Cornell Club of London

2008 winner's report

Stuart Blacklock

My application to the Cornell Scholarship was a spur-of-the-moment response to a general email advertising the opportunity to 'spend a summer vacation studying at a top US university'. It seemed straightforward enough, and I decided, a few days before the deadline, to give it a go. Even now, after having spent some of the best weeks of my life studying, socialising and living in and around the Cornell campus I still find it hard to believe that it actually happened and that I actually did it. My whole experience of Cornell and the surrounding areas, and all of the amazing non-academic things also, were only possible because of the generous donations to the Cornell Club of London Scholarship fund, and for that I am truly grateful. Before I attempt to recount only some of my thoughts and memories looking back on my "summer well spent", sincere thanks are owed to Liz Simpson, Natalie Teich and Jonathan Silver who were instrumental in facilitating my trip to Cornell and the wonderful experiences that followed as a result.

After about 26 hours of flying, driving and generally being exhausted (though amazed at some of the fantastic scenery on the way) I finally arrived in Ithaca. It was around 11:00pm when I arrived, and so the campus was bathed in moonlight. Even so, I could tell that it was extraordinary, and despite the beauty of my hometown (Durham, England), it was quite unlike anything I had ever experienced before. When I awoke the next morning, I knew I was right. Balch Hall, the residence I was to stay in for the duration of my stay at Cornell dated from the early 1900's, and was (I was helpfully informed) built in the English Renaissance style. It was truly a beautiful building, and to walk to and from it every day was breathtaking. It was not however air-conditioned, and the heat of Ithaca's scorching summer meant that I was glad to have rented a fan after a few days! Within a short distance from Balch was Beebe lake and Triphammer Falls - both of which were amazing vistas to have on the way to class!

The classes I chose to study at Cornell were "Greek Mythology" and "African Cultures and Civilisations" Both courses were taught to an exemplary standard - they were exciting, interesting, challenging and most of all, they were a welcome departure from my usual degree subject, Law. Professor Mankin began the Greek course with the mantra "Greek mythology - impress your friends and frighten your enemies", which, from reading past scholarship reports, is a favourite of his. This was in part true - the class was engaging and informative and its content soon found its way into conversations with friends in Balch. The class seemed more fact based than I expected, not at all centred around our own vague, misinformed personal interpretations (however occasionally valid). The course opened my eyes to the fact that there exists some literature which needs to be appreciated in its proper context only, and the informative nature of course meant that I was well equipped to appraise The Odyssey, The Homeric Hymns, The Library of Apollodorus, Hesiod's Theogony and Works & Days and finally Euripides' Medea. I find myself leaving Cornell with a thorough knowledge of all of these, as well as some fascinating insights into Greek culture and life.

My second course, "African Cultures and Civilisations" was different, but certainly not inferior. The course was taught less around books than around film and the actual experiences of the lecturer, Professor Ayele Bekerie, and some of his colleagues. The course contained an overview of various typical elements of African culture as examined throughout a number of different cultural groups and civilisations. We considered the meaning and importance of culture and civilisation generally, a potted history of Africa and the typical misconceptions that surround its development, as well as elements of African architecture, literature, art, social practices (including birth, marriage, rites of passage) and language. The course was rich in interesting information and was so effective in engaging the class that we often found ourselves devoting entire classes to conversation on particular topics. As part of the class we studied the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. I found the book to be fascinating and without doubt one of the most poignant books I have ever had the pleasure to read. While the book reached particular critical acclaim and general readership in schools in the USA, I am not sure that it has achieved such prominence in the UK. I shall certainly be sharing it with my friends and family - after having brought multiple copies home!

In terms of assessment, both courses differed greatly. Greek Mythology was taught around three multiple-choice exams taken at regular intervals throughout the course. The content of the exams was such that it was impossible to avoid completing all of the required reading thoroughly, and my misconception of the relative ease of multiple-choice exams (of which I have no experience at university level) was dispelled fairly early. There was also an optional paper if a student wished to study a particular topic greater depth for more credit. African studies took a more general approach to assessment, having a midterm, three preliminary review papers, a preliminary essay, a class presentation on a chosen topic, a novel discussion and of course, a final take-home exam all carrying course credit. This system of examination did ensure that the myopic approach to learning in the UK (learning for the exam) did not arise at Cornell - it was not possible to leave all work until finals week, however tempting. This is an excellent idea - knowledge is built up slowly and tested regularly promoting a far more academic and fair system of examination. I did not spend a single week in Cornell during which I was not preparing for some kind of assessment in either course.

Facilities at Cornell are unrivalled in my experience. There are multiple large libraries, including a number of substantial specialist collections. I was envious of the huge (and architecturally stunning) law library, an asset that contributes to the position of the Cornell Law School in legal study across the world. As well as libraries, research facilities were extremely well funded and diverse. Cornell even had its own Synchrotron for advanced particle study, just one example of the ability of Cornell to provide the best facilities for its students and faculty. One thing in particular that struck me was the sheer efficiency of University staff in every department and administrative office and just how well the massive campus was run. While in terms of student population Cornell is no bigger than my own university, the campus size is far bigger, and despite this, Cornell still manages to run like clockwork. I was very impressed.

