Ithaca College

Okay, speaking as a 20 year old male who attended Ithaca directly from High School with a 3.2 GPA (I'm only stating this so you guys get a sense for the type of student I am.. basically the lazy kid in HS who relied on my brains instead of studying). Im not going to talk about academics because that shit's pretty much the same at any school in this price range.. so im sticking to student life.

ANYWAYS- The school itself kick ass. There is a solid amount of diversity (aside from most of the student body being at least slightly wealthy).

The hippy/ drug scene can be found extremely easily if one is looking for that.
MARIJUANA..
the scene is apart of Ithaca student life, and the college itself is extremely lenient about it (you can walk through campus after dark smoking a joint without worrying at, and people do).

However, if it's not you're thing, you can TOTALLY avoid it without even trying. Nobody pressures anyone into doing anything there. If you dont smoke or you feel uncomfortable around it you will still feel right at home in Ithaca, but you will smell weed in the air on occasion. The student body as a whole is super laid back. Of course there are still the stuck up mean girl clicky girls here and there, but once the beer starts flowing everyone is a friend. which brings me to..

PARTIES
there is no greek life aka no frats at Ithaca. The closest thing you'll get is the sports houses of campus. You WILL have jacked ass legs by the end of your first semester because Ithaca is on top of a mountain and ALL the parties are located down the hill (but every off campus party will be within a 10 minute walk, which really is not bad at all. Cornell is literally less than a 15 minute walk/ 2 minute cab ride away, so if you get bored of house parties just go over there.

WEATHER
I'll let this one stay a surprise.. :) muahaha
FOOD
3 dining halls, all mediocre at best, however The terrace dining hall (located in the terrace housing area of campus) has the best food

STUFF TO DO
If you like outdoorsy things like me (hiking cliff jumping, running, biking, photography, etc..) THIS IS THE PLACE FOR YOU. it's gosh darn b e a utiful here, every day, 24/7. (it might get cold, but the scenery is always epic).

there is also a extreme lively town right down the hill. Ithaca is known for its great food and great shops (clothing, odds and ends, more awesome food, hippie stuff). you can meet all kinds down there, plus make some friends with kids from Cornell while you're at it.

PRICE
the reason I no longer go to Ithaca. It's overpriced as shit. 54k a year? wtf man .. like seriously though, shits crazy. If you can find a way to afford it this place is awesome as hell, if not? you're missing out on some fun times.

2nd Year Male -- Class 2014

Education Quality: A+, Collaboration/Competitive: B-

I'm leaving Ithaca, but it wasn't a horrible experience, I just personally think I could do better. This is what was unsatisfying there.

Now, just about anyone will tell you that there is a wide variety of people there. Nerds, jocks, stoners, etc. That is true, but there definitely is a dominant type of person there- most people play sports or are interested in sports, are pretty friendly, and live for the weekends. I found myself slightly out of place among some of my friends- many of them did the minimum amount of work they needed to do decently, and spent most of their time having fun. Many people care more about grades than learning.

All of the highly motivated students I knew were students who knew what they wanted to do from the beginning and focused on that- ie music students, communications students, occ therapy, physical theraphy. Ithaca students generally aren't there for a "liberal" education. They typical Ithaca student is usually either very motivated and enthusiastic about a certain field, or is just going to college for the sake of going to college. A lot of students are the type who do community service activities just for the resume.

One thing that should be clarified- Ithaca College is more like a university than a college. The different schools (ie Music, Park School of Communications) are in fact different schools, not departments. If you're looking for a college that is a community of smart people, Ithaca may not be the right place for you. If you're looking for a community of communications students, or a community of music students, or a community of partiers, you may be looking at the right place. It's also worthy to say that for the most part, by the middle of the year, most students tend to always hang out with the same group of friends. I'm not sure why, but that's what happened.

The town of Ithaca is a very nice place. However, be warned: Ithaca College is quite the hike from Ithaca. In fact, it's near the border between Ithaca and another town. You can try walking between the campus and the town, but it takes about 30 minutes each way, and the hill is really steep. If you don't have a car, it's not easy to commute. The Tompkins County bus system is highly unreliable, and it costs 1.50 for a ride, which is a pain becuase you'll need quarters for your laundry. If you have a car, or don't mind waiting for buses that don't come, or don't mind spending a lot of money on taxis, that won't be a problem, though.

The difficulty of getting to Ithaca wouldn't be a problem if the campus wasn't so lackluster. The "after dark" activities on Fridays are decent, but no substitute for leaving campus. If you look at statistics, you'll see that the campus is large in terms of acreage, but the thing is, almost all of the academic and residential buildings are squashed together in one crowded mess that resembles a suburban office campus. On top of that, almost all of the buildings were built in the early '70s and are made of bricks, and are ugly even for buildings of that type. With that said, the campus still looks decent enough during the summer time- ie the first and last months of the schools year. In fact, when I went home, they still hadn't turned the fountain on.

Academically, I didn't have the greatest experience, but I know some people who did. Warning: intro-level professors in the Park school are often not that good. Last semester, Intro to Mass Media was one single class, rather than sections, and was taught by a middle-aged TA who still consults the teacher's manual just like a middle school teacher. However, many of the professors are friendly enough to enjoy being around, not arrogant, and understanding, but many classes were poorly structured. In many classes, the only work we had were a few tests and one big final project. In one of my classes, many sessions consisted of us going to see visiting scholars whose lectures had little to do with the rest of the class.

I should add that there are many differing opinions about the Park School of Communications. Many students I know in the school are very happy, or at least moderately happy. However, lately, some students feel that Park is more concerned about its reputation than its students. Several popular professors lost their jobs, while the administration spent money on a plasma TV for the lobby, which can't even be viewed from a comfortable spot. However, I should repeat that many students go through Park very satisfied. VERY IMPORTANT: if you get into Ithaca College, but not the Park school, it's harder to get into Park than they tell you, especially if you're trying to get into Film. In fact, since there is so little room, it is a lot harder to get into Park from within Ithaca College than it is to get into Park if you apply there when you are a high school senior. So, if you're only going to the college because you're hoping to get into a selective major, that might not be a good idea. Also, if you are already in Park, it is no easier to transfer between Park Park majors than it is to transfer into Park.

Extracurriculars are sometimes hierarchical, but you'll get that anywhere. I should note, however, that there are a LOT of extracurriculars to be involved in, if you look for them, and I know I would have had a much better time if I had looked for them. I especially recommend ICTV- you might not get to be on TV as soon as you're there, but most people involved in ICTV are friendly and surprisingly not elitist. I'm going to miss that.

So, to recap, I'll say what type of people usually like Ithaca. If you're not this type, I'm not saying you'll definitely not like it there, but that you might want to think twice about it. If you are sure you would like to pursue a career in music, communications, or physical theraphy, look into Ithaca. If a social life is your primary reason for going to college, especially if that means partying a lot, look into Ithaca. If you like Central New York and have a car, you may also want to look into it.

1st Year Male -- Class 2007

Useful Schoolwork: A, Campus Aesthetics: F