Each semester at Cornell, it’s safe to say that I, like most students, put a lot of work in for each of my 5 (or so) classes. Problem sets, all-night cram sessions before exams, participating in class, projects, you name it–all these things are done throughout the 5 month term in the hopes of getting the highest grade I can in each of my courses. There are ups and downs throughout the semester; I get pumped when you find out I did well on an exam, and I feel bummed when I didn’t do as well as I wanted on a problem set. I feel stressed when I have a busy week full of exams, and feel relieved when I’ve conquered them all. This whirlwind of emotions and activities takes place throughout the entirety of the 5 month term.

But ultimately, your performance throughout the semester is condensed down to 5 letters on a transcript. And when/where do you find out these letters, which are indicative of every single thing that you’ve done academically throughout the semester?

Well, I casually checked my grades online at 2:30pm while sitting in my pajama bottoms at home on the couch, eating Ben & Jerry’s ice cream out of the pint, watching Conan O’Brien reruns (okay, I’m exaggerating, but not by much). Other times, I’ve found out final grades while on my iPhone, waiting in line for food somewhere in my hometown.

I’m not entirely sure why I find this process odd, but I think it’s because all my activities/work up in Ithaca for half a year ultimately come down to mere letters–that I check while refreshing StudentCenter at home, in a completely different frame of mind. It’s not like I’m expecting some ceremony with trumpet players, where each of my professors would personally hug me and say “congrats on the A-,” but it just strikes me as weird that the fruit of all my work each semester is realized when I’m at home, far away from Ithaca, on a sofa checking grades online.

Ah, well. Here’s to summer!

It hasn’t been this nice outside since early September…and, of course, it’s the one time of the semester I’m literally in the library each day, for most of the day. 

Seriously. Mid-February, mid-March, sure; I was busy. But aside from studying for a prelim or two, there was a decent amount of free time to do what I wanted between classes and in the afternoons. And that’s when it was 20 degrees outside, snowy, and windy. Free time during the day in 20 degree weather meant killing time on the internet or hanging with friends indoors (e.g. at Trillium). Not that those are unpleasant things to do, mind you, but if you told me that I could give up post-lunch conversations in a crowded dining hall, for a walk in 80 degree weather…there’d be no complaints here!

Recently, it’s been gorgeous “gorges” out…for the most part. The sun has been shining, people have been throwing frisbees on the quad, and around campus, the scenes actually look like the pictures they show you in the Cornell brochures (just kidding, admissions office). How am I managing? Well, I’m trying to give myself as much sun exposure as possible. 15 minute walks around campus every 2-3 hours that I’m studying in Mann have done the trick. I kind of forgot that this waterfall (at right) existed 15 minutes away from the library…

I’m studying so hard because I have 3 exams left–Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday–and I want to end on a really strong note. Thursday night, I’m packing up and heading home to get some rest (well-deserved, in my humble opinion). I have a short break before my internship in Manhattan starts in late May, then I’m off to D.C. for the fall!

Whoa…the next time I’m taking classes on campus after next Thursday will be second semester senior year. Time goes by too fast.

I’m not an awkward person–really. I can hold a conversation nicely (I think), and have no problem meeting new people or being thrown into new situations. Having said that, it’s pretty easy for me to look back over my 3 years at Cornell, and think of some awkward scenarios that I’ve been in, that make me cringe at the thought of ‘em. Let me rattle them off:

