Cornell University Top Questions

What do you consider the worst thing about your school? Why?

Adora

The worst part of this school is that night life is centered around drinking. Personally, I wish I could do different night activities that were fun and didnt include drinking or smoking.

Naa Shidaa

The worse thing is that, in a certain sense of the word, Cornell is like an expanded high school. I say that because, due to the fact that we are so many, many people prefer to hang out with the people they are most similar to, hence the Africans with the Africans, the American Indians with each other. This does not encourage intercultural dialogue even though the school can brag about a rich, cultrally diverse campus.

Stephanie

The worst thing about Cornell is the red tape that limits some of your options. Some of the rules and requirements limit what classes you can take, if and where you can study abroad, etc. It can be frustrating at times not being able to pursue what you want.

Renee

It's hard to say. There really isn't anything I didn't like.

Amanda

The only complaint I can give about Cornell is the amount of walking it takes to get to class. The campus is absolutely gorgeous, but huge - a solid amount of your day is dedicated to simply trekking between classes.

Jiali

Yes, Cornell has a beautiful campus; however, it comes with a price. As a freshmen who lives on the edge of North Campus, I really resent the long walk from my dorm to the Central Campus every morning. Yes, there are buses for every 10 minutes and they are convinient, but they are only avaiable before 6:30 pm for week days. Imagine that at the end of a long day from studing in library, you walk back, all alone. it is 11 pm already, it is dark everywhere, and you are the only one on the street!

Phaedra

The worst thing about my school is the social environment, too much emphasis is placed of Greek (fraternity and sorority life) and it creates an unpleasant elitist class system within the school.

Hongyu

Maybe it's just my personality but I find it hard to meet new people living in other dorms because there's never time to hang out with them because there are people who live closer and I don't really study in groups so I only see some friends in class.

Katherine

The worst thing about Cornell University is the lack of available food options. Cornell Dining has a monopoly when it comes to eating on campus, I feel that if a variety of options were available, eating wouldn't be so expensive, due to the nature of competitve markets. Since Cornell's campus is so far away from the rest of the city, monopolization is something that happens rather easily.

Kathryn

The worst thing about Cornell University is that winter lasts from as early as late October to as late as mid-April. It does gradually warm up between March and April but because of the lake effect from nearby Cayuga lake, spring is very subtle. By the time spring is really in bloom or noticeable, it is time for exams and you get stuck in the library and miss the season anyway.

Jjais

I think the worst thing about my school would have to be the size of some of the introductory science classes, specifically general chemistry or general biology. Personally, I had gotten used to a maximum class size of 12 students so walking into a class of 200 or more students was disheartening. In such a large class it is easy to get lost and unless you make yourself known to the professor you really are just a number and will be treated as such.

Marisa

Expensive, and students are over-charged for every little thing such as computer paper, downloaded megabytes on the computer etc.

Michael

The worst thing about Cornell is the debt I accrued after attending coupled with the horrible career planning and advice offered to Fine Arts majors, especially in this horrible economic climate.

Margaret

For me, coming from a small public high school, the hardest thing was adjusting to the academic intensity at Cornell. Learning to study, having to study for hours upon hours, and the competition I felt academically were all barriers for my academic success. Eventually I discovered that I learn best in groups and through conversation, so I did better when I became friends with my classmates. Cornell is an extremely tough school academically, for me this was the biggest adjustment.

Anna

Cornel is located 4 hours west of NYC, placing it in the middle-of-nowhere new york. It get very cold here during the majority of the year.

Nichole

The teaching style. I hate that all of my learning progress is reflected by 3 big tests. I'm not a good test-taker, and I learn hands-on better than I learn from lectures. It's frustrating. There isn't away to escape it.

arielle

All the colleges are pretty separated. There isn't a lot of interaction between arts and sciences and engineers for example.

Christine

The combination of early classes and frigid winter weather.

Maggie

Cornell University is too populated. Just this year, the incoming freshman student body exceeded the regular number admitted by a couple hundred. On-campus housing is already lacking as well as academic resources, such as laboratory space and shared reading materials. Renovations are sorely needed in certain on-campus residential buildings.

Ashlee

The worst thing about Cornell is the non-stop work that we have. There's never any time to grow emotionally and socially.

Casey

The workload at the school really stresses everyone out.

Scott

Paying extra for the laundry service and the gym membership can be annoying.

Allison

my school will readily build any new building or do renovations

Yena

The weather. It can be really hot one day and then snowy on the other. Plus, because the buildings are so far apart, it's almost impossible to get to places when there is a blizzard.

Quemar

Race relations

Joe

It is much harder than other universities

Bethany

Sometimes doesn't plan for large amounts of students accessing the course system at once, or doesn't anticipate number of students wanting on-campus housing.

Chris

The location. Even though the isolated environment has its benefits I would prefer to be in a more lively city.

Jennifer

It's really big, so you have to be able to fend for yourself. It's also in the middle of nowhere, so it's hard to arrange transportation for breaks if you don't have a car, and the campus and small town can sometimes become a bit claustrophobic and boring. The weather is also terrible if you don't like cold and snow!

misty

Sometimes you can feel overwhelmed by the shear size and academic excellence of the university.

Jung

too competitive at times. smart people drive the school but can be discouraging for others

Isaac

Anti-marijuana policy. Underage drinking laws. Classes. Grades. Smoke detectors. Campus Police. Crabs. Why? Cuz its a buzzkill.

Kayleigh

The winter. It is not really the snow that is bad but the wind. Since Cornell is on a hill the wind is bad during the winter.

Karli

Rich Snobby Kids

Noah

Competion, lack of creativity.

Marlene

It is extremely competitive and very disheartening to work so hard and get a bad grade.

Margaret

There is a lot of pressure to do well, and in a lot of intro classes the fierce competition is amplified by disinterested teachers. However, the higher-level classes are much more enjoyable, and within your specific major the professors are much more friendly, approachable, and open to meeting students.

Dave

Big classes, school is incredibly stingy, weather, city of ithaca

Aleah

The cutthroatness of the Pre-med track and the self segregation of races here.

Ying

It's very isolated.

Marvin

The weather (very snowy and cold) followed by the lack of attention you might receive from academic advisors. Also, there is very little cooperation between majors, which can present a big problem within your prospective college.

Haley

Too many hills - you usually walk everywhere, and any way you walk you walk uphill. Gets tiring if you are carrying a lot of books.

Jessica

The weather; It's so bad that you don't want to go to class or anywhere sometimes

Jonathan

The hills. It gets you tired if all you do is walk and don't have a bus pass.

John

The weather and location is terrible because it is a very cold climate in a rugged terrain. This makes travel hard and gives students a reason to not go to class.

Raymond

The amount of pressure that classes put on me. Also, the intensity of exams is very demoralizing. No matter how hard I study, I have been unable to as well as I would like on any exam so far.

Daniel

The fees--there are often extra fees for things, including the fitness centers. The school charges an "activities fee" but does not allocate its funds appropriately.

Corri

Classes are definitely more difficult here then I would assume they would be other places. You end up not doing incredibly well in some classes, but it's okay because you're graduating from Cornell.

Kentaro

CS 100J

Katie

A lot of introductory lectures are quite big, so students have to actively seek out professors if they want to get to know them. It's also easy to feel neglected in such large classes. However, it's good to get in the habit of seeking out professors anyway; and this is a big, competitive school, so you need to get used to the idea that you're competing for grades with lots of smart people in the more basic classes. The more advanced classes are smaller and allow you much better opportunity for personalized learning.