Considering Cornell for Physics? Advice for International Student from India

[Kamaljeet]

I'm a person who is in love with physics, astronomy and cosmology. Right now I'm in high school (grade 12), and whenever I read books on astronomy/cosmology especially, I sometimes ponder about the presence of a subject grander than astronomy and cosmology. We apply our knowledge to the tiniest and largest of scales and are able to uncover ground-breaking discoveries. Its like I can think of nothing else but science.
So, I have a decent sat score: 2130 and have a high school gpa of 4. I've been deeply engaged in scientific activities at my level and have also won various awards.
At first, I was thinking to apply to Princeton for early action. Then I thought about selection rate and then came up with Cornell.
I don't care about the job prospects regarding physics for now. I just want to be engaged in deep education where I can share my love for physics with other students.
I think Cornell is the right fit for me, considering that I'm an international student from India. I'm thinking of applying through early decision to Cornell this year.
Does anyone have any advice on this ?

 

[Mmm_Pasta]

Apply to other places as well in the event that you are not accepted.

 

[Mépris]

Cornell have a "funny" policy towards financial aid. They are "need blind" but not "full need". This means that you may well get accepted ED but not get as much financial aid as you'd like. Do take that into account. If you'd like to apply early some place, try those places who have the "early application" and not the "early decision". That is of course, if you're not 100% certain about Cornell or you're not applying for any aid.

 

[Kamaljeet]

I think financial aid is not that much a problem. I think my family can manage the expenses. But I will apply for financial aid though.

 

[Nabeshin]

I'm a person who is in love with physics, astronomy and cosmology. Right now I'm in high school (grade 12), and whenever I read books on astronomy/cosmology especially, I sometimes ponder about the presence of a subject grander than astronomy and cosmology. We apply our knowledge to the tiniest and largest of scales and are able to uncover ground-breaking discoveries. Its like I can think of nothing else but science.
So, I have a decent sat score: 2130 and have a high school gpa of 4. I've been deeply engaged in scientific activities at my level and have also won various awards.
At first, I was thinking to apply to Princeton for early action. Then I thought about selection rate and then came up with Cornell.
I don't care about the job prospects regarding physics for now. I just want to be engaged in deep education where I can share my love for physics with other students.
I think Cornell is the right fit for me, considering that I'm an international student from India. I'm thinking of applying through early decision to Cornell this year.
Does anyone have any advice on this ?

I'm a bit confused, is there an actual question in here? Nobody can really tell you which school is the best fit for you but yourself, but I imagine we could answer specific questions.

I just finished my bachelor's at Cornell so I know everything there is to know about the physics program there. If you had any specific questions I'd be happy to answer...

 

[bardeen]

I'm a bit confused, is there an actual question in here? Nobody can really tell you which school is the best fit for you but yourself, but I imagine we could answer specific questions.

I just finished my bachelor's at Cornell so I know everything there is to know about the physics program there. If you had any specific questions I'd be happy to answer...

How do you feel is the atmosphere inside the graduate student community?
How is living there, in general? Are there lots of things to do?

Are you going to grad school yourself?

 

[Nabeshin]

How do you feel is the atmosphere inside the graduate student community?

From what I can tell, pretty good. As with any physics program, you're bound to get graduate students who are either a) timid and foreign, and or b) otherwise not very sociable. But Cornell has a really large dept so there's plenty of fellow graduate students. Level of competition for research groups seems fairly typical, neither too much nor too little.

How is living there, in general? Are there lots of things to do?

Ithaca is pretty isolated. To drive to any interesting nearby city is at least an hour (Syracuse or Rochester), and NYC is about 4hr. You can take buses into the city, but they take 6+ hours to get there and are a bit of a pain. So expect to not really leave very often. That said, I like the place a lot. There are many nice little restaurants and a few good bars that I liked to frequent. The surrounding scenery is fun for occasional hikes and whatnot as well. The overall vibe of the city is very liberal, hippie-esque you might say. There's a lot of movement towards organic food, local products, etc. among the more affluent people.

Are you going to grad school yourself?

I am, but not at Cornell.