Cornell 1L taking questions Forum

[como]

As far as I saw, Cornell never mentioned that you even had the option of submitting a Why Cornell statement, so I just wrote a generic sentence on the app. Am I OMG FUCKED cuz I tried to follow da rules?

Nah, you can send it in as a supplemental part of your app. Just email them and let them know it's coming. Good luck.

[panda]

panda: you got 10 neskerdoo points yesterday... and the raspberry bars were as good as a meal, I thought...

haha! i just saw this! well..i'm glad i could please! and the raspberry bars were as good as a meal.. but not nearly as good as a heath bar.. (yeah, i was listening in on the lounge convo the other day.. )

oh. and, in response, who is woeisme?

[panda]

There were raspberry bars?

They were YUM.

understatement.

[panda]

Way to assume the worst, guys. Section C is obviously the most fun - we're somewhere between gunnerville and livesatruloff's. I enjoyed our ice cream social last Friday. Good times had by all...

haha. i would say we're leaning towards the former. esp. with finals approaching.. and certain convos i have been privy to...
our reputation is definitely not so hot..
section c is the most fun.. followed by section e. and they're both chill too.. for the most part..

[como]

Way to assume the worst, guys. Section C is obviously the most fun - we're somewhere between gunnerville and livesatruloff's. I enjoyed our ice cream social last Friday. Good times had by all...

haha. i would say we're leaning towards the former. esp. with finals approaching.. and certain convos i have been privy to...
our reputation is definitely not so hot..
section c is the most fun.. followed by section e. and they're both chill too.. for the most part..

We're more than leaning toward the former. I was just trying to be nice. D is gunnerific.

[panda]

Way to assume the worst, guys. Section C is obviously the most fun - we're somewhere between gunnerville and livesatruloff's. I enjoyed our ice cream social last Friday. Good times had by all...

haha. i would say we're leaning towards the former. esp. with finals approaching.. and certain convos i have been privy to...
our reputation is definitely not so hot..
section c is the most fun.. followed by section e. and they're both chill too.. for the most part..

We're more than leaning toward the former. I was just trying to be nice. D is gunnerific.

don't be too honest now.. one of 'em might try to get revengeance..

p.s. if most of the class is gunnerific, does that mean the rest of us have license to be completely wild and irresponsible to .. you know.. create balance?

[mbw]

Way to assume the worst, guys. Section C is obviously the most fun - we're somewhere between gunnerville and livesatruloff's. I enjoyed our ice cream social last Friday. Good times had by all...

haha. i would say we're leaning towards the former. esp. with finals approaching.. and certain convos i have been privy to...
our reputation is definitely not so hot..
section c is the most fun.. followed by section e. and they're both chill too.. for the most part..

We're more than leaning toward the former. I was just trying to be nice. D is gunnerific.

don't be too honest now.. one of 'em might try to get revengeance..

p.s. if most of the class is gunnerific, does that mean the rest of us have license to be completely wild and irresponsible to .. you know.. create balance?

can't we all just get along?

[sheltron5000]

Way to assume the worst, guys. Section C is obviously the most fun - we're somewhere between gunnerville and livesatruloff's. I enjoyed our ice cream social last Friday. Good times had by all...

haha. i would say we're leaning towards the former. esp. with finals approaching.. and certain convos i have been privy to...
our reputation is definitely not so hot..
section c is the most fun.. followed by section e. and they're both chill too.. for the most part..

We're more than leaning toward the former. I was just trying to be nice. D is gunnerific.

don't be too honest now.. one of 'em might try to get revengeance..

p.s. if most of the class is gunnerific, does that mean the rest of us have license to be completely wild and irresponsible to .. you know.. create balance?

<--- Votes for balance.

I'm working hard to gun-up C, somebody else'll have to pull D down from it's gunnerish heights.

[neskerdoo]

panda: you got 10 neskerdoo points yesterday... and the raspberry bars were as good as a meal, I thought...

haha! i just saw this! well..i'm glad i could please! and the raspberry bars were as good as a meal.. but not nearly as good as a heath bar.. (yeah, i was listening in on the lounge convo the other day.. )

oh. and, in response, who is woeisme?

