To Become Something Greater Anonymous

Cornell University has come to mean something much greater to me than its Ivy League status alone conveys. When I first visited Cornell, I was amazed by the feeling of connectedness the campus emitted. It didn’t seem as though everybody was just there, so to say, but rather that they had a certain relationship with one another which transcended their day-to-day meetings. Indeed, it was fascinating that while everything around me was vast in scale—the campus, the student body, the number of professors—simultaneously everything seemed so limited and intricate. I could not help but want to be a part of this rich academic community. Yet there also appeared another dimension of connectedness which extended beyond this one. Hundreds of clubs, hockey games, and the Greek system, among other things, all brought members of the university even closer. What seemed to emerge was an enormous and diverse community united not just in one, but many modes of life.

At Cornell, I also found many signs that a truly great education was being provided to its students. This was made evident by the highly intellectual atmosphere which pervaded the school even in its most casual settings. Quite frequently, I overheard student conversations with subject...