Victoria’s Day at Cornell

What is it like to be an undergraduate senior at one of the top universities in the country? If you’re wondering, check out my Monday at Cornell University! 

 I start my day off early, as I wake up around 9-10 AM. Since I’m a senior, I do live off-campus in an apartment like most upperclassmen, but recently Cornell has been building more and more housing for their students so perhaps by the time you attend here, off-campus living will be at a minimum. 

When I wake up, I do my usual preparations: check emails, shower and brush my teeth, eat a quick breakfast, and check over any schoolwork I need to do. Luckily for me, since I am graduating this semester, I am taking very few classes. My classes usually start around 1 PM, so I’m out the door by 12:30 PM. 

When it comes to my first class of the day, I usually do take the bus, since it’s around a 10-minute ride versus a 25-minute walk. One thing you need to know about Cornell is how much walking you will do. The campus is one entire zip code (14850), so everywhere you go — you’ll most likely walk. Of course, there are buses, but when your next class is in 15 minutes and all the way across campus…get ready to break in your new sneakers. 

Another reason for a lot of walking is ‘The Slope’. You see, Cornell has different parts of campus due to its vast size (North Campus, West Campus, Arts Quad, Collegetown, etc.). As a result, West Campus is separated from the other parts by a steep slope, with the longest section being around 480 feet at a steep angle of almost 20%. West Campus is also home to about half of undergrads, being home to numerous residence halls. To combat this, people either take the bus, like me (my off-campus living is actually right off of West), or they leave extra early to walk up this slope. After a while, you can grow some ‘Cornell Calves’. 

My first class of the day is Television, which is cross-listed in English, Performing Media Arts, and Feminism, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (FGSS). Since I’m an English major, this class counts towards my degree as my concentration is in FGSS. To learn more about Cornell’s English program, you can check out my other blog here.

This class, for an English class, is huge. There are around 70-80 people in attendance, so it’s in one big lecture hall. For a class like this, attendance is usually taken via sign-in, and actual class engagement is a lot of note-taking. Personally, I like to take notes on my iPad, either using an Apple Pencil or a keyboard attachment. This is very common, not just at Cornell, but in every single college — people take notes on either tablets or laptops. I personally find using technology to keep track of notes useful, as cloud storage guarantees that it’ll never get lost. Additionally, as you can see here, taking pictures of the board is pretty handy too. 

After my class ends at 2:15 PM, I immediately start walking to my next class at 2:45 PM. Although I have 30 minutes to get to my next class, it is all the way on the Arts Quad, while I am in Collegetown. Not only this, but I am unfortunately a slow walker — I like to take my time. So, by the time I get there, it’s around 2:35, and I usually use the bathroom before class, so class is basically about to start. 

This is my final class of the day, Children’s Literature. This class will also count towards my degree, but I am not only taking it for that, but it is something I am genuinely interested in. This is the great part about Cornell: there is a class offered on almost everything. Cornell’s motto is “Any person, any study,” and I believe this is justifiably so. 

Interestingly enough, this is one class where electronics are not permitted! For the majority of classes, laptops and tablets are allowed, but depending on the professor and the course it could be prohibited. In this case, since it is an English class with a small number of people, the professor finds it best to use just a pen and paper. For me, I find it refreshing and a way to disconnect from my phone or tablet — even if the class is only for an hour and 15 minutes, twice a week. 

After class, I grab a late lunch with friends. Cornell has tons of places to eat on campus, not just dining halls. In almost every other building, there is some sort of café to eat at. For lunch today, my friends and I headed to Martha’s Café, in Martha Van Rensselaer Hall, part of the Human Ecology school. I got a healthy Mediterranean chicken bowl, with a passion fruit tea. I find it very important to relax after having back-to-back classes, so eating and catching up with friends is a great way to do that. 

At this point, it’s about 5:30 PM. Depending on how much work I have, I’ll either head to a study spot on campus or back to my apartment. Since I have finals coming up, I have some work to do. 

Now, Cornell has probably hundreds of study spaces to choose from. Not only are there about 15 libraries on campus, but you can essentially go to an empty classroom and just workthere. For me, my favorite study spot is in Snee Hall — the Earth and Atmospheric Science building on campus. In this building, there is a “reading room”, and the room is basically half glass ceiling. On days when it’s raining or snowing, watching it fall from the sky onto the glass can be so mesmerizing and beautiful, it is one of my favorite parts about Cornell. Additionally, no one really goes there either. There are typically only 1-2 other people there ever, and sometimes there’s no one there at all. Having an entire place to yourself to study and do work is one of the luckiest things ever, especially at a place like Cornell where there are over 10,000 students. But, even Cornell has quiet places. 

After a couple of hours of studying and writing papers, it’s time to head back to my apartment. Usually, my roommate will make us dinner around 9 PM, and I’ll relax and watch some stuff on Netflix till 11-12, get ready for bed, and fall asleep. 

Cornell, as a whole, is pretty rigorous. Depending on your major and year, you can be up all night doing work. However, with the right time management and motivation, it doesn’t have to be all work and no play. Making time to actually enjoy everything that Cornell has to offer is key. 

Do you want to attend Cornell University, or a university similar to the rigor that Cornell offers its students? If so, reach out to PathIvy today so we can get you right on track with the best strategy to achieve your dreams.

Written by Victoria Harris, PathIvy Team