<p>Hi, fellow upstater, grantortue! Funny how you’re getting ice all the way over in the Eastern part of the state as well. Maybe we’re sending it to you from over here in the middle of NY! (Sorry about that!). Ha.</p>
<p>i’m a gt for human ecology and i’m currently a freshman at a liberal arts college in pennsylvania. I was told to take science course, math and english and i’m taking them this semester. The problem is, i decided to take macroeconomics and i’m doing horribly in that class! i have finals coming up next week before winter break and i think, if i work really really hard, i can possibly (hopefully!!! urrrgh) end up with a B-. But i don’t wanna end up in a regular transfer pool…and since macro wasn’t part of the required courses that cornell asked me to take, can i get away with that??? i don’t think i’ll end up with gpa above 3.3!!! i can’t believe this…i thought 3.3 was gonna be really easy…!!! if i get below 3.3, can i just do really well next semester, bring the cumulative gpa above 3.3??? i emailed human ecology a week ago, but they haven’t replied … guess they’re busy…</p>
<p>!!!</p>
<p>This is the type of thing you should really call for.</p>
<p>i really think so too…gonna call tmr!</p>
<p>spark07–What’s the GPA required for your GT into human ecology–is that the 3.3? So, you’re thinking the course that wasn’t required by Cornell (macro) will lower your required GPA? If I have that straight, then yes; I’d definitely call the Cornell college admissions office, especially over break when you know what your final grades are.</p>
<p>Also, would you mind sharing what you find out? The information on GTs is so scarce that any time we can get any new info., it really helps out all of the GTs.</p>
<p>Hi Dr_Mom, sorry I’ve been tardy with responding; it’s been finals week! Two down, one more to go today then I’m done with first semester freshman year. </p>
<p>I’m actually leaving to go back home to NYC for winter break, and will be visiting Cornell this coming weekend for an informal visit/meeting. We’ll be driving, and have been monitoring the weather situation; we’re hoping the drive will be smooth and that the weather will cooperate. I’m also kinda curious to see how well the hotelies run the Statler…</p>
<p>Anyways, whilst there I’m going to ask away with as many GT-related questions as I can think of and I’ll try to post them up here when I get a chance. </p>
<p>Happy Holidays, everyone! And good luck with finals.</p>
<p>Hi, diehldun! Oh, no problem at all about not posting for awhile. Remember, I have a S in your situation, so I know it’s finals time! I have to tell you, too, that NYS is enduring a double-punch of winter storms this week. We just had one yesterday that brought 8", and now we’re expecting another <em>this weekend!</em> I’m so sorry to have to report that to you, since you plan a trip to Ithaca this weekend. If you want to get to Ithaca from NYC, I’d recommend going early Sat. (or even late Fri., if possible)–it’s warm here today, and the snow on the roads is all melted off. We hear that a very large storm is headed here Sat. night into Sunday, possibly bringing even more snow than the storm yesterday! (a foot or more, possibly). Maybe early next week would be better, if you could wait until then?</p>
<p>I drove through yesterday’s storm to pick up my S for semester break. He had his last final exam yesterday morning. It was a miserable drive, but it was worth it to have him home! I’m enjoying having him back around the house more than I could ever tell you!</p>
<p>Good luck on your last exam, and yes please do let us know what you find out–anything at all–about the GT program, etc. We’re on pins and needles now until his final grades come out for the semester. </p>
<p>Oh–and staying at the Statler is a treat! The hotel students do a marvelous job, we thought, and it’s fun to give them the practice as customers! ;)</p>
<p>my required gpa is 3.3 and i have to take a year of english and lab science and half a year of math. and macroeconomics WASN’T required…and i just took it because all my friends said it was easy!!! haha.
well, i called them today. i had to schedule an appointment with an advisor. But the woman on the phone said that 3.3 is cumulative, so i don’t have to get above 3.3 each term. But she wasn’t able to answer my other important question (getting a bad grade in economics affecting my spot as a GT) so i’m gonna ask that next week during my appointment! I’m a little relieved though that it’s 3.3 as a year…even if I mess up economics a little, I can recover next semester, hopefully… and i know! i wish there were more info regarding GT process…i’ll post what they say later. :)</p>
<p>Unfortunately, my meeting at Cornell is already set for Monday, and I have important scheduling obligations afterwards, so Sunday-Monday-Tuesday in Ithaca is pretty much a must (I’m actually flying tomorrow). I’ve been checking weather.com for updates, and it looks like it’s going to be another rough storm! My parents and I are planning to leave early Sunday morning to drive from Sunday, if that’s going to make any difference. Having never driven NYC-Ithaca before (my parents did several decades ago), I don’t really know what to expect. </p>
<p>Regardless, the change in climate is definitely going to be a shock: right now my roommate and I have our window open with the fan (I know!) going on with flip-flops…</p>
<p>To be fair, my roomate and I left our windows open too during the winters at Cornell…but because they turned our heat up so damn high. I guess that’s where all our tuition goes.</p>
<p>Thank you, spark07! That’s good news about the cumulative GPA being for the whole year, not just the first semester. Yes; please do post any other information you find out! All the GTs and their families appreciate any information about this stressful process!</p>
