Thinking about how to build a college list? Thinking about how to pick colleges to apply to? Thinking about how to pick the right college? In this series, Life of a Matriculate Student In College, you will get a first-hand perspective of our Matriculate students at their different campuses. Get a glimpse into Cornell University college campus life!
THE WHY: Why did you decide to commit to Cornell University? What factors drew you to Cornell?
I committed to Cornell because it met my ‘needs’ while satisfying many of my ‘wants’ – both at that moment, and far into the future. For instance, I wanted to pursue engineering, but value range in my education. It was important to me that my next four years would be spent with many different kinds of people, learning many different kinds of things. Cornell gathers students and faculty from around the globe, and from a variety of backgrounds. This diversity challenges my worldview, encouraging me to remain humble and open in my thinking. Furthermore, even if it’s a liberal arts college, it has the best engineering program in the Ivy League. I’ve studied chemistry, economics, physics, raptor husbandry – even ichthyology! The motto is “any person, any study”; and I felt spoken to by that message.
Additionally, Cornell is renowned for its efforts in sustainability – a field I intend to pursue professionally. Ithaca itself is chock-full of gorgeous hiking trails, and Cornell is home to several expansive botanical gardens! Every road is brimming with flowers and waterfalls, making the day feel so much more magical. Cornell also has a community of 40+ student-led environmental organizations, an entire department dedicated to promoting and growing sustainability efforts (the Atkinson Center), and is surrounded by vibrant local businesses. Every weekend there’s a farmer’s market in town with the best bread, and the dining halls themselves try to remain locally sourced and minimally wasteful. It’s easy to find a community with people who care about sustainability, and approach it from innovative angles.
Furthermore, the alumni network – while not heavily advertised – is very much present! I’ve never met a person I couldn’t strike a conversation with. Everyone – from students to professors to alumni – are passionate about spreading their knowledge and experience. As a first-generation college student, I find the professional support here to be exemplary, especially as I don’t have a background in ‘business’ life. When I need my resume reviewed, or don’t have the right shoes for a conference, I can just schedule an appointment with the Career Office, or ask a trusted mentor.
Honestly, I didn’t know any of this when I committed! I don’t think many people do. Out of all of the schools I was looking at, this was the one just felt right. Every time I thought about going here – based on all the webinars and interviews and advertising materials I’d perused – I was just excited in a way that nowhere else made me feel. Following that intuition has served me well so far, and I hope it does for you too!
CORNELL UNIVERSITY ACADEMIC LIFE: Can you share more about your experiences with classes, class size, lectures, and professors?
Cornell comes off as an overwhelmingly large school, but it’s actually pretty intimate. The intro-courses are lecture halls, but the deeper you go into your major, the smaller they become. My major only has about 70 graduates a year, with class sizes around 30 – I went on a hike with one of my professors! It’s really rather homey, especially if you put energy into engaging with the course staff and instructors. Professors are just people; some of them are lovely, some are a bit peculiar, and others you just won’t quite connect with. That’s just part of life, though! It’s good to work with different kinds of people.
CORNELL UNIVERSITY STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS: What about clubs and extracurriculars - what has your experience been in finding meaningful organizations and clubs and contributing to them?
Club-life here is vibrant, too – Cornell is well-known for their variety of clubs. Certain ones are better kept than others, since the academics can be fairly rigorous, but they’re a great social scene. Sometimes you’ll need to ‘apply’ to organizations, but others are very relaxed, and welcome anyone who wants to explore a new interest. One of my close friends got really into salsa, another joined an acapella troupe, and I work with a raptor conservation facility!
POST-COLLEGE LIFE: How has your college prepared you for obtaining internships and a career post-college?
One of my favorite things about Cornell is how independent it is – you’re given the reins of your education. It’s up to you to find and seek out resources, opportunities, and help – if you need/want it. I really enjoy that system, as it’s exactly how the real world works. No one is going to check in on you to make sure everything is going according to plan. You need to be introspective, deciding what you want and whether you’re on the track to getting there. It helps make me more confident and ambitious when it comes to seeking opportunities like internships, and determining the trajectory of my post-college career.
CORNELL CAMPUS LIFE: Tell us more about the dining hall and dorm situation! How is the food - are there enough options for those with dietary restrictions? What is the dorm and housing situation like?
I didn’t think much about food during my college search, but am honestly so grateful that I landed at Cornell in the end – the dining here is immaculate, and I really don’t know how I would’ve coped without having access to so many high-quality options! We’re ranked #2 in the US for dining, and have fantastic chefs who cook meals in 10 dining halls – and over 30 dining establishments just on campus! Each dish is labelled with potential allergens, and we keep all dining halls peanut free – it actually introduced me to sunflower butter, which does grow on you. Risley is our big ‘allergen’ dining option, and is dedicated to providing students with more severe restrictions (not just vegan and vegetarian) with safe, reliable eating options during lunch and dinner. You can take as much food as you’d like as often as you’d like, and they really emphasize sustainability in their operations.
For dorms, I am again very grateful! There are 3 main dorming locations – North, West, and South. And while the conditions can vary, each room is reasonably spacious, clean, and kept in as good a condition as possible. I lived in an older dorm my first year, and while it didn’t have AC, we did have a fantastic view of campus with our expansive sky-lounge, which was a real treat! But really you can’t complain much – everything here is working and clean, and that’s all I can ask for!
CORNELL SOCIAL LIFE: Share more about the social scene - how did you make friends? Do most people join Greek life or are there ways to make friends outside of Greek life? What is there to do for fun both inside and outside of the college? What do you and your friends do outside of your academic life? Does the college host any free events that you look forward to every year?
You generally don’t meet your friends in the first week – for me, it’s easier to think of friendships as an evolving category. Some people flow into your life for a while, then peacefully flow back out! That’s perfectly okay. Just keep putting yourself out there in a way that has meaning to you – that could be clubs, research, or Greek life. It could also mean volunteering in the community, getting a job, or creating study groups for class.
I like to schedule ‘rituals’ with my friends, since our schedules get so packed. Every weekend I’ll have a ‘coffee date’ with one of my friends, or grab Sunday brunch with another. On Friday evenings I’d study with another friend and swap stories. Our college does host plenty of free events – orchestras, lectures, game-nights, and more – that I like to attend when I can. There’s always so much going on, I can usually visit a couple a week, which is a great way to get out and socialize!
MATRICULATE: How did Matriculate help you get to Cornell?
Matriculate helped me navigate the college-application process with confidence. I was FGLI (first-generation low-income), and the one-on-one mentoring I received as a High School Fellow was indispensable. There weren’t many people in my life I could reach out to about these sorts of questions, so to have someone by my side the whole time was an unimaginable gift!
NEED FREE COLLEGE APPLICATION SUPPORT?
Matriculate is a national nonprofit that offers 1:1 support throughout the entire college application process! If you’re a high school student, check out our application and resources HERE.
MEET THE AUTHOR
Allison
Allison is an undergraduate studying Materials Science Engineering at Cornell University, and minoring in Physics. Hailing from rural communities throughout North Carolina and Wisconsin, and identifying as an first-generation low-income student herself, she is acutely aware how valuable college preparatory programs can be to under-privileged students. Having benefited personally from organizations such as Matriculate, Questbridge, and MIT’s MITES Semester, she frequently returns as a guest speaker and volunteer, seeking to provide the same support and guidance she once depended on.