Spotlight on Peanut Butter: Why I Chose Cornell

By: Emma Bryan '19

As I near the end of my first year at Cornell, I can’t help but reflect on why it was that I decided to come here in the first place. Why, as a senior in high school, did I decide to spend the next four years of my life in what seemed to be the middle of nowhere? Why would I subject myself to an atmosphere where I was not guaranteed success? Why was I leaving my parents and my beloved dogs in northeastern Ohio and traipsing to an area with which I was completely unfamiliar? Honestly, the answer to all of these questions is simple: Cornell peanut butter. During the fall of my senior year, I came to visit campus with minimal expectations of what I would find. I had obviously done research, but little did I know that Cornell has the best peanut butter ever. When I arrived on campus, my host for the evening greeted me with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich that had been stolen from the dining hall, and from the moment that sandwich entered my mouth, I knew that Cornell was the place for me.

The texture of the peanut butter was literal perfection, and in that instant, I knew that this could not be a one-time thing. Yes, Ithaca in the fall is beautiful: I went on a field trip to Taughannock Falls and spent half of the time with my mouth agape in shock at how striking this place is. Yes, Cornell has amazing academics and a seemingly unlimited number of fascinating courses taught by world-class professors as well as endless support networks for students, but I can honestly say that I chose this place for the peanut butter.