Cornell c/o 2017 Applicants (2013-2014) Forum

[MnM22]

So just reserve/WL and dings today, correct? No acceptances?

[albs18]

Any acceptances without an interview so far this cycle?

[Serett]

Write it patfeeny, thanks

+1

Edit: And for an additional plug, I'd be especially interested in your opinions on quality (for their respective prices) studios/one-bedrooms, which it sounds as though you were considering for yourself, anyway. I'd be living alone, no significant other to defray costs, though.

[SplitMyPants]

Any acceptances without an interview so far this cycle?

Quite a few IIRC. I think there were some a few pages back from last week.

[tigress12]

.

[052220151]

Any acceptances without an interview so far this cycle?

Me, but I applied super early and am in their sweet spot number wise.

[kenwash]

Any acceptances without an interview so far this cycle?

Accepted without an interview. Went complete in January.

[ArundelSt]

Write it patfeeny, thanks

+1

Edit: And for an additional plug, I'd be especially interested in your opinions on quality (for their respective prices) studios/one-bedrooms, which it sounds as though you were considering for yourself, anyway. I'd be living alone, no significant other to defray costs, though.

Yes please patfeeny

[gotsomequestions]

Ended up the day with no email after my 3rd complete.
Oh well!

[patfeeney]

I'm no expert or authority on anything Ithaca, so take all of this with a grain of salt. I've lived here for four years, so my experiences are where most of my info comes from.

patfeeney's Guide to Living in Ithaca, NY

City: Ithaca is often called “10 square miles surrounded by reality.” The city is really something to behold. There are 30,000 year-round residents and well over 30,000 students attending Cornell and Ithaca College. The mayor is a 26-year-old Cornell grad, and when elected was one of the youngest mayors in U.S. history. It’s nestled between two hills, Cayuga Lake, and contained within Route 13, which wraps around the metropolitan area. It’s mostly residential/suburban, with a few blocks of more urban setting within the “Commons,” a two-block area with shops, banks, hotels, and other businesses. Farther out along Route 13, there’s a little commercial sprawl, including a Walmart, a few grocery stores, Kohl’s, fast food restaurants, etc.

People: Interesting. The city skews very liberal, and the people definitely reflect this vibe. Recreational drug use is pretty much the norm. The eco trend really hit Ithaca; there’s an entire Eco-Village of houses with solar panels and other sustainable features. Many restaurants are all-organic, and there is even an all-organic grocery store, Greenstar. They range from the typical college student or professor to the more… interesting people. There is one man I met who goes by the name “Twelve Moon.” A café in the Commons is owned and run by a sect of the Twelve Tribes cult. People are friendly, but many are only left-leaning versions of the people you’d typically find at a town hall meeting; many are not so inclusive with right-leaning opinions. For the most part, be patient with them, and they'll be patient with you. Some are very friendly, others are the definition of smug.

Food: There is lots of food in Ithaca… lots of expensive food. There are more restaurants per block downtown than there are in most parts of New York City. These range from Subway and Jade Garden (typical Cantonese fare) to Mercato, where dishes average near $30. There are places for every taste; Chinese, Japanese, Mexican, Tapas, American/Grill, Deli, Thai, Pizza, Italian, Greek, Diners, and more. There is even an all-organic and all-local restaurant, the Moosewood, that changes its menu daily, according to what’s available. It’s probably the best restaurant in town.

Besides fast food/ chain restaurants, most food locations are pretty expensive. Good ones on the cheaper end include Viva! (all-organic Mexican food, $8-9 a plate) and the State Diner (24-hour diner specializing in Greek and breakfast food; family-owned, delicious, cheap, friendly, and charming). My personal suggestions:
Joe's Italian Restaurant. Mid-range prices, but you get lots of food. I suggest getting reservations a few days ahead of time, and make sure to tell your server not to seat you near the doors, especially during the winter.
Manos Diner: By no means high-quality food. It still smells like old cigarette ash, about half the time the food comes out uncooked, and it's out in the boonies. However, two scrambled eggs, three pancakes, sausage, toast, and coffe for $6 is hard to beat.
State Diner: Always tasty, always open.
Saigon Kitchen: Charming little Vietnamese place with some of the meanest Southeast Asian food you'll ever eat. Their deep-fried calamari will make you re-think deepfried.
Moosewood: Food that's so good, the place has four published cookbooks. I know people who drive two hours to eat here.
Waffle Frolic: Everything you could ever want to eat on a Waffle, plus a small reading room.
Sammy's Pizza: Best pizza in town, and also the best deal in town.