I just now ate the last of those heath bars...

If you ever hear me or anyone else yelling at someone for farting in the lounge, look up and you will see the guilty face of woeisme

[como]

panda: you got 10 neskerdoo points yesterday... and the raspberry bars were as good as a meal, I thought...

haha! i just saw this! well..i'm glad i could please! and the raspberry bars were as good as a meal.. but not nearly as good as a heath bar.. (yeah, i was listening in on the lounge convo the other day.. )

oh. and, in response, who is woeisme?

I just now ate the last of those heath bars...

If you ever hear me or anyone else yelling at someone for farting in the lounge, look up and you will see the guilty face of woeisme

Is the "whoever smelt it, dealt it' rule no longer good law?

[neskerdoo]

panda: you got 10 neskerdoo points yesterday... and the raspberry bars were as good as a meal, I thought...

haha! i just saw this! well..i'm glad i could please! and the raspberry bars were as good as a meal.. but not nearly as good as a heath bar.. (yeah, i was listening in on the lounge convo the other day.. )

oh. and, in response, who is woeisme?

I just now ate the last of those heath bars...

If you ever hear me or anyone else yelling at someone for farting in the lounge, look up and you will see the guilty face of woeisme

Is the "whoever smelt it, dealt it' rule no longer good law?

circuit split

[j2d3]

Hi - wow this thread is 39 pages long. I do have a question for any of you at Cornell. Are any of you taking advantage of a joint degree? Cornell's CS department is strong and some of the research going on there is really interesting to me. I want to pursue patent law and will need at least an MSCS or Meng, which I'd like to get while I get my JD. or I might want to hang around for a PhD, too.

if i tried to do that at cornell would i be alone? is there anyone else pursing anything in CS - or with plans to do so - while they get a JD?

[panda]

Hi - wow this thread is 39 pages long. I do have a question for any of you at Cornell. Are any of you taking advantage of a joint degree? Cornell's CS department is strong and some of the research going on there is really interesting to me. I want to pursue patent law and will need at least an MSCS or Meng, which I'd like to get while I get my JD. or I might want to hang around for a PhD, too.

if i tried to do that at cornell would i be alone? is there anyone else pursing anything in CS - or with plans to do so - while they get a JD?

Hey j2d3..
this thread *is* 39 pages long, but if you don't want to filter through it, you can just post your questions..and i'm sure one of us will answer..
i personally don't know anyone considering a joint degree (i think most people find the J.D. is enough work as it is.. ) I do know people pursuing the J.D./LL.M program though..
I think that if you are interested in doing a joint degree, don't worry about being alone and go for it! the class is only 200 people or so, so you probably won't find many people who have the same interests as you in pursuing the joint degree.. but that is no reason to deter you at all..

as my professor says: is that responsive?

if not, shoot any other questions you have at us!

[Kiersten1985]

I'm waiting to hear back about my JD/LLM app

I have a question though please - do you know of any people who deferred a year after being accepted to Cornell? Is Cornell generally open to deferrals or no?

And also, I know this has been talked about probably here and in other posts, but how is Ithaca for city people? I've lived in a city of some sort for the past 5 years (NYC for the past year) and the thought of living elsewhere is kind of giving me a panic attack. Thoughts?

Thanks!

[j2d3]

Hi - wow this thread is 39 pages long. I do have a question for any of you at Cornell. Are any of you taking advantage of a joint degree? Cornell's CS department is strong and some of the research going on there is really interesting to me. I want to pursue patent law and will need at least an MSCS or Meng, which I'd like to get while I get my JD. or I might want to hang around for a PhD, too.

if i tried to do that at cornell would i be alone? is there anyone else pursing anything in CS - or with plans to do so - while they get a JD?

Hey j2d3..
this thread *is* 39 pages long, but if you don't want to filter through it, you can just post your questions..and i'm sure one of us will answer..
i personally don't know anyone considering a joint degree (i think most people find the J.D. is enough work as it is.. ) I do know people pursuing the J.D./LL.M program though..
I think that if you are interested in doing a joint degree, don't worry about being alone and go for it! the class is only 200 people or so, so you probably won't find many people who have the same interests as you in pursuing the joint degree.. but that is no reason to deter you at all..

as my professor says: is that responsive?

if not, shoot any other questions you have at us!

