Cornell University

Living in Cayuga Heights with my toddler has been great. Safety was our top priority, and this neighborhood feels very secure. It's walkable to campus and conveniently close to Target. Having a car makes it easier to get to toddler activities, but the area itself is very pleasant for strolls. Highly recommend for families.

Intro classes in ECE are weeder courses with heavy workloads and many prelims, while advanced 3000-4000 level classes are more project-based and less competitive. I loved my Cornell experience, but half of it was a solid social life through my fraternity balancing the ECE workload. I learned a ton, made great connections, and had plenty of fun. My advice: watch the drop deadline, consider dropping a class first semester, and don't lose sight of opportunities outside the classroom.

I took Cornell's Spanish placement test. It was 90 multiple choice questions in 60 minutes. The first 50 were fill-in-the-blank grammar, and the last 40 were reading comprehension. I only took Spanish through junior year, got a 5 on the AP and the seal of biliteracy, but I was rusty. Honestly, the test was pretty hard, but I don't think it's a huge deal if you don't study—you'll recall stuff as you go.

Don't come to Cornell expecting to socialize much — almost nobody does. Poke around clubs, but watch your time. Nobody manages it for you or spoon-feeds content. It's all on you: studying, work-study, meals, laundry, free time, and sleep. People work ridiculously hard. It's at least 2-3 times tougher than high school. By December break, you'll know what I mean.