Hey guys, I just heard about Cornell's 'Any Person, Any Study' philosophy and it sounds cool but kind of vague. Can someone explain how this really plays out for students? Like, does it truly mean you can study anything?
Hello there! My son is a sophomore at Cornell, so I can share a bit from our experience. The 'Any Person, Any Study' motto basically means that the university is committed to diversity and offering a wide range of academic programs. Cornell offers over 80 majors and 120 minors in unique areas of study so theoretically anyone could find what they want—ranging from a viticulture major (yes, winemaking) to fashion design!
It does mean you have a lot of freedom in choosing your area of study, but keep in mind that you still need to meet the admission and graduation requirements for your particular school within Cornell. For example, if you're interested in engineering, you'd apply to the College of Engineering and focus on that field.
However, Cornell is known for being flexible with interdisciplinary studies; my son is combining his major in economics with a minor in environmental science, which he was very enthusiastic about. In fact, he's mentioned that it's very common for students to double major or double/triple minor because Cornell encourages students to explore their interests.
It's a great feature of Cornell, allowing students to tailor their education to their unique interests, as long as you can make a compelling case for how your plan of study is coherent and academically rigorous. Hope this helps clarify things a bit!
CollegeVine’s Q&A seeks to offer informed perspectives on commonly asked admissions questions. Every answer is refined and validated by our team of admissions experts to ensure it resonates with trusted knowledge in the field.