One thing I love about Cornell is how diverse and niche many of our clubs are. For more context, I am majoring in Atmospheric Science. This is a very small major at Cornell, so the Cornell Chapter of the American Meteorological Society (i.e., Cornell Weather) sent me an email before I even arrived as a freshman in the fall. They sent me Cornell Weather stickers in the mail and let me Zoom in to watch one of their Forecast Nights and meet some club members. From the beginning, I already felt highly welcome within this club and the weather community here at Cornell. 

Hello! I'm Alexandra (Alex), a sophomore from Cortland, New York. I am a student at the Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy. Welcome as I recap a fall Wednesday, where I'll walk you through my morning routine to some of my classes to how I wind down as a Cornellian. 

Let's get started.

When I first entered Cornell, I was a communication major. Though I believed it was the right major for me, I engaged with different classes during my first year and realized I wasn’t as excited about the communication classes as I was for others. I knew I could explore more academic avenues in my Cornell experience.

I vividly remember my mentors and professors telling me that a Cornell education is for life. “Take advantage of every opportunity and savor every moment,” they routinely said. In full transparency, I was terrified for what would come after college because of this overwhelming sentiment that the “best four years” were ending. I understand now that this foundation, which I, and so many others, acquired at Cornell, was just the beginning of the best to come.

The Cornell University admissions community receives many inquiries each year from first-year applicants requesting an interview. However, Cornell’s colleges and schools do not offer the opportunity for a true interview because we want to be as equitable as possible during the admissions process.