• The meatball incident! Here’s the scene:  I’m invited to a meal with a professor, along with  6-7 other students, to discuss his field of study, and life in general. Meatball subs are being served in the dining hall, and I helped myself to 1-2 sandwiches as I was hungry. Just as the meal’s starting, and the professor begins talking, I open my mouth, bite into the sub…and manage to squirt a meatball out of the sub. This might’ve been okay, had it landed on the plate, but no–it plopped right onto the table. And, as luck would have it, the table was on a slight slant. So: as the professor has begun speaking, all I can focus on is this damn meatball that’s rolling away from me at a slowly increasing speed. Questions flooded my mind about how to proceed: Do I ignore it? Do I lunge for the meatball to put an end to this madness? Did the professor notice my excellent meatball projectile skills? (Keep in mind, this entire incident happened within a span of 5-10 seconds). End of story: I let the meatball roll onto the floor on the opposite side of the table, crossed my fingers that nobody saw (though I’m certain the girl next to me did), then secretly picked it up after the meal ended. Crisis averted.
• Being interviewed by the Cornell Police at 3 in the morning…wearing nothing but short underwear. The story’s here, and I still kind of cringe at the thought of the incident.
• Being chased down by the Chinese delivery guy in Donlon Hall freshman year. Ooh, a classic (and one that I still feel bad about). I placed an order for Chinese food online one evening, and instructed the driver to call me when he/she arrives. Only problem? My phone was on silent, I was in a study room, and lost track of time. When he arrived and couldn’t contact me, he brought my order in and started questioning people as to where I could be found. I then had to explain myself/apologize to two groups of people: the friendly Chinese delivery man, and my group of freshman year hallmates who were being extensively interrogated by a beef-with-broccoli-carrying gentleman as to my whereabouts. Awwwkward.
• That time I had to face my professor 30 seconds before my economics final was going to start… because I would’ve taken the wrong test. Okay, freshman me didn’t know that when final exams occur in Barton Hall, the huge track complex is divided up into sections–East, Center, and West–for 3 different exams to take place. As I was filling out my test information on the paper, I looked up and saw my professor giving me this “what are you doing?!?” look. I then realized I was surrounded by students in “Introduction to Oceanography,” and gave her back this look like… “Uhh, not really sure!” Then I sprinted to the correct exam area to start the test on time.

• Repeated instances: My failure to recognize people. Here’s a life tip: when there’s even the faintest chance that you might possibly know someone, don’t say anything that resembles “nice to meet you” or implies a first-time encounter. I’ve been burned by this at Cornell a few times–for example, dropping the “nice to meet you” bomb on someone I’d spoken with repeatedly at previous events. I’ve also told my name to TA’s that I’ve had lots of encounters with. Normally it ends with “David…I know who you are…” which makes me want to crawl into a corner. But, come on, when there are this many people at Cornell (see Slope Day image at right), you can’t really blame me for messing up a name or two.
• Here’s a recent conversation with a professor I ran into, that teaches a small (enrollment-wise) course:

Me: “Hi Professor XXX! Are you teaching XXX course again this fall?”

Professor: “Yes. Will you be taking it?”

Me: “No…I took it last year with you.”

Professor: “Oh.”

Moral of the story(ies)? It’s all about attitude and the way you compose yourself. Because you spend four years in college, it’s almost statistically guaranteed that you’ll run into some awkward situations. As long as you can maintain some semblance of composure, and have a sense of humor, you’ll be fine!

Most prospective students applying to Cornell University don’t know, or care about, what Cornell’s status as a land-grant university means, or how it applies to them.

But they should, especially if they’re applying to one of the statutory (New York State-funded) undergraduate colleges (Human Ecology, Industrial and Labor Relations, or Agriculture and Life Sciences). Here’s why.

Without going into too much history–I’ll leave that to Corey Earle in his “First American University” class–let me give a brief overview of Cornell’s past. The university was founded at a time when higher education was predominately sought by the entitled classes. Most universities educated only the most privileged, and taught exclusively elite subjects (today’s liberal arts offerings–think classics, literature, etc.). There just was no notion that education should be for all, nor that colleges should work towards the betterment of everyone in society. However, through the Morrill Act in the 1860′s, Cornell’s unique curriculum–which included “agriculture and mechanic arts [now engineering]” –was formulated to improve the lives of citizens by addressing the educational needs of those in New York State (which was, and still is, very agriculturally based). The main takeaway: since its’ founding, Cornell has maintained a rich tradition of partnering with New York State to benefit society.

Okay, you say, that’s great. The University has a conscience. But how will this really affect me, one lowly undergrad out of 13,000 at this fine place? You’d be surprised; it’s very, very fulfilling to know that many of the classes you’re taking (if you’re in CALS/HumEc/ILR) have a slant towards societal betterment.