Yes, that is responsive, thank you! I know the JD is quite a lot of work at Cornell, more than other schools I hear. But I'm not going to quit my lucrative career and borrow tens of thousands of dollars only to be mildly abused!

I like the very small class size of Cornell, too. And I'm not surprised there is little interest among your classmates in getting an MSCS/JD. My particular interest is in AI and law, but there are only about 4 academics in the nation who are even remotely involved in this. It's huge in Europe but it just isn't taken seriously here in the US. Stanford has a JD/MSCS and a JD/PhD in CS, while Michigan has a JD/MSI program with its School of Information, but these are the only schools that offer any kind of explicit support for a joint JD and computer-related advanced degree. Stanford is a far reach for me, and although Michigan is a possibility, the class size is huge. I don't want to be lost in the crowd. So I'm definitely going to apply to Cornell. We'll see what happens.

Thanks for your response

[sheltron5000]

I'm waiting to hear back about my JD/LLM app

I have a question though please - do you know of any people who deferred a year after being accepted to Cornell? Is Cornell generally open to deferrals or no?

And also, I know this has been talked about probably here and in other posts, but how is Ithaca for city people? I've lived in a city of some sort for the past 5 years (NYC for the past year) and the thought of living elsewhere is kind of giving me a panic attack. Thoughts?

Thanks!

I haven't met anyone who deferred, but I think at least one person did last cycle, s/he might be around TLS somewhere.

As for the city folks, I know it's been a bit of an adjustment--my roommate is from LA. They complain a lot--the constant "THERE'S NO CHIPOTLE?!?" gets a little annoying, but I don't know anyone who actually regrets their decision.

Ithaca is surprisingly urban for a small town, but the amenities and variety just is not what most people are used to. To be honest though, none of us really have time to worry about it anyway, and Collegetown, the area around the law school, is a lot like a piece of a big city--with prices to match.

If you have any specific questions about what's available around here feel free to ask, we're more than happy to procrastinate on our reading .

[mbw]

I'm actually considering a joint JD/PhD (but in History, not CS.) You don't have to actually decide if you want to do it until your second or third year, and I do know that some people pursue additional degrees directly following their 3rd year. Cornell is very supportive of joint degrees - but since most people in the past pursued BigLaw careers, I don't think it was very common. With the current economic changes, we might see that change in upcoming years.

ETA: I have a FB friend who deferred Cornell this year, so it does happen.

[como]

Do any 2Ls have a Clermont outline from last fall? I'll buy you a CTB sandwich. PM me if you're down.

[panda]

Do any 2Ls have a Clermont outline from last fall? I'll buy you a CTB sandwich. PM me if you're down.

+1 .. pwetty please..

oh..and do you any of you 2Ls know how much stress he usually puts on the legal history stuff on the exam? cuz i don't want to waste too much time on it if it's actually only going to be 1 MC question.

thanks..

now. back to the memo. f#$@%#$

[letthegreatworldspin]

i have a financial question.

for starters, i earned $24K this year. my parents are in the comfy middle class range, nothing nuts, maybe a combined income of $100K or thereabouts.

i was just accepted to cornell (with both numbers above their 75th percentile) but was told that i'm not being considered for those crazy dean's scholarships of $105K. there's a chance that my parents will be able to help some with the tuition, but i'm sure that i'll be paying the lion's share through loans and grants.

thing is, i've only applied to cornell so far because i hadn't thought too much about attending other schools. people say elsewhere in this thread that they're pretty good at matching funds. last year, i got some nice offers from places like michigan and duke ($45K and $60K respectively)... assuming that i'll be applying for merit- and need-based aid, is it a good move to apply to some lower T14 schools in the hopes of getting cornell to match offers? or am i better off sticking with their aid proposal?

apologies in advance for the question. all of the financial info is very foreign to me.

