Ithaca College

Networking is so important. I know I am not alone when I say that I am lonely and bored. The town itself has very little to do besides The commons (a shopping/restaurant center), the mall (a pretty limited one) and Wegmans (an overrated grocery everyone seems to go crazy over).

Ithaca lives in the shadow of Cornell, a school lucky to have a lively campus which is nearly a town of its own. The weekends consist of freshman (and upperclassmen with cars) walking miles to off-campus parties that get busted by 1 am. Unfortunately, theres not a lot to do if you dont like to party. Also, if you are from a city or are accustomed to being in one, like myself, you will find yourself getting bored very quickly. Its slow paced. Its a town 'in the sticks'. If you are from a rural, residential area, you might think this place is a city. In the end, its all what you make of it.

I am thinking about transferring. The school is a great place, but i havent found my groove here. The people are actually incredibly friendly. I havent met any really stuck up people thriving on daddy's money, its really quite laid back, but really very undiverse. White kids, sorta 'vanilla' if you get my drift. Unfortunately for me, i thrive off a city environment and expected this place to have meet more interesting people, have more of an eye-opening experience.

Mainly, I expected a change, but Ithacas pretty basic. Advice for those who would like to stay here is to get involved and make the most of it. Its expensive.

1st Year Female -- Class 2011

I have very mixed feeling about Ithaca College. i transferred to this school from another university because of the strong communications program (Park School of Communications). In that, I was not disappointed. In practically every other way, I was.

Ithaca College is excellent for professional studies. If you want to study communications, theater, physical therapy, music or business (now, anyway. The business program has gotten MUCH better the past couple of years), Ithaca is the place to be. Everything else is decidedly mediocre.

I double-degreed here (B.S. in Communications, B.A. in History). Liberal arts are lousy. If you want to study history, philosophy, english, economics, physics, etc. don't bother coming here. It isn't worth the money and you will be disappointed.

The Park school is excellent, if slightly inconsistent. Some programs, like Television/Radio and Marketing are fantastic. Others are less well defined, like film and journalism. The Park's school biggest success may well be its administrative philosophy. The administrators and dean are accessible and will work with you to solve any problems that may occur.

Unfortunately, that does not extend to the rest of the college. The School of Humanities and Sciences and the upper levels of college administration are so rigidly bureaucratic it would make the Soviet Union proud. There is the letter of the law and nothing more. Your actual situation doesn't matter in the slightest. The review process for decisions is non-existent and, in my experience, the administration outside of the Park school is indifferent or punitive.

Politically, the school is very far to the Left, more so (on a person-to-person basis) than my previous school (CU-Boulder). If you are a conservative, you are definitely in the minority. While almost everyone is a liberal of one stripe or another, the school at least tries to throw those who aren't a bone and brings a conservative speaker or two to campus every year, which is more than I can say for CU-Boulder.

Financial aid is insufficient. My family is not poor, but we are also not rich. We are decidedly upper-middle class, and if you are similar it puts you in a hard spot here (and many other places). I got some aid, and worked very hard in school to get a bit more, but if your family earns more than $65k but not enough to afford some $25k/year that your financial aid doesn't cover, be prepared to take on quite a bit of debt.On the balance, Ithaca is worth it if you are entering one of the well-known and prestigious programs. If you want to study broadcasting, music, physical therapy, music or (to a lesser extent) theater, Ithaca is a good place. If one of those major's aren't your goal, strike Ithaca from your list. It simply isn't worth it.

3rd Year Male -- Class 2008

Faculty Accessibility: A+, Individual Value: F

The music program especially is very good at Ithaca. As a music major, I have certainly been put to work and stretched here and I do not regret the academic scene. The professors and faculty are really helpful and are interested in your progress, which is comforting.

The social scene here, though, is my least favorite. Being an introverted Asian Christian, it's been challenging here to find my niche. I find that most students are not really friendly and that there's a lack of community. The majority of students define a "fun time" as getting drunk and partying.

1st Year Female -- Class 2015

Education Quality: A, Extracurricular Activities: C