1. In a demography class I took, we discussed the theory behind population brain drain, then dove into rich examples of how exactly this is affecting upstate New York industries and towns–and what can be done about it.
2. In Marketing Plan Development, a semester-long course that consists of creating a marketing plan for a struggling local organization, we spent the semester working directly with the New York State flower-growing industry, to help market and promote their goods. Isn’t that neat? At a top-ranked undergraduate business program, we’re not learning marketing theory to simply pad our wallets later on; it’s to help others. Because of these experiences with direct outreach to increase the economic vitality of the state, many students have developed a “give back” mentality. In fact, I know many professors in the Dyson School focus on subjects like agribusiness management and food marketing outreach in New York to do just that.
3. In my fun entomology for non-majors class, we learned all about insect predators and the harm they do–then applied that knowledge to learn specifically about those that pose a threat to New York State.
4. Fun fact: overall, Cornell has the highest acceptance rate in the Ivy League. Another fun fact: you won’t find many people here losing sleep over that. For an institution that exists to serve the people of the State, Cornell is proud to accept as many people as it can (as exemplified by the guaranteed transfer admission option given to some high school seniors, and transfer agreements from many NYS community colleges). It means that fit plays a role too–the ILR student with subpar SAT’s who’s shown devotion to advancing labor conditions, and the Viticulture & Enology applicant who has worked sweat and tears on his/her family’s vineyard to boost the state’s economy, both stand a better chance at getting in over a sterile 800-800-800 candidate with no passion or experience…or so I’m told.

To wrap up, let me make a plea to rising high school seniors: Look, I get it. Cornell’s an Ivy. It has top ranked programs, varied extracurricular activities, and 41 Nobel Laureates affiliated with the school. But if you apply for just those reasons, you’re missing out on one fundamentally unique aspect of the University–it’s storied past of creating “knowledge with a public purpose.” I implore you to consider this land-grant, “give-back” notion that’s present in much of the Cornell curriculum, if you’re trying to decide between universities. Oh, and don’t ever, ever discount Cornell by calling it a “public school” –though it’s technically still a private institution, having the public status (that reflects the university’s stewardship to the state) would probably be a badge of honor.

1. Be an engaging lecturer! There are many ways to accomplish this, depending on the field.

• I’ll never forget in COMM 2450: Communication and Technology when my Professor pulled up Omegle (a website which pairs you with random people to chat with, like ChatRoulette), and had a complete conversation with a stranger in front of a lecture hall…to illustrate the psychological dimensions of online conversations. I’m not sure the anonymous person we were chatting with on the other end believed the professor when he said he was talking to about ~150 people…
• In my entomology class freshman year, the professor took us on a “field trip” across campus to a beehive, where he proceeded to grab a bee, and taste its bottom to determine its genus. That is how you know someone is an expert in their field.
• Every time we finished a section in AEM statistics, the professor would blast loud music through the lecture hall speakers and make all 200 students in the room do the wave, like at large sporting events. You’d be surprised; for a group of students learning about hypothesis testing at 9:30 in the morning, people sure swung their arms nicely.
• Last year, my management professor jumped on a table and made the entire audience chant the fundamental accounting equation repeatedly: “assets = liabilities + owners equity.”
• In 3 different courses now, I’ve seen the Coke vs. Pepsi challenge taste be performed on students to illustrate the importance of product differentiation in business.

2. Put all the PowerPoint slides on BlackBoard. This is a minor point, but it rings true–it makes the difference between a frenzied lecture where you’re trying to copy everything down, and one where you can just relax and enjoy the professor’s lecture, knowing that the material is available online.

3. Show you care about students, and see them as more than a 7 digit ID number:

• I had a professor last year that opened up class one day by saying that anyone who didn’t have plans for a Thanksgiving feast was more than welcome to join him and his family at their home.
• I wrote to a professor regarding a concern and he wrote me back a 15 paragraph email, timestamped at 2:30am. Now that’s devotion.

Here are some updates from my life:

• I’ve officially signed on for a summer internship at Bloomberg LP in Manhattan–something I’m really excited about. I’ll be able to finally experience the city lifestyle, as I’ll be living in the city, taking the subway to work…and talking loudly into my Bluetooth headset as I walk briskly through midtown (isn’t that mandatory for every young urban professional?). In all seriousness, though, it’ll be interesting because the next few months I’ll be city hopping–NYC in May, and then Washington D.C. in the fall as I participate in the Cornell in Washington program. Coming from someone that spent his entire life in suburban Connecticut and rural upstate New York, I have to say that I’m excited for this transition!
• I’m really trying to avoid the slump that many students feel this time of year, as they’re overworked and ready for the summer to come. It’s hard, though, because in many of my classes–e.g. business law and finance–it’s just the final that remains. In other classes, though, the work is still piling on; I have to do an industry analysis project for Strategic Pricing, grade plenty of assignments for business management, and knock off a few extra problem sets. These are all very time consuming!
• As easy as it is to get swamped with work, I’m trying to remember the fact that it’s second semester of my junior year–and I should be having fun too. So, I’ve been enjoying myself in a few ways–going to a friend’s comedy show, enjoying my over-21 privileges at Ithaca’s…er…booming bar scene, etc. Also, being the pseudo-intellectual that I am, I’ve been attending talks from academics and big-name figures that I find interesting. (I heard MSNBC commentator S.E. Cupp speak the other day on media bias–it was very thought-provoking.)

