Cornell University Top Questions

As is the case with many things in life, Cornell's academics are largely what you make of them. If one chooses to form close relationships with his or her Professors, there is no reason why this can't happen. The classes, however, have a huge range in terms or class size. Many of the classes, especially the intro level classes, are taught in large lecture halls and are taken by hundreds of students. During your later years at Cornell ,it is far more common to take classes in which only 10-25 students are enrolled. For these large lectures, there is a frequently a 'section' once a week, in which groups of approximately 15 students meet to review that week's lectures. Sometimes these sections are required, while sometimes they are optional. Needless to say, these sections are a much more intimate academic environment. There are SEVEN distinct undergraduate colleges within Cornell University, which means that students have the option to pursue very different paths at Cornell. These schools range from mainstream schools such as the school of Arts and Sciences and the Engineering School, to more unique programs such as Cornell's School of Hotel Administration.

But really, that comes with the territory of going to a school this good at academics. I never really noticed before I was a Cornellian, but Cornell University and its researching faculty pop up in the news ALL THE TIME. I find my professors cited in online news articles, in international textbooks, and I just think, oh my goodness, this is the coolest thing ever. Here's the trend of class sizes. Your intro classes are going to be big, sometimes a couple hundred people, sometimes around 50. As the classes get more difficult and more specialized, class size drops dramatically. I'm a freshman, and I have 4 classes -- one with 10 students, one with 15, one with 40, and one with over 1000 (this is the Intro to Psych class, which nearly every Cornellian takes because Professor Maas and his lectures are just that entertaining). Another thing -- this is Cornell. The classes aren't fluff. Yeah, you have to study a lot, but isn't that why we're here? Put in a chunk of hours every day. It's manageable to keep up with everything and still have time to chill, party, eat, sleep, whatever. Time management is definitely important. One thing that really surprised me is how available the professors are. They're not here to research and write off their undergraduate students -- they actually want to talk with you, answer your questions, chat with you at office hours, go out to coffee. They're an amazing resource. That was a very pleasant surprise. The students here are smart but chill, if that makes sense. People are smart and they're good at being students. You have your kids who are focused, pre-this or pre-that, and you have your undecided people, taking a bit more time to figure things out. In Arts & Sciences, there's a chunk of requirements everyone has to fulfill, but you can sort of manipulate it into still working with your area of study. It's not an inconvenience to fulfill and it's not going to bug you too badly.

I came to Cornell not being absolutely positive what I was going to do with my intended major in Industrial and Labor Relations. I won't pretend that I've got my life oath completely figured out now as a junior, but I have benfited immensely, emphasis, immensely, from the wonderful student services in Cornell's School of Industrial Labor Relations. From what I have gathered from my friends at other colleges, the big advantage to a small school is real attention from advisors, counselors, professors etc. In ILR I get that, and my advisors have the resources and backing of a powerhouse like Cornell. I constantly get emails from the Career Services Department or the Office of Student Services about new opportunities and events that I may find interesting. Never think that you can't get real attention at a large university. Cornell's seven college structure effectively creates small communities. I know, I know, every college says it, but Cornell really is a large college, with a small college feel- when you are in one of the smaller of the 7 undergraduate colleges.

The professors are great; I enjoy most lectures. Class participation is usually a small fraction of a grade with the emphasis being on prelims and the final. Most classes are on a curve, but its still tough considering who you're curved against. I was surprised to find very few people are cut-throat. Most students study pretty intensively on most evenings, but take the weekend nights off to relax and party.

The professors are great; I enjoy most lectures. Class participation is usually a small fraction of a grade with the emphasis being on prelims and the final. Most classes are on a curve, but I was surprised to find very few people are cut-throat. Most students study pretty intensively on most evenings, but take the weekend nights off to relax and party.

The classes often large lectures to begin with, but those are the intro classes. Most other classes are small. And if you do have a large class, you will have a TA, who will likely be more helpful than the professor. All the professors have office hours when you can meet with them. The classes often have a lot of work, and people study a lot. However, it all depends on what classes you take. You could go anywhere from 12 credits and almost no work to a 25 credit triple major (I have only met one). Almost all the professors I have had have been friendly, understanding, and approachable. Academic requirement really depend on the major and college, and range from a very laid out schedule in engineering, to having complete control of your schedule in CALS or Arts and Sciences.

