Survey questions were developed to understand more about the Class of 2026 in four main areas:
From there, we conducted bivariate analysis to take a closer look at trends across these categories, looking at how different traits, backgrounds, and experiences interact with each other. The survey collected a total of 103 responses during the time it was open. Due to this sample size, The Sun recognizes limitations to our analysis. We do not claim any causal relationship within our analysis and we note that durvey demographics are not representative of the full breakdown of the Class of 2026. Further, each question on the survey was option, and thus sample sizes for different analyses may differ.
The survey was live and accepted responses from April 20, 2026 to May 5, 2026. During this time, The Sun solicited student responses through a number of marketing avenues. The survey was shared via our newsletter, website, and social media. Further, the survey was shared within student groups through platforms such as Slack. Emails were additionally sent to seniors based on registration for Cornell's Senior Days events.
The Cornell Daily Sun respects your privacy and is committed to keeping your personal data safe. In this survey, no names or emails were collected to ensure that your responses are not traced back to you. Our raw collected data, collected by the survey and handled by The Sun’s Data Department, solely contains your answers to questions, with no meta data collected.
Further, while no personal data was collected we are also committed to ensuring the security and viability of the survey results. Therefore, only users with a Cornell email address could access the survey and submit a response.