<p>Hi, diehldun! Well, as I write this Sunday evening, you and your family should be in Ithaca. The storm didn’t bring quite as much snow as expected, so hopefully your drive wasn’t too bad. Sometimes it does go east of us, though, and south–just the direction you were coming from! I’m glad you have meetings set up for this week at Cornell. My S asked me whom you are meeting with–as in, the admissions GT coordinator, any prof. or dept. head in your major, etc.? It seems like 1/2 way in now, Cornell should be willing to meet with their GT students. We got the impression last spring that they wanted to do everything by phone and email. A personal connection with the student, who has so much invested in this process by now, seems appropriate, I’d think!</p>
<p>Thanks for any info. you find out, even though you are in a different college than my S. Good luck, too, with your visit at Cornell! Sorry it’s so COLD and snowy in this area right now! (but you may as well see first-hand what you’re in for–ha!) ;)</p>
<p>Hi Dr_Mom, thanks for thinking of us! Actually, my parents were monitoring the storm the entire night and decided in the morning that the driving conditions were too hazardous to drive. So I had to reschedule my meeting and Statler reservations; we’re leaving tomorrow morning, where there’ll be <em>gasp</em> possible sunshine!</p>
<p>I am going to be meeting the ILR-designated GT counselor/coordinator whilst at Cornell. We’ve been in frequent e-mail communication over the past few months, so finally meeting him in person will be great. I’m under the impression that it’s going to be a fairly informal meeting; just a way to finally see each other in-person. I agree, the personal connection can only help, and maybe your son should consider arranging a meeting in the future before they make final GT decisions… </p>
<p>The wind chill in NYC right now is miserable (I’m used to LA weather now). Glad you’re enjoying time with your son already (my parents are… mom is definitely somewhat clingy right now); hope he also had a great first semester!</p>
<p>diehldun–Great to hear that you didn’t drive in the storm, even though it ended up that we (at least) didn’t get as much as predicted. It sounds like you have a great personal contact at ILR. I’ve heard that about that college and their GTs. I wish the other colleges were as friendly about it. We were discouraged from meeting last year, and I don’t know what to expect if we ask for a meeting over semester break. A meeting certainly sounds appropriate to me at this point. We’ll see.</p>
<p>Good luck on your drive to Ithaca tomorrow, and in your meetings. Yes; it’s definitely COLD in New York–all over New York! ;)</p>
<p>Take care & keep in touch!</p>
<p>Yaaa dieh ur meeting with Ian! Ian is the mannn so be ready for a friendly informal meeting…it’ll be a lotta fun.</p>
<p>Wow the weather was crazzzy tho lol. I justtt got home b/c we couldn’t make it home Sun so now I’m finalllly back haha. It’s definitely going to be snowy when u go up there dieh! (But today is muchhh nicer)</p>
<p>GL all you gts! Hope your first college semester was a whole lotta fun and I hope you are all looking forward to Cornell next year because it is absolutely worth it!!!</p>
<p>Hi, Figgy! I’m glad to hear you’re enjoying Cornell–but I never thought it would be otherwise! I hope diehldun will let us know about her meeting. The GTs who are still only 1/2 way there really need to keep sharing support and information. It helps a lot!</p>
<p>Figgy–You’ve finished your first semester there. Did you find the coursework a lot harder at Cornell than at your previous school, or did it depend more on the subject, would you say?</p>
<p>Figgy, i have a question. does the admission office look at your second semester grades?? if they make GT decisions in late april, how do they take into account the final second semester grades? do they only look at midterm grades and the first semester grades and add them together as cumulative GPA?</p>
<p>oh and how much weight is placed upon the second semester’s midterm grades from your previous experience? did you feel like they counted first full final grades more? i mean, if you do badly on first semester and get good grades for midterm, do they still count the first semester grades more since second semester’s just incomplete “midterm” grades??</p>
<p>Hi Dr Mom! It was a great semester and let me tell you…it was definitely a whole lot more work this year lol. My last college was muchhhhh less work. But I came here knowing that I was lucky to be given this opportunity and would make the most of it…I knew coming it would be a lot of work. I ended up getting a 4.0 and can tell u that if u put yourself into the work you can do well…ILR (and I’m assuming all of Cornell) wants you to do well if u put in the work. I feel like the people who do badly are the ones who never had to work for their grades b4 and think they won’t have to at Cornell. I do have one friend here that really doesn’t have to…but he’s a genius. The rest of the people who do well put in the time and the people who don’t act like it’s not their #1 priority and they aren’t 110% invested. If you come into Cornell planning on getting good grades and being ready to sacrifice however much time it takes to get it done then you will get the grades. (ps I go out 3 times a week and sometimes do other random outings…plus I’m in 4 clubs…so you don’t have to put in allll day to get good grades). You just have to become good at time management as well as tell urself that ur not going to try to find the easy way out and skip classes and hw assignments. If you do the work efficiently the grades will come plus you will have time to utilize Cornell’s endless opportunities. GL to all u gts! I’m sure that u all know better than anybody else that sacrifices now pay off in the future!</p>
<p>Also…I am pretty sure that they count both semesters equally and assume that when u send in ur grades for 2nd semester that those are ur grades for 2nd semester (as in equal weight)…I mean they have no choice. This is from a year ago if I did ever see these specific questions addressed tho so as I always say the safest thing to do is call. But that is what I think they will say.</p>
<p>wow…i’m gonna do my best and work as hard as i can next semester like you! a 4.0 is IMPRESSIVE! thanks for all the info and personal tips, Figgy…i find them very helpful and motivating…</p>