Anonymous wrote:Why not visit when/if your kid gets in?

I went there and loved the campus, but I agree it’s not easy to get to. Our DD is applying this colleges this year and we only visited the nearby ones—saving the others (California!) until she actually gets accepted.

Agree. Its just that DC is trying to decide on a ED school. Visit is a must for the ED school.

Anonymous wrote:If you aren't legacy, don't bother.

or if you aren't a NY state resident, don't bother

Anonymous wrote:Hi,
We are from the South and contemplating visiting Cornell--I just watched a YouTube video and the campus felt like a pretty NE Suburb? Big, far flung, not cohesive. I know online can be deceiving but just wanted to get feedback from folks who have visited. It will be a expensive trip and not an easy one so thinking it through. Thank you!

Alum and parent here, and my spouse was a faculty brat so Cornell is like a second home for us. Campus for the most part is actually pretty compact. Some of the Ag school buildings are far out on Tower Road, but even the core Ag quad is not far. The Arts & Sciences quad is beautiful and it is kind of the center of the academic campus, and the AAP college is right there also. Engineering, Hotel, ILR and HumEc are also close by. It is easy to meet your friends for lunch regardless of what school they might be in. The main undergraduate library is right off the Arts quad, by the bell tower. And then the student union (Willard Straight Hall) is a 1 minute walk from the bell tower, across from the campus store.

If you are able and depending when you visit, try to stay a night on campus at the Statler. Also, as to the "parking on campus is never free" poster, on the weekend you can often park behind the Arts quad (at the top of Libe Slope) for free when the gates are up. The art museum is also on that road and was designed by I.M. Pei.

I had several friends from the South when I went to Cornell, who loved it. Good luck! Feel free to ask specific questions if you want.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why not visit when/if your kid gets in?

I went there and loved the campus, but I agree it’s not easy to get to. Our DD is applying this colleges this year and we only visited the nearby ones—saving the others (California!) until she actually gets accepted.

Do they have tours after accepted?

Tours were recently suspended due to recent Covid surge but now that campus is Covid “green” again there is a note that it will resume soon.

You can sign up for tour then. They take anyone, even current undergrads studying elsewhere.

I toured with my sophomore (who’s not at Cornell) last August.

It is a large campus but there are various quads. My daughter spends most of her time on the engineering quad; so I don't know that a large campus is a problem. She does not, for example, need to go to the side of campus where the Vet school is. The school is on the top of a hill looking down at the lake. Next to campus is an area called collegetown with restaurants and off-campus housing. The town of Ithaca is not tiny. There are malls and restaurants, etc. Outside of Ithaca gets rural. It is a great place for students that like nature, but still want a town. Should visit in winter if possible. Gets cold but I don't think it is worse than say Boston. We love Ithaca.

Anonymous wrote:Why not visit when/if your kid gets in?

I went there and loved the campus, but I agree it’s not easy to get to. Our DD is applying this colleges this year and we only visited the nearby ones—saving the others (California!) until she actually gets accepted.

Do they have tours after accepted?

Why not visit when/if your kid gets in?

I went there and loved the campus, but I agree it’s not easy to get to. Our DD is applying this colleges this year and we only visited the nearby ones—saving the others (California!) until she actually gets accepted.

Parking on campus is never free 24x7x365 but google Daily Decision Cornell for $1/$2 per day options that you pay using the ParkMobile app. Not in the center of campus but walkable. As somebody upthread said, the campus minus Agriculture (Ag) is smaller and very walkable and compact.

Parking in Ithaca itself is free after 6pm and all weekend I think but be aware of odd/even days of leaving overnight during winter season.

It’s a large campus in a medium-sized town in a rural area. Not really suburban.

It is a big campus. It doesn't feel unmanageably spread out in warmer months when the paths are clear and dry, but getting around in winter can be a production. That said, most undergrads will be going from their dorm to one general area of campus and having all their classes there and going to the library in the same general area. There is NOT time to go back to the dorm between classes, but once you're in the general zone you can tromp around and get from building to building during your day of classes.

If, otoh, you have fallen on the ice and broken your ankle, it's another matter. Ask me how I know.

In terms of admissions, ignore the immediate PP; of course you should consider it. But definitely visit BEFORE the weather gets nice (before the end of March, for sure) so you get an honest sense of the weather your kid would be in for. They may not mind it, but they should evaluate it honestly.

If you aren't legacy, don't bother.

Anonymous wrote:Hi,
We are from the South and contemplating visiting Cornell--I just watched a YouTube video and the campus felt like a pretty NE Suburb? Big, far flung, not cohesive. I know online can be deceiving but just wanted to get feedback from folks who have visited. It will be a expensive trip and not an easy one so thinking it through. Thank you!

We visited in August, a beautiful campus, my DS loved it. Hard to find parking, so we just parked at one place and walked around the Libe Slope, quads, library, student center, etc. then picked up the car driving to the agricultural building to taste the famous ice cream.

I guess it's sort of big because some of the agricultural stuff is a bit further away and there are lots of gardens and natural areas on one side. I didn't think the main campus was that much bigger than the university I attended which had slightly more students. It does have more garden areas on the main campus than average.

As far as cohesiveness, it's not as cohesive as Emory for example but it's definitely not jarring. Maybe all of the trees help. I think it's a pretty campus and area for nature lovers. If the building architecture is important, I imagine you could do better.

Anonymous wrote:Hi,
We are from the South and contemplating visiting Cornell--I just watched a YouTube video and the campus felt like a pretty NE Suburb? Big, far flung, not cohesive. I know online can be deceiving but just wanted to get feedback from folks who have visited. It will be a expensive trip and not an easy one so thinking it through. Thank you!

It is a very big campus. Like a city (in size). Hard to park, etc. Dress warm. It is hilly. Very large lecture halls.

The town is nice...but really much more appealing (the lake, farmer's market, etc) in the summer.

Hi,
We are from the South and contemplating visiting Cornell--I just watched a YouTube video and the campus felt like a pretty NE Suburb? Big, far flung, not cohesive. I know online can be deceiving but just wanted to get feedback from folks who have visited. It will be a expensive trip and not an easy one so thinking it through. Thank you!