CAPS Social this Thursday!
The annual get-together where CAPS faculty and students hang out, eat food, and chat is going to be this Thursday, February 4th, at the A.D. White House (next to Rockefeller Hall) from 5-7 p.m. I’m sad that I can’t go because of chamber orchestra rehearsal (disclaimer — I do like rehearsals, I just wish it didn’t conflict with this event), but I really encourage everyone interested in the CAPS major to drop by. It’s a great chance to meet upperclassmen who’ve just come back from D.C. or Beijing and chat with professors in an informal setting. Everyone’s super friendly, and being able to get to know everyone in the department is one of the best parts of being in a small major!
On the way back from New Orleans, a friend of mine, who’s a freshman violinist, told me that a friend of hers from high school had applied to Cornell and wants to join the CAPS major if she gets accepted to the school. I mention this because I just want to let anyone in high school reading this to not be afraid to ask us any questions that you may have as you’re picking through the dress rack of colleges and majors. Really, any questions — about CAPS, about studying at Cornell, etc — just leave a comment on a blog post. It will not increase your chances of getting into the University, but we’ll send you good thoughts. 🙂
Hello. I am a junior in high school, and my interest in the East-Asian studies major and CAPS developed after having taken AP World History. This past summer a participated in an EF trip to China with the teacher of that class, and the experience was unforgettable. I also find the Comparative Literature major exciting. I have found several schools that have great East-Asian studies programs, yet nothing is quite as specialized or as unique as CAPS.
However, My school does not offer Mandarin (I’m in the Latin program, starting that epic Aeneid and such). I have recently discovered the Confucius Institute online and signed up to take a Mandarin class held in the library of Emory University. Are there CAPS majors who are successful having had limitted experience in the language before their college careers? How are class sizes in this department? How managable is it to double major in CAPS and a related field? What paths have CAPS majors taken after graduation?
Much Thanks, Alec Livaditis
Hi Alec,
Thanks for your comment, I’m glad you like CAPS. I don’t want to spew propaganda, but Cornell’s a fantastic place to explore different interests — Adi (another blogger here) is also into comparative literature and has taken a lot of classes in the comp lit department.
Most of us started learning Chinese as freshmen, so don’t worry about not having previous experience with Chinese or any Asian language! Class sizes vary — language sections are capped at 12 people, but are oftentimes smaller. General lectures can have 40 or so people, but there’re also seminars that have around 10 students. Double majoring with CAPS is manageable, but requires planning, especially because we study abroad for two semesters. As for paths after graduation, students’ve started working, both in the States and in Asia, or went to graduate school. Hope this helps, let us know if you have any more questions!