Re: Calling all Cornell (Johnson) Fall 2009 applicants!
[#permalink]
23 Sep 2008, 21:17
Did my visit today. Overall I'm very impressed. The only other campus I've visited so far is Tuck, so a lot of my comparisons are between the two.
Notable observations:
- Ithaca is in the middle of nowhere. I thought Hanover was remote, but Boston is only 2 hours away. NYC is just over 4 hours from Ithaca. The closest "city" to Ithaca is Syracuse at one hour away.
- Ithaca is a metropolis compared to Hanover. It has a pretty big downtown and a huge university area. Hanover is comprised of two streets.
- Cornell has a massive campus. For having only ~20K students, it's really big and really nice looking.
- Sage Hall is really nice. I'm not sure when it was built but it can't be more than a few years old. It's actually not that big, so it has a cosy feeling. But I don't think there is a lack of space, although some of the students said it can sometimes be hard to find a quiet area to study.
- Just on a personal basis, I thought the students were just as engaging and bright as the ones I met at Tuck. Of course I don't have the opportunity to compare GMAT scores and where they went to undergrad, but if you took a bunch of MBA students from each school and put them in a room together, I couldn't pick them out.
- The trading room they have setup at Sage is pretty dam cool, even if that's not in my post-MBA goals.
Like I said, overall I'm quite impressed. Cornell is definitively one of the elite business schools in the US.
For those who are planning a visit, be aware of the following:
You have the option of going to as many classes as you want. I signed up for a class at 10am (account with Libby, great class), but had enough time to catch another at 11:45 (Marketing with Russo, they had a practice case competition which was neat to watch). The information session and lunch doesn't start until 1:25pm (so have a big breakfast!) and lasts until 2:40pm or so. Cornell has a great parking system, you just pull up to an info booth, buy a visitor pass and they'll tell you the closest lot to Sage hall. You might want to leave early because traffic is actually pretty bad in Ithaca (if you don't stay at The Stadler). I had a ~1 mile drive from the hotel and it took me 15 minutes to get to campus and park and another 5 or so to walk to Sage.
And another thing, if you have any questions, call! The admissions coordinator (for visits and info) hates computers and admits it takes him forever to reply to emails. He's a super friendly and helpful guy so don't hesitate to call.
If anyone wants more info, just ask.
RF