Coming into Cornell may be an exciting or a terrifying prospect, depending on who you ask. Personally, I was terrified; a totally new environment, where teachers don’t plan out your routine and anything goes. However, the advice and companionship of my seniors and fellow peers helped me stay afloat and thrive. Here’s some personal advice for the incoming batch of students. You know who to thank if any of it helps!

• Grades- It is okay to not get the grades you’re used to in high school. It’s normal, it happens to everyone so don’t be discouraged. University is a whole different format from high school and it takes a little time to get used to. A helpful tip is to review your exam or progress with your professor during office hours and ask them what went wrong and how you can improve – a lot of people miss that so please make sure you are active in asking for help to improve. 

• Student community in Cornell- This is hands down one of the highlights of our college. Be sure to talk to your peers, seniors and foundation peers. You will definitely have fun doing so, and you never know when they may help you as well.

• Keeping on top of your work – You’ve probably been lectured about this in high school, but its super important for Pre Med. You will have an exam every week on top of weekly quizzes from different courses as well as assignments. Try your best to complete your assignments ASAP and study your courses in small chunks throughout the week so it doesn’t get piled up. You have to find a good time management system or it’ll be really overwhelming trying to juggle the deadlines!

• Try joining clubs and participating in extracurricular activities (QMSA!), research opportunities, jobs – for more details on how to do that check out the forums!

• The one course to look out for- Organic Chemistry!!! (2nd semester) Be sure to study and practice every day for this course, and don’t be afraid to reach out to your seniors for help, they’ll be more than happy to!

• Keep up with your emails every day, even though you might be emailed stuff related to employees still make sure you check so you don’t miss out an important announcement or deadline.