It’s easy to complain about college life when you’re overwhelmed by prelims or buried in reading assignments. So in an attempt to embrace a more positive attitude, I’ve decided to reflect on my experiences as an undergraduate and list a few of the little things that keep me coming back every semester.
I love Cornell for toning my calves. It’s hard to find a route to central campus that doesn’t require walking up an incline, but I’m not complaining. Commuting to class is usually my only source of exercise—so thank you, Cornell, for forcing me to hike.
I love Cornell for humbling me. As a freshman who graduated at the top of her high school class and was accepted to all her top-choice schools, I marched onto campus with an inflated Ivy League ego. It was only after my first C-grade on a paper and a failed exam that I realized how much I had to learn. I’ve come to appreciate the value of asking for help, so I am grateful for having been knocked down a few pegs.
Lastly, I love Cornell for expanding my culinary palate. Before coming here, I hadn’t experienced foods that were much different from my cafeteria’s lunch menu; my tastes were very meatloaf and mashed potatoes. Now I am constantly exposed to ethnic dishes that I would have shunned as a high school student. I still remember the taste of that cheesy moussaka dish I tried at Okenshields and the spicy lamb curry soup I lapped up at North Star over a year ago. Thank you, Cornell, for titillating my taste buds.
Despite the weather and high mental stress, I will always love Cornell—for reasons big and small. We’ve had our ups and downs. But we’ve been together for two and a half years now, and I’m in it for the long haul.
— Kimberly Kerr ’13