The first time I had the pleasure of meeting Professor Schwarz was a few weeks ago. I was out on a run mid-afternoon and he asked if we were on the track team and knew three of the girls. They had been his students and wanted us to give them his best. I then realized that he was not your average professor, or at least the ones I had come into contact with. His talk allowed me to see more of what he would be like as a professor. During his talk, he emphasized some important parts of the college experience. One major part was getting to know your professors. This is something that I know is very important. The professor here are essential for your growth and development not only inside the class, but also outside. They can help you with anything, whether it is learning the material a little better or finding a summer internship. Developing these relationships with your professors is crucial for a successful college experience.
One part I had to disagree with was the idea that you take a professor, not a course. Personally, I know that I have required courses I must take. The professor teaching them does not get to have an impact on whether or not I take that specific course. While I can do this with course outside my major, I am usually more interested in filling a requirement or making sure I actually get into the class than who is teaching. While I do think it is great advice, I personally am unable to go through with this. Another topic of his talk that I found interesting was the talk about Greek life on campus. Cornell is a huge place, especially for people coming from small schools. The adjustment to college life is hard enough without the struggle to find a group to fit in with. While some people may not like the Greek system, I think the idea of having a group of people to trust and rely on very shortly into your college career is extremely important for your success as a student here. My friends are always the people who get me through, and having them makes life here much easier. The Greek system can provide those friends and support that you need. One thing I wish I had gotten more from his talk was how to be successful outside of college. He gave us a lot of good advice for coming in college and freshman year, but I unfortunately did not get much else.