Cornell University Top Questions

If I'm awake at 2 am on a Tuesday, I'm either crying over an impossibly hard chemistry problem set, or crying because everyone else is out drinking and I'm in my room missing my family.

The most popular thing about Cornell has to be greek life. Greek life dominates a lot of aspects of life. There are the IFC frats, which are the predominantly-white instituted frats who throw parties. There are the white sororities (forgot what the name was). They are not active what so ever in campus. I do not see the difference between them or any white frat. Then there are the MGLC frats and sororities. These are multicultural fraternities and sororities who foster the true value of brotherhood/sisterhood. They have different rituals and they don't try to shower you with gifts because after all, you are joining their organization, not hte other way around. The dating scene is awkward. There are a lot of hook-ups at cornell during parties but lasting relationships are hard to find and if found are rarely let go. One of the things to look forward to at cornell every year has to be slope day. It is about the most reckless thing alive. People party pretty much anyday they want but it is predominantly on thursdays through saturday. Cornell's life revolves around getting your work done during the week and partying hard on weekends.

I don't think there's a single most popular group. There are a few hundred organizations, and everyone finds a few that they're really into, from the newspaper or radio station to volunteer organizations to the fraternities/sororities to sports teams. Students in dorms absolutely leave their doors open. My best friends from college are the ones I met in my dorm. It's very common to spend your evening just wandering into a neighbor's room and chatting, watching a movie, etc. General athletic events aren't such a big deal, but hockey is huge. People stand on line for two days or something to get tickets. But if you're not into that, that's fine, and you won't be the odd man out. Chances are you can make it to a game (you should) by getting a ticket from a friend once. Guest speakers like Jon Stewart are obviously popular, and political and more academic figures draw a surprisingly large audience. On-campus theater definitely sells well. Go to a few shows at the Schwartz theater. You'll be pleasantly surprised at the talent of your fellow students or the people they bring in from around the country. Dating? What's that? There's generally hooking up at a frat party and then maybe starting to go out after that. A few times relationships start the old-fashioned way, but I think that's rarer and rarer - not just at Cornell, but everywhere. There definitely are relationships, though, and people don't frown on that. There are opportunities to go on dates, it's just the casual dating scene doesn't really exist. If you're up at 2 on a Tuesday, chances are you're doing work. Thursday, you might be out drinking, but possibly working. Annual traditions - slope day, the last day of spring classes where a big band comes to perform on the hill. dragon day, where a rivalry between the architecture and engineering schools comes to fruition. certain fraternities and sororities have annual charity events that get everyone else involved. then there are big parties, like Sigma Pi's foam party. every college has its own little thing, too. People study hard and party hard. You don't have to be a drinker, and there's a huge part of the school that's not at all involved in the Greek scene or bar scene. But there's also a huge part that is. Even the people who don't get involved in the Greek life end up drinking on their own, or smoking, er, uh... Saturday night activities can include the theater, a bunch of chamber orchestras, the patio at Collegetown Bagels in nice weather (lots of fun for the non-drinking and drinking crowds), the indy movie theaters in town, musicians at the State Theater downtown, and just hanging out with friends!

I think that students in dorms do a good job leaving their doors open, especially freshmen. There's no reason you cant make friends by going door to door or just leaving your door open for people to come in, especially during the first couple weeks of the fall semester. I lived in a program house my first year at Cornell, which is where I met all of my closest friends. It was a really good environment, and all of us still spend most of our time together. I think that the party scene is very big at Cornell, and it's one of my favorite parts of the school/weekend. However, you can always go to the movies, bowling, laser tag, or even have the gym all to yourself. Just be creative and you'll think of something.

I am in a club for United for Peace and Justice in Palestine, which brings speakers and films related to the Palestinian experience to campus, to balance what we feel is a very one-sided view of the Middle East on campus. Israel related organizations, such as the Cornell-Israel Public Affairs Committee and Hillel, are among the wealthiest, well populated, and influential organizations on campus. This creates a situation where Palestinian speakers who come to campus always must deal with a barrage of very uninformed questions that see the political situation in Israel/Palestine as simple and about two sides that clash. Knowing that this isn't the case, it is disheartening to see students get so radicalized so easily.

