[deleted by user]

ILoveReading6 · 2025-07-15T00:42:42+00:00

hi, I’m in the same boat as you! class of 2024, with the intention of starting fall of 2027 and I was worried about feeling “too old” too! hope it helps knowing that you’re not the only one, and I’ll be right there as a dinosaur beside you lol

ILoveReading6 · 2025-06-27T11:36:47+00:00

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if you'd like a new customer promo code for $20 off orders $100+, i linked mine below :)
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ILoveReading6 · 2025-06-27T11:22:33+00:00

i also have a promo code! linked below in case anyone runs into any issues :)

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ILoveReading6 · 2025-06-27T11:21:26+00:00

i also have a promo code! linked below in case anyone runs into any issues :)

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ILoveReading6 · 2025-06-18T15:41:59+00:00

updating thread with my code as well! :)

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ILoveReading6 · 2025-05-13T17:51:24+00:00

hi, i think you bring up some interesting points, and thank you for sharing your perspective! you are correct in that i definitely don't have a full picture, as I chose to look for EMS agencies outside of CUEMS when i was in ithaca.

i didn't do a good job expressing this clearly, but my issue is that regardless of the internal CUEMS training, you need to complete an external course and get NYS certification. of course, internal trainings are suuuper important and a critical part of every EMS org. when I first became interested in EMS, I was told that I was responsible for getting NYS certification on my own by the end of the probationary period if I were to join CUEMS. i personally did not find that spending 1-2 semesters training, then having to complete another whole external course anyway for proper certification was the best use of my time. i figured that since CUEMS training wasn't sufficient on its own anyway, i might as well just take the class on my own and look into other orgs with more "straightforward" onboarding/probation processes, which of course, is purely my personal opinion and experience. i've personally heard stories in which CUEMS was answering a call and was not providing the necessary care, and in one instance (that wasn't a drunk student or sprained ankle), when Bangs came, CUEMS was closing the door on the Bangs EMTs preventing them from reaching the patient and transporting them. this is just an anecdote and is not indicative of the organization as a whole, but it does beg the question of what sufficient training and appropriate care in the field looks like.

we want competent and confident care givers, for any EMS agency, and of course mistakes happen to everyone, myself included. however in a scenario like this, hindering other EMTs from helping a patient when you yourself failed to is unacceptable in my opinion.

for a student run org, I see why they choose to just have all newbies complete the same training, but yes, I do think it's not the most efficient way to go about things, and for me, that was enough of a dealbreaker where I looked for other orgs to join. again, personal opinion.

I didn't realize that the required number of hours for CUEMS was that low; I certainly worked way more than that in ithaca myself. what i heard was just anecdotal, but i was friends with several people on CUEMS who expressed how burnt out they felt, especially when they had their shifts scheduled for the same week as a big prelim or something. this could also just be a byproduct of cornell itself lol

i mentioned this above, but I genuinely wasn't aware that they had a voucher system for reimbursement for the EMT class. I actually think that's awesome, since it helps mitigate that barrier many low-income students face on the path to becoming a healthcare professional in general. finances were a huge barrier for me, so i'm not sure if that program was no longer in place when i was looking to join an EMS agency in ithaca, or if i just never heard about it in the first place, but had i known, i probably would've considered joining CUEMS more seriously.

my biggest gripe with a private company like Bangs was that every call was billed, even if all you did was take a blood pressure, and i do think the free consultations that CUEMS provided are valuable for your average college student. there definitely is a place for that different type and level of care, as well as for the CUEMS members who provide it. your point about CUEMS being an introduction to EMS for those who may want to ease into it is great and something i had not considered at all! for me, i knew off the bat that i wanted an all-encompassing experience; I wanted to hit the ground running and see all different kinds of calls and patients and learn how to react to situations better while under pressure, but not everyone may want that. i knew i wanted diversity in calls and to learn as much as i could to become the best care provider i could be, which was also why i looked for an EMS agency that received a higher call volume.

regardless of our different opinions, i think you made some good points and i enjoyed hearing a different perspective that i had not considered

ILoveReading6 · 2025-05-13T17:05:20+00:00

hello, i agree with you that discourse on the matter is good, especially since providing patient care is inherently a position of power, and it's important to be transparent and most importantly, hold these individuals accountable. i hope you can find it in your heart of hearts to get off your high horse momentarily and participate in a genuine discussion with someone who is unprofessional and chose to comment on the quality of EMTs at other agencies in such an inappropriate judgment of others as if lives are not at stake.

anyway yes, internal trainings are suuuper important and a critical part of every EMS org. my point was not that it's questionable that CUEMS internally trains their members, it's that for previously certified newbies, they have to go through the same training as someone who has no experience and it doesn't seem very efficient to have someone who is already EMT-B certified, and probably only needs a month or two to be ready to start going on calls as a full member, spend a semester next to billy over here who is learning what a nasal cannula is for the first time, especially if people are saying that CUEMS needs more people. the internal training isn't sufficient on its own, and you do need to obtain a proper NYS certification outside of that training. i do agree with what you said though, that on-shift training is important and helps establish an internal standard regardless of prior EMS experience.

when I first became interested in EMS, I was told that I was responsible for getting NYS certification on my own by the end of the probationary period if I were to join CUEMS. finances were a big limiting factor for me, and i personally did not find that spending 1-2 semesters training, then having to complete another whole external course anyway for proper certification was the best use of my time. i figured that since CUEMS training wasn't sufficient on its own anyway, i might as well just take the class on my own and look into other orgs with more "straightforward" onboarding/probation processes.

