<p>I don’t know if my kid’s friends lucked out, but in 2011 they all graduated with a job. I do hire a lot of Cornell graduates and they are usually very good hires. It is a generalization, but I find them to be “do whatever to get the job done.” </p>
<p>Slurryseal took a lot of time to do the write up and it should be a good reference for many students. I won’t know as much as current students and what I know is mostly from my kids/their friends, but I will offer up few points.</p>
<p>Study abroad - it is not feasible for every student at Cornell due to their major’s requirements. It is especially the case for engineers. One needs to be organized and make sure courses offered abroad can fulfill their major’s requirements. Of all of my kids’ friends, about 50% of them go abroad. It is why there are so many apartment sublets by juniors. Cornell allows its students to pay the host college directly therefore cut the tuition as much as by half. I know most colleges charge students same tuition even when the host college only charge half. Cornell encourage students to study abroad by not factoring study abroad’s grades into student’s GPA, only P/F.</p>
<p>It is silly to talk about political climate between Cornell and Berkeley. Cornell is a very large university, just like Berkeley. I would venture to say out of 13K students, there are a lot of different political affiliations. No matter what your believes are (may it be politic, religion), you will find like minds and clubs to join. </p>
<p>I have visited Cornell numerous times over last 5+ years, both to visit my kids and to recruit for my company. I have randomly walked into the student center, and there were kids doing performances or booth set up. Staying at the Statler, I have been woken up by marching band outside of my windows. Granted, with Cornell’s cold weather, you are not going to see as many activities outside. From what I know, Cornell students are generally very busy, not just with school work. My older kid was very involved with the student government, dance and her sorority. My younger one is in one of Cornell’s special program where she is involved with bringing Cornell and communities together (both local and overseas). In speaking with them, they usually had more things to do than they have time for.</p>
<p>Competitiveness - my kids are extremely competitive. The older one graduated with good enough GPA to get a job in IB, and the younger one has close to 4.0 in a very tough major in CAS. She has aspiration of getting into a top law school. Maybe they were insulated or naive, but I have not heard of them complaining about other students. My older one was very sick freshman and sophomore years. Her friends helped her with notes and her professors were more than accommodating. They allowed her to make up exams and homework. i still remember one professor was catching a flight overseas to go to a conference, he emailed my older daughter to let her know he was getting on the plane, but would call her when he landed before he got on his overseas flight. It was because she had a question on a problem set.</p>
<p>Food off campus - Ithaca has some of the best restaurants. Whenever I visit I always look forward to dining out with my kids and their friends. Kobe burger at the Ale House, tapas at Just a Taste, Maxie’s seafood, and all the Japanese, Korean, Thai and Chinese food. If you don’t have a car, you can use Ithaca’s taxi services. It would cost you less than few $$ if you share a taxi with 3-4 people.</p>
<p>Life after Cornell - A lot of companies recruit on campus. It is due to alumni network. Where company recruits often depends if its alumni push for it. Companies also look at their success rate from each school. Cornell has 7 schools to recruit from. When companies come on campus, they get a lot of bang for their bucks. It is a one stop shopping. The interviews are not limited to any particular school as long as applicants are qualified. My kid was able to interview at all finance schools even though she wasn’t in AEM. My nephews are getting their internships from a lot of Hotel alums. Hotel school has the highest employment rate at Cornell.</p>
<p>Cornell is not right for everyone. It is big and can be impersonal at times. if you need a lot of hand holding and hate cold weather, it may not be the best fit. Cornell has one of the most beautiful campus. Just walking around, even when it is cold, you can’t help but appreciate its beauty. My kids feel very lucky to be at Cornell. My older one said it was the best 4 years of her life because of the location, academic and life long friends she made there. I am sure many Berkeley graduates feel the same.</p>