ELynah Forum

**] Sorry, I live too far away here in NJ, but I feel compelled to post that I graduated high school with John Bongiovi.  My two semi-famous Cornell classmates are David Wild and Ann Coulter.  I got to know all three, and I have to say that John and David were very cool.  Good luck with the tix.

Thanks, Redhair.  I took my 11-year-old son to the Cornell-Princeton basketball game on Saturday, which was good therapy.  BTW, I asked my Lafayette-bound son if he wanted to join us.  He didn't.  

My oldest daughter is a HS sophomore, and her #1 so far is Cornell too.  I told her not to rely on just her grades, but to work harder on her track and field skills.  What's wrong with this picture?  Sadly, it's true.

Being only a few miles from my home, I wen to the game tonight with my 11-year-old son and had a good time.  The game was close until maybe the last 2 or 3 minutes.  Our field goal shooting was on, but we were terrible from the line.  Rebounding in the first half was horrible too.

Gotta make those freebies in the tournament.  I wish them luck.

We were aware of the alternate-school option, but we were advised that it was best only for superior applicants.  Using 20/20 hindsight, he should have chosen the option, especially consdering that he had some interest in MAP at HumEc.  Although not an official recruit, my son also had support from the Athletic Dept. and one of Cornell's head coaches, and would have played for CU if admitted. Considering also my participation in CAAAN (which enabled me to get to know someone in Admissions), my involvement in another alumni athletic organization, and my modest yet consistent gift-giving, I thought that I did as much as I could to help my kid.  The rest was up to my son and Cornell.  It didn't work out.  Sometimes my son says that he's interested in trying to transfer to Cornell, and at others, he's pretty pleased with Lafayette, and he has every reason to be.

Although I wish he was admitted, my reason for posting is not to complain or argue the merits of his candidacy, but rather to explain how strange it is not to be crazy about Cornell.  I want to know how others deal with it, and if the feeling goes away.  I reckon it does, and I hope it goes sooner than later.  Besides family, Cornell was probably the greatest thing that ever happened to me.  It's hard to reconcile.

Allow me to pile on.  Free Slurpies at 7-11 every year on 7/11.  We have two within a mile from my house.  Traditionally, I'b bring my four kids to one and then straight to the other.  Not a whole lot going on in the summer when you're a teacher.

> You might want to look at a piece that John Marcham '50 wrote in the Cornell Alumni News of October 1972 (page 7) about his reaction to the situation. <

Thanks for the article, David.  At first I was expecting the author to imply that such feelings of anger and confusion are at first natural, but really senseless.  I felt empathy when he conveyed his story about the scholarship though.  

I can tell you one thing -- the feeling is weird.  Knowing how much harder it is to get in versus 25 or 40 years ago kind of makes it easier to swallow.  I read an interesting article titled "Is the Ivy League 'Worth It?'"  Have you ever heard the adage about fitting 10 lbs. into a 5 lbs. bag?  Well, the Ivy League is still a 5 lbs. bag that the rest of the country and world want to get into.  Here's the link to the article.  I only post it because of the content in the first part of the article.  Don't need to read the rest because we all know that it's worth it.

> did your son also apply to Arts? <

Yep.  After the fact, I spoke to a contact I have in the Admissions office, and she told me that Early Decision applicants are reviewed by faculty, not Admissions officers.  My son wants to major in History, and my contact told me that it's one of the most competitive departments in the Arts school.

I graduated from CU College of Arts and Sciences about 25 years ago, and recently my oldest son was denied admission to Cornell.  Has this happened to any other eLynah folks before?  I'm surprised to be feeling this way, but I'm taking it personally and it's changed my feelings about Cornell.  I hope this feeling is temporary.

My son is a good student -- good enough for Lafayette, where he will be attending -- yet he was dinged Early Decision in December.  Cornell has always been an important part of our family including numerous vacations to Ithaca plus attending scores of hockey, basketball, and football games.  In addition, my kids loved attending Cornell sports camps in the summer.  I am grateful having attended Cornell, had a wonderful time when I was a student, and was a proud and active alum.  

Does this creepy feeling go away?  My oldest daughter plans on applying to Cornell in two years, so we'll see next time.