You can apply to be in The Cornell Daily Sun Lifestyle Department here.
It’s the fall of 2023, the New York weather is at its peak, the senior year energy is at an all time high as the football season starts — and I am stressed like never before. I spent days, weeks, learning about different universities and subsequently honing my interest in Cornell. I went to information sessions, toured campuses and scoured university websites and social media platforms to learn everything available.
I would come home from what should (and usually was) a great day, and clawing in the back of my brain, gnawing away at me, was my “why.” To summarize: there is nothing I dislike more than the “Why (insert college/university name here)?” question.
I’m sure no matter where you applied, and how the “why” question itself was phrased, you agree. Some schools will ask you how you think you’d add to their community, others ask you how you’ll make an impact or why you’re interested in the school and some just plainly ask you why. However it’s put, they want to know if you’re genuinely interested in them, and how you see yourself belonging and contributing there. Usually, from my experience, you won’t know until you get there. You can speculate, you can place yourself on campus during a tour and it can feel right, but all you can really do is see what is important to you and guess.
So, right around the end of the fall, I gave my “Why Cornell” the best shot I could. Now, I can confidently tell you that I was only partly right about my answer. I am not the same person I was two years ago when I applied, and neither are you. Coming to campus, I had the same values I wrote about, and I still believe in what I wrote, but I changed.
Once I joined The Cornell Daily Sun in my freshman fall, I realized that clearly. The Lifestyle Department (your go-to subjective section for all things Cornell campus) was just launched and getting off the ground when I applied. As I wrote my application to join The Sun, all I could think is “I know nothing about Cornell yet? How will I get in?” as I wrote about my (great) orientation week experience. Even O-week was nothing like I would’ve anticipated, and that is the point. Lifestyle at The Sun is about the unexpected Cornell experiences; things you would never know in your ‘why Cornell’ answer until you’ve lived them.
Now that I have had the opportunity to be a part of the growth of the section, I’ve also grown more confident in my ability to answer my ‘why Cornell’ and know what makes me unique on campus and what I bring to my Cornell communities. The specific details you expect to have to write about a school in your general college application ‘why us’ question are what Lifestyle answers.
I have had the opportunity to experience so many interesting things in my time at Cornell; trying new restaurants with friends, Cornell academic clubs and organizations, fun events, classes, making amazing, lifelong friends — all things you get to write about in Lifestyle. Our section thrives off of personality, opinion and new experiences. We learn with you. What that means is as an editor for the Lifestyle Department I learn something new every single day about Cornell, and our staffers end up teaching us just as much as we teach them about how to find their voice and place at Cornell and become better writers every week.
Each writer has their own unique experiences. Every person is different and discovers new opportunities on campus and in the greater Ithaca-area (and has their own opinions about these topics) and we want to highlight that. We stay up-to-date on relevant topics to Cornellians, but we also help you all learn things with us. It’s rewarding, it’s punchy (because we always have an opinion; controversial or not, it’s there) and it’s new. We are still growing, and we’re looking for a team of writers to continue developing the section and who bring a unique voice to the department.
Being a part of Lifestyle brings a lot of new opportunities. You can write campus-related opinion pieces, share impassioned reviews of restaurants (or classes, or clubs and the list goes on), or possibly contribute to one of our three anonymous (and honest) columns; “Dating on Wednesday,” “Sex on Thursday” and “Faded on Friday.”
You’ll know more about campus and your place at Cornell than you ever thought possible. We highly encourage applying. Help us find your voice, and expand our new and growing section into everything we know it will be! Join us. Learn your ‘why Cornell’ once and for all!
You can apply to be in The Cornell Daily Sun Lifestyle Department here. Applications are due Friday, September 19 at 11:59 p.m. For any application questions or lifestyle-related inquiries, you can reach the Lifestyle Department at style@cornellsun.com, or contact Co-Editors Kaitlyn Bell and Maia Mehring at kbell@cornellsun.com and mmehring@cornellsun.com, respectively.
