Academics
At over 13,500, Cornell is has the largest undergraduate student
body in the Ivy League. This size has both its advantages and
disadvantages. Cornell offers over 4000 courses in seven colleges
and schools, each with its own admission and core requirements.
The schools include four private (hotel administration; engineering;
architecture, art, and planning; and arts and sciences) and
three funded by New York State (agriculture and life sciences;
human ecology; and industrial and labor relations). Nearly all
students can find their niche in Cornell’s vast array
of academic, engineering, and pre-professional programs. Several
Co-op programs are available and a Cornell-in-Washington program
has its own dorm. However, Cornell’s advising system is
weak, so students basically have to find that niche on their
own, and Cornell has earned the nickname the “Big Red
Tape” for its difficult bureaucratic processes—especially
when it comes to changing courses.
The atmosphere is intense, and some would dub the competition
notoriously “cutthroat.” A common saying is that
Cornell is the easiest Ivy to get into, but the hardest to get
out of. Many students study several hours per night and half
the weekend. Professors can contribute to this intensity, often
demanding the most from their students and ensuring that Cornell
is never accused of grade inflation. To counteract some of the
burden that such intensity accompanies, Cornell has one of the
top psychological counseling programs in the nation.
Also home to several graduate programs, Cornell has recently
unveiled a $400 million, ten-year plan to transform the institution
into one of the finest undergraduate research universities.
In efforts to shift the emphasis to undergraduates, Cornell
has mandatory freshmen seminars, a Fund for Educational Initiatives
that gives professors funding to implement innovative approaches
to undergraduate education, and will have all freshmen live
in the same residential area.
Campus Environment
Some students call it friendly, others call it dull, but one
thing is certain: Ithaca is naturally beautiful. Set atop a
hill with breathtaking and scenic views, the campus is surrounded
by ravines, waterfalls, and parks. The Cornell Plantation has
over three thousands acres of woodlands, streams, gorges, and
nature trails. Students can often be found swimming in the summer
months or “traying” down the slopes on dining hall
trays during the winter.
Under Cornell’s plan to reinvent itself as an undergraduate
research university, freshmen will live together in dorms in
north campus. Afterwards, there will be a section for them in
west campus, but many upperclassmen do and will continue to
live off campus, either in the surrounding apartments or in
one of the 50 fraternity or sorority houses.
One of the biggest perks about Cornell’s campus is the
way it satisfies your stomach; the food service at Cornell is
rated among the best. There are seven dining halls on campus,
each serving a variety of entrees, and milk products plus some
meats come right from the agriculture school. On top of the
homemade ice cream served daily, a gourmet team from some truly
excellent restaurants comes to campus to prepare its specialties.
Don’t worry to much about the weight, though—climbing
hills to get to class staves off obesity by burning the irresistible
calories.
Student Life
Just as Cornell’s 13,500 undergraduates are able to find
a niche academically, they are able to find one socially as
well. At a school as large as Cornell, virtually everyone can
find other students or groups with similar interests. But if
one had to describe Cornell in general terms, “relatively
conservative” and “alcohol” would certainly
find their way into that description. The vast majority of students
drink, whether at Greek parties or house parties. About 25 percent
of men and 20 percent of women belong to the Greek system.
The university does require all frat parties to be catered
by companies who card students, but for every sanctioned party,
there seems to be an unsanctioned one. Alcohol’s prominence
in the social scene can make non-drinkers feel a little left
out, but there is plenty more to life at Cornell outside the
classroom.
Day trips to New York City are easy for students with cars,
but even those without them can enjoy the many restaurants and
theaters in Ithaca as well as skiing and snowboarding on the
slopes or enjoying the university's natural surroundings. Hockey
is also extremely popular, with students often camping out in
the ticket line to obtain season passes; the fans are so spirited
that Cornell is considered one of the least favorite arenas
by visiting fans. Aside from varsity sports, Cornell has the
largest intramural program in the Ivies.
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