2020 Applicants, Ask Questions Here!

IndoorCloud25
Thu, 17 Mar 2016 00:22:52 +0000

@sodapop027 I would say that the curriculum has a good emphasis on projects and hands on learning. However, for most classes, you go to lecture and discussion to learn the material and practice it in problems. Your pure science classes will have labs where you get to apply the material. CS has projects where you write code to achieve a specific task. Some of the ENGRI class will have final projects where you might be building or making stuff. I know for Intro to ChemE, our project was all computer based. Despite this, I still think a large part of the curriculum emphasizes lectures, problem sets, exams, and grades.

I think the true beauty of Cornell’s College of Engineering is that there are so many opportunities to do projects outside of classes. You can either get engaged in research or join one of the many project teams, which are all run by students with a professor who advises them. Topics range from sustainability, water treatment, health, app development, rocketry, space rovers, and car design. The one I’m on is called AguaClara, which is a team that designs, researches, and builds gravity-powered water treatment plants and components for rural villages in Honduras and India. Project teams are super rewarding because so much of the stuff you do is related to the material you learn, but applied in a way that either benefits others or that can be submitted for competition. The down-side is that all the teams are application based and tough to get on to. Cornell has a website with all of the project teams listed, so I’d check that out and read the webpages of project teams that might interest you and apply to a few when you come this fall.