Dear Exhausted,

What do you do when there is too much to do?
Do what is most important!

1. Put priorities first - Students often try to "get things out of the way."  But what ends up happening is you end up spending all your time on the little things that you are trying to "get out of the way," and what matters most gets left for last.  Identify your most important finals and start preparing for them now!

2. Work in smaller chunks - Work in blocks of as little as 15 minutes, up to about an hour.  Work on one final, take a break, then work on another final, or your paper, take a break, work on something else, etc.  This will allow you to chip away at your various responsibilities.

3. Do what works - For exams, center your preparation around Self-Testing.  Self-Testing is THE KEY to doing well on tests.  For papers, the key is to get material down on paper (that is, into the computer).  Pull quotes, enter facts, add your own comments on the quotes and facts.  Just get it down, you can clean it up later.  Doing is progress (writing, solving, answering questions)!  If you find yourself just reading or "going over" things, you may be wasting your time.

I wish you all the best!

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Frustrated,

Information on individual majors for freshman and sophomores is a bit lacking, so the information below applies to all majors applying to medical school.

Janet Snoyer from Cornell Career Services, states, “Of our applicants in the 2011 cycle, 28% with GPA of 3.2-3.39 gained admission to a medical school. For those with higher GPAs, 73% gained acceptance. These GPAS are about a third each from second semester juniors, second semester seniors and alumni. 

Starting out relatively low and improving over the years is a common trajectory for premed students.  It is not something to worry over. In addition, while we do not have precise statistics, a 3.2 in Chemistry after the freshman year is probably right around the mean. It is common for those with GPAs above the mean to share their numbers with others but for those below the mean to keep their numbers to themselves. Thus, the writer cannot know that a GPA of 3.2 is low. It is probably average for a highly academically talented pool of first year students.”

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Wondering,

It's sometimes hard to begin a conversation with someone whose feelings you are unsure about.  Keep it casual and friendly; there's no reason why you can't become friends with someone you hooked up with (or even something more!).

Something like, "Hey, how are finals treating you?" or "Hey, how ya doin? opens up a good number of common and safe topics (we can all gripe about school) and could even open up the opportunity to say something like, "Want to grab lunch/coffee together?" If anything, as long as you reach out and start a conversation, you are taking action that follows your desire and feelings. Even if you don't end up dating, you very well still might be friends!

And if you don't get a response, try not to take it personally, it's a busy time for everyone right now.

Good luck!

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Engineering Graduate.

According to the Engineering registrar, those students who have a 3.5 GPA receive the cum laude distinction; 3.75 is a magna cum laude distinction; and a 4.0 is a suma cum laude distinction.  It is up to each individual engineering department whether a student who meets this distinction will receive cords or not.  I suggest you contact your specific department to see whether they award cords or not.

Lastly, the student with the highest GPA will not be recognized at the main ceremony, but they may be recognized at the ceremony for their individual department. 

Congratulations to all of my nieces and nephews who are graduating this May!  You all deserve a huge round of applause.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Student,

There are a few services available to help you address your contract issues.  The Cornell Legal Aid Clinic provides legal services to students, but they must show financial eligibility.  If you are an undergrad, then your parent’s income will be considered.

Additionally, the Neighborhood Legal Services also helps Tompkins county residents on a number of issues.

If this contract has anything to do with the University, then you may be able to contact the Cornell Judicial Codes Conselors, students from the Cornell Law School.  However, they are not able to help with any issues outside of the University context.

This link will direct you to the contact information for all of the services listed below.

http://www.cornell.edu/search/index.cfm?tab=facts&q=&id=472

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Worried about Credits,

There comes a time in ever student’s college career when they realize they may be 1 or 2 credits short of graduating.  Fear not, as there is hope.

According the College of Arts and Sciences, you may be able to add a course after the add deadline, but you will need to file a petition with your advising dean.

