Cornell Students: Ideas for success at Cornell?

starbound4444 · 03-12-2008, 04:12 PM

I was wondering if any current or recent Cornell students had any suggestions about adjusting to life at Cornell. Anything you did right the first year? Anything you did wrong? The best teacher is experience, and since I don't have any, I thought I'd ask those of you who have! Any suggestions would be appreciated!

dewdrop87 · 03-12-2008, 04:25 PM

1. Manage your time!
2. Go to class :-)
3. Don't be afraid to go to office hours
4. Avoid all-nighters (can be counterproductive)
5. Stay on top of your work....always!

sashimi46 · 03-12-2008, 04:29 PM

prioritize your time with friends and having fun. that's what you'll remember after cornell...not what you've learned

dewdrop87 · 03-12-2008, 04:33 PM

^^haha...yeah...forgot to mention that one. Don't turn into a library troll :-)

starbound4444 · 03-12-2008, 04:35 PM

Do you think it's wise to try and find a compatible roommate before I sign up for a room or just go for a random assignment? or should I try for a single? Do they really match you up with compatible roommates if you go for random assignment? If you think I should try to find a roommate in advance, how would you suggest going about that?

Thank you so much for all of your suggestions. They make sense and it's good to hear them!

dewdrop87 · 03-12-2008, 04:38 PM

That's always a sticky topic. When I got here, even as a transfer...I chose to go with a random assignment and prayed it would work out better than at my old school. And I was right....my roomie turned out to be one..and still is...of my best friends :-)

I honestly don't know how they pick roomies...b/c my roomie and I are complete opposites....USC party chick vs. quiet Upstate NY girl

I forget when the deadline is to submit your deposit/housing request....but I recommend you do it sooner rather than later. I'm not sure how you would go about finding a roommate in advance....maybe someone else has an idea

TurtleFever · 03-12-2008, 10:52 PM

Yea I was wondering about the roommate situation too because I wanted to know, could they match up people with different majors or even from different colleges?

Sambago · 03-12-2008, 11:05 PM

Do lots of freshmen live in singles? If you have a single room will it be within a suite or just all alone? Does a suite share a bathroom or the whole floor?

Cornelli2008 · 03-12-2008, 11:16 PM

1) Make sure to get some sleep. My first month at Cornell, I was having such a good time making friends that I stayed up until 3 or 4 every night chatting in the dorm lounge. Try to limit this a little.

2) GO TO CLASS. As much as you don't want to. And if you are not a morning person, then do your best to sign up for later lectures. I am not a morning person at all. The semesters that I had 9 o clock classes, I got around a 3.2 GPA, but the semesters that I started at 11 (and yes this is possible) I averaged around a 3.8.

3) Do the reading, take good notes, and make sure you understand the homework before you turn it in (even if you have the right answers, actually understanding completely why that answer is correct will save you hours of studying later on)

4) Try out every resource (Office hours, tutors, group studying, weekly TA review sessions, reading the textbook even if it's not mandatory, flashcards, rewriting notes, takenote, etc.) and then find out what works best for YOU. It might take a semester or two, but when I finally learned how to study correctly for me, A's were no longer impossible to get.

5) Lastly, don't forget to get out, join clubs, go to parties, play sports outside, and enjoy the amazingness of Cornell. Although I love Mann library, I would never be this happy here if I had not gotten involved on campus.

Good luck!

dewdrop87 · 03-12-2008, 11:17 PM

TurtleFever: yes!!! my roomie was HumEc/PAM and I'm CALS/Bio&Society

password · 03-12-2008, 11:45 PM

does anyone know how the facebook roomate finder thingey works? thanks =]

delivery man · 03-13-2008, 01:48 AM

A random question: where is the best place for transfers to live? Dewdrop: where did u live as a transfer? Do you get plenty of chances to meet people and make friends?? How did you blend into Cornell socially and academically?

dhruv17590 · 03-13-2008, 03:40 AM

Question to you wisdomous people: I've only ever seen 2 US colleges...(from India)...Bryn Mawr and Columbia which my sister went to...was just looking at wikipedia (jobless I know)...Cornell is like 300+ acres or something!! Its HUGE!! Crazy HUGE!! so my question is whats that like? Whats the campus/life on campus like?

dewdrop87 · 03-13-2008, 08:00 AM

delivery man: when I came here there was a dorm called the Transfer Center...but it was torn down in Spring 2007. It's a shame b/c it's where I met most of my friends and is probably the biggest reason that I adjusted so well.

From now on transfers will be housed in groups and spread throughout the dorms on West.

KryptoniteMan · 03-13-2008, 11:02 AM

I have to comment on previous post of "2) GO TO CLASS". Yes do so for the first 3-4 weeks to see if the professors lecture is useful for quizzes, hw, and even the prelim. However, if you feel that the professor rambles and doesn't teach the material (and if attendance is rarely taken), then don't go to class. I have found better use of the time that I otherwise wouldn't have (I go to the gym, sleep in, or extend my work hours doing research). Its a good idea to ask other people of the background and history of professor (i.e. teaching style, mostly lecture or textbook, quizzes/prelim hard or not, etc.) All this will be especially useful if you end up having 5+ classes.