Cornell University Top Questions

The advice I would give my former self is to not be afraid to challenge myself. Do not be afraid to get to know new people, because they are all so amazing and come form places and have done things you have not even dreamt of yet. Remember not to be afraid to present your work, you deserve to be here, and your contributions will help your peers as well as the underclassmen who will look up to you. Don't let work control your life, but understand that working hard will earn you respect for yourself and what you do. Be open to being put out of your comfort-zone, it's where magic really happens and where you will always surprise yourself. Finally, stay warm! Ithaca can be cold, buy good books.

Dear Jenna, If I could give you one piece of advice it would be to think very carefully about what you want. It may feel easy to choose Chemical Engineering because you did well in Chemistry, or Disney Imagineering so you can work at Disney, but there is more to a career than that. Think about what you enjoy doing. What projects have you loved working on? What type of work do you use to procrastinate from doing less interesting work? Those are the clues that you should start paying attention to. Don’t be afraid if it’s not engineering. Passion is what drives success, not industry. When you do figure out what it is you want to do, use this to make informed decisions. While choosing your college, research the courses offered. Do you have the opportunity to learn what you want to learn? If you apply to the Disney College Program, look into what the roles actually entail, and think about what will be most valuable for your future. Finally, don’t obsess over being "the golden child", make friends and keep them, and have some fun. You’ll do great. Love, Jenna

Relax. Alex, 10 AP classes was enough, you've done enough and you've more than earned your place at a world renown collegiate institution. The poverty, and long weeks of hunger and struggle are over now. You don't have to carry the weight of feeling that you are not equal to those around you anymore. You can move on. Surely as you prepare for your undergraduate years and pursue your premedical future, these things will permanently be a part of who you are, but they do not have to dictate the person that you are meant to become. Remember to keep moving forward, and in times of doubt, think about all of those times you saw yourself through the darkness, the assault, the near death experiences, and 9-11 calls. Cornell is going to be tough. It's going to be tough. I know you are a fearless boy, but a huge part of your success will come in learning how to put your trust in others. You're not invincible, and you can't handle it alone. Everyone needs a support network, so don't be so quick to turn friends away. I'm rooting for you.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, knowing what I know now about college life and making the transition, the advice I would give myself would be to focus, organize my life before it’s too late and my grades and mental stability suffer the consequences, and to not feel wrong for loving two guys but picking neither and choosing yourself. I would say I needed to focus more on what works for me and not what is said to have worked for others. As far as organization goes. It is very important for me to have an organized life and understand where I am going with that life and this year I didn’t so I would make a point of telling myself to get organized. Lastly, as far as the love life goes, “Abri, do not feel wrong for loving two people or for choosing yourself. In the end you make the right decision and get closer to God thanks to such loves. So relax girl.”

The word "irrelevant" is the sole word that comes to mind when I think back to high school. After spending four years in high school with the same people (possibly 12, if you include kindergarten), one starts to feel as if your classmates are the only people that matter. It was when I went to college that I noted that my classmates were irrelevant to my future success. Their opinions, thoughts and feelings about me had zero bearing how the decisions I was going to make in college. If I could go back to high school, I wouldn't care what people thought about me. I wouldn't let the petty drama impact me. However, I would've been free. I would've been more comfortable with my body, my seuxality, my race and my friends. I'm home for Christmas break after my first semester at college and all I can say is I want to see my friends, the ones that supported me. All the rest are irrelevant.

The only thing that keeps youfrom getting what you want is the story you tell myself, the story that keeps you in the grips of resistance that reminds you why your desires cannot happen. I know that a person’s thoughts can literally change his or her biochemistry. Sometimes not getting what you want helps someone else. Life is about what you become, not necessarily about getting what you want. Success depends on how you define it. Success depends on you. What you are looking for is meaning; success without meaning is worthless. The best solution to gaining purpose is to develop an intention that motivates you to act in your best interest. Pursue an idea that changes your life. Look back at your experiences and answer the question: what made you happiest? What gave you a sense of fun, a sense of freedom, a sense of purpose? How can you use your skills for a purpose greater than yourself? When you are able to answer these questions and fill the role you were made to do, you will not feel a need to fill yourself with external things and you will make your dreams reality.