Outside of academics, the opportunities for eventful weekends seemed endless. Cornell and its surrounding area amounts to some of the most beautiful natural scenery I have ever encountered - it seems obvious now why Cornell is the greenest campus in the Ivy League, and certainly, one of the most beautiful in the USA. I met some truly wonderful people at Cornell, all of which were taking part in various Undergraduate Research Programmes, and together, we embarked on exciting and generally full weekends enjoying what Cornell has to offer. We swam in the gorges and lakes, canoed on Cayuga lake, visited the farmers' and artists' markets in Ithaca, spent afternoons in the Cornell Dairy Bar (amazing!), went hiking in the gorges and local area, walked through the Cornell plantations and encountered some of the diverse wildlife living in the area, climbed the McGraw Clocktower and watched the chimesmaster, visited the Cornell and Ithaca cinemas, went to Collegetown and the Commons took in the sun on the slope and of course, went shopping at the Ithaca Mall. All of this was amazing, but the true adventures were when we left Ithaca and the Finger Lakes region altogether and ventured further a field - visiting Niagara Falls, New York City and the Thousand Islands. My favourite of these excursions has to be Niagara Falls, somewhere that I had always wanted to visit and now could, and the site of some of the most astounding natural beauty in the world. We took a trip on the world famous Maid of the Mist, an experience worth every dollar we paid. From here we crossed to Canada and experienced a small (and of course, entirely misrepresentative) section of Canadian culture! The travel buffs among us were pleased with the Canadian immigration passport stamp, and for novelty we managed to be photographed with a Canadian "Mountie". The whole experience at Niagara was simply amazing, and one I will never forget.

I simply have to devote a paragraph of this report to dining at Cornell! Cornell University's dining halls are rated as some of the best in the US, and it's not difficult to see why! The food at the "all you care to eat" venues is fantastic and varied, has a range of healthy and not so healthy options from a host of different cuisines. The campus is dotted with eateries of various kinds, each offering something slightly different. I had great fun meeting friends for lunch and deciding where next to try! Perhaps even better than the food on campus is the wide range of Collegetown and Commons based restaurants and cafes - Collegetown bagels, Rulloffs, The Mahogany Grill, Taste of Thai Express, ABC Café, Aladdin's and The Plum Tree were among the best. Cornell also allowed me to rediscover bubble tea, something I had tried before in the past - if you're intrigued; try apple green tea with pineapple jellies!

The people I met at Cornell were a diverse group of people from a wide range of academic, geographical and social backgrounds. Most students staying in Balch, or so it seemed, were attending Cornell on REU (Research Experience for Undergraduate) Programmes in a wide variety of science subjects - Nanobiotechnology, Computer Science, Physics, Chemical Engineering, Fluid Mechanics. My friends at Cornell were all students attending such programmes, from all over the world - Michigan, Virginia, New York, Atlanta, Arizona, Texas to name but a few! Two of my greatest friends from the trip hailed from much closer to home, living in Kildare and Cork, Ireland! As a group, we enjoyed what Cornell has to offer to the full, and I hope that we have the opportunity to meet as a group again. Others I met through my courses studied mainly in the Arts, though because of the course structure at Cornell (and indeed many American Universities), which encourages branching out into numerous fields, even most Arts students had a background in a science subject somewhere in their Degree. The ability to diversify academically as a matter of course is one that the system of study in the UK could benefit from generally. It is without a doubt that students who engage in more varied studies leave university more able to cope with the demands of the employment market, are more academically flexible and generally, more academically rounded individuals.

Studying at Cornell allowed me to appraise the American system first hand, and compare it to my experiences in the UK. The American University system has a number of positive elements - its course variety, quality (although I admit, my experience is only of Cornell!), teaching, class size and even "Greek life", having spent some time with Fraternities on campus. The system does not come without a price however, and notoriously, the price is high. Studying at Cornell (I asked a Cornell student) costs around $51,000 a year, not including living costs, books, socialising or any of the additional costs that arise at University. It is with the greatest hypocrisy that Cornell's founding mantra; "I would found an institution where any person can find instruction in any study" should realistically read "I would found an institution where any person [who can afford it] can find instruction in any study". Scholarships do exist to help those in greatest need, but these are few in relation to the number of students that could benefit from them and at the same time, Cornell University staff have the option to send their own children to Cornell (provided they make the grade) at half the price. It is this that means parents are forced to save every penny from the birth of their child in order to send them to University and even then, many students work long hours during term time to support themselves. While the system in the UK is far from perfect, it allows students to study at the highest-ranking institutions for no more financial outlay than at any other, and the level of financial support for students in the UK is substantially better than in the US. I certainly know that I could never afford to study at an institution like Cornell without a full scholarship, and those are elusive at best.

I can safely say that my summer spent at Cornell was the best of my life so far, for many reasons. I experienced American University life, and indeed American culture itself and had the opportunity to visit some amazing places and enjoy the stunning surrounding environment of Cornell and New York State, and do so with some great new friends from all over the world. I don't think I could ever forget the view across to Triphammer Falls from Thurston suspension bridge, or from Willard Straight across the campus, and the experience of Cornell itself was, undoubtedly life changing (cliché I know). I am extremely grateful to the Cornell Club of London, its administrators and donors for the opportunity to experience first hand the beauty and brilliance of Cornell, which must for them, I am sure, be the foundation of innumerable fond memories.