Cornell University Summer College

Summer Program
Ithaca, New York


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For More Information, Contact
Cornell University Summer College
B20 Day Hall
Ithaca, New York 14853-2801
607-255-6203
Fax: 607-255-6665
http://www.summercollege.cornell.edu

Type of Program: Academic course work
Participants: Coeducational, students who have completed the sophomore, junior, or senior year of high school
Enrollment: 600 juniors and seniors; 200 sophomores
Program Dates: Six-week session: June 20 to August 4, 2009; three-week session I: June 20 to July 11, 2009; three-week session II: July 12 to August 1, 2009
Head of Program: Abby H. Eller, Director

Location

Cornell University is located in the heart of the Finger Lakes region of central New York State, one of the Northeast’s most spectacular summer vacation areas. The 740-acre campus overlooks Cayuga Lake and is surrounded by rolling hills. Some of the most breathtaking waterfalls and state parks in New York are a short bike or bus ride away.
Ithaca is a small, cosmopolitan city with a population of 30,000. Ithaca can be reached by car from Boston in 7 hours, from Buffalo in 3 hours, from Cleveland in 7 hours, from Manhattan in under 5 hours, from Philadelphia in 4 hours, and from Washington, D.C., in 7 hours; Syracuse and Binghamton are within an hour’s drive.

Background and Philosophy

Now in its forty-eighth year, Cornell University Summer College provides academically talented students who have completed their sophomore, junior, or senior year in high school by June 2009 an unparalleled opportunity to experience what it is like to live and learn at a great Ivy League university, take real university courses, work closely with Cornell’s world-renowned faculty members, earn college credit, explore majors and career options, get a jump on successful college applications, make friends from around the world, and much more.

Program Offerings

Through outstanding one-, three-, four-, and six-week programs, Summer College students focus on areas that include architecture; art; business; college success; engineering; film; humanities; law and politics; life, environmental, agriculture, and applied social sciences; literature; medicine, science, and biological research; psychology; veterinary medicine; and writing. Although academics are a crucial component of Summer College, learning extends far beyond the classroom walls.
Sophomores are eligible for six programs, including four 3-week options, Body, Mind, and Health: Perspectives for Future Medical Professionals; Freedom and Justice: The Law in Theory and Practice; Hotel Operations Management; and On Camera: Studies in Film Analysis; College to Career (one-week CALS); and the six-week option, CollegeSuccess: Critical Reading and Thinking. Juniors and seniors can participate in all (more than twenty-five) options.

Enrollment

Summer College students are part of an international, multicultural community, with members coming from all over the United States and the world.

Daily Schedule

Students in a six-week program spend mornings and afternoons in classes (roughly 2½ hours each weekday, with laboratory courses requiring an additional 2 to 3 hours a day), including field trips, experiments, simulations, lectures, or discussions. The academic course work is rigorous; students should plan to spend 2 hours a day in preparation for every hour in class. The nightly check-in is 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and midnight Friday and Saturday.
Students in the three-week session spend weekday mornings in class (roughly 2½ hours each day) and afternoons in a career component and in meetings with teaching assistants and the faculty director. The nightly check-in is 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and midnight Friday and Saturday.

Extra Opportunities and Activities

Sessions about the college application process are offered throughout the summer, with information on the art of filling out applications, the value of campus visits, and the nitty-gritty of college interviews. Cornell’s Undergraduate Admissions staff answers questions about applying to selective colleges. Students may also take part in a half-day crash course in college study skills before classes begin and in math, study skills, and writing workshops throughout the summer.
Students enjoy theater parties; athletic activities, including basketball, volleyball, aerobics, yoga, and intramural sports; weekend dances; a student-organized show; and get-togethers with faculty members to discuss current topics. They also produce Summer College’s weekly newspaper and its literary supplement. Free concerts and lectures are offered throughout the summer.

Facilities

Students are housed in residence halls and eat and relax together in on-campus dining halls and student community centers. They have full access to Cornell’s academic facilities, including the Cornell library system (which holds more than 7 million volumes), numerous computer laboratories (with Internet access), an astronomical observatory, an extensive botanical garden, and an art museum. Students may also use (at an additional cost) the athletics facilities on campus, including tennis courts, swimming pools, gyms, and an eighteen-hole golf course. Cornell University is famed for the spacious beauty of its campus. Students enjoy hiking in the gorges that cut through the campus and exploring the spectacular waterfalls and geological formations.

Staff

Most courses are taught by Cornell University faculty members. The residence halls are staffed by head residents, residential community advisers, and program assistants, all of whom work to ensure that the students’ experiences in the residence halls are good ones.

Medical Care

Gannett Health Center is open for general and emergency health care. Students complete the Health History Form prior to registration.

Religious Life

Cornell University is a secular institution. Cornell United Religious Work coordinates religious activities on campus, and services for many religious groups are held during the summer.

Costs

The cost for the 2008 six-week Summer College program was $8395, the cost for the four-week program was $6425, the cost for the three-week sessions was $5065, and the cost for the one-week session was $1685. These amounts cover tuition, room, board, and all fees, including those for courses and activities at Cornell. They do not include the cost of books, supplies, or travel.

Financial Aid

Summer College offers a limited number of partial scholarships to gifted students from the U.S., Canada, or Mexico who could not otherwise attend. Summer College’s limited financial aid is awarded to students whose academic performance has been outstanding and who demonstrate financial need, and it is reserved primarily for participants in the six-week session. Financial aid decisions are made on a rolling basis after the student has been accepted into a program. The deadline for applying for aid is early April.

Transportation

The Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport (10 minutes from the campus) is served by Northwest Airlines and US Airways. Syracuse (Hancock International) is served by most major airlines, including Northwest, United, and US Airways/America West.

Application Timetable

Inquiries are welcome throughout the year. In 2008, the admissions application deadline for most programs was May 2. Admissions are made on a rolling basis for most programs, so it is to the student’s advantage to apply early. Students should visit Summer College’s Web site for more details.