Visit this link below, to identify who is your advising dean, so you can contact them to petition to add a course. http://as.cornell.edu/academics/advising/index.cfm

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Student,

My you are quite observant.  The number you are referring to is to honor football and baseball coach Ted Thoren.

There is an article that was published that discusses all of his achievements. According to the article, “Thoren, who coached the Cornell baseball program from 1962 until his retirement in 1990, was a member of seven halls of fame, including the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame, the Cornell Athletics Hall of Fame and the Ithaca College Sports Hall of Fame… He retired with the most wins of any coach of a single program at Cornell, a mark that stood for 21 years until it was broken by current Cornell softball coach Dick Blood.”

http://cornellbigred.com/news/2011/5/10/BB_0510115145.aspx

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Seller,

Your best bet is Mimi's Attic in downtown Ithaca, http://mimisatticithaca.com/.

This is how it works!  You are welcome to bring items to sell 7 days a week. Buyers are on site Tuesday – Saturday. If you bring items on a day when buyers are not on site, you can leave your items and make an appointment to return and meet with a buyer.

If you’d like to send a photo ahead of time, you can email us at info@mimisatticithaca.com. We will let you know if we think we have a market for your items. Final intake decisions are made on site when buyers can see items in person.

We consign larger items for 60 days. You will receive 50% in  of the selling price after your items sell in cash or 60% in store credit.

We buy small items (things that will sell for $15 or less) straight out and pay you 35% of what we expect to sell the items for in cash or 45% in store credit. You will receive payment the same day if buyers are on site.

Consigned items are marked down 20% after 30 days.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Student,  

Clifton Fadiman once stated, “Cheese is milk’s leap toward immortality.” If this is true, then why do so many people think that cheese goes bad.  It doesn’t get bad, it just gets worse than before.

In order for cheese to age properly and become the cheese that we love to eat, it must be kept at a certain temperature with a certain amount of humidity.  Additionally, they must be turned or brushed or even bathed to ensure the rinds remain dry or moist- whichever is appropriate.  Some cheeses only take 2 weeks to ages, while others can take up to and over two years.

When consumers buy cheese, they are taking them out of their appropriate temperature and humidity environment. Additionally, they usually place cheese in some sort of airtight container.

Plastic wrap, plastic bags, and other airtight containers should be avoided in all cases except for fresh cheeses (ex. ricotta, cottage cheese, fresh mozzarella, etc). These storage methods lock in stale air, and they do not allow the cheese to vent. Once the cheese is trapped in a “soggy” type of environment, anaerobic bacteria will form. This is spoilage.  To prevent spoilage from occurring, consider using butcher paper, parchment paper, and wax paper.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Hopeful T.A.,

I’m happy to see that you are continuing to pursue your passion for teaching.

A minor in Education is available through CALS.  You would need to contact your advisor in CAS to discuss your interest in this minor/concentration.  Once you do so, then contact Ms. Bobbi Townsend (bjt53@cornell.edu), to obtain an Education Minor/Concentration Application and Plan of Study form.

Visit this link to get more information about the Education minor. http://education.cornell.edu/undergrad.html

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Fossil Hunter,

It is always exciting to come across little bits of history, especially in your own backyard.

The Cornell Archeology Program has a number of faculty members who should be able to help you learn more about your fossils.  I suggest you speak with the Archeology Program Director- Sturt Manning at sm456@cornell.edu, since he will be able to direct you to the specific faculty member whose expertise could be most beneficial to you.

Also, you should consider speaking with the Cornell Anthropology Exchange, a student organization at Cornell, since their interests may also align with yours. Contact them at alg238@cornell.edu to find out when they are having their next meeting.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Student,

These tell-tale Pass/Fail courses do not exist at Cornell; instead, Cornell refers to them as Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U).  To receive a grade of “S”, a student must achieve a grade of at least a C-.

The S/U courses count for all distribution requirements within the College of Arts & Sciences.  They do not however, meet any major or minor requirements.

Uncle Ezra