<p>I feel like an outsider to the parent's forum, but here it goes.</p>
<p>I will soon be having to go through multiple interviews for scholarships, as well as having to fill out forms for them. As far as my college decision, I took Cornell's offer of a Cornell Tradition Fellowship and sent in my deposit. Now, I need to collect on that price tag. </p>
<p>Question is, how universally known is Cornell? For instance, is it worthwhile to discuss the greatness of Cornell (and its spot in the Ivy League) in interviews and such so that they will know it is one of the top dogs, or is it pretty standard that adults and regular teens know the name Cornell equals Ivy/Nations top-top tier? I live in a small town that has seen NO kids go to the Ivys, etc for at least ten years. I just need to know if I am going to get the same look as I did if I were to mention my other (former) choice, UChicago. (Most common response, "why are you going all the way to Chicago for a state-school?" Confused with UIChicago...)</p>
<p>One interview is tomorrow, and while this is probably no big deal and is really unimportant, I have been wondering about this for a while.</p>
<p>Thanks. I need the know-how of the adults in this forum.
<em>Trys to get own parents to join...</em></p>
<p>Be honest - be yourself. I don't think you chose Cornell because of its reputation, not that it didn't have something to do with your decision, but you didn't look at HYP, so that means there were other reasons you liked Cornell. Look at those - focus on those. The programs, the location, the professors, etc. That is what makes Cornell great - not its reputation. The reputation goes if the rest fails. Look at what makes it great and focus on that. Research and research some more. The more you seem to know about, the more they will see your interest, and they will know you made a knoweldgeable choice, not a superficial one. Good luck tomorrow.</p>
<p>I honestly dont know how well known Cornell will be in rural-small town America; it's certainly recognizable in big cities (but I'm from Chicago, so when I hear U-Chicago I'm in awe) and among prospective employers--particularly for their science & research, hotel school, and for a number of other fields...</p>
<p>I'm not a person who has any connection to the business of selecting scholarship recipients, but I would think any scholarship committee/decision-maker would have to have heard of Cornell, and know a fair amount about its excellence, too...</p>
<p>Good luck to you! My S is also going to attend Cornell in the fall, as a Dean's (science) scholar...so I'm a teensy biased...but I think you made a great choice!</p>
<p>Thanks. I have been doing a lot of research. I am kinda afraid that I will get hit with small town syndrome. The usual, "Why would you want to go that far. This town has everything you need. Go to the local colleges. It's just the way we do things here." Hoping that the prospect of Cornell may bend them away from that mentality. So yeah, definitely chose Cornell for its science, engineering strength. (Physics or Engineering Physics)</p>
<p>You can say that you chose Cornell because it has one of the top-ranked departments in your are of interest( as of 2002, its Physics department was ranked 7. The top ten were:
1; Caltech & MIT
3. Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, Berkeley.
7. Cornell, Chicago.
9. UIUC
10. Columbia.</p>
<p>Cornell also has two Nobel Prize physicists.</p>
<p>Even if a person has not heard of Cornell, learning that it is ranked among the top ten in the nation might sound impressive enough. But making the argument that others have suggested--great profs, research opportunities, etc... should be convincing. Good luck with the scholarships!</p>
<p>It also would be OK to let them know that Cornell is Ivy League. Most people, even in isolated areas, are aware of the prestige that's linked with the Ivy League. That's true even if they don't know exactly what schools are in the Ivy League.</p>
<p>Just be careful not to talk down to them. If, for instance, you're explaining your choice, you could say something like, "When I was considering Cornell, I originally knew it was an Ivy League school, but I didn't know how good the physics department was. After I took a close look, I learned that Cornell's physics department is ranked seventh in the country and has two Nobel Prize physicists."</p>
<p>Do not say something to them like, "Cornell is an Ivy," because if they already know this, they will feel condescended to. If they don't know this, they may feel you're showing off.</p>
