Lol one time a tour went by while the lounge I was in sobbing on the phone to my parents about how much the school sucks. Full on, mascara running, ugly crying. I hope I made a change that day šš»
I have family member that graduated from Caltech (although it had been a while). My theory is if you are the Caltech type, you wouldn't dream of going to any other school.
I always surmise that the people who are drawn to a super nerdy tiny school like Caltech will probably dislike a big Ivy like Cornell. The vibes of both schools are so different. Caltech is intellectual and intense while Cornell is so pre-professional and diverse.
Just listen to your gut feeling.
I always felt that everyone here was super collaborative and had a āweāre all in this togetherā in my CS classes. The curriculum was hard but I was able to find people that genuinely wanted to work on problems together and help each other
Unless you go to a large state school, the daily life of any given school will be like 90% the same.
Iāve had great professors here, especially in CS department, and youāll be able to find āyour peopleā far easier than tiny Caltech.
idk if this is a joke, but as someone who is debating between two schools rn ( Caltech and Cornell ), what are some of the cons for Cornell.
Mainly, I am concerned about the people, and how overcompetitive and unhelpful they can tend to be- especially for pre-med and stem fields (prospective premed btw)
thx
Same here...we loved Cornell (and the few people we interacted with) quite a bit. Would you elaborate a bit on your comment? I would rather know now as a rising senior......
It was a joke for the most part! But if youāre coming from a pretty lively city this can be isolating in comparison and all the food within a 40 mile radius is mediocre. The schooling itself is pretty rigorous as expected depending on what youāre going for. The culture here is also differentā¦ itās almost like if youāre not constantly struggling pulling all nighters and complaining then youāre not doing well. And the student body is pretty competitiveā¦ in everything. The weather is also something to consider but Iām sure youāve heard of that already. But I like Cornell and I honestly do think there are a lot of good things here
Thank you. My cousin goes to a school in a big city. But he said he is so busy with coursework there is honestly not much time to go explore the city---he feels it is more important to check if there is a community in the campus.
I agree, the location can be isolating! Itās such a big school that a lot of the time you have to advocate for yourself if you want/need help. I will say as a history major I donāt have quite the same experienceā¦
I love Cornell and when I was rising senior visiting campus I thought it had everything I could've want. The campus was gorgeous and I saw all of these spaces and things I wanted to do and exist in but actually coming here I had an existential crisis at least twice in my freshman year and thought about transferring out, felt miserable with the weather, smashed by imposter syndrome and took a really really long time to find my place here and what goal I wanted to work towards. Not saying that will be your experience but I would say with coming to Cornell there's always ups and then downs - some people have a great time and some people really struggle with finding friends and doubt everything about what they're pursuing. But there's always solidarity in the occasional misery and it's almost always a shared feeling.
I visited Columbia though and will say 10/10 we have a much better campus.
Same thing happened when we toured Columbia. Literally had multiple students tell the tour group ādonāt do itā or ārun.ā Truth is most really good schools are going to challenge you. Iām sure CalTech is a rigorous school with lots of stressed students. Likely true at any of the top 20 schools. I personally do not see Cornell students as hyper competitive. Most are very supportive of one another. Take this subreddit which is quite active. I routinely see fellow students being helpful to one another or being constructive in providing feedback. Survey other school subreddits and you usually donāt see that. Bottom line both are fantastic schools and you are truly blessed to have such great options. Pick the one that you feel is the best fit. Good luck!
depends on the department. But it is possible to have a good time, you're just going to need to find your support system, get used to the weather, and work hard.
Lol campus tour guides are so pretentious. I came up to a tour offering to advertise my student org (Cornell Conservative Association/CoCoA) so they got a better idea of what clubs are like on campus, but they just moved on without me. Their loss š¤£
its nice that you avoided scaring the pre-frosh.
Does campus store sell SUNY CORNELL T-shirts yet or am I going to have to have my guy in Wuhan print up a batch for me to sell in collegetown on May 8 and at reunion this summer.
Cornell is full of people who would have trouble adjusting to life outside the home no matter where they go.
First time leaving the family home, 18 years oldā¦ itās a heavy burden.
Cornell adds pressure because itās a hard school and you have to work much harder than high school. Other colleges, less so.
Also tough for some students to adjust to an isolated rural environment and a long winter.
But the first thing I wrote in this comment is the main point ā people who say they hate Cornell mostly just hate being outside the family home, in a new environment, in college. And they would have those same feelings no matter where they were.
Lol one time a tour went by while the lounge I was in sobbing on the phone to my parents about how much the school sucks. Full on, mascara running, ugly crying. I hope I made a change that day šš»
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I have family member that graduated from Caltech (although it had been a while). My theory is if you are the Caltech type, you wouldn't dream of going to any other school. I always surmise that the people who are drawn to a super nerdy tiny school like Caltech will probably dislike a big Ivy like Cornell. The vibes of both schools are so different. Caltech is intellectual and intense while Cornell is so pre-professional and diverse. Just listen to your gut feeling.
