Cornell University Top Questions

The professors are very helpful and accessible. Although I am in mostly large lectures, I frequently attend office hours and email questions to the professors. They always respond. They are there to help the undergraduates. Several know me by name. In the intro premed classes the curve is hard and you will study your hardest and it is a challenge to get above the mean, which could be a C. The mean on a test is usually between a 50 and 65 in these classes. Students have intellectual conversations. Right now I am in a fascinating class on global warming I dont want it to end. My least favorite is intro chem. It's really hard and boring. There are some competetive premed students, but most people want to help. RIght now I am in the only 5 credit class at Cornell -- genetics. Its a requirement for Arts and Sciences Bio majors. It's a really interesting class, but takes up a ton of time. For the first six weeks of the semester I had to go in and count and phenotype fruit flies every 8 hours. The class takes over your life. You will be in lab every day. And studying lecture a lot. You either love it or hate it, I love it. The professors are great and VERY helpful.

Classes are hard, hands down. It's as simple as that. You cannot come here expecting to do the same caliber work that you did in high school, or expecting to get the same grades that you did in high school. Students here are competitive, and we study a lot. Still, we know how to have fun - again, it all depends who you hang out with and what niche you fall into.

Somtimes competition can get out of hand, but that also pushes students to work harder. Big classes are balanced by smaller sections where active participation is basically required. While it's not easy to get to know the professors of big lectures, they always make themselves available during frequent office hours. However, due to the size of the university, the advising system is very poor. The variety of classes is outstanding, but it's up to the student to create a schedule that appeals to him/her.

Students work hard at Cornell. In my classes, students have always participated a fair amount, I think in various aspects, Cornell students are competitive, but at the same time, willing to help each other. I think Cornell stresses learning more than actually geared toward getting a job.

Studying is the major sport at Cornell. Class participation depends on the class, with larger classes being rare and smaller classes being frequent. Competitiveness is most evident in pre-med classes. Everyone wants the A and is grabbing for that extra point. The biological sciences department is extremely well organized. The neurobiology department in particular has amazing professors in every field and is a lot of fun to take classes in. Time with professors is mostly in office hours going over class topics. Education at Cornell is balanced for both getting a job and learning. The major thing classes try to portray is understanding concepts and using them to work a problem out by creating a new solution.

because im only a freshman, almost all of my classes are huge lectures with about 400 students, so the professors do not actually know us well. however, i still feel like i learn so much from them. the professors are also readily available to talk to students after class or at after hours. i think i'm learning at cornell just for learning's sake

One thing that I realized after coming to Cornell is that just because you're in an Ivy League, doesn't mean that all of your professors will be good educators. My least favorite class this semester is my Visual Communications class because none of the instructing team (Professor or TAs) know remotely how to run a 100+ student class. But with its downs there are definitely its ups. I've taken classes with professors that I'm really eager to do research for or take more classes with.

The majors are not geared towards particular professions, rather they are skill-based and allow students to take courses of interest to them and then choose an occupation that may or may not use that skill set. IT'S AMAZING! Colleges, especially the College of Human Ecology, have very few distribution requirements and allow students the freedom to choose from an enormous amount of classes.

As I said above, I loved all my classes here. Of course, a lot of people end up not liking all of their classes here, but you have to pick and choose, and I think a good motto--even though it can be tempting--is not to take any "easy" classes just to get an "A." These classes may improve your GPA, but they end up not being very satisfying. My favorite classes were the ones that engaged and challenged me, that I had to work to do well in, and that stimulated me inside and outside of the classroom. For instance, a class I took sophomore year to fulfill my major's "pre-1800" requirement--"The English Literary Tradition"--was one of the best classes I took, because the professor was so demanding, but also brilliant. She really taught me how to write. In terms of whether Cornell is geared toward getting a job or just learning for its own sake, it completely depends on your school and your major. If you're an English major, it definitely is not pushing you towards a certain career path. However, I imagine if you're an AEM major or a Hotelie, it definitely is.

It depends on what kind of class that you take - the majority of my classes have been large lecture classes ranging from 100 students to 1,000 students. However, there are plenty of opportunities to get to know the Professor and Teaching Assistants through office hours. My favorite class is Neurobiology 222 because it pertains to my major and is a very interesting class. One of the most popular classes that students take as freshmen is Psych 101 and as upperclassmen Wines. I meet with my advisor and I meet with professors through the various organizations that I am involved in. Education at Cornell is definitely geared for the future - whether it is getting a job or getting into graduate school or getting into a medical school. Some classes offered at Cornell are offered to gear students towards learning for its own sake (so no stress in getting A+).