Leina Mc Laughlin

Meet Leina

Leina thrives in the diverse intellectual landscape the College of Arts & Sciences provides, and with academic interests ranging from data science to poetry analysis, Leina knows better than anyone that the college emphasizes breadth of study. Around campus, Leina dives into research and her work as an admissions ambassador, and she's become a human map! After challenging herself to take every bus route, she has found many favorite and niche places in the Finger Lakes region.

What clubs/activities are you involved with on campus?

I am a Cornell University Diversity Admissions Ambassador, Cornell Undergraduate Admissions Intern, Social Perception and Intergroup (In)equality Lab (Krosch Lab) Research Assistant, and part of Cornell Undergraduate Research Board and Cornell Psi Chi.

What is your academic passion?

I am a psychology and information science (with a concentration in data science) double major, and my primary interest is decision-making and modeling using both algorithms and qualitative data. For example, I am constantly interested in the pathing of elevators — it's the perfect example of data science and psychology intersecting. How do you tell an elevator which floor to prioritize if it needs to run in the fastest order and in a way that frustrates the least people? Think about a 50-story building with a CEO who wants to be picked up within two minutes of pressing a button on floor 50. Meanwhile, maintenance on the first floor needs to be delivered first to any problem on any floor. Now, there's an interpersonal aspect mixed into the algorithm. Beyond logical prioritization, I am also interested in decision-making impacted by subliminal biases, ingroup vs outgroup alignment, and cognitive dissonance.

What is one piece of advice or something you wish you knew when applying?

I wish I knew how much admissions officers care about getting to know each applicant and their passions. When I was applying, I was so worried about grades and test scores getting me in the door that I didn't realize how important my essays were. All the admissions officers I've spoken to express how much they care about students' life experiences and excitement to grow and make change within their field of interest. There is no reason for applicants to dull themselves down or apply to an "easy" major, especially at Cornell; there is no "easy way in." The only path is explaining who you are, what experiences formed you, and how you want to change the world or field of your interest by getting to attend Cornell.

Tell us about your favorite spot on campus or in Ithaca.

One of the non-school-related reasons I chose Cornell was Ithaca's location. I love hiking, and there are hundreds of trails near Cornell. Some of my favorites are hikes around Cayuga Lake, the Black Diamond Trail, and Treman State Park, which has a two-mile uphill hike called the Gorge Trail that takes you to Lucifer Falls, the biggest and fastest-moving waterfall I've ever seen (and I've hiked all around Oregon and Hawai'i)!

When you were applying, why did you choose Cornell?

I chose Cornell because I wanted an authentic college experience at a school that would set me up for success with connections and course programs. I genuinely believe there's no other school where I could go crazy at hockey games and Slopefest, watch horror movies with my best friends at 2 AM, and then wake up and go to a lecture from the professor who invented the field of Computational Sustainability (Carla Gomes' INFO2770 was AMAZING). The duality of this school is unbelievable, even when you're the one getting to experience it. It's what makes Cornell stand out against any other institution.

Tell us about your favorite thing to do in Ithaca.

My friends joke that I'm always on the bus. First-year students at Cornell get a free bus pass, so during my first year, I made it a goal to ride every route the TCAT bus has. On free weekends, afternoons, and even mornings before class, you could find me riding to more random locations, but I discovered many hidden gems from my adventures! Basically, my favorite thing to do in Ithaca is explore! I found incredible hiking trails and lake viewpoints, the cutest tiny cafes in the middle of nowhere, and the best food in the town. I'm also just a walking Apple Maps now: my friends will text me and ask how to get from point A to B because I'm more reliable than an app at this point.

I've pursued interests like learning American Sign Language, coding in Python, poetry analysis, and, of course, my two majors, psychology and information science.

What inspires you?

I am fortunate that upper-level students set incredible examples for me. I look to the more senior research assistants in my lab as inspiration for my future honors thesis. Shoutout to Hya and Izzy: Their hard work, dedication, and overall knowledge about psychological research are beyond inspiring and help me see where I want to be in a few years. Alex and Emily, the current co-presidents of the Cornell University Diversity Admissions Ambassadors, motivate me in my ambassador work, and their ability to problem solve even in the most stressful situations is not only inspiring but comforting because I can go to them with any problem and they help me unpack it. Finally, Alhassan was my Cornell Undergraduate Research Board Chair and is the perfect example of doing it all; I watched him lead our team flawlessly while taking 20+ credits and holding about a million other positions and commitments. I wouldn't be half as confident and put together without each of these inspirations!

Why is the College of Arts & Sciences (A&S) a great fit for you?

It might seem cliché, but A&S is perfect for me because it lets me explore so many fields of interest. I've pursued interests like learning American Sign Language, coding in Python, poetry analysis, and, of course, my two majors, psychology and information science. I get to do it all within A&S! The commitment to breadth of study at A&S is great for me because I'm hoping to go abroad next year, and I know the college will support whichever location I choose and give me Cornell credits for my experience learning abroad so I don't fall behind while exploring the world.

What is your favorite class so far, and why?

My favorite class is PSYCH 4700: Independent Psychology Research! I work in the Social Perception and Intergroup (In)equality Lab (Krosch Lab) as a Research Assistant and get three credits every semester towards my major and graduation requirements. I will champion the Krosch Lab forever; it's the lab I wrote about wanting to join in my application to Cornell. To get to work in it now is an honor and a dream 16-year-old Leina would have died to find out came true. I get to work firsthand with a Cornell psychology professor and her graduate students, which has taught me a ton about my pathway toward graduate studies in psychology. We learn to collect quantitative and qualitative data, how to analyze and interpret it, how to pull previously published research to inform the creation of future studies, and at the end of the semester, each Research Assistant writes a 10–12 page research paper on a topic they want to explore, and it gets reviewed by our professor. I highly recommend research to every Cornell student I can!

Tell us about an off-campus program you've participated in.

I got to be a Winter Ambassador for Cornell last year. This program sends student ambassadors back to their local high schools to present their Cornell and Ivy League experiences to students. Being the first student in my high school to attend an Ivy League and one of a handful of students attending university outside the West Coast, this program was so rewarding. I got to explain the application process and answer questions for students in the same position as me just a few years ago. I connected with students and told them my story, and now I see a few of them around campus!

Tell us about your favorite place to study.

Studying with a good view is essential, so the absolute best study spot, especially for long afternoon/night study sessions, is Emerson Hall. It's one of the tallest buildings on campus, and you can study all night watching the sun set over Cayuga Lake and the moon rising over the southeast foresty hills. Mann Café is only a five-minute walk away for a snack, and there are 11 floors, so there's always an open spot. Plus, it's beautifully decorated with tons of plants around study areas because it's a plant science building. There's a bus stop right outside (of course, I would know), which takes you back to North Campus, so there's no need to battle the weather while walking home after watching the snowfall during the sunset.

Cornell Office of Undergraduate Admissions