I LOVE CORNELL!

Introduction
I honestly didn't choose Cornell, it chose me after I got rejected from the other schools at the top of my list. I just applied because my parents are alums, and I wasn't too psyched about going. Once I got to Ithaca, though, I fell in love with it, and now I wouldn't change schools for the world. My biggest piece of advice to students coming here would be to take the first semester easy when it comes to classes - it really helps with the transition from high school, and leaves you free time to socialize and get to know the people around you. Overloading on classes can leave you feeling overwhelmed and too busy to hang out with the other people in your dorm. I can't really pick out what kind of student should stay away from Cornell because I've met such a diverse group of people that I think anybody can find their niche here.

Campus Life and Social Life
Out of all the Ivies I think Cornell probably has the most fun. We study hard but party hard too. There isn't that much weeknight drinking, but on Thursday through Saturday nights it's not difficult to find a party. Most people study or work during the day but put the books away for a good time at night. The only bad part about the party life is braving the cold winter weather to go out, and then trying to find your coat again when you're ready to leave. Sports here are pretty competitive since it's a D1 school, but there are lots of club teams and intramurals that are a lot of fun. I'm on the club rugby team, and it's been an amazing experience that I love. There are countless other clubs too for pretty much any subject that you can think of. The a cappella groups and dance troupes are pretty big on campus and they all put on a good show. Advertisement
Academics
Academics can are challenging overall, but there are easy freeloader courses here and there. The engineering school and the hotel school are very highly nationally ranked, and we have a good international studies department too. The communications department leaves a lot to be desired, but Ithaca College has a good comm program that Cornell students are welcome to take classes in for Cornell credit. I've liked the majority of my professors, and they're usually very accessible. The quality of TAs varies a lot depending on whether they're undergrads or grad students - the grad students are usually a lot more helpful. Some of the smaller courses have grad student teachers though, which I really don't like because their styles vary so much and one person's experience and grades in the class could be totally different from someone taking the same course during the same semester with a different grad student. The workload is heavy at different points in the semester. There's usually a one or two week period that where you'll have most of your preliminary exams (prelims) and papers due. I've found it to be manageable though. After a week or two in the class, you pick up on what has to be done and what reading can be put aside.

Student Body
The students are typically from the northeast or mid-atlantic. They're into Cornell hockey, love hanging out outside on the quad when the weather is nice, drink lots of coffee, wear casual clothes to class but dress it up to go out at night. And they complain about the weather.

In Closing...
I love it here!