Cornell University?

Question

This is my dream school, and I've got pretty good credentials so far but I've think that I have a chance there. Anyway, I would like to hear people who either are current students there, alumni, or friends/family with anyone there. I want to know all that there is to know about Cornell-- so do not leave out any details! My plan is to major in Policy Analysis and Management, in the College of Human Ecology. I want to work in the field of international health policy. Do you think that Cornell would be the right path so far? All advice would be greatly appreciated!

Answer 1

Well, I am at Cornell doing my graduate degree. It is an amazing university, especially at the graduate level.

Pros:
Highly competitive student body
Excellent faculty and facilities
Amazing campus - nature at its best
Ithaca is a small place, very few distractions
Liberal community (I have never seen it to cross the line - it was news to me when I saw the other answer with "sex toys" stuff;)
very committed alumni

Cons:
Winter can be very harsh
ithaca is not near a major highway or has only a small regioal airport, hence getting here is an issue - driving to syracuse the best bet (especially the winter interviews can be logistical nightmares)
Limited nightlife; collegetown is good, but nothing great about it
Limited shopping options - there is a decent mall
You might meet people with extreme views on world

Answer 2

I am actually planning on transferring to Cornell next semester...I just heard back from admissions a few days ago and I was accepted. I will be studying international labor in IRL. I'll give you some advice in terms of admissions and tell you what worked for me. Cornell wants to see is that you are perfect fit for their programs. Convince the admissions staff that only Cornell will suite your needs. Mention professors, courses, programs, etc. Make the essay/application Cornell specific. Talk about how you want to use their programs to better yourself. Mention career goals and how Cornell will help you reach those goals. If you have pretty good credentials with good recommendations and write a killer essay(s) with the above info included, I think you have a great chance of being accepted.

Answer 3

I applied to CIPA for public policy, so a very similar path as you, but a different dept. In the end I decided on going into international relations at a different school. One thing I didn't like about cornell was the extremist nature of some of the students, especially in politics. Coming from the midwest, where I got my BA, it was kinda shocking to see such open anti-americanism. i heard the rumors about some of these schools in the northeast, but when i visited several times i saw it first hand. also, you can go into the bookstore and campus grocery stores and buy sextoys, which i thought was odd. i mean, i just went to buy a diet coke and saw myself face to face with a rack of pocket rockets. if you've been to columbia or berkley, cornell is similar in philosophy to them. although i cannot say enough how amazing the environment is. the location and the amount of kickass nature around campus is stunning. best of luck to you and i hope you do well there.

Answer 4

I don't have any first-hand info to give you, but I suggest you look at the latest Fiske Guide to Colleges in your local library. (Or buy it for about $16 from amazon.com) It has a few pages on Cornell that will provide pretty good insight to the school, social life, quality of life, etc. It usually talks a bit about which majors are strong, as well.

And, it provides you "overlap" schools...other schools that are like Cornell that you might want to consider. (FYI, those overlaps are: Harvard, Penn, Princeton, Yale, Stanford and MIT. I happen to have the book right here!) :)