For groceries, there are two Greenstar locations, many small markets/stops, a Tops, and the heaven of all heavenly grocery stores, Wegmans. It’s huge, it’s wonderful, and it’s not all that expensive, either. Both Tops and Wegmans are on route 13. Make sure you drive to them; the distance is daunting for anything more than $10 worth of groceries.

Temporary Lodging: If visiting, Ithaca has plenty of options on all ends. There’s a Super 8 Motel, a Hampton Inn, a Ramada, a Country Inn and Suites, a Holiday Inn, and a Hilton Garden Inn all within two miles of the Cornell campus. There are also numerous bed and breakfasts, including the William Henry Miller Inn. If you want the full monty, though, stay at the Statler Hotel, which is run by Cornell University’s hotel administration school and is connected to Statler Hall. It’s also walking distance to the law school.

Housing: Apartments are pricey in Ithaca. Monthly rents for a one-bedroom apartment can start at $670 (at the Cayuga Apartments, relatively new and right downtown; includes heat, hot water, and gas). Companies include Travis Hyde properties, PPH Realty, Ithaca Rents, and Ithaca Rental Solutions.

Apartments go really quickly; I’ve had three properties vanish from my hands within a week. There is insanely high demand for one and two bedroom places; larger apartments go quickly too.

Some of the neighborhoods you’d be more likely to live in:
- South Hill. Not “far” from Cornell, mile-wise (perhaps half a mile away), but the college itself is on top of a hill and separated by a fair amount of convoluted traffic. South Hill is predominantly populated by families and Ithaca College students. It’s quiet, with some of the cheaper apartments in town. No food options except for Rogan’s Corner, a convenience store/gas station.
-Collegetown. Cornell’s main hooplah area, with at least a dozen restaurants, a couple stores, businesses, bars, etc, including the Chapter House, the Nines, etc. Literally 500 feet away from the Law School (across the bridge from the Schwartz performing arts center). Apartments here are ludicrously expensive; studios start at over $1200. However, the short walking distance and close proximity to a couple of restaurants and grocers means you’d never need a car while on campus.
-East Hill. Area surrounding Collegetown. Definitely a noisier area; this is the main residential area near Cornell, and during big party weekends the sidewalks tend to be swarmed with Cornell and Ithaca students. Fewer families, but lots of students. Houses are a little more run-down. Also no restaurants, but close enough to Collegetown to not matter.

Nightlife: Lots of bars in Ithaca, for every taste. Moonshadow Tavern is cheap, with theme nights throughout the week; they even held a beer pong tournament for 1Ls a few weeks ago. Mercato features signature (read=$10 a pop) cocktails that a friend of mine, a bartender, says are out of this world. I’ll take his word on it. Felicia’s Atomic Lounge is a hopping, LGBT-friendly dive on State Street. Kilpatrick’s Publick House is a pretty fancy Irish pub located in the same building as the Hilton Garden Inn. The list goes on.

Entertainment: Three movie theaters, including a Regal, Cinemapolis (an all-independent, non-profit cinema), and the Cornell Cinema. The State Theater and Cornell’s Barton Hall feature many popular acts; some recent ones include Major Lazer, Ke$ha, B.B. King, Merle Haggard, Kendrick Lamar, the Flaming Lips, Neutral Milk Hotel, etc. For dayside activities, there’s lots of hiking at Six Mile Creek, Buttermilk Falls and beyond. A 30-plus-trail downhill ski resort, Greek Peak, is about 45 minutes away. Cinemapolis has student discounts; Cornell has discount and free movies. Concerts at Barton and the State range from $15-$60 per ticket. The hiking trails are free.

