Dear Jealous of Transfers,

Each of Cornell’s colleges and schools has specific policies and plans regarding the admission of transfer students.  I doubt the numbers are higher than other peer institutions of equal size.

Transfer students are a crucial part of Cornell’s mission and founding.  Cornell was founded as both the land grant university of New York State as well with the phrase “any student, any study” so inherent to our mission.  I believe (as I am sure many do) that Cornell has a right and responsibility to accept transfer students as they are so integral to our founding and what we stand for. I would also guess that some of our colleges/schools feel that transfer students provide a wealth of knowledge and perhaps real world experience to the classroom that our non-transfer students don’t have. 

Cornell carefully screens all of its applicants for admission to the university.  To imply that transfer students coming to Cornell have come from “lesser” schools, are unable to do the work, and are from schools where students aren’t academically motivated is simply not true.  Many of our transfer students come from both two and four year institutions (not that it should matter) and are incredibly successful at Cornell. 

For many students, the cost of higher education is a significant burden to both families and individuals.  By transferring, many students are able to take advange of in state scholarships at other colleges and university and are then able to graduate from Cornell in less debt.  They also take the spaces opened up by students who graduate early or transfer out, and therefore are paying tuition for spots that would otherwise be empty.  These empty spots would create a huge loss of revenue to the university and would cause your tuition to be increased even more that it is now.

As for the housing question, Cornell guarentees housing to all transfer students that apply by a specific date because the living/learning compontent of Cornell is something the university has decided all undergraduates should be able to take advantage of. 

Finally, many of our greatest alums are transfer students. Our University President transferred during his undergraduate days. 

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Student,

Uncle Ezra sometimes sends questions to groups of students to get a student perspective on things...remember at over 200 years old, I don't always know about the latest fads or gadgets or styles or acceptable ways of doing things.

I am continually impressed by Cornell students; especially how brilliant, innovative and generous you are.  Lately, it has been wonderful to hear how much you enjoy your courses, support each other and are working for a sustainable earth inhabited by people who care.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Student,

It does seem that the TA has done this in order to help, but it is easy to see how it can be a disadvantage for those who can't make it.  You might let the TA know of your concerns and ask for a different time that you can attend. 

You also might make use of office hours.  Check with the professor.  Maybe other TA's are also offering extra sections that you would be able to attend.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Artsy,

Your Uncle assumes this digital artwork is something you’ve created yourself— and not someone else’s copyrighted stuff, right?

With that understanding, a convenient printer (an Epson 2880) loaded with archival pigment inks for all kinds of artsy paper is operated by the Cornell Library’s Digital Media Group.  Their front office is temporarily camped in 175 Kroch (while the Olin Library renovation is underway) 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.  Cash or check is the accepted payment for their printing services, with a two-week turnaround time. 

Your Uncle can vouch for the top-quality work of the Digital Media crew (although not as cheap as online commercial services) and also for an off-campus place called The Wordpro (410 E. Upland Rd., about a 15-minute hike from North Campus) where they produce luscious Giclée prints. You don’t have to be an art major to make art.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Concerned Student,

Cornell is in the business of education and research and that's what Cornell spends its money on and it is what it does best. We are not in the business of littering people's mailboxes with paper.  Not very sustainable, to say the least.

I hope that you are using the resources made available to you here to get the best education you can.  What you learn while you are here will determine where you go in life and your happiness, not how Cornell is ranked. Cornell is spending its money on what is most important, your education.  I hope you can appreciate that. 

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Wondering,

I always love hearing from people who love so many things; although I do know that it can make life difficult.  Sounds like finishing the major you are in right now might be the way to go.  You can always supplement that with individual courses here or at another university.  Education is a lifelong adventure.  You will learning in whatever field you enter.

A trip to the Cornell Career Center or talking to a career counselor or advisor in your college at Cornell may provide insight or options that you haven't thought of. Good luck on your journey and keep on learning.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Student,

Here is the scoop from the Graduate Studies Office at Cornell.

