Cornell University Top Questions

Most classes are hard, but there are plenty of libraries and coffee shops to study in.

Since I don't usually go to the office hours, there is no way the professors would know my name, unless they teach small classes, like freshman writing seminars. My favorite class was NS 206-Introduction to Global Health so far, and the lease being Chem 207/208. Students almost study everyday. Class paticipation is pretty common in most of classes. Cornell students have intellectual conversations outside of classes, and yes, of course, they are VERY competitive. I am in Department of Nutritional Sciences, in Human Ecology. Cornell's requirements are pretty tight, especially when it comes to getting good grades in classes. The education at cornell is geared toward both getting as job and learning, but I think almost every students make their edcuation at cornell geared toward getting great jobs.

Some of the classes are very large, and you don't get to have a one-on-one relationship with your professor. However, the TA's are all very knowledgeable of the material. In addition, although its difficult to do well, if you work hard enough, chances are you'll recieve the grades to show it.

In larger lectures professors don't know your name and don't care. In most cases they care more about their research and you. This trend in reflected in Cornell in general (especially budget allocations). Studying takes place practically all the time, often infringing on important elements of life such as sleeping and eating.

The classe range in size, as there are some very large classes of close to 500 students in large lecture halls and then some small recitations of about twenty people. The classes are extremely challenging and require much more work than other colleges.

Being in the Animal Science major, I have found that it is easier for us to get to know professors better because we have a small class. The pre-vet students in the animal science major are very competitive compared to non pre-vet students which makes our major harder. All through high school I told my parents I want to be a marine biologist, and pretty much stuck to it until it came time to look at schools. Each year over my spring break in high school I would come visit my sister who was doing her undergrad as a pre-vet dairy science student. I feel in love with the campus and some of her professors and overall just enjoyed my experience here. I applied to Cornell as an animal science major and when it came down to picking out classes, my sister persuaded me to look into the dairy program because our family runs a milk processing plant. The moment I sat down into my first dairy science class, I immediately fell in love with the program. I can honestly say, I could not believe I ever wanted to do marine biology. Animal Science majors have room to take any classes that they have some desire to take and I think that it something really amazing. Had I gone to any other college, I would probably be hating it because the other schools I applied to were for marine biology. The decision to go to Cornell was probably the best decision in my life. The dairy program here is what hit it off for me because the people are genuine and they will be the people that I will need to call in the future for help with anything about dairy.

Cornell's academics can be extremely difficult and sometimes it seems that your professors or TAs are just doing their best to make it hard for students. It really, really depends on your school and which classes you take.

In large classes, professors don't know who you are. However, in upperclassmen seminars, professors know you on an individual basis. Students are somewhat competitive here - not with each other, but with themselves.

I often wish that I were closer with professors, because I always had small classes in high school, but TA sections certainly help with that. I really enjoy the freshman writing seminars, because I've been able to get away from the math/science engineering curriculum and been able to meet people in other schools as well. Students are pretty competitive (but what do you expect at an Ivy?) and you're always interested in how you did against the class curves. I do often feel like my education is geared at getting a job, but that just keeps me focused and helps me prepare for what's to come.

Professors know your name if you take the time to go to their office hours. My favorite class is organica chemistry I, but my least favorite class was linear algerbra. Class participation is common in smaller classes, but it's rare in the large lecture clases. Although there is comprtition, most of students cooporate with one another to finish problem sets and study for exams.