Resources:

Cornell Counseling Referrals 

Let’s Talk

CAPS Appointment

Tompkins County Mental Health Service

Better Help

Talk Space

Psychology Today

Reflection:

Throughout my time at Cornell, I have been on a personal journey to improve my mental health. As I wrap up my last weeks as a second semester senior, I look back on my first few weeks on campus, where my quest to improve my mental health began. Before I got here, I struggled with mental health in a plethora of ways and working on improving it has been a goal of mine since I stepped foot on this campus in June of 2019. I was excited to try Let’s Talk, use Cornell’s counseling services, and CAPS. My first week of classes during the Prefreshman Summer Program, I went to my first Let’s Talk session. During the precovid world, I was trying my best to make the best of Cornell’s resources and for the most part, it was helpful for me. As fate would have it, COVID hit and I got the email I was being sent home while at a CAPS appointment. As I walked out of Cornell Health, I was suddenly lost again. It felt as if the progress I made the past several months was all undone with one email. 

During lockdown, I continued to do CAPS appointments on Zoom. I met with a counselor every other week since CAPS didn’t have the capacity to schedule students for weekly appointments. They continued to be helpful but I eventually wanted to try other resources that were available outside of Cornell. That took me to browsing a number of websites (listed above) that my CAPS counselor recommended in addition to browsing CAPS’ referral page to try to find other counselors. These services have also been helpful to a number of my peers, I recommend checking them out when considering mental health resources in Ithaca. My time at  Cornell was academically stimulating but would not have been what it was if it wasn’t for prioritizing mental health.

Spending your summer in Ithaca?

If you are planning on staying in Ithaca over the summer, there are plenty of opportunities to stay connected and involved both on campus and in the greater Ithaca community.

On campus, students have the opportunity to be a part of the Pre-Collegiate Summer Scholars Program as a course assistant. This position requires working at Cornell for 20-30 hours per week assisting with problem solving, facilitation of small group learning, and performing other course duties as assigned. You will also receive an hourly pay, housing stipend, and summer dining bucks. If you are interested in connecting with alumni, the yearly Cornell reunion is happening June 5-11. This reunion gives students set to graduate 2023-2026 opportunities for decorating, providing customer service, coordinating programs, and entertaining alumni. There is a starting pay of $15 as well as free housing throughout the duration of the reunion, as well as an opportunity to meet and network with former Cornellians. The Cornell Botanic Gardens and Lab of Ornithology are open to the public over the summer, providing opportunities to explore the gardens and take a gorge hike.

Off campus, there are many volunteer opportunities and local events to attend. The Tompkins County Public Library provides positions to volunteer in such as teen blogger, shelf-reader, and technical services assistant. If interested, you can be connected with a volunteering coordinator to find a specific area that best suits your interests. The library hosts a myriad of events monthly, including: open art hours, performance art workshops, Makerspace (using 3-D printing, Cricut, sewing/embroidery resources), and tech help. Summer is the perfect time to explore Ithaca’s natural beauty through local state parks and trails like Robert H. Treman State Park and Buttermilk Falls. If you are interested in performing arts, The Hangar Theatre offers live outdoor performances weekly (plays, musicals, and comedy shows). If transportation is a concern, the TCAT is available throughout the summer, as well as the recently introduced Ithaca Bikeshare, which allows you to unlock and use bikes in a pay-as-you go system throughout all of Ithaca!

There are so many exciting and engaging things to do during your time in Ithaca this summer. Enjoy your well deserved break from school and have a wonderful summer. See you back at the Career Exploration Center in August!

Are you looking to pursue an on-campus job during your time at Cornell? If so, look no further!

Having a job at Cornell is incredibly common among undergraduate students. Working at Cornell can help financially support your education while providing you with professional development opportunities and various transferable skills.

Before looking for opportunities at Cornell, it is important to reflect on your interests and take time to identify what you are looking to do. 

To start, you may ask yourself the following questions:

• How many hours of work am I able to commit to per week?
• Do I want to interact with other students on the job, or am I more interested in working on independent projects?
• What skills am I looking to gain from this job? (ex. Do I want to gain customer service experience? Do I want to develop certain academic skills? Am I interested in working on administrative tasks?)

Once you’ve narrowed down your ideal criteria for an on-campus job, check out Workday to see which available jobs match your interests!

Be sure to also browse the following links for additional opportunities.