Graduate School isn’t designed to be a continuation of undergraduate education. By desire and design, the main objective of PhD programs and research masters at Cornell is not to have the student take more course work, but rather to have the student gain core competency and then make new discoveries to advance their field of study. Professional Masters, of which Cornell has a growing number, have a slightly different emphasis and additional course work is often part of the requirements for degree for those programs. 

Although there is a centralized admissions process in the Graduate School for all fields, admissions to graduate programs at Cornell are actually handled at the field level, by faculty and admissions committees in the field. So I would advise the student to talk to the graduate faculty in the field, starting with the department chair or their undergrad advisor, to get both a sense of what types of degrees are offered in the field(s) of interest and what any particular fields “take” on Cornell undergrads might be.

Some professional masters like to recruit Cornell undergrads because they usually have close relationships with those peer faculty who act as references and they know a proven undergrad can survive the rigors of Cornell. Other fields want students who can bring new perspectives and experiences to the table and so look to students who have experiences away from the academe or, at the very least, in a different academic environment.

As an assistant dean of the Graduate School, I would say I find that students who have broader experience (work, gap year, other educational experiences) tend to have a better graduate school experience because of the break between undergrad and grad school, irrespective of where they get their undergrad degree. I am a firm advocate of the “gap” year, or decade, (teach for America, peace corps, study abroad) and actual employment before graduate school. It gives the student an opportunity to grow and mature into the graduate student mentality, rather than expecting a “ super senior” experience.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Sabermetrician-to-be,

The job market must be changing —if students are trying for occupations Your Uncle never heard of.

Luckily, Wikipedia defines sabermetrics as: “the analysis of baseball through objective evidence, especially baseball statistics that measure in-game activity rather than industry activity such as attendance. The term is derived from the acronym SABR, which stands for the Society for American Baseball Research.”

Even luckier, Cornell Baseball employs Scott Marsh, assistant coach and recruiting coordinator, who says:

“The metrics we use in helping to evaluate our players are On-base plus Slugging (OPS) and Runs Created. Our season is so short (40 games compared to 162 in MLB), and our players cycle through every four years, so it’s hard to apply some of the more complicated/detailed formulas for evaluation purposes.”

Adds Coach Marsh, who played a little professional ball before landing a job at Cornell:

“I’d recommend a background in applied mathematics or applied statistics. Then the more difficult task is getting one’s foot in the door in a major league organization. Most of the young guns being hired as GMs these days are disciples of Bill James. They tend to work their way up through the organization, beginning as an assistant to the General Manager. The problem is, there are so many people with an interest in getting these types of positions, the competition is extraordinary.”

Thanks, Scott, for that cautionary advice.  You’re saying Cornell grads should have a Plan B or two? Kind of like Franklin W. Olin, Class of 1885 mechanical engineer?  He once slugged a ball (hurled by a Toronto pro team pitcher) precisely 540 feet from home plate in the Arts Quad (where Cornell games were played in the early years). The only thing to stop Olin’s homer was the brick wall (providentially, not a stained glass window) of Sage Chapel. 

Olin himself played pro ball in the summertime (his career average in the majors was .316) to earn tuition. During the school, the power-hitting second baseman (and crew rower, shot putter, and hammer thrower) repaired farm machinery to earn his room and board.  Indeed, the bat Olin was swinging (in that legendary May 1, 1886, game against Toronto) had been carved from the wooden tongue of a farm wagon.

But instead of baseball, the patriarch (1860-1951) of the Olin family of Cornell grads (and generous philanthropists) forged a successful career in the munitions and chemicals business. These days if you try to hit a ball from the Arts Quad to Sage Chapel, you’ll have to get over a library named for son John M. Olin, Class of 1913 — where you can read more about sabermetrics.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Cookie Monster,

I guess cookies come and go.  Today the Ivy Room, Okenshields and Cascadeli all have DELICIOUS chocolate chip cookies, large and small.  Hopefully, you will have a chance to come back for a visit and sample these Cornell delicacies.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Driver,

You are allowed to turn on red anywhere in New York State except in New York City, where you probably don't want to drive at all!

Uncle Ezra