Cornell University Top Questions

Child (I call you child with the same compassion wherewith you address the children behind you), relax. Perhaps you believe it already but don't know how to trust that belief, but, child, the opportunity to expand to what sits beyond the cement pillars of your torpid high school, all that for which you beg each morning when you drag your brimming, beehive-of-a-head through the throngs of disinterested students and defeated teachers, sits only a few months beyond your reach. In less than a year you will speak fluently a language that you are currently being told you can never learn. In a year and a half, you will have learned the lyrics to every praise and complaint you ever uttered and with scores of wonderful people will learn more. You will learn how to weave all of this into a coherent story, not the rhetorical bellows that you are currently being fed, but a pattern of rationality that, bit by bit, leads you from the shadows to the Forms. You are ready for it now; I have not forgotten how hard it is to wait. So I call you child and beg you do your best.

If I went back in time,I would have a different high school experience.One thing I really wish I did back in high school was get involeved in as many activities so I can start the process of knowing what I like and what I do just for the sake of it.Knowing these aspects of myself would help me to settle in quickly in college life and easily fins a group of friends who I share the same interests with.Although is supposed to be the exploratory period, first hand knowledge of a particular activity of musical instrument helps in finding a base in college.One other aspect I would change is my relationships with people. Learning to build trusting friendships proves to be essential in surviving through college.One needs a constant network of support.Learning to form study groups is also a necessary skill to successfully complete assignments and work through the lecture material together.

I would tell myself to consider not only academics but also social life and also mental health. Academics are highly important but what extra-curriculars will I be involved in on campus? Will I socially identify with enough people? How far from 'civilization' will I be? Class and homework cannot be your only life so what will I do outside of class to be happy and stay healthy?

work extremely hard don't get distracted by girls and other stupid social acitivities the more input you enter in the beginning, the greater the ouput in the end DO WORK, READ MORE BOOKS,

There is no right answer. Whatever you do, whatever you choose, it's going to be great and it'll all work out. Don't stress out and stop doubting yourself.

Take more advanced placement tests.

The advice I would give myself is to make the best of what is offered to me for the next 4 years. Time does fly quickly, and I now realize that I had not maximized my time during freshman year, regrettably. Taking time to adjust to a new environment and to new study and social habits is mandatory, and it is almost guaranteed that stress will accompany the ups and downs a college freshman will undergo. However, sooner or later, things begin to click. A new mindset or a new way of looking at things, such as what one wants out of college and out of life, what and who the important people in that particular person's life are, the priorities that have been decided on, etc. Had I known that I could have explored and done so much more last year, I wouldn't have wasted precious time and money, but I believe that I have grown stronger as a result of this personal test. It is only through mistakes that we, as humans, learn to mature. So, it's never too early to step outside boundaries, try new things and even make mistakes along the way.

Its easier to keep up thatn catch up so, no matter what stay on the ball.

If you apply yourself, not only in the classroom but in terms of extracurricular activities and social environments, you will do well. Remember that doing well is not rankings or ratings but feeling accomplished in every aspect of your life. Be sure to stay involved in everything and not let one part of life (whether it be academics or friendships) take the backseat at any point, because it is balance that brings happiness in college and in life. Keep in contact with the outside world as well--family, friends, previous and potential employers--because college is only 4 years out of a long (one hopes) life. Don't let stress take you over because it can be the most damaging factor in all areas of your life. Stay happy!

I think I would tell my high school senior self that college is about more than just the name. I have time to figure out my career and the steps I want to take to get there. I don't regret coming to Cornell. Not at all. I am firm believer that everything happens for a reason. However, if I knew then what I know now, I would have allowed myself to focus more on the college experience rather than purely academic reasons. I would have visited the campus so that I could really se whether or not my city-girl personality could mesh well with the rural environment that is Ithaca. Ultimately, I would have allowed myself the pleasure of option-weighing rather than relying on the crumpled-up paper with a scribbled plan of my life written by an ambitious eighth-grade girl.