Shopping: Ithaca is loaded with family-owned shops, mainly consignment boutiques and alternative fair. Some of the more well-known spots: Trader K’s, a consignment shop that accepts trade-ins; Angry Mom Records, which still sells primarily vinyl; Buffalo Street Books, an indie book shop (and expensive!); Life’s So Sweet Chocolates; a plethora of headshops, ranging from chain to super-sketchy lampshade stores; McNeil’s Music instruments; and on and on… There is little so far as commercial shopping. The Shops at Ithaca Mall have a few clothing stores like JC Penney’s, American Eagle… the main drag on Route 13 also has a number of chain stores. If you really want fancier attire, you’ll have to head up to Destiny USA, a megamall about an hour north of Ithaca.

Traffic + Transportation: It’s bearable, most of the time. The city has a very odd layout; at least half of the streets are one-way only downtown. The neighborhoods try to follow a standard, square layout, but the steepness of the hills and the fractured creeks split up a lot of roads into hellish circle drives and other weirdness. Spend some time during low-traffic hours (7 or 8pm on weeknights) getting used to the streets, and definitely bring a map with you. The Cornell area is not so bad, but there are areas downtown where a wrong turn will kill the next 20 minutes of your life. The drivers are a cross between Jersey and Manhattan drivers, so you'll want to watch out.

The TCAT is the city's main bus line. It was consolidated from a former Cornell University bus line, so all Cornell students get free unlimited rides on the bus with their student pass (Ithaca students pay $1.50 a ride). Bus line goes everywhere around town, all the way to Cortland, 2 miles away.

There's a Greyhound station off Route 13 that gives rides to NYC, Philly, Buffalo, etc. However, it's an off-route stop, so tickets from Ithaca tend to have a significant premium compared to Syracuse bus routes.

Taxis and public vehicle wise, Ithaca's main cab company is the Green Hornet; very quick and efficient but they're also known for being a party taxi. They even have a small fan covered in band stickers to carry drunk students home. The city also has "Ithaca Car Share"; you pay a monthly subscription and then a small fee per hour and per mile and you can reserve one of several vehicles around town, including a Prius.

Overall, it’s a charming place, and you learn to love it. Just make sure to watch your cash and not let everything get to your head.

[Lavitz]

Stuff

Great guide. Thanks. I'm going to link to it in the c/o 2017 OP.

I would just like to mention that the TCAT is only free for your first year at Cornell. After that, it's something like $200 a year.

[patfeeney]

Stuff

Great guide. Thanks. I'm going to link to it in the c/o 2017 OP.

I would just like to mention that the TCAT is only free for your first year at Cornell. After that, it's something like $200 a year.

Did not know that.

[thewaves]

For people who were accepted after an interview, how long did it take to be notified?

[PourMeTea]

Post removed.

[barrelofmonkeys]

Thanks for the write-up, Pat!

whoa hi

[PourMeTea]

Post removed.

[SupCutie]

2nd status update on 1/30, survived the gore. Hugs for everyone.

[patfeeney]

Thanks for the write-up, Pat!

whoa hi

~*I see all*~

Long time no see, tea.

[gotsomequestions]

How many others with their 3rd update today got no email? I only saw one other.

[052220151]

Good shit, feeney.

Sup t bro?

[esther0123]

Still at verifying material fml.
submitted early january. Is this normal?

[lawskewl13]

How many others with their 3rd update today got no email? I only saw one other.

Right here.

[barrelofmonkeys]

Still at verifying material fml.
submitted early january. Is this normal?

yes

[mickey_mouse]

Another here with third update (11/19, 1/30, 2/3), and no email. <25 LSAT, >75 GPA...

[Serett]

Thanks for the write-up, Pat!