Students study and/or write papers all the time. There are plenty of opportunities for students to meet with TAs and/or professors. Intro classes are very large and are often the most difficult to do well in. Plus, the curve system used for some classes can be very nerve wracking if you grades are below the mean. For those who are better at writing than taking tests (like me) there are many opportunities to take a writing intensive version of the same class. Academic requirements vary depending on which college you're in, but the Arts and Sciences school (the one that I'm in) is said to have the most demanding requirements.

Great academics. Very hard curriculum... Prelims are killers. Some professors know you by name, others might learn your name my the end of the semesester... if you introduce yourself.

You're able to pick what you want here. There's so many classes to pick that you can choose to take the big or small classes or even to teach yourself. Cornell was recently voted as the 'Hottest Ivy' and it's because of the large resources we have here.

Freshman year there are a lot of big classes, but by senior year I had 5-20 people classes. There is a lot of work, it doesn't matter what your major is. People study every day of the week. For notoriously difficult classes, like Intro Bio and Orgo, people will begin studying over a week ahead. People who aren't willing to work hard will not do well at Cornell. Coming in and knowing that helps prepare you. Engineering is particularly tough the first 2 or 3 years, but senior year gets significantly easier. People often talk to friends about their classes. Some students are competitive, but within the math, science and engineering majors, people collaborate on homework, so the only competition is between groups of students. Cornell education is definitely geared towards getting a job, which pays off senior year when friends at other schools were struggling, and I felt I had the background and training to get the jobs I wanted. Wines and Psych 101 are classes that up to 1/3 of students take at some point, and you definitely should if you get the chance. They were my two favorite classes at Cornell!

Academics at Cornell, from my personal experience has been rough. I didn't come from the best high school, but it wasn't that bad either. After starting classes, I realized that some teachers just aren’t that good, and the majority of learning in some classes must take place in supplement classes or in study groups. Study groups are also essential at Cornell. Study groups have served me well in understanding my own studies. I believe that a student doesn't truly know a subject unless he/she could explain it to someone else, along with the fact that students also learn new things in study groups. People have a saying for Cornell in terms of academics: "Cornell is the easiest Ivy to get in, but the hardest to stay in." I would have to agree completely. It is really difficult some times to keep up with your studies and have any type of life at all, but it is still possible. Moving to the topics of teachers: Some lectures are far more boring than anything you could imagine in high school, and others are really good because that professor really likes their branch of study. In certain classes, like Calculus I and II, graduate students are teaching so sometimes you could get one who just doesn't care, or can't really teach that well, or is focusing to much on their own studies. In this case your grade suffers or you must work harder to make up for it, believe me I know from first hand experience.

I can only write about the engineering academics, and only the freshman ones at that. By and large they are quite good; while some teachers were not the best I've ever seen, only one was truly bad, though the lab TAs more than made up for him. On the other hand, the physics staff was some of the best I've ever met. However, like most things, you can only get out of the academics what you put in. I currently work in the same lab group as one of my TAs, while I cannot remember the name of some of my professors. Despite the curved grading system, it's surprisingly non-competative. The large classes probably contribute to this.

STRESSFUL. Do not come here if you aren't ready to work your ass off all year. Don't make the mistake of thinking it "won't be worse than high school." There are alot of big lectures in huge lecture halls, but most sciences and alot of other classes have small scetions where TA's answer questions and go over problems. Pre-meds are notorious for being rediculously competitive.

Academics are great at Cornell! Most professors are at the forefront of their respective fields and they tend to genuinely care about teaching. Like most schools, the level of difficulty and the level of competitiveness really depends the class and department. The professors are really approachable outside of class.

I am in no position to explain much at all about how many majors, courses and schools there are to choose from. However, keep in mind, the school you choose may very likely hold you to a specific track, with prerequisits and so on. So be sure to look into these. Some classes are hard, some impossible (or so I hear), and some quite easy. You have to explore and ask around.

