Questions for Justin (or others)

Minky
Wed, 23 Apr 2008 22:03:23 +0000

NYJetsfan – I graduated from Cornell and my son will be attending Lafayette. Which college at Corenll are you considering? What major? Frankly, Cornell has a lot going for it. In fact, it was my son’s first choice, but things didn’t work out. I found, and continue to find, Ithaca a very cool place.

Some of the colleges at Cornell offer better learning opportunities than others, in my opinion. For example, I was an English major in the College of Arts and Sciences. My smallest class had 4 students and I was fortunate to have a number of small classes with high-powered professors. I can still remember my 200-level English survey class designed for sophomores entering the department. There were about 40 of us in a small lecture room and at the front of the class were literary legends Jon Stallworthy and M.H. Abrams. I was blown away, and they taught every class together for the rest of the course and another in the spring. I also had a poetry writing course with 7 other students taught by Robert Morgan. Other departments and schools did not share in that philosophy and some of their high-powered professors rarely taught undergrads. For example, I was there 4 years and never saw Carl Sagan.

I’m really excited about Lafayette for my son though because there will be no grad students to divert the attention of the faculty. Although not as large, the campus at Lafayette is also very notable and should provide a great setting for his education. Either way, you can’t lose. Frankly though, Cornell is hard to beat. I graduated 24 years ago and think about the place every day. Good luck.