High school seniors, this is why you should apply to Cornell

It’s that time of year again! College applications are in full swing — people are hearing back left and right from their dream schools, their safety schools, and everything in between. The variety of acceptances, rejections, deferrals, and weight lists never ceases to keep every prospective first year on their toes throughout the application process.

This season is a culmination of your 17 or so years on this Earth and what you have done to make yourself you and make yourself a viable candidate for each school you apply for. While yes, it is important that colleges decide if you are fit for them, it’s equally, if not more, important that you decide if they are a fit for you.

You get to be picky, you get to choose what college you want to go to for whatever (and I really mean whatever) reason you so desire because the fact of the matter is, all schools are pretty great and there’s no such thing as a bad choice. For those of you looking at Cornell, here are a bunch of reasons why the Big Red is the perfect place for you to call home!

It really sets you up for the real world

That’s what we’re all in this for right? To ultimately have these four years help us transition into the real world? Sure, going to football tailgates and partying it up during the “best four years of our life” is on the to do list as well, but ultimately we all want to graduate and have a chance at our own success after we get that diploma. Cornell absolutely can do that for you — from the day you get that first C to the day you graduate with an honors thesis under your belt. Now, this isn’t meant to scare you, but Cornell is hard. Not everyone is cut out for it, but those who are willing to have a growth mindset and are okay with getting a D+ on that first Organizational Behavior prelim (like I did) and learning how to grow from that will be a perfect fit for Cornell. It’s not hard just for the sake of being hard; there’s a purpose behind the intensity here that helps set you up for the skills you’ll need to possess in the “real world.”

‘Ithaca is gorges’

OK, I kind of hate myself for using the corniest line around town, BUT this really reigns true for each and every season. Whether it’s by swimming in the gorges at Treman State Park during the summer, watching the breathtaking change in leaves from the Cornell Arboretum in the fall, walking across the footbridge and stopping to look at the frozen falls in the winter, or hiking through Cascadilla gorge in the amazing spring weather, Cornell has it all. You don’t even have to go off campus to see some of the amazing natural beauty Ithaca has to offer. For those of you nature lovers (and even the indoorsy people), the nature is unbeatable up here.

We’re a caring campus

Candlelight vigil for President Garrett during the Spring 2016 semester, photo credit: Lindsay France/University Photography

Having transferred from another university before coming to Cornell, I can say that Cornell has a very unique environment among the student body. We pride ourselves on being a caring community, which means no one student should ever feel alone or like there is nobody there for them. We all take our role very seriously and faculty, staff, and students work together to provide an incredibly supportive environment; no matter how big or small the issue at hand.

Debunking the myths

So there are a lot of known stereotypes that go along with the Ivies, especially Cornell. While yes, our school is academically rigorous and there is an intense environment at times, the education provided to you at Cornell is absolutely amazing. Also, newsflash: any school you go to that is a good fit for you will be intense in its own ways — college is college, and we all have our ups and downs. And if you’re one of the people who are nervous to come here because of Cornell’s history of suicide cases (or your parents are nervous about it), I have some good news for you. That myth is not true. The media plays a role in the representation of our school as such, but Cornell is a safe environment to be in, and they’d be lucky to have you!

It’s such an accepting campus

Yeah, yeah, by now you’ve probably heard the Ivies are super liberal, which isn’t necessarily false or a bad thing. Fear not conservatives, you can fit in at Cornell too because what’s liberal/progressive about Cornell is the accepting environment. This campus is accepting of any and every person and there are groups here to provide a network for a variety of minorities and allies ranging from ALANA, the intercultural board, to Haven, the LGBTQ+ Student Union. Not only can you find your home in those groups, but within each sports team or club organization you’re guaranteed to meet some people that will be a crucial part of your Cornell family. College is a time to find your niche, and here at Cornell you can find any number of niches to fit into.

You’re surrounded by success

It makes the most sense to be totally honest with you when you want to get a full picture of your college experience. For those of you who didn’t know, a running joke on campus is that our bars close earlier than our libraries. Yeah, that’s true, and it’s frustrating at times, but hear me out. The environment that those not cut out for it feel is too intense, is one that pushes you to excellence. Cornell is a place that helps highlight your drive and capitalizes on your motivation. Some of your professors will be authors of the textbooks you use for class or renowned leaders in their field, and some of your peers will go on to be the next Ruth Bader Ginsburg or Bill Nye (just saying, we have some pretty cool alumni).

The alumni

While I could go on and on with the awesome and famous alumni that call Cornell their home, it’s just as important to note the alumni network we have in general here is astounding. No joke, I could be anywhere and I’m bound to run into a Cornellian. Some friends have even run into alum abroad. The connection we have immediately from going through Cornell is undeniable, and the network is so expansive that it’s hard to ignore. All Cornellians want to help their fellow soon-to-be alum succeed and the humongous network we have at our fingertips provides so many opportunities to learn from.

‘It’s Cornell’

Those of you who have already submitted your apps or are hardcore considering doing so, know what I mean with this. When I was applying to Cornell (along with five other schools) in my senior year of high school, I went through my pros and cons of each school, and I always found that no matter how long my list of pros were for another university, I always trumped my argument by saying “but it’s Cornell.”

The fact of the matter is, for some schools, you will just get that feeling. It’s a feeling that you know you’re going to fit in and you want to do anything in your power to get to that school. If you have that feeling, 100 percent go for that school. For me, Cornell was that school and now three years later, Cornell is the place I can call home and I love the choice I made to transfer for that very reason.