If I could go back in time and give myself advice I would tell myself to stay strong. I would let myself know that the experience that I am going to face is going to be the toughest yet most rewarding experience of my life. Every now and then when things start to seem to get to impossible to complete, I would tell myself to take a step back and breathe. In that moment I would want myself to think about all the hard work and dedication that has brought me to my dream school persuing my dream job. Even though it may seem bad now, it will all pay off in the end and all I need to do is keep my head up high and stay on the correct path. I would let myself know that I have what it takes to make my dream come true.

Let me begin by saying that you are lucky to have made the mistakes that you did in high school rather than in college. You learned that having a new boyfriend is nice, but it's not as good of an investment in your future as cuddling in bed with your biology textbook. You learned how to handle failure, and how the stinging pain of academic regret can linger for months under your skin. You learned that your friends will wait for you, but your teachers and professors shouldn't have to. These mistakes cost you rejection into many of the competitive colleges you applied to, but I am encouraging you to gain the confidence to dominate your freshman year in college and apply again to your dream schools. I am telling you that failure is never fatal and that missing the mark in high school can either cause you to wither in sadness or propel you to exceed all expectations. Please take my advice. Never did I once think that I would be a pre-med at an Ivy League school after failing high school biology. But I'm here now. You can do it.

"I don't know anyone." That was the first thought running through my head as I first stepped onto campus last summer. At first, I was hesitant to approach others, and ate meals by myself for a month during first semester. I skyped friends every night, instead of making new friends. One night, my friend asked me why I was alwayas skyping instead of hanging out with my new friends. When I realized the reason was because I hadn't made any new friends yet, I became determined to make a niche in the enormous community that is Cornell. After the conversation, I tried to talk to everyone around me, the bassoon player in orchestra, or the girl who sat next to me in chemistry. I realized that I was the only one who didn't have friends yet, many people were just as shy as I was. Slowly, I made my own group of friends at Cornell, and my nightly skype calls lessened to once a week. If I could go back in time, I would tell myself not to be afraid, that no matter what it looks like, everyone is afraid to take the first step.

“Jonathan, stop stressing about what you want to major in and go outside,” I said to my younger, 12th grade self as he frantically researched different careers and their salaries.“Are you my long lost evil twin?” he inquired, briefly looking up from his clunky desktop computer.“No. I am you… from the future,” I replied in my most enigmatic tone, “You need to hear my message!”“The future? It looks like you haven’t aged at all. That’s great!” he said with a smile, and invited me downstairs to the kitchen for some chocolate milk- our favorite.My message to my younger self was about the importance of going into college with an open mind. It is not essential- and nearly impossible- to know definitively at age 17 what career he is best suited for. College is the perfect environment for self-discovery, cultivating one’s strengths, and developing new interests. Pointing to a college course catalogue, I highlighted the diversity of available offerings and encouraged him to take as many as possible. “Just go in as undecided,” I said, “Your calling will eventually find you.”Fortunately, he listened and we graduated with a degree in statistics.

Take a break! Relax a little. You'll make it. Don;t put too much stress on yourself because at the end of the day, this is just one of the many faces in life. In the future, when you look back, you will not remember the hours you studied all night, but rather the times you spent with your friends and the valuable moments you share. Don;t miss out on your youth, because whatever it is, you will 'grow'. Better later than now... enjoy the journey and smell the flowers whiles you are at it.

