel School that interest me and fit with my schedule. My hotel classes are very geared toward getting a job and being effective in that job. The classes outside the Hotel School that I have taken do not seem as relevant. I have not liked any of the classes I have taken outside the Hotel School.

There are so many classes to take and so many majors to choose from, so the possibilities are numerous.

Most classes are hard, but there are plenty of libraries and coffee shops to study in.

Since I don't usually go to the office hours, there is no way the professors would know my name, unless they teach small classes, like freshman writing seminars. My favorite class was NS 206-Introduction to Global Health so far, and the lease being Chem 207/208. Students almost study everyday. Class paticipation is pretty common in most of classes. Cornell students have intellectual conversations outside of classes, and yes, of course, they are VERY competitive. I am in Department of Nutritional Sciences, in Human Ecology. Cornell's requirements are pretty tight, especially when it comes to getting good grades in classes. The education at cornell is geared toward both getting as job and learning, but I think almost every students make their edcuation at cornell geared toward getting great jobs.

Some of the classes are very large, and you don't get to have a one-on-one relationship with your professor. However, the TA's are all very knowledgeable of the material. In addition, although its difficult to do well, if you work hard enough, chances are you'll recieve the grades to show it.

In larger lectures professors don't know your name and don't care. In most cases they care more about their research and you. This trend in reflected in Cornell in general (especially budget allocations). Studying takes place practically all the time, often infringing on important elements of life such as sleeping and eating.

The classe range in size, as there are some very large classes of close to 500 students in large lecture halls and then some small recitations of about twenty people. The classes are extremely challenging and require much more work than other colleges.

Being in the Animal Science major, I have found that it is easier for us to get to know professors better because we have a small class. The pre-vet students in the animal science major are very competitive compared to non pre-vet students which makes our major harder. All through high school I told my parents I want to be a marine biologist, and pretty much stuck to it until it came time to look at schools. Each year over my spring break in high school I would come visit my sister who was doing her undergrad as a pre-vet dairy science student. I feel in love with the campus and some of her professors and overall just enjoyed my experience here. I applied to Cornell as an animal science major and when it came down to picking out classes, my sister persuaded me to look into the dairy program because our family runs a milk processing plant. The moment I sat down into my first dairy science class, I immediately fell in love with the program. I can honestly say, I could not believe I ever wanted to do marine biology. Animal Science majors have room to take any classes that they have some desire to take and I think that it something really amazing. Had I gone to any other college, I would probably be hating it because the other schools I applied to were for marine biology. The decision to go to Cornell was probably the best decision in my life. The dairy program here is what hit it off for me because the people are genuine and they will be the people that I will need to call in the future for help with anything about dairy.

Cornell's academics can be extremely difficult and sometimes it seems that your professors or TAs are just doing their best to make it hard for students. It really, really depends on your school and which classes you take.

In large classes, professors don't know who you are. However, in upperclassmen seminars, professors know you on an individual basis. Students are somewhat competitive here - not with each other, but with themselves.

I often wish that I were closer with professors, because I always had small classes in high school, but TA sections certainly help with that. I really enjoy the freshman writing seminars, because I've been able to get away from the math/science engineering curriculum and been able to meet people in other schools as well. Students are pretty competitive (but what do you expect at an Ivy?) and you're always interested in how you did against the class curves. I do often feel like my education is geared at getting a job, but that just keeps me focused and helps me prepare for what's to come.

Professors know your name if you take the time to go to their office hours. My favorite class is organica chemistry I, but my least favorite class was linear algerbra. Class participation is common in smaller classes, but it's rare in the large lecture clases. Although there is comprtition, most of students cooporate with one another to finish problem sets and study for exams.

Really, really good. Professors tend to know your name, students study a lot. Class participation varies, but you'll generally be in the middle of the pack. The Cornell Government department is really good, it's nice to wikipedia your professor and discover that he's a leading theorist in his field.

Students dont go to class, then end up cramming for the exams.

Some students study a loootttt of the time... and there are those who study a lot, but also play a lot, and they write papers hours before they are due and still get a good grade. I can't do that - I try to plan ahead. I also try not to go out three days in a row. My major is natural resources, which is environemntal science. I love it - its very flexible (not a lot of requirements) so I can take a lot of interesting classes. The first few required classes for NtRes are really boring and don't really teach much, so I think people who aren't dedicated environementalists coming into it drop the major. But past the intro classes, the major is amazing. I definetely think the majority of students at Cornell are geared towards getting a job.