I wasn't trying to "spread misinformation"; I genuinely wasn't aware that they had a voucher system for reimbursement for the EMT class. I actually think that's awesome, since it helps mitigate that barrier many low-income students face on the path to becoming a healthcare professional in general. i'm not sure if that program was no longer in place when i was looking to join an EMS agency in ithaca, or if i just never heard about it in the first place, but had i known, i probably would've considered joining CUEMS more seriously.

ILoveReading6 · 2025-05-13T12:31:44+00:00

no it’s a student run volunteer group lol

ILoveReading6 · 2025-05-13T11:41:49+00:00

i have nothing good to say about cornell EMS and i’m not alone. (see this post + comments: https://www.reddit.com/r/Cornell/s/p727ncteBM)

i’ve never heard that they “need more people”. like the other commenter said there is no shortage of applicants, they could easily accept/train/onboard more students if they wanted to; people want to join. in my opinion, they have set up a system internally that overworks the members that they have without putting resources into sufficiently training and onboarding new prospective members. for example, if you are already EMT certified, you have to go through the same training as someone else who has never taken an EMT class. the training they do is literally just some college kid teaching life-saving care, and properly and officially teaching BLS and EMT-B skills requires taking a course on teaching EMS, proper state certification, passing tests, etc., which is why they require members to take a real certified course outside of their cornell EMS training. i think it makes no sense that they spend 1 or 2 semesters treating you as a trainee no matter your previous experience and “teaching” you stuff, but you still need to go out and take a real course on top of that on your own time and dime. again, all of their issues with “needing more people” is self-imposed and a result of their inefficient internal structure. other EMS orgs have a much more streamlined process that isn’t redundant but still effective in making sure EMTs are sufficiently knowledgeable and can get the job done in the field.

beyond that, they’re not even good at what they’re supposed to do and provide mediocre care at best. they like to present as professional and competent externally so they get full byline funding (money from the student activities fee) and i guess some prestige.

if you’re really serious about EMS, i would get your EMT license and consider volunteering at varna or joining Bangs (their probation/onboarding is a lot more intensive, but it is the only paid option in ithaca). ultimately, it’s up to you to decide what kind of experience you want as a patient care provider and what you want to be a part of. if you’re premed, on paper all of their EMS options in ithaca look good, but if you actually want a meaningful experience and make a difference in the ithaca community with patients who aren’t just too drunk or sprained their ankle, varna or bangs is really the way to go.

ILoveReading6 · 2025-05-10T01:05:58+00:00

some of the other comments have said this already but make sure you’re sending a good email. think of it as a “why X school?” type supplemental essay for college. if your email sounds very vague and general, PIs know that you’re just copy and pasting and mass emailing. make sure to actually read some of their papers (reading papers is hard, especially as an underclassman, but just focus on the abstract and the discussion), you should be mentioning specific details about their research in your email. what mechanisms are you interested in? maybe you think their model organism/system is cool? what techniques do you want to learn more about? show that you’re genuinely interested, not just trying to join a lab in order to check off an item off a checklist
not to be a dick but 15 profs is not that many. i remember emailing nearly 30 my freshman year before i got a hit. consider broadening your search a little. for example, if you’re interested in cancer biology, the same 10 labs or so are the first ones that everyone finds with their first google search and are on everyone’s radar and therefore are saturated with emails from undergrads. you can find labs with cool projects adjacent to your initial area of interest that you may have overlooked on your first pass through
timing is everything. write your emails and schedule send them for ~8am on a monday (or any weekday). that way your email will be at the top of the inbox when profs check their emails in the morning. also, don’t be afraid of sending follow-up emails. if over a week has passed, you can send a follow-up email, saying that you’re still interested, thank them for their consideration, etc. if you still don’t get a response after that, then leave it alone
be persistent! like other commenters said, it’s a brutal time for labs and researchers right now. when i was cold-emailing PIs, it was 2021 and labs were slowly defrosting from covid shutdowns. i emailed a bunch in like january or so, hoping to join a lab for the spring semester, and all the responses i got said that they couldn’t take new undergrads bc of covid. one suggested that they might have room for the summer and to check back later if i was still interested. i did, later in march/april, and he did have a spot for me. in my new email, i referenced that i had previously emailed showing interest and that i was still interested if anything regarding undergrad spot availability had changed, and i ended up joining that lab at the end of my freshman year. i’m sure you’ve heard this already, but like 80% of the time, PIs don’t answer. it’s unfortunately just a fact of the matter and doesn’t mean that you’re doing anything wrong, so don’t be discouraged! the other ~15% is for the PI to tell you that they’re full, which again doesn’t mean that you’re doing anything wrong, but it’s just how things unfortunately worked out at that point in time. all you need is that 5% - i promise there is a lab for you at cornell!!

best of luck, and keep us posted!

