Prof. Vance Christian ’61, MS ’65, teaches the famed Intro to Wines course. (Rare and Manuscript Collections) Alumni From Composition to Concrete: Your Most Life-Changing Classes Stories You May Like On a Glorious Fall Weekend, Cornellians Come Home With Spirit (and Sousaphones!), the Pep Band Powers Big Red Fandom The Mall That Has It All: Our 2025 Big Red Holiday Marketplace Your alma mater asked you to share the courses that had the biggest impact on you—and you aced the assignment By Cornellians staff “What one class at Cornell forever changed your life?” Your alma mater asked that question on LinkedIn a while back. The responses ran the gamut of subjects—from psychology to art history, poetry to nuclear science (and even pistolry!). “It is so fascinating that so many of the mentions are about life skills, critical thinking, or wine tasting,” engineering alum Kabeh Vaziri, PhD ’05, observed. “These are skills that do not have a usefulness half-life, even in the age of AI.” With a new academic year getting underway, Cornellians is showcasing a sampling of those reflections—along with images of Big Red classrooms from the University’s early days to the present. ryan young / cornell universityHunter Phillips, MA ’25, teaches English in fall 2024. We hope these varied reminisces will spark memories of your own studies. But we must admit to being particularly touched by a comment from another engineering grad, Dexter Wang ’69, MEng ’70. “I really feel,” he said, “that the sum of all my classes built my whole self and professional character.” What class did you find most life-changing? Let us know in the comments below! (Responses have been edited and condensed.) “Human Bonding; this class started my journey to self-discovery, the most important lesson in life.” — Li Tao ’02 “ChemE 219, an introduction to chemical engineering, was life-changing for me. The course description appeared to be innocuous, but I found it to be more challenging than physical or organic chemistry.” — Allan Dean ’92 Wine tasting! I learned about German Rieslings and they are still my favorite. Lori Rothman ’78 “Design of Concrete Structures and Concrete Materials and Construction, taught by Kenneth Hover, PhD ’84, a pioneer in concrete design and construction. Not only did they teach you chemistry, mechanics, design principles, and constructability considerations, they prepared you for a career in construction and structural engineering. The final was the ultimate test of knowledge, stamina, and versatility. In the middle of the exam, a TA would come into the room—frequently and sporadically—to give you mini quizzes. You also received random phone calls from the big man himself, in which he would ask you an urgent question related to concrete. The skills gained were directly applicable to the real world, where construction projects inherently involve unanticipated changes that need to be resolved expediently and efficiently.” — Andrew Greubel ’19 Rare and Manuscript CollectionsStudents in the 1940s use adding machines—along with pencils and paper—in a statistics class. “A class on poetry from the Spanish Renaissance, which made me see modern poetry differently.” — Roberta Quance, PhD ’82 “Biology 281: Genetics, with the fly lab in the basement of Plant Science. Real, hands-on genetic mapping of fly genes taught us some serious science.” — Jeremy Ward ’94, PhD ’00 Adult Education. This not only introduced me to theories but to education in the prison system. It gave me a new perspective on incarceration and the role education plays. Katie Bower ’19 “The graduate reactor design course taught by Peter Harriott ’48, BChemE ’49—the hardest college course I’ve ever taken. He drove home that engineering isn’t perfect. Our exam questions were based on how many factors we considered in our design, like friction, site elevation, temperature variation, and heat losses. I remember one homework where he said, ‘Here’s a published, peer-reviewed article on reactor design. Find the mistake.’” — Wade Amos, MEng ’95 Lindsay France / Cornell UniversityProf. Abby Drake with students in a 2019 intro evolutionary biology and diversity course. “Principles of Macroeconomics. It was so damn easy, yet no one else seemed to think so. Given my path-of-least-resistance approach, I became an econ major. Doing what came easy led to a PhD and the life of an academic.” — Raul Barreto ’89 Introductory genetics! The five-credit course was very tough but inspired my passion for genetics to this day. Esther Verheyen ’88 “So many profoundly great literature classes, including American novels, Russian literature, and a course featuring Black women writers like Maya Angelou and Zora Neale Hurston. I will never forget the impact of ‘I know why the caged bird sings.’ Grateful for these well-taught and well-curated classes elevating human experiences through the beauty of language.” — Courtenay Singer ’91 sreang hok / cornell universityKevin Seaman teaches jiu-jitsu in Bartels Hall in 2023. “Economics of Agricultural Geography with Daniel Sisler, PhD ’62—the best, most engaging teacher I’ve ever been around. I reference things I learned in that class to this day. His ability to turn raw subject matter into relatable stories and anecdotes made it one of the greatest learning experiences of my life. I’ll be forever indebted to Cornell for giving me exposure to such an amazing instructor.” — Scott Diehl ’84 Psych 101, where I learned all about the power nap! Millay Kogan ’06 “The intro class on human behavior and education taught by Urie Bronfenbrenner ’38. I was a biology major, but that class was so popular, everyone at Cornell wanted to take it. Talk about a dynamic teacher!” — Ricardo Gonzalez-Rothi ’73 Rare and Manuscript Collections Rare and Manuscript Collections Home economics students in a lab; and “Cornell Chicken” creator Bob Baker ’43 leads a food science class. “Plant Genetics and Breeding taught by Martha Mutschler-Chu. It was the first class I took where we were encouraged to work together and learn from each other. I became a TA the following year. It made me fall in love with the discipline and influenced my graduate education and career.” — Maria Gallo ’84 Dendrochronology! Ended up working in the lab for the rest of my time at Cornell. Also absolutely loved all classes with Chris Monroe learning about ancient Egypt, nautical archaeology, etc. Kayla Marie Altland ’10 “Intro to Pistol. Taught at the firing range in the basement of Barton Hall by the Marine Corps sergeant who was stationed at Cornell for ROTC. I wasn’t in ROTC, but decided to take the class because I thought it would be fun. Talk about a sobering experience. I learned some deeply moving things from that sergeant that have stuck with me for the rest of my life.” — Michael Reed ’94 Sreang Hok / Cornell UniversityCorey Ryan Earle ’07 leads AMST 2001: The First American University in 2023. “American history, taught by Clinton Rossiter ’39, gave me a framework to question and explore original sources and question carefully accepted interpretations.” — Marc Gabel ’58 Women at Work taught by Jennie Towle Farley ’54, PhD ’70, in ILR. Empowering! Patty Garr ’79 “Freshman Composition with Sally Robinson, MFA ’75, who went on to success as a TV writer. She encouraged me to write and introduced me to great writers with similar experiences to my own.” — Jonathan Cohen ’78, MFA ’80 Rare and Manuscript CollectionsFirst-years circa 1967. “Taking three classes—Evidence, Trial Practice, and Trial Techniques—with Irving Younger paved the way for me to pursue a 40-year career as a litigator.” — Stephen Kesselman ’78, JD ’81 Racism in American Society. Transformative. Bradley Jaehn ’97 Stories You May Like On a Glorious Fall Weekend, Cornellians Come Home With Spirit (and Sousaphones!), the Pep Band Powers Big Red Fandom “John Hubbard’s Multivariate Calculus class. I’ve used that course ever since. In fact, I’m teaching a similar course for STEM majors and future engineers myself!” — A. Jorge Garcia ’83 Joe Wilensky / Cornell UniversityPhysics of Sailing students prepare a boat for launch with the help of a staff member in 2024. “The Vertebrates class. Led me into medical research and the eventual discovery of the properties of GLP-1 while working at Harvard.” — George Holz ’75 Organic chem. Failed it, had to retake it over the summer, and ended up becoming a writer. Miriam Ordoñez Clifford ’01 “Government, taught by Walter Berns; he gave insights into the danger of factions and how our founders worked to insulate our government from them.” — Alan Cody ’69 Rare and Manuscript CollectionsProf. Alison Lurie in the classroom in 1977. “U.S. History After 1945 with Richard Polenberg. Started my lifelong love of history. In retirement, I continue to audit history classes at Rutgers.” — Daniel Zaccardo ’81 Architecture 101. Still have my textbook; I put a note next to every place I’ve visited. Really sparked my love of travel. Nikki VanEngel Willner ’99 “Racism in American Society, taught jointly by Donald Barr, professor of policy analysis and management, and James Turner, founder of the Africana Studies and Research Center. One white, one Black, both civil rights activists in the ’60s. First time I was taught about the true history of our country. What wonderful, unique perspectives. In the very last class, they advised us that since we are no longer ignorant, we have a responsibility to speak up. ‘Don’t sell out! Do the right thing!’ May they rest in peace. They inspired so many young people.” — Rose Cacioppo ’89, BS ’90 rare and manuscript collectionsA veterinary medicine lab in 1981. “Labor law—knew I wanted to be a lawyer. Statistics was among the most useful.” — Jennifer Lauro ’84 Books, Prints, and the Graphic Image with Peter Kahn. Launched me into a 40-year career in printing, publishing, and graphic design. Victor Curran ’71, BA ’73 “Intro to Art History, taught by Judith Bernstock ’67. I developed a great appreciation for modern art.” — Kenneth Plattner ’96 Jason Koski / Cornell UniversityAl fresco learning on the first day of the fall 2024 semester. “Rosemary Avery’s Family Resource Management and Consumer Economics. This course defined the ‘Human Ecology’ approach for me: analyzing how individuals and systems optimize limited resources. She ingrained an interdisciplinary learning approach that I carry with me into every consulting engagement. Forever grateful!” — Adrian Simmons ’90, MBA ’97 While I still consider myself an introvert by nature, Comm 201 brought me out of my shell to where I’m very comfortable now speaking in public. Michael Rapolas Jr. ’94, BS ’95 “History of the Supreme Court with government professor Jeremy Rabkin ’74 was my absolute favorite! Just so fascinating. He made the class a lot of fun.” — Philip Ballard ’00 jason koski / Cornell UniversityAn art class in spring 2026. “The international agriculture course that included a trip to Mexico. Our professor, the legendary Robert McDowell, left a deep impression on me.” — Mickey McDermott, MS ’82 Calculus 101. After I conquered that, I knew I could conquer anything. Ronald Johnson ’77 “Diseases of Trees and Shrubs. Wayne Sinclair, PhD ’62, helped me develop a treatment for sudden oak death.” — Ralph Zingaro ’77 “Statics. After that, I was pretty sure I’d be a structural engineer.” — Nicholas Coyle ’17 Sreang Hok / Cornell UniversityFocusing on fungi in the popular Magical Mushrooms, Mischievous Molds. “All of the education minor courses! I still use those lessons every day of my life.” — Veronika Drozdova ’20 Creative writing with Dan McCall taught me the magic of words. Charles Schlumberger ’76 “Freshman seminar in Russian literature. My very first grade at Cornell was a C-minus. I thought I was a hotshot, and it brought me back to reality in both school and life.” — Adriane Simmons ’85 Rare and Manuscript CollectionsProf. Carl Sagan explains the mysteries of the cosmos in the 1970s. “After my second year in architecture school, I went on a summer studio with Prof. John Shaw and architecture historian Chris Otto. We traveled all over central Europe looking at the work of 18th-century Baroque architect Balthasar Neumann. I literally soaked in the architecture with my heart and soul. At the end of each day, my fingers were smothered with pencil graphite from the hours of sketching. The summer ended with four weeks on a boat sailing the Adriatic coast of Yugoslavia. When I returned to Ithaca, it was as if I had acquired superpowers. I could finally ‘see’ architecture and ‘speak’ architecture—life changing. That summer and that incredible architecture school fed my 35 years of practice around the globe as well as teaching my own students.” — Peter Choi ’90 Top: Prof. Vance Christian ’61, MS ’65, teaches the famed Intro to Wines course. (Rare and Manuscript Collections) Published August 24, 2026 What class did you find most life-changing? Leave a Comment Cancel replyOnce your comment is approved, your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Class Year Email * Save my name, email, and class year in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ Other stories You may like Alumni ‘Smart Cups,’ Clever Idea: Alum’s Company 3D Prints Ingredients Chime In Quelle Surprise! The Hidden Benefits of My French Lit Major Students Course Explores Nabokov as Writer and Butterfly Aficionado