My favorite class at Cornell was Bio 105, an autoturtorial introductory biology course. I mostly instructed from the whole text book based on guiding questions provided for the class. The best parts were the labs, where we got hands-on opportunities to explore the topics we were learning. In particular, we dissected rats (of which I named mine Mickey). Absolutely the best hands-on experience for pre-med students. This class was also not nearly as competitive as the majority of classes at Cornell, so everyone in the class is more than happy to help you understand certain topics, as it gives them a chance to review what they know as well. Overall, and amazing class where ones personal efforts really reflect in the grades received.

There are a lot of unique classes you can take and interesting classes to take for fun. Student's aren't competitive with anyone but themselves and often spend too much time in the library. Although that is not the case for everyone. Colleges vary but for Industrial & Labor Relations, professors definitely know your name and are very accessible.

Clearly, Cornell is challenging. But it's not impossible. Your first semester will be rough. And you won't feel intelligent enough. However, you will get the hang of it. Most departments offer "00" courses which are supplemental help classes. These will really help.

Academics at Cornell are quite varying. Depending on your school, you may have close relationships with your professors, or you may never speak a single word to him or her. As a sophomore biology major, I have had very few interactions with senior professors. On the other hand, I do interact with TAs (teaching assistants who are usually graduate students) on a frequent basis. In some ways, TAs are a nice intermediate between student and professor, however, they are not always quite as knowledgeable as the professor.

Academics at cornell are ok. Professors are more concerned with their own stuff than students and don't seem to particularly care to get to know the students personally. This is not the case at all colleges, and I know this because I transferred here from somewhere where the professors would ask students to come out to lunch and talk about stuff. Here a professor would never do that. Similarly, the large classes and the general environment stifle class discussion. people seem unwilling to speak up in class or ask questions. Much of cornell seems to not care about learning, just preparing students to be bankers so they can make gifts to the corporate cornell. students study a lot and are usually stressed out.

Fabulous! The classes here are second to none!

The problem with Cornell being such a big university is that intro classes are huge, making it hard to get to know a professor until you reach upper level classes. This also discourages students to participate, unless they are bold enough to speak among a class of 500 students. I think that one of the main differences between academics at Cornell compared to other schools is the competition. Many non-Cornellians think that Cornell's academics, classes, and professors are at a more difficult level. This may be true, but I think the academic stress is mainly due to competition with your fellow peers. Especially with the curving system, you have to compete with others to be one of the few with the A. There is also more competition when it comes to finding jobs. Cornell students are all qualified candidates, making it harder for one to get a job.

I love the classes that I took last year - Food science (which was an awesome review of hs biology!), global health, and plagues and people. Definitely the best classes at Cornell, in terms of knowledge available, and the readings. The classes are filled with passionate teachers... who have no idea who I am, and that I loved their classes because I want to be exactly like them. I want to get out of here and do real things, because sometimes I think that Cornell is a waste of time because in the real world, knowing organic chemistry just doesn't matter if I want to be teaching people in Africa how to avoid getting HIV/AIDS.

The academics here are rough but not absolutely ridiculous. There are a number of small classes which are nice because the teacher knows you and you can participate. Unfortunately there are the other giant lecture halls for bio and chem and organic chemistry (also known as satan)

I know a lot of my professors well because I am in a small major. I think this has really helped me to adjust to Cornell after having come from a small school. It is really beneficial to cultivate relationships with your professors, but admittedly difficult in larger majors/classes. There are a lot of very intelligent people who go to Cornell and spark interesting conversations outside of classes. There are also, however, a handful of people who one wonders how they got into cornell, namely those people in the farm oriented majors.

The introduction classes are very very big. In general, classes range in terms of difficulty. In general, the classes are probably harder then the classes at other schools.

I would probably make this school less stressful acamedically. Here we have so many libraries and a lot of times, even then, it is hard to find a place to sit and do work. I've talked to my friends at other schools and most of them have only one or 2 libraries on their campus and most people never go. I think that even though it is good that students at Cornell work hard academically, I don't think many people are that involved on campus and with extracurriculars due to this.

