Anonymous wrote:There's nothing to do in Ithaca but hiking and drugs. Cornell is for people who are insecure and desperate for ivy validation. Unless you go to the public school part of Cornell, you could get into better/warmer options in bigger cities.

lol. I wish the people who post this stuff would say where they went to school!! Insecure much?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone else think Andy Bernard every time they see those thread topic? A rit dit do!

Yes yes yes!

Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd... (my favorite Andy Bernard)

My DD wants to go to Cornell and cannot articulate why. I honestly think it is because of The Office. *eye roll*. It’s ok. She is very unlikely to get in.

I'm from the deep South, and spent a few years teaching at Cornell a decade ago. It is hard to exaggerate just how brutal the winters are there if you are not from, say, Minnesota, Maine or Montreal. One gets used to it, I suppose, but if you want a taste try visiting during a "polar vortex" some time in February.

+1000. It's not so much the cold (it rarely got below 20F during my years there), it's the sheer VOLUME of snow. Lake effect just dumps snow in the region - was not unheard of to get a few feet in a day, and the year I graduated it snowed on Mother's Day. That said, Ithaca is (was?) really great at snow removal, so the roads were generally clear and it wasn't too difficult to get around. Lots of kids in the dorms would cross-country ski to class...

For better or worse, I do not think they get as much snow now. My child is there now and I do not think they have ever had a few feet in a day.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone else think Andy Bernard every time they see those thread topic? A rit dit do!

Yes yes yes!

Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd... (my favorite Andy Bernard)

My DD wants to go to Cornell and cannot articulate why. I honestly think it is because of The Office. *eye roll*. It’s ok. She is very unlikely to get in.

I'm from the deep South, and spent a few years teaching at Cornell a decade ago. It is hard to exaggerate just how brutal the winters are there if you are not from, say, Minnesota, Maine or Montreal. One gets used to it, I suppose, but if you want a taste try visiting during a "polar vortex" some time in February.

+1000. It's not so much the cold (it rarely got below 20F during my years there), it's the sheer VOLUME of snow. Lake effect just dumps snow in the region - was not unheard of to get a few feet in a day, and the year I graduated it snowed on Mother's Day. That said, Ithaca is (was?) really great at snow removal, so the roads were generally clear and it wasn't too difficult to get around. Lots of kids in the dorms would cross-country ski to class...

Anonymous wrote:People really like to exaggerate about the winter weather. It's going to be rainy and 50 degrees in Ithaca today. Maybe in the past they had brutal winters, but that is no longer as true. It is definitely colder than wherever you live, but it's nowhere near the 6 months of cold winter that people like to say.

I grew up in Ithaca and still have family and friends there. There are definitely brutally cold days there, but the really wintery stuff -- deep snow, etc -- is further north, in Syracuse and Rochester.

I also have family & friends in Wisconsin and Minnesota, and that is a whole different thing.

There's nothing to do in Ithaca but hiking and drugs. Cornell is for people who are insecure and desperate for ivy validation. Unless you go to the public school part of Cornell, you could get into better/warmer options in bigger cities.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone else think Andy Bernard every time they see those thread topic? A rit dit do!

Yes yes yes!

Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd... (my favorite Andy Bernard)

My DD wants to go to Cornell and cannot articulate why. I honestly think it is because of The Office. *eye roll*. It’s ok. She is very unlikely to get in.

I'm from the deep South, and spent a few years teaching at Cornell a decade ago. It is hard to exaggerate just how brutal the winters are there if you are not from, say, Minnesota, Maine or Montreal. One gets used to it, I suppose, but if you want a taste try visiting during a "polar vortex" some time in February.

I went to Cornell and while the winters were snowy and cold, you can prep for that. I’m considerably more uncomfortable in southern summers.

The whole region is amazing in the summer though so I would recommend that you visit twice. Once during the winter and once in the fall. I think Cornell might be better for grad school for this reason. Usually undergrads only enjoy a taste of the summer for two weeks in September and one in May.

People really like to exaggerate about the winter weather. It's going to be rainy and 50 degrees in Ithaca today. Maybe in the past they had brutal winters, but that is no longer as true. It is definitely colder than wherever you live, but it's nowhere near the 6 months of cold winter that people like to say.

