Dear mom,

Many Cornellians take time away from campus during their undergraduate years- some participate in academic pursuits such as Cornell Abroad, Cornell in Washington, or the Urban Scholars program, while others pursue internships or volunteer work, and yet others rebalance their needs for work and play with social or creative or more physical activities.  Many students find the time is a valuable way to mature and explore their interests.

We do not have specific data on students who take a year off from Cornell because the reasons for leaving, time spent away, and whether or not they return are so varied.  But you may be interested in reviewing the data on retention rates (percentages of students who graduate from Cornell within 6 years of matriculation) or some of the other data collected by Institutional Research and Planning (go to http://www.dpb.cornell.edu >> Institutional Research and Planning >> Freshman Graduation Rates). 

Is your concern for your daughter out of fear that taking time off is not the norm, or that it may have a stigma attached to it?  Are you wondering if your daughter is making the right decision, or if a year is too long?  Emerging adulthood is an exciting time when young people are broadening their horizons and trying to identify lofty questions such as: Who am I? What do I want to do with my life?, What is my world-view?  A large percentage of this age group is civically minded, and look for ways to participate in community service.  Four years of college and immediate subsequent employment is not the most meaningful life path for every individual.  Many students find that taking time just before or during college is a very valuable experience, and when they return to school, they report feeling more focused than before. 

If your daughter is planning to take a semester or two away from Cornell, she should make an appointment with her faculty advisor or a professional advisor in her college to discuss her plans and complete the necessary paperwork.  If volunteer work is what she would like to pursuit, encourage her to speak with a staff member in Cornell Career Services to help her best explore the opportunities available to her.  The Cornell Public Service Center may also be helpful in finding an agency where her involvement will be mutually beneficial to both parties.  She should also be sure to see how her change in status (non-student) affects loans or health insurance coverage.  Many health insurance companies will not cover dependants over the age of 18 if they are not a full time student. 

I hope that you both have a positive and fruitful next year. 

Uncle Ezra   

Dear student,

This event was sponsored by the Cornell Concert Series.  The contact person was Richard Riley (Music Department), email rr43 (@cornell.edu), phone number 255-4363.  The event took place on 11/16/2001 in Bailey Hall.  Ticket prices for the event ranged from $8.00 to $20.00. You can listen to Zakir, a classical tabla virtuoso, at http://www.drummerworld.com/drummers/Zakir_Hussein.html.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear stressed at prep school,

Congratulations and welcome!  Acceptance is contingent, of course, on your satisfactorily completing any school work now in progress, and continuing to uphold high standards of character in activities outside the classroom.  We encourage students who encounter difficulties to contact the admissions office. I hope to CU in August.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear seeking,

You are free to interview an attorney before hiring her or him to provide the services you need. Contact the Bar Association to find names, or ask advocacy groups for recommendations.  Law guardians are lawyers assigned to represent children's interests.  Find out who these attorneys are in your town and go from there.  Good luck.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear student,

The Bursar's office has a full plate, processing 1,404,330 bursar and Cornellcard transactions last year!  These are the transactions fed from departments on campus as well as the tuition charges the office generates.  However, this does not include some of the items that you suggest such as dining dollars, laundry and vending, which are monitored by other departments.  Hats off to all of those busy staff members!

You may be feeling some pressure from the expenses of living and learning at this most difficult stage of your life. These days are never easy, but you must make choices and save and spend as you need to to get through.  Please don't blame those who try to help you with this process.  Chances are they wish they were as fortunate as you to have the time and money to enjoy this education and lifestyle while they slave away in Day Dungeon to give you the Royal Experience.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear entrepreneur,

If you search the archives you'll find a couple of similar inquiries, Oct. 14 and Dec. 11, 2003: Great minds think in the same direction. Anyone who remembers the vibrancy of Collegetown in the last decades of the 1900's (now doesn't that sound like ancient history?) knows how important that portal to our world can be. Cornell does want the Sheldon Court first floor space to be utilized productively, and has some longer range goals for the space. Naturally, some procedural issues need to be worked through before any long range plans are enacted. Meanwhile, they are exploring short term options, with the complicating factor being that many commercial business tenants require or prefer a 10 year lease. Hmm. They anticipate that they can work through the procedural issues within the next three years so they are connecting with Cornell Real Estate and investigating other short term solutions to find productive uses of the space and make the Collegetown store fronts more appealing for the next few years. Entrepreneurs - where are you?

Uncle Ezra   

Dear applicant,

Please contact the Graduate School Admissions for questions about SOP.  Do you have a trusted colleague who can look over your materials objectively?  What about someone who wrote a recommendation for you? I wish you good luck.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear student,

I'm sorry but there is no way to tell over this medium.  It wouldn't be fair to you to say one way or the other without being sure from observation. You will need to make an appointment with a clinician for accurate diagnosis. I hope it is not a problem.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear M,

Unfortunately my readers have been unable to share any additional information about where one might find the Cay as a rental.  It simply does not seem to be available.  The last new information we received was posted in Q5 on 9/16/04.  A reader wrote in, who had searched for it several years before.  Apparently the director did not agree to rerelease it to the general public so any copies available today would have been copied from the TV.  

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Cali Girl,

Second syllable. Say hello to Harmony out there for me (http://passitaround.org/mission.html).

Uncle Ezra