Try new things. Seek out mentors. And don't be afraid of the dining hall's self-serve ice cream machines.

Such welcoming advice greeted the Class of 2013 and transfer students at Schoellkopf Stadium Aug. 22, at the New Student Convocation.

President David J. Skorton began his address with a simple "good morning." When the crowd answered back, he quipped, "Not bad for staying out too late last night." He went on to offer greetings in several languages, from Arabic and French to Hebrew.

Skorton told the Class of 2013 and their families a bit about themselves. The class is 3,221 strong, selected from the largest applicant pool in the history of the university -- more than 34,000 applicants, he said. "Nearly 36 percent identify yourselves as students of color -- the most diverse entering class we've ever had."

Skorton assured the students that all of them can do well at Cornell, in both academics and in the more than 500 student organizations.

But, he said, Cornell, like every major research university, can be a demanding and stressful place. "When pressure builds, when you are experiencing the inevitable challenges of life as a college student, I urge you to reach out to others who can help you," he said. "This is a mark of strength and self-awareness, not weakness." He also encouraged students to learn how to best protect themselves and others from the seasonal flu and the new H1N1 strain, by checking for updates on Cornell's home page, http://www.cornell.edu.

He also advised the students not to worry too much about career prospects. "It is reasonable to be concerned, but don't let that concern take over your life or keep you from exploring intellectual avenues that are of personal, rather than professional, interest."

He closed by urging the students to take advantage of all that Cornell has to offer. "This is a place inspired by the promise of possibility. You represent a new dimension of that promise. Welcome to Cornell."

Skorton was preceded by Rammy Salem '10, Student Assembly president, who urged students to nurture what is unique about themselves. "Don't for a second think that you don't belong here," he said. "Blossom where you're planted, and you'll get transplanted to bigger and better things." Perhaps most important, be idealists, he said.

Find mentors and become active citizens, advised doctoral candidate Michael Walsh, a student-elected trustee to the Cornell Board of Trustees. And take on academic and personal challenges, including the operation of the dining hall's self-serve ice-cream machine. "Lift the lever. Step back. Hold the cone high, victorious," he quipped. "Then give the next person a little bit of advice and encouragement."

Emily Krebs '10, chair of the Orientation Steering Committee, advised students to discover their passion at Cornell, whether through their studies or through extracurricular activities. "You are here to make yourself," she said.

The ceremony ended with the Cornell University Chorus and Glee Club singing the alma mater. In the audience, Bill Quain '74 sang the words by heart. He and his wife, Jeanne, were on campus to drop off their daughter, Amanda Quain '13. "She's joining this wonderful place," Bill Quain said. "And it will be with her for the rest of her life."

Amanda Quain had already had dinner with the marching band's flute section, of which she is a new member, and had checked out her Balch Hall room, she said. "This is the right place," she said of Cornell. "It feels like home."