When people discover that I’m from Hawaii, the most common question I’m followed up with is, What brought you all the way to Cornell? Here, I share the three main reasons that brought me to a college across the country.  

Unique Areas of Academic Study 

When I started my “college search” in high school, I wasn’t sure what to major in. My interests in and out of the classroom varied: I was fascinated by science and medicine, I loved learning about world language and culture, and I had a long-standing passion for cooking.   

Cornell’s vibrant campus became my new home soon after I arrived for new-student orientation. I was terrified. As a transfer student, I feared other students would already have close friends, and I would struggle adjusting to my classes. However, when we were placed into orientation groups, we had the chance to meet fellow students and ask our leader any questions. Whether it was about the intensity of courses or where the best food on campus was, my orientation leader reassured us we belonged at Cornell and would succeed.

If there is anything I can prepare you for as a native Floridian at Cornell, it's the winter weather. Ithaca, NY, is home to all four seasons, and if you're a student from a different climate, you might be surprised as summer turns to fall and then to a cold winter. To help you prepare, whether you're from Florida or another warm locale, here are Sammie's three S's for a Successful transition.  

After spending the last seven years at a small, all-girls private school, changing schools—let alone moving across the country to a big university—was a huge transition I hesitated to take on. My high school graduating class had 92 other students, and each class had 20 students at most. I was very comfortable in the bubble of peers I grew up with and felt connected to every one of my classmates.

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.