Well, that’s about it for now. I’m off to go finish some work…

Sure, there are some static aspects of college that you have full control over–like your major, for example, or perhaps your overall mindset. But let me make an interesting declaration: Many of your experiences in college will be based off of pure chance.

Want to hear examples?

• If I didn’t sit in the specific seat I did in SOC 1101 randomly one day during my freshman year, I wouldn’t have seen the flyer that announced recruitment for my business frat, PSE. I likely wouldn’t have heard it otherwise, or been as inclined to join if I heard of it in later semesters. Seeing that flyer at the time, I would’ve never guessed that it would be something I’d stick with all through Cornell, and hold a few leadership positions in. (Who’d have guessed that I’d get a summer internship from the organization, too?)
• You could go into the dorm experience with the most positive attitude, but if you’re not a fan of the kid you’re living with–often randomly selected out of 1000′s of kids–that could completely bias your whole first semester college experience. After all, you live with them. (Alternatively, the person you meet on that first day in the dorm could be your best friend for life.) At Cornell, I’ve heard of both horrid and positive roommate experiences. You just don’t know what yours will be like, for sure, until you’re living with them for a while.
• I’ve fostered random friendships at Cornell that have come about purely by me being in a random place. There are people I still occasionally talk to that I’ve met on TCAT rides, walks to central campus freshman year, and other instances of just being in the right place at the right time. On that note, I know of people who have become good friends after meeting each other in courses that they both randomly enrolled in.
• Speaking of random encounters, if I didn’t have to run an errand at the Cornell Store, I wouldn’t have run into Bill Nye the Science Guy there my sophomore year. (That’s something I’ll always remember.)
• During the Greek rush and pledging process, I’ve been told you want to select a house based on “fit”–and this is often detected by your experiences with the brothers/sisters during one week in January. One week! That’s all the time you have to visit 40+ fraternities for guys, or 12(?) sororities for girls. You can’t talk to everyone in every organization, and your perception of each group will vary wildly based on who you talk to…so there’s definitely some aspect of chance when you’re deciding if or what Greek organizations are right for you.
• I stumbled upon the Cornell “Life on the Hill” blogging project on a whim, exploring Cornell.edu shortly after my acceptance, and somewhat randomly decided to inquire about getting involved. ~110 posts later and this thing is still going strong…

Okay, I understand that this might be stressful to some. Heck, this realization about life at Cornell (and I guess life, overall) was for me, too. But if I could give advice, I’d say to enjoy the process and randomness of it all.

Every time someone mentions this to me, I always shudder a little because, well, Cornell isn’t suited for everyone…and some people probably would be better off at other schools. My younger sister, for example, will be attending Kenyon College next year, where all of her professors will probably know her name…and I’m happy for her, because I know she wouldn’t have enjoyed the Cornell experience. So, instead of blindly recommending Cornell to everyone, I will say instead that, if you are a determined and motivated student, Cornell can offer you unparalleled opportunities.

So who should and should not go to Cornell? Here are some generalizations that can be made about people that should not send their deposit slip to Ithaca, NY:

• Someone quiet and unwilling to advocate for themselves. If you’re a shy freshman engineer that doesn’t like to seek help, good luck being plopped into Math 1910 with 100 other students, competing in a class with a B- median. If you want to do well, and haven’t seen the material before, you have to be okay with asking classmates for help, or attending office hours and review sessions. (Same goes for pre-meds with the introductory biology/chemistry sequences.)
• Someone who wants to maintain the “high school senior king/queen of the world” mentality. You were top of your class, the editor in chief of your high school’s newspaper, and a varsity athlete? That’s great, but it won’t win you too many “whoaaaaa” points freshman year when you tell that to the guy behind you in the stir fry line at RPCC–you’ll be joining a very accomplished group here. Sidenote: In my 2.5 years here, not once have I heard someone ask someone else their SAT scores. Another sidenote: RPCC stir fry is delicious, and something that you shouldn’t take for granted freshman year.

