The Ivy League is competitive, and tons of students from across the world will be submitting their applications in only a few months. So how do you set yourself apart from the crowd? Specificity. When you tell a school what you want to study, you need to be more specific than just “biology, because it’s cool.” Thankfully, schools like Cornell have detailed, niche programs that can help you articulate what you want to study and why. Let’s dive into some of their unique programs.
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Okay, had to start out with the big one. This is what Cornell is famous for, and for good reason. They’re the only agricultural school in the Ivy League and it’s the best in the country. There are over 22 majors and 40 minors in this college, including everything from Viticulture (that’s wine) to Soil Science to Global Health to Food Science and Crop Management. You can’t get this kind of education anywhere else in the Ivy League.
Computing in the Arts
This minor wants to explore how computers can be used in every facet of art – from creating, to studying, to critiquing, and more. It’s offered in 5 different tracks: art, computer science, music, performing and media arts, and psychology. Art changes as technology changes (NFT Apes, anyone???), and this minor will give you an understanding of how this world develops.
Human-Centered Design
A subprogram within the College of Human Ecology, Human-Centered Design “combines design, art, biology, chemistry, engineering, and social science concepts and methods.” Honestly, every single thing in this program looks incredibly cool, so we’ve broken down some of their offerings below.
Design + Environmental Analysis
People are hot on sustainability right now, especially in the design world. Not only does this major take sustainability into consideration, but also things like interior design, environmental psychology, ergonomics, and workplace strategies. You become certified as an interior designer, and get a STEM degree at the same time. Nuts!!!!
This is exactly what it sounds like. The science behind fabrics and fibers. If you like fashion or design, there are a lot of typical applications in this field. You can also study things like protective clothing, geotextiles, and biomedical materials. Also nuts!!!
Design, Innovation & Strategy Minor
While we say entrepreneurship is a state of mind, it does not hurt to have some background in how to get your idea off the ground. While part of the Human Centered Design program, this minor is mostly targeted towards Information Science, Computer Science, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, and other Engineering majors. You can learn how to better design products in conjunction with your technical expertise.
This minor is interested in shifting how we view healthcare into a more preventative mindset. According to them, ‘this innovative trans-disciplinary focus — the first of its kind — has the potential to change industry practices and professional attitudes by breaking down the silos that often undermine creative solutions.” A bold endeavor, but cool nonetheless.
Science Communication and Public Engagement
Communicating science to the general public can be hard. This minor wants to make it easier! You’ll learn how to better communicate big topics to everyone from journalists, to communities, to policymakers.
Crime, Prisons, Education & Justice
With the majority of the world’s prison population, the United States is a fascinating case study on mass incarceration. This minor allows you to study how race, class, politics, history, gender, inequality, and law have contributed to this phenomenon in the US.
History of Capitalism
Through the History department, this minor will walk you through everything from the history of business to critiques of capitalism over the years. This would be an awesome add-on to a business or econ major.
ILR School
The Industrial and Labor Relations school is focused on work, labor, and employment and how we can make it better across the board. If you’re interested in unions and labor policy, especially how they conjunct with thinks like International Relations, Business, or Economics, then ILR might be for you.
Moral Psychology
This minor combines philosophy, law, psychology, economics, sociology, along with experiential learning opportunities to try and better educate students on how to create more ethical solutions to medical problems.
Cornell has tons of cool programs, majors, minors, and schools – and this really only scratches the surface. We know college websites are a pain to navigate (side note: why are they all so bad? Aren’t they where all the smart people are? Get a smart person to help fix it??) but take some time to go through and mark the things that are cool to you.
And if you’re applying to Cornell and need some help, feel free to reach out to us today. We can help with every step of the process, from essay writing to the pesky activities section of the Common App.