Greek Life is huge (see above) and it is linked to partying, dating, friends, charity, etc. Students do leave their dorms open, and I am friends with the majority of the 30 students in my hall. Athletic events are mildly popular. Football is not big at all, but hockey and basketball have loyal followers at each game. On a Saturday night, you can go to an a-capella group's show, go to the Herbert F. Johnson museum for a party or event, or see a movie for $4 at Cornell Cinemas.

greek life is the way to go...if you want to be seen on campus, greek is the only way to do it. none of the other clubs except maybe the studnet gov really matter. all the popular peopl e at cornell are greek

- In engineering, many students are involved in project teams like CU Satellite (CUSat) Team, Automotive X Prize Team (AXP), Formula SAE, etc. - Popular athletic events inclide Hockey, Basketball, Football. - We often have guest speakers come to Cornell. Last year, we had Shimon Peres (ex-Prime Minister and current President of Israel) come to Cornell and talk about Middle East politics. Two years ago, Bill Nye the Science Guy came to talk about Global Warming. These are just 2 examples. We had numerous guest speakers from companies like Google, Microsoft come and talk about what they do and how what they do affects the world.

Greek life is huge. I know alot of people in either a sorority or fraternity. On-campus clubs and organizations are also extremely popular. I think everyone is involved in at least one, 5 or 6 in my case. Volunteering is a big thing here, and thats amazing. Dorms are social in some cases, less so in upperclassmen dorms. Freshman year I knew my entire hallway of 80 kids. Men's ice hockey is huge, I'm a season ticket holder. My best friends come from various areas. A few are in my major or in Engineering. Others I lived with freshman year. A few others I've met in classes or through other friends. I know people from every aspect of my college life, and its awesome. If i'm awake at 2am on a tuesday, I have a prelim coming up, or a problem set due Wed. that isn't done. Slope Day is the best day of the year, lots of drinking starting at 9am and performances by big names. Frats are good for parties, sororities are good for socializing. Not essential tho. Last weekend, I went to a house party on Friday night, hockey games on Friday and Saturday night (one of which was the famous Harvard-Cornell Game) and then stayed in saturday night to sleep and do homework all Sunday. Thats typical here, to do one night out and work the rest of hte weekend. Off campus, there is a mall with a movie theater.

sports teams are huge on campus, and so is greek life. i am in kappa delta sorority and a cornell tradition fellow. i always left my door open. some do, some don't. certain athletic events like hockey and basketball are very popular. it's very hard to start dating at cornell. guys suck here. its 2 am on a tuesday right now and I am writing this survey, while trying to do work, while trying to plan big/little week. there's nothing to do on a saturday night that doesnt involve drinking.

WVBR...Already said a ton.

Greek Life is very popular. About a third of the student population go Greek. Most people in the Greek system know each other; they know a lot about each other's business. It's a great outlet for social life. It's a little harder to meet new people if you're not in Greek life. I'm a tour guide on campus. I love being able to talk with prospective students and share my perspective with them. As a tour guide, you're very visible on campus. You really have to love Cornell. I'm also a DJ with WVBR, a radio station run by Cornell students. It's a great activity that allows me to have fun and take a break from schoolwork. During freshman year, people in most dorms will keep their doors open. People want to socialize at all hours of the day. Friends will often just walk into each other's rooms to talk or watch movies. My best friends are people who lived in my hall freshman year. A good amount of people are just looking for hook-ups and booty calls. They don't want anything serious. A lot of people are also in serious relationships. There seem to be two groups on campus: those who just want something casual and those who are practically married. There are also the engineers who don't seem to attract anyone. There are people who party every day of the week. During junior and senior year, people will often go to the bars in Collegetown on random days of the week. The most popular days to party are Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays--you'll usually find something. There's a core group of partiers who go out every weekend. The average person probably goes out two to three weekends a month. Cornellians are all about a balance between work and play. Slope Day, which is the last day of classes, is a campus-wide party. It's an excuse for students to get drunk at 9 AM. There's a musical artist who performs on Libe Slope, and everyone either dances or passes out on the slope.