Who should go to Cornell?

• Someone that has a thick skin, and keeps persisting. Cornell can be a grind, but if you get discouraged freshman year and think that your C+ in philosophy means you’re never going to get into a respectable law school, you might be happier somewhere else. Life at Cornell has its ups and downs, for sure, and you have to be okay with not doing well all the time (and the ramifications of that). Funny anecdote: when I knew I wanted to switch from A&S into a business program, I sat in on a Hotel School information session for prospective internal transfers, and heard about 5 “former” pre-med biology majors introduce themselves to the group.
• Someone that doesn’t mind a little anonymity. With 13,000 undergrads, there’s no way you’ll get to meet everyone on campus; this can allow you to take risks socially. Your presence on campus simply won’t be wide enough that you’ll have a reputation among the community (well…except Segway Kid).
• Go-getters. Some people who are more passive may see this list of 994 possible clubs to join, and this database of over 4,000 classes available each semester, and can get incredibly intimidated by the array of opportunities. Others see both lists as a thrill to navigate, because of the many opportunities available, and chart out their adventure from semester one to eight. You probably know who you are as you’re reading this! There’s nothing wrong with being either way, of course, but I can tell you that a “go-getter” might find their way here easier than someone more passive.

• Regarding the summer internship hunt: It’s still very much in progress. I wasn’t one of those lucky few students who sealed the deal early on (meaning, signed a contract in January), so I’m still very much in the hunt for any experience relating to business strategy. I’m also not geographically-sensitive; if there’s any time in my life to try living in a different location, I figure this is it! So, I’m really open to going anywhere. (Corporate recruiters, if you like me, here’s my LinkedIn.)
• I’m officially accepted to the Cornell in Washington program for next semester. Fall of my senior year will be spent in the bustling city of Washington D.C., where I’ll write a substantial business policy paper and get some practical work experience.
• I turned 21 on March 8th, and as such went out to enjoy Ithaca’s, er…unique bar scene. My findings: bars are crowded and sweaty–but a lot of fun to be at, and there’s definitely an allure to ‘em.
• Academics are going really well, as I’m getting a lot out of my courses. But, finance is known to be tough…and it is really tough. It’s been a learning experience for me in that, just like pre-med’s do in orgo and engineers do in their weed-out calculus classes, I’ve sunk hours upon hours (heck, weekends upon weekends) into understanding the material, and that hasn’t always resulted in sky-high test scores.
• Other aspects of my junior year experience: Overall, life is good at Cornell. I’m hearing Bob Dylan perform next month. The weather’s getting warmer. It’s fun being a business management teaching assistant. I’ve discovered, 3 years in, that Okenshield’s is actually pretty good, so I won’t flood my CornellCard account with $8.00 Statler salads.

So…yeah, that about sums up where I’m at right about now. I’m at a pretty interesting time in my Cornell experience because –as I plan out my coursework for next year–I’m beginning to see the finish line, that is, May 25, 2014. Whoa…

In these cold months, when I’m stuck in Warren Hall or Mann Library between classes and don’t want to go outside to get something to eat, I can tell you that I’ve found one route to Synapsis Café (at right) that’s saved me from having to brave Ithaca’s chilly winters: the Plant Sciences–Weill Tunnel.

So let’s set the scene:

It’s 11am on a Tuesday, and after getting out of AEM 4160: Strategic Pricing, I’m killing time on Facebook in Mann. It’s 15 degrees out with bitter winds, and my next class, International Trade, doesn’t start until 11:40. Suddenly my stomach growls as I realize that the last thing I put in my stomach was a Twix bar the night before, but I don’t want to go outside. Manndibles isn’t an option since I want to use BRB’s. What do I do??

Go to the basement floor of the Plant Sciences building and use this tunnel:

While the path was originally constructed to transport specimens to and from the two scientific buildings, from what I’ve understood, it’s not closed by any means to students. Fun fact: you can hear echoes very easily with any noise you produce. While I’m not going to venture into providing directions here–there are a few odd turns you have to take–know that if you see a corner (jokingly?) labelled “Hollywood and Vine” in the basement of Weill Hall you’re in the semi-right area.

I remember 4 years ago, when I was a high school junior, I toured Northeastern University and the tour guide bragged about the complex underground tunnel system they have that connects many buildings–and is useful during those chilly months. While this sole tunnel isn’t as extensive, I’m glad I finally found one at Cornell!