Admissions

Make really good friends with your admissions counselor! He or she can be your best friend when applying and visiting Cornell, or any school. If your school offers a facebook group for prospective students, MAKE sure to join and participate, that way you'll already have friends and maybe even a roommate before you arrive in the fall!

During the admissions process, your admissions counselor is your most important asset, USE THEM WELL! They're always happy to answer any questions you have and can help relive the stress of applying to colleges. Also, do your research on the college and, if possible, visit the college(s) you're thinking of going to so you can get a feel for the campus.

Apply early and keep in contact with the regional admissions director for your area. The admissions staff really are happy to help you.

Make sure you have the right mentality to work on the OCAAT (One Course At A Time) schedule, it can be very stressful and demanding. If you want an intellectually challenging school I would give the school a call and ask about the programs offered to see if your interests are included.

Get in contact with the admissions officers. Most of the people who work at the school are alumni and can give first hand accounts of the school and how the classes are.

Apply as early as you can. You'll find out soonest if you applying Early Decision (binding) or Action. Definitely visit campus if you can. Everyone is really friendly and that way you can get a rough idea about whether you think One-Course-At-A-Time is right for you and if you like the dorms and other buildings. After all, you're trying to decide where to live, study, and have fun for the next four years, so you might as well go take a look!

I encourage students to visit campus and talk with current students to foster a better understanding of what Cornell is like. I also encourage students to sit in on a class to observe how classes are taught at Cornell, and also to talk to a professor regarding Cornell.

The weather is important so know that if you are from a warm place you are in for a surprise in the winter, bring gear to keep warm. The writing studio and quantitative reasoning studio are there to help and can make a big difference. Learn not to procrastinate because it is easy to fall behind when a block is less than a month long.

Spend the night. Have fun. Study well, and work hard. College can be a great experience if you are dedicated to your studies.

Think about what your priorities are on a college campus, particularly concerning non academic priorities since those have an unexpected effect on your college success.