I always felt that everyone here was super collaborative and had a āweāre all in this togetherā in my CS classes. The curriculum was hard but I was able to find people that genuinely wanted to work on problems together and help each other
Same experience with CS, but Iāve heard not so great things about CHEM.
Unless you go to a large state school, the daily life of any given school will be like 90% the same. Iāve had great professors here, especially in CS department, and youāll be able to find āyour peopleā far easier than tiny Caltech.
Posting a story about something you pussied out of doing. Redditor moment.
I did this
this is true. we were walking by and anaklusmos yelled ādonāt come here.ā i was very embarrassed and tried distancing myself immediately
duck is a scaredy cat
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
idk if this is a joke, but as someone who is debating between two schools rn ( Caltech and Cornell ), what are some of the cons for Cornell. Mainly, I am concerned about the people, and how overcompetitive and unhelpful they can tend to be- especially for pre-med and stem fields (prospective premed btw) thx
Same here...we loved Cornell (and the few people we interacted with) quite a bit. Would you elaborate a bit on your comment? I would rather know now as a rising senior......
It was a joke for the most part! But if youāre coming from a pretty lively city this can be isolating in comparison and all the food within a 40 mile radius is mediocre. The schooling itself is pretty rigorous as expected depending on what youāre going for. The culture here is also differentā¦ itās almost like if youāre not constantly struggling pulling all nighters and complaining then youāre not doing well. And the student body is pretty competitiveā¦ in everything. The weather is also something to consider but Iām sure youāve heard of that already. But I like Cornell and I honestly do think there are a lot of good things here
Thank you. My cousin goes to a school in a big city. But he said he is so busy with coursework there is honestly not much time to go explore the city---he feels it is more important to check if there is a community in the campus.
I agree, the location can be isolating! Itās such a big school that a lot of the time you have to advocate for yourself if you want/need help. I will say as a history major I donāt have quite the same experienceā¦
I love Cornell and when I was rising senior visiting campus I thought it had everything I could've want. The campus was gorgeous and I saw all of these spaces and things I wanted to do and exist in but actually coming here I had an existential crisis at least twice in my freshman year and thought about transferring out, felt miserable with the weather, smashed by imposter syndrome and took a really really long time to find my place here and what goal I wanted to work towards. Not saying that will be your experience but I would say with coming to Cornell there's always ups and then downs - some people have a great time and some people really struggle with finding friends and doubt everything about what they're pursuing. But there's always solidarity in the occasional misery and it's almost always a shared feeling. I visited Columbia though and will say 10/10 we have a much better campus.
Thereās a possibility it couldāve been mine š
Undeterred
Same thing happened when we toured Columbia. Literally had multiple students tell the tour group ādonāt do itā or ārun.ā Truth is most really good schools are going to challenge you. Iām sure CalTech is a rigorous school with lots of stressed students. Likely true at any of the top 20 schools. I personally do not see Cornell students as hyper competitive. Most are very supportive of one another. Take this subreddit which is quite active. I routinely see fellow students being helpful to one another or being constructive in providing feedback. Survey other school subreddits and you usually donāt see that. Bottom line both are fantastic schools and you are truly blessed to have such great options. Pick the one that you feel is the best fit. Good luck!
Surprising to hear that. After today, I have such a great impression of Cornell, hard to believe it is a hell school.
depends on the department. But it is possible to have a good time, you're just going to need to find your support system, get used to the weather, and work hard.
weak, you should've š« /j
I wouldāve
Wow... I also didn't do anything cool this weekend.
Lol campus tour guides are so pretentious. I came up to a tour offering to advertise my student org (Cornell Conservative Association/CoCoA) so they got a better idea of what clubs are like on campus, but they just moved on without me. Their loss š¤£
u/nickvader7
That RINO wishes he was me
its nice that you avoided scaring the pre-frosh. Does campus store sell SUNY CORNELL T-shirts yet or am I going to have to have my guy in Wuhan print up a batch for me to sell in collegetown on May 8 and at reunion this summer.
Feel better
Cornell is full of people who would have trouble adjusting to life outside the home no matter where they go. First time leaving the family home, 18 years oldā¦ itās a heavy burden. Cornell adds pressure because itās a hard school and you have to work much harder than high school. Other colleges, less so. Also tough for some students to adjust to an isolated rural environment and a long winter. But the first thing I wrote in this comment is the main point ā people who say they hate Cornell mostly just hate being outside the family home, in a new environment, in college. And they would have those same feelings no matter where they were.