Greek life is really big, and our sports are getting better (esp. basketball). Some people do, but I don't think I'd recommend it unless you're in the building. With so many undergrads, there are usually enough people at sports events that are really pumped. It's similar at parties. We pull in a pretty good array of guest speakers. This year we got Colbert, Whoopi Goldberg, and Sandra Day O'Connor, among others. I wish I didn't have class during some of them. I'm dating a guy I met while gorge jumping, through a guy I knew before Cornell. It isn't that hard to make friends, especially during O-week. Studying or wasting time. Slope Day, a ton of other ones. It feels like every night, someone is probably partying right now just because it's pledging season, but with so many people it isn't hard to find someone to drink or study with. I went to AGR, and studied my ass of for the Chem prelim. You can go to the Observatory I think, but they are really good about planning stuff to do. It seems like every weekend is a dance party at RPCC. I don't usually go off campus unless I'm going to a house party or visiting relatives. Sometimes I'll go to the Commons, but it's hard to find a whole day to spend in Ithaca. I <3 CTB

There is so much going on, and plenty for everyone, whether you want to party 24/7 or talk in philosophical groups. I'm personally involved in a project team called Cornell University Solar Decathlon in which a group of students design and build a home entirely powered by solar electricity and then take this house down to the National Mall in D.C. where we compete. I am also very involved in a national Christian organization called the Navigators. There are many other Christian groups as well as MANY MANY more religious organizations that represent most anything you can imagine.

Greek Life is huge, but so is the university as a whole, so those not involved won't feel isolated. Events- hockey is the biggest sport. Getting season tickets is a huge ordeal in which physical harm is a real possibility. Guest speakers and theater-- we have a lot of events, but I don't sense too much of a craze over them. Friends- my closest friend and I lived on the same floor freshman year. we also pledged the same sorority, which helped keep us close. Freshman year after rush, people really grow apart when they pledge different houses. 2am Tuesday night--trying to relax before another big day of walking in the snow Traditions- Dragon Day- battle of the engineers and architects Last weekend- attended two frat mixers, a philanthropy event, chapter meeting, and met with friends for late night food in collegetown. Saturday without drinking--Cornell Cinema shows various new, old, and foreign films. Also, every so often there are Cornell sponsored events (Battle of the Late Night Foods, for example, where representatives from different area restaurants provide food for students on a Friday night). Off campus-Ithaca Commons offers restaurants and quaint little shops, but only fun once in a while. Pyramid Mall is hardly a mall, but its the closest thing we have to one in Ithaca (also includes movie theater). Syracuse mall is a little over an hour away. Also, if you're here during good weather, you can enjoy the Finger Lakes and related outdoor activities

There is a huge social scene. Every weekend there are either parties, concerts, games, performances or speakers. Basically, there is something for everyone to keep occupied with. Most of the social life that involves partying and drinking does center on the Greek scene, especially for those who are not of age. However, if you are not into drinking, there is still ton's for you to do on campus or even off campus. There is a movie theater that can be easily reached by the bus system. Bowling is open late. There are quite a few restaurants that are open till 3 am if you want to just eat and hang out. There are huge traditions that happen every year. One is Dragon Day (architecture students create a huge dragon and bring it down to the engineering quad where the dragon faces off with the engineers' phoenix). Another is Slope Day (which takes place on the last day of classes for the spring semester). This is a huge concert/party on the slope. We also have Slope Fest with activities that do not involve drinking. There is Welcome Weekend (first weekend after school begins) that contains 5 nights of activities ranging from a carnival to casino night.

We love going to concerts that feature Hangover, Class Notes and etc. Yeah, those are the names of a handful of A Cappella groups on campus. If you are not a fan of musical events, there are also many theatre productions and sports games. Once in a while, we have a speaker coming down to Ithaca. I remember the long lines waiting for the opening of Dalai Lama's presentation. One piece of advice from me: don't do too many things at once.When you first come to Cornell, there are so many opportunies. At that point, you have to pick and choose based on where your passions lie. Right now, I am invovled with EARS, which is a trainning program for anyone who wants to become a counsellor or improve their communication skill. My roomate is a editor-in-chief of the economics magazine. The dorms on North Campus, where the freshmen live, vary a lot. The all-girl dorms are very roomy with gigantic closets and individual sink whereas the co-ed ones are more cramped. Overall, the dorms are very safe. We can generally leave our doors open and not worry too much about stuff being stolen. The partying scene is huge on campus as one-third of the students are part of the Greek system. On weekend, people who don't stay in to watch movies usually head down to the frats and get drunk. The parties generally starts on Thursday night and goes on until Saturday night. (Even the brothers need to study for their upcoming tests on Sunday night!)