<p>Some people told me that Cornell is basically in the middle of no where and I'll have nothing to do (compared to a city school like nyu). Is this true? What are some things I would be able to do in the Cornell area?</p>
<p>god no!</p>
<p>people call ithaca 'the middle of nowhere' but they forget to neglect that ithaca itself is a small city. There's everything you really need to be a college student, a mall, target, wal-mart, ultra-huge grogery store, barnes and noble, movie theaters, the ithaca commons with dozens and dozens of shops, the farmer's market, plus ithaca has more restaurants per capita than any other city in the US. For non-cornell related things to do, there's plenty of shopping, snowboarding/skiing in the winter is great, i do alot of mountain/road biking, kayaking on cayuga lake also seems popular with my friends. </p>
<p>Cornell provides alot of activities as well; there's always the athletic games (Cornell hockey is the hottest ticket in ithaca), on campus movie theateres, on campus bowling alleys, concerts, intramural sports, 700 clubs, fraternities, and on and on. </p>
<p>honestly, i have yet to be bored at this place. You'll be busy to begin with, but aside from work there's 14,000 undergrads who also want to have fun as well.</p>
<p>It seems like a very athletic school...would I still have stuff to do if I'm not a very athletic person?</p>
<p>yeah. study.</p>
<p>j/k, i am SURE you will find plenty to do. What are your interests (or what are you hoping to do/find)?</p>
<p>It's not overly athletic, don't worry... I'm not an athlete myself and I'm doing ok. The opportunities are there if you so choose to pursue them; if not, then there are plenty of clubs and community service downtown and community events and concerts and the like.</p>
<p>While you do have to take 2 semesters of gym, the possibilities are endless and could quite possibly be far removed from actual physical activity (massage, relaxation/meditation, 'winning mindset'). Or you could get interested in some outdoor activities. Who knows! Don't panic, though- everyone finds their niche here. :)</p>
<p>Cerulean is right. Cornell is not a school centered around athletics or atheletes. The point is that unlike a city school, it offers a lot of outdoor space -- for everyone. You don't have to be athletic to sled or play frisbee, for example. And as said before, it has a large undergraduate student body so there are all sorts of people with a variety of interests so everyone can find his or her niche.</p>
<p>Are you kidding? Of course Cornell has as many opportunities off-campus as NYU! NYU is only in one of the most vibrant cities on the face of the earth...</p>
<p>NYU is a university. NYC is over 4 hours away. I don't think you are just gonna "cruise" to NYC after school for dinner.</p>
<p>As a west coast city slicker, I had a hard time adjusting to the rural nature of upstate new york. I loved Ithaca, but felt it didn't always have the cultural offerings I was looking for! New York, Boston, Toronto etc., are all a few hours away, but just a bit too far to make it easy. The social scene definitely revolves around campus and college town. </p>
<p>Ithaca in the summer was great--especially when most of the students left. Seriously, upstate new york during the summer is like the worlds largest summer camp.</p>
<p>Anyway--just realize there are pros and cons. The longer I'm away from Ithaca, the more I miss it (I find this is true with many Cornell grads). Also, I can't understate the importance of finding a core group of good/cool people to just hang with because when all else fails...you can always kick it in an apartment with a case of beer and a guitar!</p>
<p>Cheers,
CUgrad</p>
<p>leobag, I live in NYC. I was poking fun at the OP's comparison between Cornell and NYU. I think it's ridiculous to compare Cornell (along with the majority of universities in America) to the minority of universities located in incredibly vibrant and exciting cities. It's preposterous to compare Cornell to NYU.</p>
<p>ah, sorry, i didn't catch that--my bad. (and i agree with you completely)</p>
<p>Cornell is so not in the middle of nowhere. Heading to Cornell days I was thinking, "YES! This will be like Walden Pond for four years." But sadly, I was disappointed. While Rtes 79 and 206, which lead up to I-90, are surrounded on all sides by vast pastures, farmland, rolling stacks of hay, and different animals, there are roads in Cornell. And buses, and cars, and noise. Not quite what I was envisioning - Dartmouth is quieter, if I recall correctly.</p>
<p>But Cornell is still a nice place, and Ithaca is a pretty nice city as well. They have about a gazillion restaurants, and very nice commons.</p>
<p>The NYU-Cornell comparison lacks in the fact that NYU and other city schools have a much weaker bond between students than do schools in college towns, suburban environments, or just way the hell out in the middle of nowhere (which Cornell is definitely not). Also, I would say that for those under 21 and without a lot of money, Cornell might have more to offer socially than NYU, but that's more of a guess.</p>
<p>No matter what kind of person you are, or what kind of interests you have, you will find other people like you, clubs where you belong, and events that interest you here at cornell. That's my guarantee.</p>