Most professors who teach large lecture classes do not know my name. My favorite class has been one called Human Bonding taught by Cindy Hazan. We learned about attachment, human relationships, breakups, etc. I see students studying all day and all night. Class participation is common in smaller sections. I feel students are pretty competitive. You can spend professors outside of class if you go to their office hours. The most unique class I've taken was called NS206: Intro to Global Health. We would have video conferences with professors at Weill Medical School in NYC.

Classes vary immensly. I took a class with 1300 students and a class with 17 students freshman year. Generally the professors are fantastic; however, some of the professors are not so great and a lot of the learning must be done through a textbook, unfortunately. School work is hard and there is a lot of it. However, you are able to manage your own schedule and I've found that the TA's are extremely helpful and most professors are flexible in terms of due dates.

academics at cornell are excellent. some of the best in the country. the professors in my major department know my name (and some not in the department) class participation is common in small classes, and not as much in large lectures students are VERY competitive, as we all compete for top job AEM is an incredible program communication is more fun and lighter i spend time with professors outside of class with some extracurriculars and sometimes just hanging out cornell's academic requirements are very rigorous cornell's education is geared both towards getting a job and learning for its own sake. in AEM, learning is geared towards getting a job. in communication, it is more geared towards learning for its own sake

professors dont know my name in big lectures least favorite class is freshman writing seminar cause theyre a lot of work and so many papers students study every day people participate in class some cornell students have intellectual conversations outside of class, but everyone is different because there are so many students lot of work

A lot of intro classes in engineering are pretty large and anonymous, but as I start taking smaller specialized classes I have more professors who I know and get along with well. I think my classes are very, very challenging and it's much harder for me to maintain a good gpa then it was in high school. At the same time, however, I really feel like I'm getting an excellent education, and I sort of feel like if I can do this, I can do anything.

really difficult since you are competing against all these damn smart people

My favorite class is Computer Organization. I like it because it is mostly project based, and the projects are reasonable yet challenging. The homeworks don't take incredible amounts of time, and the lectures are relevant to the projects, homework, and exams. In engineering class participation is rare, and professors don't really know anyone. I'm sure this is different in other majors though. The students are pretty competitive but there is definitely a "we're all in the same boat" mentality that helps us work together. I feel that the education at cornell is geared towards inflicting as much pain as possible on the students so they will glide through the rest of their life and the work environment. It's a rather stressful experience, but certainly one that will pay off in the end. The classes are very hard and frustrating, but the requirements to graduate are reasonable.

Professors DO know my name (in my major, at least). Students study as often as they need to, but classes are challenging and most require hard work. Students in some programs (such as pre-med) are much more competitive than others. My major is Hotel Administration (with a business focus). It's really really interesting and we learn in a very-hands on way. We take practicals and even have a cooking class with a lab. Material is kept up-to-date and professors really are very knowledgable and helpful, for the most part.

HARD!!!! bad chem professors are bad. but i love some other professors my favorite class has been aem 240- marketing the most competitive students are the premeds... but you have to be competitive here if you are premed if you have any intentions of getting into med school worst thing... class get curved pretty badly but i still love it here!

mix between big and small classes, frustrated about the PAM professors - theyre not the greatest. i am TAing a class though and that has been a great opportunity. need more parking at the library, everyone pits a lot of time into work.

I have mostly taken classes where the lectures are extremely large. I do not like that classes are made extremely difficult so that the means on exams are in the 50s and 60s. Rather than make exams impossible, they should test our knowledge so that we can actually perform well on the exams.

Students are very very competitive. Some classes are very demanding.

Psych 101 is the best class. Students will always be competitive. Requirements differ greatly by major. My major, Human Development, has very few requirements. There aren't really any campus wide requirements.

Cornell classes vary dramatically in size, amount of time needed, and professor capability. As you get to the upper level courses, professors generally become better and more interesting. One of my professors this year took out class out for beer. Others have absolutely no idea who I am. However, classes are all about what you want to make of them.

Academics at Cornell are deifnitely more challenging than other schools, based on what I've heard from friends at variuos schools. The classes, especially the general ones, are large (very large--think at least 300 people), but this can be nice at times, believe it or not. The classes are graded to a curve, meaning that the means on tests are often around 50, while the actual graded mean is curved to an 80. So many people like to say, "it doesn't matter how well you do, it matters how well you do compared to everyone else." I've heard complaints about the school being too competitive, but I personally have never had problems, and most people are more than welcome to help out. You definitely have to have the initiative to talk to professors, otherwise they will not know you, but they are open to talking to you during office hours.