[js87]

i have a financial question.

for starters, i earned $24K this year. my parents are in the comfy middle class range, nothing nuts, maybe a combined income of $100K or thereabouts.

i was just accepted to cornell (with both numbers above their 75th percentile) but was told that i'm not being considered for those crazy dean's scholarships of $105K. there's a chance that my parents will be able to help some with the tuition, but i'm sure that i'll be paying the lion's share through loans and grants.

thing is, i've only applied to cornell so far because i hadn't thought too much about attending other schools. people say elsewhere in this thread that they're pretty good at matching funds. last year, i got some nice offers from places like michigan and duke ($45K and $60K respectively)... assuming that i'll be applying for merit- and need-based aid, is it a good move to apply to some lower T14 schools in the hopes of getting cornell to match offers? or am i better off sticking with their aid proposal?

apologies in advance for the question. all of the financial info is very foreign to me.

I apologize for hijacking this, but I have a similar question.

Does anyone know the likelihood of getting merit scholarship money with a 171/3.75 but high family income? I was told by the admissions office that merit based aid is calculated with need based financial aid; it sounded like your financial situation may influence their merit aid decisions.

I'd love to go to Cornell, but I was not invited to apply for the Dean's Scholarship and my family's income is high enough so that I seriously doubt that I'll receive any financial aid. My parents, however, cannot and will not contribute anything to my law school education. It seems unfair that their income, even if it has no bearing on my ability to pay, determines whether or not I may qualify for aid. Cornell is amazing and it would be a dream to attend, but I don't want to take out $160,000+ in loans and be indentured to biglaw forever .

[alexyoshi]

i'm definintely interested in this too.

[sheltron5000]

The problem is, none of us really know how that stuff works. The best I think any of us can do is to say that Cornell has, in the past, been fairly generous to people in your numbers' range.

The best thing you can do is to make it very clear that you want to attend. They know how important the financial aid considerations are, and they like to get people with high numbers (if only so they can admit more people on a genuinely holistic basis). Their biggest problem is that most people with numbers that high go to schools that rank higher, and once they offer you the money, it gets kind of locked up. But if you express an earnest desire to attend, they're more likely to try to compete for you with the big bucks.

As for applying to other schools just so you can get a Fin-Aid letter, don't. That's just low class and unprofessional: not a good way to get started (admissions people do read these boards and do talk to each other).

If you are worried about your parents income affecting your award, make sure your parents make notes of whatever it is that is keeping them from helping you on their forms. If they refuse, or they just don't want to help you, go ahead and email or call admissions and let them know your situation and concerns. The admissions people are really nice and do want to help, but they don't want to just give money to people who don't need it.

I can tell you for sure that, although the dean's scholarships are the highest award amounts, the difference between that and the next highest is not much, there are at least a few people with 90k.

If you want more specific numbers, check out lsn: http://cornell.lawschoolnumbers.com/applicants/0809/

HTH!

[js87]

The problem is, none of us really know how that stuff works. The best I think any of us can do is to say that Cornell has, in the past, been fairly generous to people in your numbers' range.

The best thing you can do is to make it very clear that you want to attend. They know how important the financial aid considerations are, and they like to get people with high numbers (if only so they can admit more people on a genuinely holistic basis). Their biggest problem is that most people with numbers that high go to schools that rank higher, and once they offer you the money, it gets kind of locked up. But if you express an earnest desire to attend, they're more likely to try to compete for you with the big bucks.

As for applying to other schools just so you can get a Fin-Aid letter, don't. That's just low class and unprofessional: not a good way to get started (admissions people do read these boards and do talk to each other).

If you are worried about your parents income affecting your award, make sure your parents make notes of whatever it is that is keeping them from helping you on their forms. If they refuse, or they just don't want to help you, go ahead and email or call admissions and let them know your situation and concerns. The admissions people are really nice and do want to help, but they don't want to just give money to people who don't need it.

I can tell you for sure that, although the dean's scholarships are the highest award amounts, the difference between that and the next highest is not much, there are at least a few people with 90k.

If you want more specific numbers, check out lsn: http://cornell.lawschoolnumbers.com/applicants/0809/

HTH!

Great post! Thank you for the insight and the advice.

[como]

Only go to law school if you really can handle feeling awful for weeks at a time.