• SC Johnson College of Business and Statler Hotel
• The Cornell Lab of Ornithology
• Cornell Recreational Services

Good luck with your job search, and be sure to stop by the CEC with any questions!

-Shruti Nagpal, GPHS ’25

College can be an incredibly fun and rewarding experience for anyone regardless of major or interests. The CEC has some advice for you to not just survive but thrive in Human Ecology. Try to do use of the following resources available right before you and perhaps your experience will become even better. We hope this helps your invaluable college journey.

• Academics
  • Mann Library has a number of resources available to HumEc students
    • Meet with librarians
    • Offers events to better navigate Cornell
  • The CEC offers resources everything career related
    • Resume reviews
    • Events such as interview tips
  • Professors
    • Attend office hours
  • HumEc Advisors
    • They’re there to help with all kinds of planning
• Support network
  • Classmates
    • Great support network for when you’re absent or just need someone to share notes with
  • TA’s 
    • There to help at office hours
• Personal
  • Sleep
    • Charge yourself! It’s crucial
  • Organize
    • Plan out your weeks and don’t overwhelm yourself
  • Prioritize
    • Sometimes things will fall through the cracks but remind yourself that’s ok

By: Grace Nakane

While Human Ecology and Brooks school majors do not have a language requirement, many students may still seek ways to incorporate other languages into their education. From study abroad to selective course work, there are many places where students can make use of their bilingual skills.

If you are interested in pursuing an off-campus education experience, Human Ecology provides students with study abroad and exchange programs, which run during the year and over the summer. For further information please visit the off-campus education website.

Programs like Laidlaw Scholars and Fulbright U.S. Student Program operates through the Einaudi Center to allow undergraduate and graduate students to conduct research with faculty or teach English abroad, both of which have some language requirements depending on the research project or program. 

For those pursuing a Global Health minor, the experimental learning component of the minor provides students with the opportunity to participate in an eight-week experiential learning opportunity abroad in countries like India, Tanzania, and Zambia. 

Even in classes that do not have a language component, knowing or learning another language can help connect you with the material better, like PAM 3460 Culture, Law, and Politics of Information Policy and FDSC 40800 Global Seminar: Building Sustainable Environments and Secure Food Systems for a Modern World. 

To apply your language skills outside the classroom, groups like Cornell Cross-Cultural Adoptee Mentorship Program and Open Doors English work with individuals of various cultural and language backgrounds and are looking for students to join. This community engaged learning connects you with the greater Ithaca community and allows you to address global issues, which is what HumEc is all about!

By: Austin Grattan

While studying in a science or health related field at Cornell, pre-med culture can be omnipresent. From the classic pre-med courses like CHEM 2070 or BIO 1440 to discussing clinical experience or MCAT study methods, it can sometimes feel like being pre-med and becoming a physician is the only option to have a successful career in health and/or science after graduating from Cornell. This couldn’t be further from the truth.

To preface this I want to give a shout-out to all of our smart, passionate, and dedicated pre-meds at Cornell. Medicine is the correct path for some people, and I think that everyone should have appreciation for how hard Cornell pre-meds work (after all, they may be saving your life one day). For the rest of us, organic chemistry, biochemistry, 4 years of medical school, and lengthy residencies are not worth it, but do not worry! There are countless career sectors outside of medicine that could be a great fit for you!

One option is public health. At Cornell, within the Department of Nutritional Science, we have the Global and Public Health Sciences major, which provides Cornell students with a plethora of classes and organizations focused around public health. Global and Public Health is a great field for students who have a passion for population health, health disparities, and large scale health solutions as compared to individual healthcare. 

• Career options: public health researcher, epidemiologist, health education specialist, biostatician, and MORE!
• Entry Level Courses at Cornell: NS 2600 – Introduction to Global Health, NS 1150 – Nutrition, Health, and Society, NS 1600 – Introduction to Public Health
• Clubs/Organizations: GlobeMed, Body Positive Cornell, EARS, Cornell Healthcare Review and MORE!

Another great field is health/scientific research. At Cornell, a large number of majors can be applied to this field. Being a researcher usually involves grad school (at least a Master’s, if not a PhD), meaning that this career path is not for the academically faint of heart. It is still a great field outside of medicine for students really interested in the science behind medicine, researching/creating cures for chronic and infectious diseases. If you love problem solving, or being in the lab, being a researcher could be a great career for you. 