It's impossible to classify Cornell's academics as a whole because the school is so varied. The Architecture school is nothing like ILR. I am in Arts and Sciences, so I can speak about that college. Overall, the classes are really hard, but that's what you should expect when you go to an ivy league school. If you want massive grade inflation and a 4.0, go to Harvard. At Cornell, there really isn't grade inflation, and you cannot expect to have a perfect GPA. The professors are amazing. I have been taught by many of the world's experts in their field. Peter Katzenstein is a must if you are interested at all in government, and John Weiss and Peter Logevall are amazing history professors. Take a crazy freshman writing seminar!! I took "Magic and Witchcraft" randomly and it turned out to be one of my favorite classes at Cornell. Professors and TA's are extremely helpful at office hours. I have really gotten to know some of them, and it's great to go and just chat. Small seminar classes are great because they really are essentially a conversation among students with just a little imput from the professor, but don't be scared off by big lectures- they have been some of my favorite classes and sections are really helpful and engaging.

1. The STUDENTS- Competetive? A little bit (some schools more than others); but if you got accepted to Cornell I think that gives you an indication that you can handle it. I personally enjoy a little competition so I don't complain about it. Class Participation? Depends on the school, but kids are NOT afraid to speak their minds Relationships? It takes time, but you will find so many different people to meet here...that's the advatange of going to a big school! 2. The PROFESSORS- Accesible? DEFINITELY. These professors are here to help you! As long as you're not shy, you can always find the answers to your questions. They won't know your name unless you make the effort! Intelligent? UM-YES! These guys know what they're talking about, and they teach in a way that you can understand. I don't enjoy all the subjects I've taken, but I've certainly learned how to approach the classes I've taken 3. The opportunities AFTER CORNELL- High paying jobs? Definitely, if you want them! Cornell has a great career services department and I know tons of people who are now working at Microsoft, Johnson and Johnson, etc. their first year out of college!

My proffessors were amazing. Some of my friends complained that they never even spoke to the professors in their huge lectures, but my classes were small and the professors all knew my name. It's definitely important to take classes outside of your major. It makes class schedules more interesting and lets you take a class with your friends that aren't in your college! Word to the wise - choose your freshman writing seminar carefully. One of friends too one called "How to be a Caveman," and would spend her classes searching for edible flowers and learning how to through a spear. Other friends in "Culture Studies," watched Arrested Development and rap videos for homework. I, on the other hand, read books, wrote papers, and gave dull presentations. Talk to older students and get their recommendations on which ones to take!

The academics are great. That was the real pull for me. The professors are great, but unless you do research you don't really talk to them unless you really make the effort or do undergraduate research (which a lot of kids do for either pay or credit). The format of larger classes (usually freshman year) is that a professor lectures at a group of oever 300 kids and then the class breaks down into smaller "sections" of 15 where you talk through the material and homework material with a grad student. There are a lot of options at cornell. As an engineer I participated in the Co-op program where you take classes summer after sophmore year, work fall semester of junior year and again in the following summer. This allows you to get more work exposure and the companies tend to treat you more like a real employee since you're going to be there longer. It's great to get work experience and it really sets you apart. Classes are pretty hard too. There have been at least a couple of times when I wasn't really pulling my weight and had to step it up towards the end of the semester. So far as going to class goes, the percentage of kids who show up is usually proportional to the difficulty of the class. I found that a lot of intro level humanities classes weren't really worth going to. As an engineer you have 6 liberal arts classes that you must take and if you pick the right 6 you can usually coast through them.

Most of the introductory classes are based on a curve, and often the median grades are not A's. They're usually B's or B minus. These classes are difficult, and don't get discouraged if your GPA is not where you want it to be. You will have the chance to raise it in the upper-level courses. If you're a biology major, read on... If you have placed out of introductory biology, I highly, HIGHLY recommend you take at least one semester of Biology 105-106. I got a 5 on my AP for biology, but I took both semesters of this class and studied biology at such an intense level. This course is an autotutorial course, and many agree it is more difficult and more instensive than the traditional Biology 101-102, but the great benefit is that you WILL master the material in this course. Why? Because you take 10 unit exams and can't pass the course without passing each one. Each exam consists of a written portion and an oral exam with a TA. I know it probably sounds intimidating, but it's worth every minute you spend slaving away at this course.