Earlier this evening I spoke to a group of incoming freshman from the DC Metro area. As promised, here is the remainder of my 15 pieces of advice for new students:
1) Don’t worry if you don’t have your major figured out yet- it’s perfectly okay to treat freshman year as an opportunity to check out new classes and find the major that’s the best fit for you.
2) Use caution when exercising IB/AP credits.
3) Keep an open mind about joining a fraternity/sorority.
4) Reach out to professors for research opportunities, even during your freshman year.
5) Check your book prices on Amazon. You might be able to save hundreds of dollars compared to buying at the Cornell Store.
6) Try out the library for studying early on. Many people prefer this over their dorm rooms but don’t make the switch until later on in their Cornell careers.
7) Don’t buy school supplies at the Cornell Store unless you’re dying to pay a premium for Cornell logos on your notebooks, pencils, and erasers.
8 ) Work on problem sets and study for prelims with friends, and make as many friends in your new classes as possible.
9) Check out the College Scholar program if you’re in A&S. It’s one of Cornell’s best kept secrets, in my highly biased opinion.
10) Study abroad is a great opportunity for junior year. Don’t start worrying too much about it yet, but definitely begin thinking about where you’d like to study if this is something that interests you.
11) Join as many clubs as you want at the beginning of freshman year, but realize that you’re better off focusing on 1-2 after first semester. This isn’t high school, and very few people are able to hold genuinely efficacious leadership positions in more than one or two clubs.
12) Look for opportunities for advancement outside of the classroom. Cornell has so many fellowships, grants, project teams, etc., available for students- you just have to look for these opportunities.
13) Go to class. Seriously, go to all of them your freshman year. I know a handful of students (mostly Math/Engineering) who don’t go to class because they genuinely feel that they can learn the material better on their own, but these are few and far between.
14) Reach out to upperclassmen for advice. I think all people who make the most of their time at Cornell do so by getting great advice from older students during their freshman/sophomore year. I know that was certainly the case for me.
15) Read the Cornell Insider every day!
Also, check out our “How To” guides from last year for Arts and Sciences, CALS, ILR and Engineering.
Best of luck to all incoming 2015’s!
Let’s see if you really keep to your word…I expect a prize during O-week for being the first to comment!! 🙂
-Jessica Obioha, CALS ’15
Ah do I get anything for second place?? Anything?! Interesting trades accepted
– Bob Sacamano A&S ’15
No worries guys, everyone who comments will get something.
What happened to the cafeteria tip? 😉
Addendum to 1: You don’t even need to have your college figured out– you can internally transfer to another college pretty easily.
Looks pretty solid, I’ll apply the advice as frequently as possible, listed and not listed.
Hey Dennis, good stuff, thanks.
-Matt Coster CALS ’15
Good advice. Here’s my spin:
>> Buy books on Amazon. They’re dramatically cheaper. Don’t be intimidated by idiosyncrasies between a domestic and international editions, unless it’s a course with constant problem assignments from the text (even then you’ll be OK).
>> Join at least one club, project team, sport or whatever. Many close friends will come from your dorm/frat or major. But many, many more may come from a group activity you enjoy pursuing, and these folks will tend to enrich your network after graduation and provide a diversity of thought and profession that classmates and roommates don’t.
>> It’s inevitable to get caught up in a narrow routine freshman year. But when that wears thin, mix things up! Check out the Plantations, go to the Ithaca Farmer’s Market, explore downtown. You’ll be glad you did.
>> Take Computer Science. And take it early on. It’s by far the most marketable skill you’ll accrue and a single class gets you pretty far into the correct frame of mind. CS 100 has no pre-reqs. Your internship applications will sing with this class on the list, no matter the field.
>> Apply for internships, do research or have a side project. Realize you’re not the only bright guy with a good degree. Going beyond classes is no longer flashy, it’s standard. Many people make it to senior year having spent their summers travelling or swimming in the gorge. Their job application process turns really painful, really fast.
>> Have fun, and don’t be afraid to let loose now and then. College is a unique environment in which your surrounded by folks your age who are (for the most part) clever and interesting. Don’t spend these fours years in the library and in your dorm streaming movies.
— Munier Salem, AEP ’10
haha nice to see Dennis continued his tradition of awarding prizes to commentors, good advice
maybe ill go to the DC meetup next year
Thanks for the comments all, don’t worry, prizes will arrive soon.