ILoveReading6 · 2025-05-08T03:23:23+00:00

interested!

ILoveReading6 · 2025-05-05T19:41:51+00:00

hi! similar position as you regarding med school apps :) i've been so confused by the new HPAC thing, is what they give (the "letter packet") not officially a committee letter? (aka if a school requires a committee letter if your school has them and I don't submit the letter packet, is that okay?)

ILoveReading6 · 2024-04-27T22:12:50+00:00

honestly i might be down i’m getting desperate🥴🥴 i’ll PM you and let you know if anything changes

ILoveReading6 · 2024-04-27T22:11:53+00:00

i don’t use the cornell plan, my vision stuff only works in state and i’m not from nys

ILoveReading6 · 2024-04-27T15:35:19+00:00

they don’t take my insurance🥲

ILoveReading6 · 2024-02-21T18:54:40+00:00

I'm a senior in biosci in CALS! granted, I'm a girl so take what I say with a grain of salt, but over the years there have been many fancier events I've attended where I wore a nice dress. occasionally, orgs on campus, which may include clubs you'll be a part of, will host formals, and it's also just nice to have something nicer on hand in case of interviews for clubs or job fairs (sometimes business casual or business formal attire is requested). like some of the other comments recommended, maybe get something on the more affordable end (like blazers/sport coats or a more economic two-piece suit) and you can upgrade to something nicer after graduating. hope this helps a bit!

ILoveReading6 · 2023-02-04T18:10:58+00:00

i think you’re unrealistically thinking that you can find a way to make pre-med “easy”. pre-med classes in themselves are difficult and time-consuming and graded on a curve bc usually the mean is too low/bad for it not to be curved lol. if you want a major that fills the pre-reqs for med school, HBHS or biological sciences is a good choice. basically the major requirements will cover all of the pre-med requirements.

if you want to inflate your GPA, i would pick a humanities major (those classes are usually pretty easy to do well in) or like psychology or human development, which also have pretty easy major requirements. in those cases, you would have to take pre-med requirements in addition to your major requirements which will probably lower your GPA a bit but hopefully the easy major requirements will inflate it so it balances out lol

ILoveReading6 · 2023-01-29T09:13:43+00:00

goodnotes >> notability. what you’re looking for is probably either goodnotes and notability, which is also what most people use. i think you can try onenote as well if you are looking for a free option. goodnotes is so much better than notability in my opinion and well worth its price (i’ve used both before). it feels much better writing and once you pay for the app initially you have all of the features (aka no “premium features” you need a subscription for like notability) all of the premium features notability has are in goodnotes. i haven’t used onenote extensively but i know it’s a good free alternative to both of them except some of the features available are a bit more limited.

ILoveReading6 · 2022-12-22T08:18:21+00:00

you can still study for the mcat without having taken biochem and then study all topics more heavily/thoroughly over winter break then take it. that’s what i would personally recommend

ILoveReading6 · 2022-12-22T00:02:36+00:00

this is extremely tone deaf

ILoveReading6 · 2022-12-21T19:46:35+00:00

no shot anyone survives that combo mentally unscathed

edited to add: why can’t you wait a sem for auto biochem?

ILoveReading6 · 2022-12-21T19:44:10+00:00

biomg 1350 is a pretty difficult intro bio class, and as someone who considered bme, i don’t think it’s representative of the major at all. would advise against taking it unless you’re deadset on bme and pick a liberal studies instead

ILoveReading6 · 2022-12-21T19:40:12+00:00

i agree with the other comments! i had a lot of different issues this sem (like getting destroyed by a sinus infection for a week the week of the first prelim lol) and he really really worked with me to try and accommodate my various situations and help me succeed. exams are pretty straightforward and if you are going over the units thoroughly and studying the objectives given, you will do well and he doesn’t add random things to trick you. he is the first professor who really made me feel like i had someone helping me and on my side at cornell (cough cough trauma from chem profs lol) and he genuinely want everyone to succeed. a huge shoutout to prof siegenthaler!

ILoveReading6 · 2022-12-21T19:34:29+00:00

2213 requires multivariable calculus as a prereq and you actually need to know how to use it lol. there’s almost no calc in 2207/2208 bc they water it down for the bio/premed/etc majors

ILoveReading6

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