Hello everyone! My name is Anderson and I am a sophomore studying Civil Engineering from Raleigh, North Carolina. My Cornell journey so far has been nothing short of amazing. From the diverse perspectives I have been exposed to the countless unsolvable p-sets, I have grown to become a better version of myself whilst being at Cornell.
I will start off by saying that my first semester was not an easy one. Taking on 20 credit hours while matriculating onto a project team (Seismic Design), joining club track, and being a part of the National Society of Black Engineers in all honesty, was too much on my plate. As an effect, my grades took a hit and so did my ego. Coming from a STEM high school, I had always prided myself on doing well in engineering, but I was quickly humbled by the fact that although grades are important, college is much less about having perfect grades and much more about being able to balance everything inside and outside of academics. My second semester balance was a lot better (only took 2 STEM classes + FWS + liberal studies). Doing this along with continuing club track, project team, NSBE, and not to mention my social life was much more doable (was able to apportion my time according to everything).
Going into my sophomore year, things did not start off as how I would have liked it. Coming off a summer long internship with Whiting-Turner, I was mentally exhausted because I had not given myself a proper break during the summer. This affected my ability to socialize, concentrate in class, and complete my assignments which was very worrisome for me starting my sophomore year. I eventually utilized the Cornell Health therapy services and within a few weeks, I was mentally back on track. Sophomore fall was a tough semester academically but the best semester socially. I met so many new people that I clicked with and we did so many fun things together (going out, getting dinners, playing card games, watching movies, etc). This semester I not only found my group of people, but I started to better understand the importance of the work-life balance of college.
My advice starting your freshman year is to not overwhelm yourself. There will be lots of opportunities to join clubs, meet new people, and to try new things over your next four years here. I would recommend starting off with 15-16 credit hours instead of 20 credit hours and see how that goes your first semester. Also try and explore different clubs but don’t be afraid to drop one if it’s too much. Remember that grades are not everything and you can still be very successful without a perfect GPA. Also try to expand your social circle and get out of your comfort zone. Your network is your net worth so making the conscious effort to meet new people will open doors for new insights and new opportunities as you venture into this new chapter we call “college”.
~Anderson, civil engineering