Shout Out to DC/MD/VA 2015’s
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!
