Cornell University Top Questions

Winter here... can get really tough here so make sure you are ready to handle the freezing weather! Oh, dining halls at Cornell are excellent compared to some of the colleges I have visited. So... watch out what you eat and how much you eat... because some of my friends have gained 20+ pounds during their freshman year!

Pick the school that you know you'd be happiest at.

College is a place of success, where many students find themselves as who they really want to be in life. College life is just how you personaly want to take it, how you were taught, by acting on it.

Take the time during freshman year to get to known as many people as possible. The more people you know and talk to, the better it will be during your later years. Join as many extracurricuar sports and groups as possible to get to know others. Take your school work seriously, but also take the time to relax and do something fun every week. Strees relief is very important.

I would tell myself to embrace the social life on campus rather than avoiding it. I spent a large part of my time during orientation in my room minding my own business when I should have been out making connections. Cornell has an extremely social campus and in order to fully take advantage of the opportunities here I need to engage and interact with other students. I would warn myself that isolation from the world only makes an individual depressed. I moved over a thousand miles away to attend a school where I did not know a single person. Keeping myself isolated made the transition almost unbearable. There were many nights when I considered suicide because of how depressed I was. I now realize this all stemmed from my lack of sociability in my first weeks. Had I gone to more events during orientation I likely would have made friends quicker and avoided the struggle of transition. That would be the main piece of advice to give my past self. I would encourage myself to be open-minded about other people and to pursue friendships rather than hiding away from the world.

Don't take things too seriously. There is no such thing as an A+ life. It's much more about working towards a goal, completing that goal, then creating another. If you are lucky enough, you'll leave a legacy that others will follow and admire, but sometimes that's all there is to it, luck. Also, do things without always know where they'll get you. When in doubt, the answer is almost always yes. At the very least you will learn a valuable lesson. You are never to old to try something new; never too young to conquer something big. Sometimes you will succeed, sometimes you'll get kicked in the butt, but you will always end up with new opportunities ahead of you.

Don't worry! Everything will work out as long as you keep an open mind. There are so many different types of people you meet at school and so many new opportunities, that you will just have a great time. Try as many new things as possible during the first few weeks, so you can make an informed decision on which of the great stuff you should continue with.

Community college is a great way to save money, but if you want to transfer to a private university, you are going to have to save a lot. So, find wahtever ways you can to raise and save money. It's college, not a vacation.

Freshman year is a once in a lifetime opportunity to redefine who you are, break out of an identity you feel you no longer fit, or discover a part of yourself you never knew existed. Don't be worried by what others might think of you and sieze this opportunity to figure out who you are and who you want to be. It will give clarity and direction to your life. Also, take whatever classes you find interesting. Don't be worried about whether you are wasting time toward graduating in 4 years, or whether your dream job seems unattainable, doesn't pay well, or might take you in an unknown direction. Just find something you are truly passionate about and stay true to it.

You will be very happy with your decision to go to Cornell University. The transition to move out of state will be difficult, but you can always count on finding support from your new friends and professors. The new students you meet will be eager to become your friends, especially since they are just as scared as you are. And the professors will be understanding about any struggles you have in their course and will be completely available to offer you their help. The best advice I can give you is to not be afraid to take chances, especially the chance to go to Cornell. Another important piece of advice is to take advantage of what you have learned at home. Your family's advice on managing finances, their cooking lessons, and everything they've taught you about boys will come in handy when you live by yourself.