Comparable Schools'
Academics Grades:
Quick Stats
Student-Faculty Ratio
9:1
Average Course Load
5 courses (15 credits)
Faculty with Terminal Degree
92 %
College Prowler Take
Cornell University provides access to many top-notch professors. Some professors are more focused on their research than on their students, but it varies considerably from college to college, and department to department. All professors are highly qualified and are experts in their respective fields of study, but not all are heavily invested in their students. TAs provide more hands-on, individual teaching and are generally very knowledgeable in their field, but not all are as proficient as professors.
Overall, it is up to the student to take the initiative to visit professors and TAs in office hours. Professors and TAs are happy to explain material in-depth, but getting their attention can be difficult in larger courses and majors. Cornell is notorious for its intense workload. Most professors are unsympathetic, and while willing to accommodate personal needs, they make sure their students are kept very busy. If you go to Cornell, be willing to work hard, weekdays and weekends.
Students Speak Out
Love your school more than free food? Hate your school more than term papers?
Somewhere in between? Show the world what YOU think of YOUR school:
Anonymous says:  |
Cornell is one of the few places...
Cornell is one of the few places that allows for such exceptional exposure to one of the world’s most prominent faculty on a day-to-day basis. I’ve always been impressed with the caliber of teaching and the commitment professors make to each individual student. It’s up to the student to be proactive after class or in supplementary office hours where professors contribute quality time to explain or discuss topics in-depth. Highlights of my Cornell experience include the interactions I had with countless professors of the most impressive backgrounds who engaged me that much more and instilled within me new intellectual interests. |
Anonymous says: |
The teachers are excellent. The...
The teachers are excellent. The thing you must keep in mind about college teachers is that they are not there to teach. They are at Cornell to do research and they just teach on the side. I am speaking mostly of physics, math, and engineering professors. Government and economics teachers are probably not like that. Another thing about college is that you have TAs in addition to professors. So, if you are taking a big government class, you will have a government professor for your big lectures and a government TA for your small sections. |
Anonymous says: |
It depends on your major, but in...
It depends on your major, but in general, they are good. You get more attention in the smaller majors. I was a food science major and graduated two days ago. I was happy to notice that I knew every professor in the department. |
Anonymous says: |
Cornell is moving more toward...
Cornell is moving more toward having professor and student interactions take place outside of the classroom. One effort in doing so is by having ‘faculty fellows’ for each residence hall. These faculty members associate with the residents through social and educational programs that the resident assistants organize. Each residence hall also has a ‘faculty-in-residence,’ a faculty member who actually lives in the residence hall. Again, they socialize and take part in programs with the students. |
Anonymous says: |
The teachers all have very diverse...
The teachers all have very diverse backgrounds. All seem very interested in teaching the subjects they lecture on, and some are just better teachers than others. Good teachers make classes interesting and show concern for their students, while bad teachers lecture without regard for their students and are not very approachable. Both kinds are found at Cornell, probably in equal quantities. |
Facts
Most Popular Majors
- Agriculture - 14 %
- Biological/life sciences - 12 %
- Business/marketing - 13 %
- Engineering - 19 %
- Social sciences - 10 %
Degrees Awarded
- Bachelor's
- Doctorate
- First professional
- Master's
Special Degree Options
- Accelerated programs
- Cooperative education program
- Cross-registration
- Distance learning
- Double major
- English as Second Language (ESL)
- Honors program
- Independent study
- Liberal arts/career combination
- Student-designed major
- Teacher certification
- Undergraduate research program
Class Sizes
- Few than 20 Students - 58 %
- 20 to 49 Students - 25 %
- 50 or More Students - 17 %
Undergraduate Schools
- College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
- College of Architecture, Art, and Planning
- College of Arts and Sciences
- College of Engineering
- College of Human Ecology
- School of Hotel Administration
- School of Industrial and Labor Relations
Graduation Rates
- 4-Year - 87 %
- 5-Year - 92 %
- 6-Year - 93 %
Best Places to Study
- Mann Library
- Olin Library
- Uris Library
AP Test Score Requirements
Possible credit for scores of 4 or 5
IB Test Score Requirements
Possible credit for scores of 6 or 7
Did You Know?
Cornell is the only Ivy League university that is also in the state’s federal land-grant institution. The motto in English is “I would found an institution where any person can find instruction in any study” (Ezra Cornell). The board of trustees includes student, faculty, and staff voting members. It was the first among all U.S. colleges and universities to allow undergraduates to borrow books from its libraries.
On October 8, 1997, an astonishingly large, voluptuous pumpkin appeared nestled atop Cornell’s McGraw Tower. The pumpkin was thought to weigh up to 60 lbs. and sat pinned to the 173-foot tower for several weeks. It was an incredible prank that made national news.
Cornell’s Uris Hall displays brains in jars. One of the brains is of murderer Edward Rulloff (now the name of a Collegetown restaurant). Also among the 70 pickled brains is a pickled piece of the pumpkin mentioned above.
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