<p>There are some very intelligent and strong personalities posting to this thread. That’s what it is like at Cornell. Realizing that people of good will can disagree is part of being an educated person. Some people look at the world through stories and some through numbers but most people perceive their experiences through a combination of the two. </p>
<p>I think Cornell has a reputation for being hard because it is hard. This reputation isn’t based so much on median grades or comparison to other schools but instead is based on the Cornell experience itself.</p>
<p>Median final grades may be in line, but it is easy to walk out of a prelim thinking you failed only to later find out the median grade was around 50% and you got a 65%. The workload is daunting and if you want to maintain a balanced life of sleep exercise and friends and job or club you have to have really really good time management skills. It is not so much the grade at the end of the day as it is the workload during the semester that is hard. The culture at Cornell is very very competitive and I think students at schools like Princeton have more of a sense of already having made it versus almost trying too hard. </p>
<p>Also, Cornell does not respect religious or national holidays and if you are a person who believes in a day of rest once a week or wants to visit your family on Easter or who wants to go to your little brother’s bar mitzvah Cornell is unforgiving, although some professors may help you out with extra time or giving you assignments ahead of time. I really don’t understand this attitude because it is not just the students who need a more humane approach to balancing school and family but everyone who works at Cornell as well.</p>
<p>Cornell is a great school and NO you do not need to expect a ton of C’s but you do need to expect to work really hard.</p>