<p>My daughter is thinking about the co-ops for next year housing. Can anyone shed some light on this as a housing option? Thanks!</p>
<p>They are fantastic. Cheap, fun, and wonderful people. The co-op system is one of those hidden gems about Cornell, similar to the music/theater scene or the Ithaca foodie scene that not nearly enough people know about... but we like to keep it that way.</p>
<p>My oldest brother lived in the Triphammer Co-Op all 4 years he was at Cornell and he loved it! It's a nice, spacious place, individual rooms, meals are cooked on a rotating schedule...It was a good group of people and great for him.</p>
<p>They are terrible. Tell her to turn them down. Please.</p>
<p>Leave them to the poor people on their waitlists who can't do any better for themselves.
(Like maybe somebody I know...)</p>
<p>Seriously, it's not inconceivable that she could go there, and something bad might happen afterwards. Give that some thought.</p>
<p>I hear off-campus (non-coop) housing is very nice, even preferred by many.</p>
<p>I would suggest you tell her that you will not pay for any such housing, and she should relinquish her spot immediately.</p>
<p>To reinforce my strong recommendation that you cause your daughter to relinquish her slot at a coop, here are just some of the major serious deficiencies. These are all true, I swear it.</p>
<p>1) At least some are not as convenient to campus as some actual on-campus dorms.
2) They require a lot of time commitment for chores, particularly food-related, which can take away from studies and limit flexibility in accepting part-time jobs.
3) Menu and food selection/preparation will be at the mercy of your fellow coop-mates . And guess what, college students aren't necessarily proficient at this.
4) Meal times are specified, and confined.
5) It may seem like a sort of frat, but because they use a lottery system, any random person can equally get in, whether they "fit" or not. Consequently cohesion of a group can be more an accident than anything else.
6) Despite the reality of #5 above, several have a reputation for being havens for radical hippies. Very unsavory to be tagged with this, I'm sure you agree.
7) It's possible to get a bigger room at a private apartment off-campus, which you can share with actual friends, not random people selected via lottery.
8) every other conceivable living arrangement will provide more flexibility and variety in daily food choices.
9) they are not always in the best state of repair.</p>
<p>Monydad -- What gives? Is your child worried about not getting in a co-op of their choice?</p>
<p>Coop lotteries for next year have already been concluded, so there would be nothing, hypothetically, for someone to "worry" about except the odd waitlist activity.. There are very few coops in the first place, with very few openings, so for most applicants you can switch "of their choice" with "any whatsoever".</p>
<p>Meanwhile, I stand by my prior posts. I will provide further comment on or before May 2011, as circumstances permit.</p>
<p>Oh wait, there is one sentence I don't stand by. Or maybe two, kind of. I stand by the rest though.</p>
<p>Haha.</p>
<p>Silly Republicans.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone, for your insight. As it turns out, the one co-op that she really liked didn't even have the decency to let her know whether or not she had been accepted. So, I'm glad that didn't work out, because even though my daughter really liked the people she met there, they're obviously not very nice, or mature for that matter. She sent emails...no reply. She called...no answer, but saw one of the girls leaving when she drove by a few minutes later. I can't believe that there is absolutely no oversight by Cornell on the way these co-ops operate, especially since they are considered on campus housing. Thanks again!</p>
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I can't believe that there is absolutely no oversight by Cornell on the way these co-ops operate, especially since they are considered on campus housing.
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<p>Not all are.</p>
<p>^ The ones she applied to are.</p>