• Career Options: Medical researcher, medical scientist, academic professor, biochemist, pharmaceutical drug/biotechnology developer, and MORE!
• Entry Level Courses at Cornell: CHEM 2070/2080/2090 – General Chemistry I & II/Engineering Chemistry, BIOMG 1350 – Introductory Biology: Cell and Developmental Biology, BIOMG 1290 – Personal Genomics and Medicine: Why You Should Care About What’s in Your Genes, any other introductory science course!
• Clubs/Organizations: Cornell Undergraduate Research Journal (CURJ), Cornell Undergraduate Research Magazine, Biology Service Leaders, and MORE!

A very understated career field for students with a healthcare interest is health administration. At Cornell, a number of science and policy related majors could apply to this career path, namely the majors in the Brooks School of Public Policy (Policy Analysis and Management, and Health Care Policy). This career path often does, but does not always, involve graduate school. Popular graduate degrees include Master’s of Health Administration (MHA; check out the Sloan Program at Cornell) and Master’s of Public Health (MPH). Students pursuing a career in health administration could be interested in health policy, healthcare reform, hospital operations/management, and government. 

• Career Options: hospital administrator, health services manager, healthcare consultant, pharmaceutical executive, health policy advisor, and MORE!
• Entry Level Courses at Cornell: PAM 2350 – The US Healthcare System, PAM 3110 – Pharmaceutical Management and Policy (PAM 2350 prerequisite), PAM 5900 – Special Topics in Health Administration & Finance 
• Clubs/Organizations: Alpha Iota Gamma pre-health fraternity, Cayuga Healthcare Consulting, Woman in Healthcare Leadership (WIHL) Mentorship Program through Sloan

For students especially interested in health and its relation to food, a career in nutrition could be especially compelling. At Cornell within the College of Human Ecology, there is an entire department dedicated to nutritional science as well as the Nutritional Science major. Careers in nutrition analyze the way in which food impacts our health. It involves a strong understanding of macromolecular biological processes. Food Science within the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) is another great educational path for a future career in nutrition, especially as it relates to farming practices in America. Obesity, food insecurity, food safety, and many other issues and topics fall within the realm of nutritional science. 

• Career Options: clinical or rehabilitative nutritionist/dietitian, nutritional researcher, epidemiologist with a food focus, and MORE!
• Entry Level Cornell Courses: NS 1220 – Nutrition and the Life Cycle (after one semester of college Biology), NS 2470 – Food for Contemporary Living, NS 2450 – Social Science Perspectives on Food and Nutrition, NS 1150 – Nutrition, Health, and Society
• Clubs/Organizations: GlobeMed, Crème de Cornell Food Magazine, Food Science Club, Farmer’s Market at Cornell

Lastly, for students looking to have a political and legal impact on health, a career in health law is worth exploring. As a specific sector of law, students looking to pursue health law should obtain a background in health policy/issues and law/government. A variety of majors at Cornell could satisfy this requirement including Policy Analysis and Management, Health Care Policy, Government, Industrial and Labor Relations, etc. This is a field that requires law school, and in some cases, a dual degree program in law school, such as a JD/MPH, could be helpful. Health law specifically looks at the way in which practices of an individual, government, company, or organization intersect with the legal protections relating to health. This field often requires a slight understanding of science and health, with a much larger and deeper understanding of law and government. 

• Career Options: medical malpractice lawyer, health attorney, forensic psychologist, health law professor, and MORE!
• Entry Level Cornell Courses: PAM 2350 – The US Healthcare System, GOVT 1313 – Introduction to Comparative Government and Politics, BSOC 2051 – Ethical Issues in Health and Medicine, PAM 3280 – Fundamentals of Population Health (one course prerequisite)
• Clubs/Organizations: Kappa Alpha Pi pre-law fraternity, Black Ivy Pre-Law Society, Latinx Association of Pre-laws, Cayuga Healthcare Consulting

Please keep in mind that this is just a list of some potential career fields in health. Health outside of medicine is such an interdisciplinary topic! Every career field and program at Cornell in one way or another can impact the health of society in one way or another. From Art to Engineering, all fields impact human health. 

If you are a College of Human Ecology or Brooks School of Public Policy undergraduate and would like assistance with career exploration in health outside of medicine, please visit the Human Ecology/Brooks Career Exploration Center located in Martha Van Rensselaer Hall 1203. Our lovely Career Assistants can help you with job/internship searches, resume/cover letter reviews, practice interviews, and introduce you to the plethora of resources that we have to offer. 