When going to college, it is very easy to become very focused on a future career, so much so that many of the activities one pursues are done solely to reach this goal of a better future. While this relentlessly forward thinking will undoubtedly be beneficial in some ways with regards to a career, I have found that the most successful college experiences are accomplished by students who take the time to pursue their own passions. It took me a few years before I realized this myself, finally participating in extracurriculars that aligned with my interests, such as music, instead of ones that I did for my resume, such as being a leader in a club. In doing so, I began to develop and shape characteristics pertaining to the kind of person I am instead of the kind of professional I thought I should be. And somewhat ironically, this allowed me to perform at interviews much better since I was able to talk about my activities with much more enthusiasm. I would emphasize to my high school senior self that while technical skills are important, they should not come at the expense of the passions that drive me.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I think I would have a number of things to say.

Those horrible words made my stomach sink and ache; I would always ask myself, "What is wrong with me? Why do I deserve to be treated so horribly?" Day after day in high school I would be tormented by my classmates. I always enjoyed reading, doing well in class and volunteering in the community. I was ridiculed for not wearing make-up, "cool" clothing, and trying "too hard." I was torn apart for every aspect of my life while in high school. But, when I was accepted into Cornell University, I was ecstatic. I was eager to start fresh and make new friends. I am now a junior and have learned so much and grown a lot as a person. With what I know now, I would give myself the following advice: learn as much as you can, while you can. While I was bullied, I lost interest in school so I would not be targeted as much-- you can lose your job, house, car or even rights, but no one can take away your brain power. "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world," -Nelson Mandela.

I would tell myself to make sure I research my university and to not just choose my college based on it's prestige.

Choose a college based on which one will allow you to achieve your goals; name isn't everything.

Things will turn out better than you think so stop thinking it's the end of the world. You won't do as well as you wanted to in your first semester of college but that's ok! The first semester of college is all about adjusting to a new environment and a new way of learning. Besides, you'll be surprised how well you did compared to some other people you know. But that's not the point. My point being is that you are not alone. You may think that for a while, but there is someone always there for you. I know that you're probably going to hate the world that you live in a not want to do anything other than regret living for a while after Taylor dies suddenly, but she is in a better place. she is not suffering and she is in good hands. So here's my advice to you: Just do the best you can and don't compare yourself to what others have done but focus on what you can do for yourself and your future. Don't lose hope. Don't ever forget who you are. Hookem' Longhorns!

College is all about being preparded for whatever comes your way and sometimes the things you are faced with are not what you expected. This time around i would try to be alittle less plan oriented. I always had a plan, and there was nothing wrong with that but my plan did not take into consideration the bumps that might come along and throw things alittle off track. When my mom was diagnosed with cancer my plan to go to temple university and live on my own and become a pharamcist was alittle sidetracked. I decided to attend community college so i could be home take care of her ,while i went to school fulltime and worked part time at a pharmacy so i could still keep some sort of connection with my goal to become a pharmacist. This sudden change of events was harder for me to cope with because i was not preparded for it. Now that things at home have settled down i am ready to fulfill my dream and make my parents proud, only this time i am ready for whatever comes my way.

Alyssa, there will be a night in college in which your "friend" leaves you alone and steals your purse. DO NOT follow the boy who says you can use his phone. Even though this experience changes your life and your chosen coursework, I can just tell you right now, you should take classes involving sex, race, and public policy- you find out when you're 22 that you have the ability to advocate for women, children, and at-risk populations through the non-profit sector. I will also say, don't forget the power of direct service, theory can only get you so far. Also, don't take that Mandarin class, you will get a B-, it will ruin your GPA, and you will never use it!

"Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game". This is the message I would tell my anxious and confused self before I headed off to college. Though this quote is a variation of a quote from the great Babe Ruth, I remember it from the cheesy movie of my pre-teens," A Cinderella Story". The main thing I would want myself to take from it is to encourage myself to try new things, and to not be intimidated by anyone or anything. This applies especially to other students and teachers, because though I did not at first realize it, the other students were just as bewildered by this experience as I was, and these teachers were very much there to help me, I just had to have the guts to take advantage of it. And though I remember this quote from a fluffy Disney movie, that doesn't undermine the message or make it any less meaningful or applicable to my college experience. It would be a good pick-me-up, and a reminder that college can be a very rewarding experience, but only if you take advantage of it.