Anonymous wrote:Above is fantastic info with one small correction, Cornell now mandates living in dorms for first 2 years starting with Class of ‘25. (current freshmen). They can do it now as they opened 2 new dorms this year and a few (1? 2?) more are coming online next and following years.

Previously you could move off campus after first year. I view this change as a positive.

Along what the this change, is a requirement that you have a full meal plan both years...more flexibility was better/cheaper for kids who do not eat so many meals a week.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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

This. I wouldn't describe it as a suburb. It's a large, world class university in a rural area.

It's not just a rural area... Ithaca is a great little progressive hippie town surrounded by beautiful lakes and gorges

+1 We have no immediate connection to Cornell itself, but we discovered Ithaca and the surrounding region five years ago and have already been 3 times for our summer vacations, even though we typically like to mix it up more each year.

The hiking, while not as rigorous as some like, is amazing, so if your kid loves the outdoors they'll be in heaven. There are at least 3 gorgeous trails that take some effort (Watkins Glen, Treman, Taughannock) within a reasonable distance, and other shorter hikes (Cascadilla Gorge, Buttermilk Falls, etc.) if you have less time. This is not to even mention the gorgeous view of the lake you get from many spots on campus and off.

Ithaca is very much a college town, with a bit of a hippie vibe. We eat at the Moosewood Cafe (yes, the cookbook one!) at least twice while we're there, and there are other great options for dining, too--we go to the Ithaca Bakery pretty much every day for lunch. Not that this would be a big attraction for your DC, but Ithaca is also in the midst of a region (Finger Lakes) also known for its excellent wine, and you can easily visit many vineyards a short drive from campus. Perhaps oddly, the town is also known for its gunmaker and auto racing in nearby Watkins Glen, although this was true more in the past than now.

As others have, I'd recommend visiting in the winter to make sure you know what sub-20 degree weather really feels like. If it weren't so cold there in the winters, we'd be giving serious consideration to retiring there. When you visit, the student-run Statler on campus is a good option, but we love La Tourelle and have stayed there three times. It has a nice spa, great breakfast (not included), and seems to be where all the performing artists who play at Cornell or Ithaca College stay--the Dalai Lama has stayed there, too!

Have fun and good luck!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone else think Andy Bernard every time they see those thread topic? A rit dit do!

Yes yes yes!

Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd... (my favorite Andy Bernard)

My DD wants to go to Cornell and cannot articulate why. I honestly think it is because of The Office. *eye roll*. It’s ok. She is very unlikely to get in.

I'm from the deep South, and spent a few years teaching at Cornell a decade ago. It is hard to exaggerate just how brutal the winters are there if you are not from, say, Minnesota, Maine or Montreal. One gets used to it, I suppose, but if you want a taste try visiting during a "polar vortex" some time in February.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone else think Andy Bernard every time they see those thread topic? A rit dit do!

Yes yes yes!

Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd... (my favorite Andy Bernard)

My DD wants to go to Cornell and cannot articulate why. I honestly think it is because of The Office. *eye roll*. It’s ok. She is very unlikely to get in.

Anonymous wrote:Above is fantastic info with one small correction, Cornell now mandates living in dorms for first 2 years starting with Class of ‘25. (current freshmen). They can do it now as they opened 2 new dorms this year and a few (1? 2?) more are coming online next and following years.

Previously you could move off campus after first year. I view this change as a positive.

This does sound a nice change:
https://scl.cornell.edu/residential-life/housing/campus-housing/upperlevel-undergraduate-campus-housing

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I heard the school built some new housing facilities, now sophomores are required to live on campus.

Interesting. Wonder how that affected Greek life. I’m the past, sophomores would live in houses.

Looks like university-recognized fraternities and sororities do count as approved housing.
https://scl.cornell.edu/residential-life/housing/campus-housing/residential-policy

Anonymous wrote:I heard the school built some new housing facilities, now sophomores are required to live on campus.

Interesting. Wonder how that affected Greek life. I’m the past, sophomores would live in houses.

I heard the school built some new housing facilities, now sophomores are required to live on campus.