<p>This is very helpful. Newstudentmom, is there a reason you chose Tompkins? I am looking at Tompkins and CFCU and wondering how to decide. Both are on campus with 24-hr ATMs. Any preference?</p>
<p>Also, totally different topic: do you all get mattress covers for your kids? And do you get twin or queen size comforters? On another thread someone suggested queen size so you can put stuff under the bed, but that may be just that kid!</p>
<p>Thanks…</p>
<p>My son almost never uses cash either. He charges items to his Cornell ID while on campus. We didn’t open a local account. He can use his BOA card if he needs something. </p>
<p>I did get a mattress cover. We use allergy covers at home, too, so it seems logical to cover the dorm mattress. The bedding I bought is all extra long twin. It seems like a queen comforter would end up dragging on the ground too much. We still store crates under the bed. </p>
<p>He just took his last final of his freshman year (math 2240). Getting ready to pick him up in another day.</p>
<p>The dorm mattress comes with bedbug plastic cover, if I remember correctly. We got both of our kids a 4-6 in mattress topper, which made the the bed a lot more comfortable. D2 has a light weight down comforter and it is full/queen size. The dorms tend to be very warm, so I wouldn’t worry about getting really heavy comforter or blanket.</p>
<p>D2 will be the last one out of her dorm due to her exam schedule.</p>
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<p>Hi. Out if curiosity, how do you know her exam schedule?</p>
<p>We know because she tells us. Seem like a strange question. I speak with D2 daily, just like I did with D1.</p>
<p>Ahhh. I misunderstood. I have a freshman who will START at Cornell in August and was wondering how, at this point, it was possible to figure out the exam schedule for purposes of booking a flight home in December. You’re talking about exams in the next several weeks. I’m thinking about exams in December. Oops.</p>
<p>Here is a link to the academic calendar:
[Cornell</a> University - Academics - Academic Calendar](<a href=“Academic Calendar 2023-2024 | Cornell University Registrar”>Academic Calendar 2023-2024 | Cornell University Registrar)</p>
<p>You won’t know the specific exam schedule until classes are chosen and the semester starts. Not all classes require a final, but if you are looking for an absolute last day, the general academic calendar should suffice. I think students are kicked out of dorms the day after the last exam day at like 2pm (or something like that). If you think you can afford to wait, it might be worthwhile since it will stink if your child’s classes are done on the first day or two of exam week and they have to stay in Ithaca an extra week.</p>
<p>eetrojan - I see. My kid is still taking finals this week. Her last final is Thu morning, so we are scheduled to drive up on Fri to move her out. We are lucky that our kid doesn’t need to fly to come home.</p>
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<p>Thanks. Good tip.</p>
<p>Hello,</p>
<p>My D will also be a Freshman in August. Any recommendations, in hindsight, on what course load freshman should be taking? I know there will be an adjustment period, as there usually is for any Freshman going to college.</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>A freshman workload is a very individual thing, so she should maybe get some guidance from the school she’s going to in terms of what is appropriate. College is a lot different from high school in that she will go to class a few hours a day - there isn’t all that filler and sports stuff for most students. She will need to find the balance of not having too much free time, but enough to keep her busy and have time for social activities. I think Cornell has recommendations for freshmen - there is a freshman writing seminar or two, physical fitness classes, and the basics for her college. Usually 12 to 17 hours, depending on the kid. Leave time to explore the campus and spend time with new friends!</p>
<p>Workload is a very individual thing and credit hours aren’t usually reflective of the work required. Some students take as many credits as they can their first semester and are perfectly fine; others take the minimum (12) and struggle. For the first semester, how one adjusts usually has a lot less to do with intellectual abilities and more to do with adjusting with the change to college life. I’d say for many, just a semester of experience is enough to gauge what they can handle. The trap many freshman feel is that they look at the long list of requirements for their major/graduation and feel pressured to fill as many of them up as possible. Do not let them fall into that trap. Let them work out requirements with their advisor, but there is no such thing as an absolutely necessary class first semester. Often the person who struggled first semester with 15 credits is breezing through 20+ credits in their sophomore year. If they know their major, they’ll have good advice which specific courses to take, if they are undecided, encourage them to explore as many classes as possible within their interests and not to worry about filling requirements just yet. </p>
<p>The extraordinarily general rule that is useful on the whole, but not for any specific class is that for each credit hour, plan for 2 hours outside of class per week. Some classes may be double (even triple/quadruple!), others may not require any outside work at all except when there are assignments.</p>
<p>Your kid may want to sign up for few extra classes then drop later on if necessary. Some students make the mistake of taking higher level courses because they were used to take honors and APs in high school, and then not able to do well.</p>
<p>D2 had a very good freshman year. Her older sister told her before she went away to college to always go to office hour. It is especially helpful when taking large lecture type of class. Older sis also told D2 last night to take graduation requirements (math, science) senior year as P/F.</p>
<p>Hello again,</p>
<p>Are students allowed a coffee maker in their dorm rooms? Electric tea kettles? Both have automatic shut offs.
Thanks again for your info.</p>
<p>See page 3, #XII</p>
<p>I believe that you can…</p>
<p><a href=“Residential Life | Student & Campus Life | Cornell University”>Residential Life | Student & Campus Life | Cornell University;
<p>Bringing our questions for parents thread back to the front in case it answers anything useful or anyone has new questions to add. Those with questions, please ask them. Those with answers, please help respond. We’re here to help each other.</p>
<p>Coed Bathrooms at Risley. How does it work?</p>
<p>What do you recommend for a boot or shoe for the winter walk from the dorms to the engineering Quad.</p>
<p>something that is right for winter but still retains a nice level of pretty girliness</p>
<p>Hah! It really isn’t a big deal. The bathroom near my son’s room (I assume they are mostly quite similar) has two stalls with toilets. Each has a wooden door. They are private enough. There are two showers that are a step up and out of the way from the toilets. Those have curtains. There are also two sinks and some storage space though not many kids leave toiletries in the public bathroom area. I have rarely needed to wait to use a toilet. I have never stayed in the dorms overnight (not my idea of parent accommodations for visits), so I can’t vouch for the showers. Kids have really varied schedules. I doubt there is much difficulty with finding time to shower. There are other bathrooms farther down the hall if someone needs a bathroom badly and both stalls are occupied. It seems to work just fine.</p>
<p>femEngineer, I hope someone else has a good idea for you. I would find something waterproof! Look for cute but comfortable walking shoes/boots that are waterproof. Maybe something from Merrell? I did see a thread last year where girls were talking about cute boots. I’m not sure how comfortable they were for long walks. Be at least a little practical. A friend from the midwest posted about a California girl in her son’s class who walked to class in the middle of winter with her hair dripping wet. It froze. Not fun. </p>
<p>We bought our son Merrell lightweight hiking sneakers that are waterproof. I don’t think he wore them, but we tried. I’m pretty sure he was wearing shorts and sandals long before it was warm enough for those items so that he wouldn’t need to wash his jeans and socks. Boys. If you go for just cute, you may end up with really sore, cold feet.</p>