Students at Cornell University are dealing with the tragic deaths of three classmates in the past month. Alone. These students are suspected of committing suicide by jumping off the bridges that span the gorges on Cornell’s campus.

This brings the total number of student suicides at Cornell up to six this year alone. In response to this shocking trend, campus guards have been placed on these bridges to prevent more students from jumping.

Cornell has long been known as a “suicide school,” due to the rocky gorges that surround campus and that students have to cross daily. However, in the last ten decades, this nickname has become very accurate. Cornell suffers almost as many suicides per year as the national average, with 7.5 each year for every 100,000 students. Cornell has a student population of 20,000, but with six suicides already, they are quickly on their way to surpassing the annual average. These suicides are largely blamed on stress and depression.

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Guest blogger Vivian Kerr has been teaching and tutoring standardized tests since 2005. She has taught throughout the greater Los Angeles area and is a proud member of the Grockit team. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Southern California and has studied abroad in London.

In part 1 of choosing a college, we discussed a few things to keep in mind when researching colleges. Next, you’ll need to think about a plan before working on all the applications in front of you.

Strategize

Applying for college can be a bit like gambling in a casino. To ensure that you “win” (i.e. get into at least one good school), it’s important to divide the schools into three categories: Safety, match and reach.

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Guest blogger Vivian Kerr has been teaching and tutoring standardized tests since 2005. She has taught throughout the greater Los Angeles area and is a proud member of the Grockit team. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Southern California and has studied abroad in London.

Applying to college can be a daunting process, but it is also an incredibly exciting time.

Attending university is an experience that will shape the rest of your life so it’s important to put some serious thought and consideration into your application choices.

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