I went to Cornell for a 3-week summer school program in July 2019 while in Grade XI. At the end of the program I became certain of two things: that Technology is what I want to explore during my undergrad and that I am ready to stay away from my family and home.
Campus:
Those 3 weeks were the first time I had stayed away from my family for that long and it was totally worth it. I was bowled over by the beautiful campus of Cornell on the first day. The volunteers and faculty left no stone unturned to settle us in. The treasure hunt game they had planned was a great way to break ice and interact with fellow summer schoolers as well as get familiar with the campus. Having grown up in a big city, I had never lived in a small town before, so it was nice to explore a new place. Dorm style living was also so different than anything I had ever experienced, but was a great way to meet a diverse group of people taking different summer classes.
People:
On the very first day I made a friend- an American, Ethan - who became my hang out and study buddy for the coming three weeks. I met so many talented, smart and unique individuals who all shared a strong passion for learning. Everyone tackled problems with positive attitudes and worked together to improve and learn more together. This program afforded me the opportunity to learn about different cultures while studying with students who had similar academic interests.
Study:
Contrary to what most of my friends back in India believed, that summer schools are all about partying and socializing, my program was academically very challenging and allowed very little time to do the former. I had chosen a study program which revolved around the topics of Science, Technology and Politics. I was incredibly impressed by our classrooms, professors, lecturers and the resourceful library. From taking back tons of homework every day to submitting long research based essays every week, it was more rigorous than I had expected.
Teachers:
Even though the pressure was immense, it did not make the lectures less fun. Every lecture was made interesting and special by guest lecturers who would talk about their research projects. One particular lecture on global warming has stayed with me as it was super interactive. Throughout the lecture, we were asked questions which we had to answer by means of voting via remote control. Small elements like these made my study experience at Cornell the best I’ve ever had. The program culminated with a presentation and a final written exam.
The Summer College is definitely a great opportunity to provide students like me with a flavor of what college is like, especially studying a REAL course at a college that has rigorous expectations. In that short 3 weeks, one can begin to understand the level of discipline necessary, what it's like to be responsible for oneself, and give a feel of potential peers. The Cornell summer programs allows a high school student to grow in ways that traditional summer activities, like volunteering or a part-time job, can’t do.