How much school pride do Cornell students have?

mikeyc765
Mon, 15 Oct 2012 11:27:06 +0000

I tend to think attitude is the only barrier between loving and hating Cornell.

@Saugus:

1. As for not being NYC, that’s an advantage for most students who didn’t want a a school in a big city.

2) Agree. But I enjoy the natural beauty of Cornell more than architecture.

3) I would be cautious about who you describe as “dumb.” Even our recruited athletes were by no means the academic losers in high school. You seem to be uncomfortable with the drinking environment (which is fine), but I’ll warn you that some of the drunks doing stupid things on a Friday night are also setting the high bar on the curve for your classes. I think the surveys (for what they’re worth) highlight that most Cornell students drink moderately most of the time and just because you’re in C-town dancing it up with shots around doesn’t mean you’re going overboard.

And you’ll quickly discover in the “real world” many geniuses do dumb things or don’t project intelligence. I’ve known math geeks at places like Goldman (ie. REALLY smart) who do dumb things/say dumb things and aren’t necessarily the most worldly people. Same can be said of smart engineers I know as well. One of the smartest people I knew at Cornell was an absolute IDIOT when partying, yet was taking graduate level math as a freshman AND at the top end of the curve.

4) Ithaca has a certain charm you can/should learn to appreciate with the right attitude.

5) Ever actually been to an artsy/intellectual environment? I have. Often involves drinking (and sometimes drugs).

6) Life without cable can be liberating. Watching sports can be frustrating though. Most major TV shows stream on the internet the next day.

7) Most dorms in most schools aren’t large. I lived in dorms for 3 years at Cornell and I never had a problem with bathroom cleanliness and I generally have a high standard.

8) Realistically speaking, Cornell is not at the level of Harvard/Wharton for business reputation. The difference definitely isn’t as stark as between a Cadillac and a Bentley. If Harvard is the Bentley, Cornell is like one of those high-end Mercedez-Benz. Job/recruiting prospects won’t be all that much worse at Cornell.

9) We’re not #1 in the rankings and don’t have nearly the history. I wouldn’t get too caught up in it…Yes, there is a difference between being #1 and #14. We’re like Olympians, #14 may not be remembered, but #14 generally did pretty well for themselves and worked hard, probably has a good thing going for them, and likely appreciates their opportunities versus the thousands who tried to qualify and failed.

10) As has been said by others, you appreciate your degree more in hindsight with the hard work. It may be hard to keep the perspective when you’re studying into the wee hours of the night only to earn a B or C. However, I’ve taken classes at other colleges and worked half as hard to earn an A. Those grades are meaningless to me. I can also say I no longer have much pride in my extensive high school academic accomplishments because Cornell made me realize what truly working hard to achieve means. I’d take any of my Cornell B’s over any of my 99’s in AP classes from high school. That said, no doubt it’s frustrating at times and at least it creates a common bond between all Cornellians.

11) Toughen up!