Cornellians Are Closer Than We Thought
In my SOC 3580 class, we were discussing how higher education is related to income mobility. This discussion was of real value to me because I have always believed that a college education was my way to becoming financially stable. But when applying to colleges, the question arose about whether the pros of college outweighed its cons, specifically the costs: was it worth being in thousands of dollars of debt to attend college? Despite the endless arguments for or against college, I am attending a private institution where my tuition is significantly more than my parent’s income. Not because I wanted to learn, but because I knew it would allow me to gain connections in a way that I would not have been able to get if I had not attended a higher education institution. This is the thought that I keep thinking about every time we discuss social networks in class, and especially when we have discussions about strong and weak ties.
Someone asked the question, “Are Cornellians separated by six degrees?” and the answer is no. Cornellians are in fact separated only by two degrees. Professor Cornwall and Professor Weeden from the Sociology department were able to understand the interconnectedness of students on the Ithaca campus. This research helped inform the University of the types of policies they would implement for the change of operations.
Professor Cornwall explained it perfectly as a guest lecture in my PAM 2070 class to explain the network of students. “Say you’re looking at somebody walking down through the quad and they pass somebody on the quad. It’s very unlikely they’re taking classes with somebody that they pass, any random person that they pass on the quad. But it is very likely that they’re taking a class with somebody who is taking a class with that person that they’re passing on the quad. Which means that you’re just kind of two coughs away from exposure to some aerosolized infectious agent among that student body, between those people.” This does not account for extracurriculars, dorm life, off campus life, greek life, work, and so many other ways for the student body to be connected.
While this interconnectedness has been a real danger during this pandemic, this ability to be so interconnected is of such advantage (normally) because it allows you to find and meet people that can change your life. Not to sound melodramatic, but I have met some of the most amazing people at Cornell. These connections that I have made have been through people that I am so weirdly connected to. That is why I am so glad to be able to attend an institution with an open campus to further facilitate the serendipitous connections, which is why I came to college anyways. And hopefully to get a job after graduating.
Sources:
Weeden, Kim A., and Benjamin Cornwell. 2020. “The Small-World Network of College Classes: Implications for Epidemic Spread on a University Campus.” Sociological Science 7: 222-241.
Quote’s source: Professor Cornwell gave a guest lecture for SP 21 PAM 2070 to explain his study.