Hey guys,
I'm a current 1st year at Cornell, and I disagree that:
a. There aren't many enthusiastic cheerleaders of Cornell here.
There are plenty of us, but on certain days of the week we will have histology lab that runs 5 or 10 minutes over or anatomy lab in which we spend a few minutes extra past 1pm so we can identify everything on our checklist (as well as change so we don't smell like crap), precluding us from getting to the interview lunch in time to chat. I apologize for this, but rest assured, we will be out in full force come Revisit Weekend.
b. That people chose Cornell because it was the only top school they got into.
A few rejected WashU, several (including me) declined Hopkins, others decided against Mich and Columbia, two of my friends decided Penn was not for them, one I know didn't want to go to Harvard, and many others did not want to attend Yale. These are all great schools, and any choice you make is a legitimate choice. But don't believe for the second that all of us chose Cornell because it was the "best" or most "highly-ranked" school that we got into.
c. That the lack of a physical greenspace is a great disability.
Many of us play basketball every other day (and work out) in the gym that's right below us (a godsend when it's 15 degrees outside), others run alongside the river, several own bikes and ride around the city, and when the weather was warmer, people went to study/throw the frisbee at Central Park, which is a few avenues down.
d. That comfort and location aren't strong considerations.
I'll be honest, first semester was a relative picnic, but second semester here is tough, and it'll only get tougher second year and third (although fourth years don't do too much), and you want to be in a place that distracts and diverts you enough to keep your happy and sane. Yes, being in Manhattan was a strong consideration for me, especially since I'm a young person in my early twenties and I believe there is no better time to experience a big city (or in this case, the city). And it didn't hurt that several of my friends were going to be in the city too. But considering location is a personal choice, and if you don't particularly care for big cities (and I have friends from college who would much rather be in a smaller, more quaint city), then like I said before, that's a very legitimate choice.
e. That most people chose Cornell because of its location.
Like I said, location was a strong consideration, but many chose Cornell because we all liked each other on revisit, because the then 1st years and current 2nd years were fun but also accomplished and talented and a good barometer of what would be in store for us, because our curriculum allows us to study how we want instead of dictating that we be in lecture until 5, because NY-Pres is one of the top hospitals in the country (especially great for surgery and any of the surgical subspecialties), because Memorial Sloan Kettering is one of the top if not the top cancer institutions in the country, because the hospital for special surgery is one of the top if not top ortho places in the country, because Rockefeller has the most number of Nobel Lauerates per square inch in the country and you can work with them, because Cornell pays for you to go wherever you want in the world since we have such an international presence (we already have one medical school in Quatar), because Cornell will pay for your MPH, etc.
f. That we are all lax students. Believe me, we are in general chill, but in the end, we study hard and get our **** done. In the early urology match conducted already, we had matches to USC, Penn, Baylor, Brigham, and Hopkins. If you work, you'll match where you want from Cornell.
g. That we aren't diverse.
Out of my closest friends, one is Cuban, one is of Hispanic origin, one is part Native American, and one is of Polish decent. We have several Indians, Persians, Russians, Asian-Americans, from the Carribean, blacks, gay/lesbian etc. What anyone saw from their interview day is only an impercise snapshot.
Anyways, I hope I cleared a few myths. Of course our med school is not perfect. The first semester is a bit too long (basic science), sometimes grades don't get back in a timely fashion, sometimes your PBL group doesn't work out (I've been blesssed to have two good groups in a row), but then again, if you ask any current first year in any med school, they will have complaints as well. Med school is what you make it, and at the end, you will all have great choices to make and will have to weigh many factors including ranking, location, curriculum, people. Whatever weight you decide to give each factor is up to you. Good luck, and don't hesitate to message me if you have any questions about Cornell or in general.