Yes to both questions - a swim test during freshman orientation and if the student passes, then you choose from many, many phys. ed. classess - my d. took a rock climbing class first semester freshman year, which she loved but it did cost an additional $100.00 (???). It was great for her because she met students from all over campus/majors/sophmores/juniors/seniors. She is planning on taking her 'second" class next fall.
how many hours and credits the PE classes are at Cornell?
@bvo112 You don’t get a grade for PE. Just pass/fail. You need two semester. It does not count towards your GPA. My daughter took sailing at it cost $290. She is in bowling this semester. $120.
Some of the PE classes are very low activity, such as some listed here.
http://pe.cornell.edu/classes/spring-2016-classes/personal-growth-spring-2016
Here is the full list for the current semester.
http://pe.cornell.edu/classes/spring-2016
My son tried out for the rowing team. Two + hour daily practices for two weeks and that satisfied his PE requirement for the semester. I don’t recall paying for that, but most classes do have fees.
@college2021
I got into HumEc but never went an information session ( I live really far away from cornell lol). But I would say if you can make it, def go to an info session as HumEc is all about fit and it probably is a little bit more intimate than most other colleges. if its a problem, don’t worry about it. It won’t be the reason you get in or not get in, imo.
Most people need 2 PE classes before they graduate. I have taken one so far but probably won’t take another till junior or senior year. People that are in NCAA athletics usually get those waived. I also encourage people to look into club sports at whatever university they end up going to. A lot of fun and usually very competitive but not as crazy as most varsity sports in terms of commitments/practices.
@matrixsurgeon With a 4.24W/3.76UW GPA and a 35 on the ACT, do you think I should give Cornell ED a shot? Obviously, you can’t predict much from just my stats haha, but do you think they are competitive for ED?
@wormholes
My suggestion to you is to only do ED if Cornell is your top choice and it outweighs all other options. Regarding your stats, your ACT is fine and your grades seem OK, although maybe on the lower scale. However, what is just as important is your class standing (being top 10% is pretty important for majority of colleges and is applicable for most high schoolers). Other than that, if you want, there is no harm to doing ED if you know the obligation that comes along with it.
Hello! I had specific questions about applying to HumEc, I sent it to you in a PM. Thanks!
@ArhurDent42 My son lives in Risley. It is pretty weird but fun. Depends on what you like.
The idea is a dorm for people in to the arts (theater, music). Those people tend to be creative free spirits.
Many different majors, but common interest in the arts (and people who got stuck there if not a first choice).
That said, if you like it and want to stay, you need to “earn” the right to stay, which is linked to how much
you participate in social/creative events in the dorm.
My son loves it, but he’s not your typical kid. Was not his first choice, but he loves it, probably should have
been his first choice, and wants to stay there again next year !
@matrixsurgeon thanks! my school doesn’t and won’t rank, however, so I have no knowledge of my rank. however, my school is very competitive. will i be at a disadvantage if my school does not rank?
I applied to Cornell as undeclared engineering(I was torn between aerospace&mechanical and electrical engineering) and now I am worried that I might have lowered my chances of getting in. However, I talked about my interests in electrical and aerospace engineering in my essay and in CAAAN contact meeting I explained why I chose undeclared as major. Did I make a mistake by choosing undeclared rather than electrical or mechanical engineering? Will this hurt my chances? Thanks in advance.
@Transtra
I recommend that you NOT worry about applying undeclared. As long as you covered your bases in terms of explaining your interests and your desire to come in undeclared, then you are fine. In all honesty, a LOT of people that I know ended up changing their concentrations/majors after their first or second year. If you don’t get in, applying undeclared WILL NOT be the reason for a rejection.
@wormholes
If your school is very competitive, then Cornell probably knows about it. Cornell has had applications from many many many high schools so the admissions usually know how to handle each case accordingly. Don’t worry about this.
@blevine I think I’ll be more specific…I don’t mean that the kids staying there are weird, but I’ve heard that…well…to get to the point, I’ve heard a lot of hard drugs are used by those staying in Risley…is this true? Not sure if this is a question that is polite to ask or you’d want to answer, I’m just curious…
@ArthurDent42 Well there was a news story about a student caught with chemicals to make meth.
Not the only time such a thing happened on this or any college campus, just happened to be in this dorm, this time.
http://fav-meth-head-of-the-day.com/2015/01/21/cornell-police-find-methamphetamine-production-materials-in-risley-hall/
I am not sure it’s any worse than other dorms, my S has not mentioned any such problems.
I am sure some of that goes on in other dorms too, but that is unfortunately part of college life.
Check this out where Binghamton tried to stop drugs in the dorms :
http://www.bupipedream.com/news/6049/chem-free-housing-harbors-varying-student-lifestyles/
If people do their own thing and don’t bother you, I don’t think it matters.
And if they cause a problem, there are avenues to resolve.
Note the student caught in Risley is a “former Cornell student”
http://www.ithacajournal.com/story/news/local/2015/10/22/meth-backpack-found-former-cornell-student-charged/74410318/
At one school I know about, the state police monitor the dorms for pot odor. Then if they detect it, they will search dorm rooms. I don’t know if they need a search warrant because they are state police on state property. Don’t know how that works. But I’m not talking about Cornell. Just saying drugs are at most schools although different schools deal with them differently.
Pot is one thing, meth is another, and that is exactly was what I was referring to when I said “hard drugs”. Strange how crack and meth are evenly remotely near an ivy league school. When I read the CC results thread for Cornell and other top schools, not once do I see implications of any accepted individual being a “meth head”. The only explanation would be that these drugs entered the picture for certain students only after being accepted.
Cornell campus is a private property. They have their own security officers to monitor the campus. Police officers would normally not be invited on to the campus unless there is reported violation.
Stay away from drugs, but if you should get caught in an unfortunate circumstance, say nothing until you have contacted your parents.
You do not have to give consent for police to search your room without a warrant. This is especially important if you may suspect your roommate to have illegal substance in the room (or you may have it). Once they find it, you would need to deal with it no matter what. Also not to be naive as “the best policy is to tell the truth to the police.”
Put things in perspective. One kid was caught, do not condemn a dorm or school. The kids seemed really nice in that dorm. Of course things vary from year to year, more so in other dorms. This is one of the few that has any “culture” due to continuity of having fresh through seniors there. If anything, I think having some mature seniors around is a good influence. Most dorms are all fresh or all soph.
My daughter’s dorm (she is a freshman) this year has had a random dorm room search. Students are told of this during their first few weeks of school in their all-dorm meetings. Looking for drugs and alcohol. No warning. I think her dorm had it in October. I don’t know if it’s every room or just a random sampling.