Ithaca College

[Anonymous]

Has a druggie/hippie culture which some would like, some would hate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has a druggie/hippie culture which some would like, some would hate.

I'd hate it so much.

[Anonymous]

Have you been there or just spitballing? Cornell is a mix of elite programs & state school departments so quite a few of the students are actually down to earth. The Ithaca kids do their own thing and really aren't concerned about Cornell.

That's right, I'm spitballing -- because it's inconceivable that actual experience could leave someone with different perceptions than yours.

I know a number of recent Cornell and Ithaca graduates (to whom I spoke recently about a relative's interest in Ithaca), and visited Ithaca numerous times earlier. Based on all that, I think PP's comment about one potential downside to Ithaca College being that it's stuck in a (charming) small town it shares with the "elite" Cornell student body, isn't invented. It's not the only factor to consider, but it's something to be aware of. You can deny that there are any tensions between any of the students, and insist that Cornell students are all the salt of the earth, and that self-regard among students at elite colleges doesn't exist, and that Ithaca students have little interaction with Cornell students anyway (in Ithaca's one-street downtown...). But DCUM is a particularly bad place to make such not-credible assertions because we see here every day that the kids who are headed to Cornell by and large come from families that have trained them to assume that going to an Ivy or "T20" college is a measure of worth and a qualitatively different experience than going to a college that isn't even "T100" (horrors).

[Anonymous]

I looked at nearest airports to get DC home on breaks and it's isolated.

If you are drive-able/short regional flight away then sure but other side of the country... too many flights/connections before you even factor in the long drive to the closest major airport. The regional airports are even more complicated connection-wise. And then east coast weather disruptions that could affect connections...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bad weather, financial problems, woke student body, inferiority complex with Cornell a few miles away.

A better school in the same size and selectivity range would be Elon.

What's "better" about Elon?

The weather, the location, the name recognition, the girlz, the general trajectory of the school, to name a few.

Funny how things change. Thirty years ago when I started college Maryland was the safety school (if you lived in-state), and if you couldn't get in there you went someplace like Elon or East Carolina University.

Now Maryland is much harder to get into and Elon is more selective than ever.

A (younger) friend went to Ithaca and liked it, but I definitely couldn't handle those winters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bad weather, financial problems, woke student body, inferiority complex with Cornell a few miles away.

A better school in the same size and selectivity range would be Elon.

What's "better" about Elon?

The weather, the location, the name recognition, the girlz, the general trajectory of the school, to name a few.

Elon only has name recognition here.

[Anonymous]

My kid is at Ithaca and his experience has been great. Cornell being nearby has not been a negative factor for him at all. He goes to concerts and parties there on occasion. Having Cornell there is actually a benefit, because the larger campus attracts concerts and events to the area. I don't know what the previous poster's experience was, but it is definitely not everyone's.

[Anonymous]

I have a ‘26 who will be strongly looking at Ithaca and we visited with my oldest who has a different academic profile. I thought it would be a great school for the right student. Athletic facilities are top notch. For those who have kids attending/considering, can you share their academic profile?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DD is looking for some "likely" schools (or whatever we're now calling "safeties") and has been reading about Ithaca...it seems like a nice size (5000-ish), not isolated, and based on what she's read there are some nice things going for it (e.g., good pre-professional programs, pretty campus, great teaching.) I'm surprised we don't hear much about it....what are we missing (other than the lousy winters)? Anyone with direct experience (good or bad)?

I know several people who have gone to Ithaca, 20+ years ago up to more recently. All really loved it.

Not everyone wants a Big Ole Southern School experience.

[Anonymous]

I’m from that area and no one I know from HS applied. It seemed like the smaller school overshadowed by Cornell. You applied to Cornell or places in other areas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a ‘26 who will be strongly looking at Ithaca and we visited with my oldest who has a different academic profile. I thought it would be a great school for the right student. Athletic facilities are top notch. For those who have kids attending/considering, can you share their academic profile?

3.9 UW/4.5W
31 ACT

got a nice merit package

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I looked at nearest airports to get DC home on breaks and it's isolated.

If you are drive-able/short regional flight away then sure but other side of the country... too many flights/connections before you even factor in the long drive to the closest major airport. The regional airports are even more complicated connection-wise. And then east coast weather disruptions that could affect connections...

My child goes to Cornell. There are busses right from Ithaca to North Bethesda and Tysons for all breaks. Very convenient.

[Anonymous]

Mike Dexter from Can't Hardly Wait went there on a football scholarship but lost it when he partied too much.

[Anonymous]

I hired a news producer right after graduating Ithaca. Kid was well trained in journalism and production. I have suggested their Communciations program to many people. Same for Quinnipiac U. Kids graduate with great skills for jobs in news.

[Anonymous]

My cousin went to Ithaca for TV & Film and got a great job in TV in LA right after graduation. Career pipeline seemed very strong, cousin made great friends. Went up for his graduation and have to say I found the location dreary and the campus ugly in a 1970s way, but my cousin seemed to have a great four years!