Have you ever been stumped on how to approach professors you’re interested in working with but have never met? Coming into college many individuals have to start writing professional emails which entails a different set of etiquette. Below I have outlined some steps you can take when drafting cold emails. 

Steps To Cold Emailing

1.Of utmost importance, research the professor that you are reaching out to. It is vital to demonstrate in your email that you are knowledgeable about their work and have taken the time to learn more in-depth about them. 

2.Referring to your resume, be able to identify how some of your previous experiences can aid in the professor’s research; this step is vital in demonstrating to the professor why you are a good fit for their lab/ team. 

3.With this being an email and not a cover letter, keep it brief by attaching your resume which they can preview on their own time instead of reading a long email that discusses all of your experiences. 

4.Write a brief statement thanking them for their consideration and that, if needed, you can provide them any necessary further material

Key Points/ Tips 

• Be polite as they are reading and responding to this email on their own time 
• Do not pester the professor if they don’t respond immediately. Send a follow-up anywhere from 3-7 days after your initial email but don’t send any more than 1-2 follow-ups. 
• Ask if they know any other professors who are looking for undergraduate research assistants if they themselves are not taking students

Mock Email Template*

Hello Professor ___,

My name is ___ and I am a current (freshman/sophomore/junior/senior) in the College of ___ majoring in ___. I am incredibly interested in your research regarding ___. I would love to leverage my skills and experience in ___ to aid in your research’s goal to __. For your reference, I have attached my resume below which details my experience more extensively. 

Please let me know if you would be willing to meet with me to discuss your research more in-depth and the possible opportunity of me joining your lab. If you are not currently taking any students at this time, I would really appreciate it if you could refer me to anyone in your field that is also doing research and looking for undergraduate student researchers.

If you need any additional materials from me such as a cover letter please let me know. I thank you for your time and look forward to hearing from you!

Sincerely,

___ 

*This template is mainly for cold emailing in regards to research so feel free to make changes based on what you feel is the best fit for the scenario you are reaching out to professors for

Cornell claims to cater to ‘any study for any person’ which oftentimes can be overwhelming when trying to narrow down what you think you want to pursue for four years in undergrad, and potentially beyond. It is also not uncommon to feel like there is not enough time to pursue all of your interests due to the amount of schoolwork or number of extracurricular organizations that Cornell has to offer. If you are feeling this way and are looking for strategies to better understand how to shape your own career exploration, continue on for tips from the Career Exploration Center!

1. Start off by imagining your dream job…   There is an important intersection between what brings value to your life, what brings you pleasure, and what allows you to exercise your strengths in a way that is important. While it is nice to imagine a world where money, logistics, and other realities are trivial in determining a career, this- for most people- is not the case. It is important to find a balance between rationally determining a career path, and following the idealistic dreams our imaginations create. 
2. Can your current major help you get to this point? Assessing curriculum sheets is a great way to visualize what the remainder of your college experience will look like, and what potential career paths you can take from your major. Certain majors will inherently have more (or less) career options straight out of undergrad, however if when you are looking forward in the sequence of classes required for your major you come across a number of courses that do not align with your interests, it could be beneficial to consider a switch to one that seems like a better fit. It is important to note that not all career paths are achieved by traditional undergraduate paths, and this is ok! It is all about determining what you want to get out of your educational experience holistically, and what skills/interests you want to explore during your four years. 
3. Look at potential employability and what careers in various fields would provide. It is true that not all interests make perfect career paths- some are better as hobbies! It may take time to figure this out, but that is precisely what college is for. Elective credits are great for exploring these peripheral interests that you may be unsure of how much time should be set aside for them. There is also something to be said about pursuing not only something that interests you, but also something with strong employability characteristics. Deriving motivation from an interest that you can excel in, as well as supporting yourself in the future creates a stable balance in creating a passion into a career. 

Again, never feel like you have to suppress any of your interests because they are not relevant to your end goal, or your intended career path. Having hobbies and passions is a valuable aspect of life that provides direction and meaning to everyday endeavors that otherwise could be mundane. What I have already learned from my time spent at the CEC is that so much of our lives are interdisciplinary, and exploring what sparks inspiration within us will lead to a deeper understanding of ourselves.