Don't go to Ithaca

Colleges and Universities A-Z Ithaca College
1

<p>I attended Ithaca College fall 2008 and had a terrible experience.
I don't want to make a "bashing" post as I do know a few people like it at Ithaca but I just wanted to post a warning for prospective students. If you are at all different and don't drink or do drugs it is almost impossible to find a niche here. The students are unfriendly and while the teachers are good the rest of the staff is incredibly unhelpful.
If you do choose to go to Ithaca, Emerson Hall is the nicest dorm BUT it is especially hard to meet people and the people who live there are rude, cruel and mean-spirited. </p>

<p>Obviously some people like it there but I know a significant number of students who are leaving after only a semester. Especially in such a bad economic climate it is a bad choice to go to such an expensive school especially when the experience you pay for, is not the one you receive.</p>

2

<p>While I understand you may have had a negative experience, I have heard the contrary from everyone I have spoken too.</p>

3

<p>Obviously the contrary opinion exists since many students spend four years there. I had the same reaction when I heard negative things about Ithaca before I went there, assuming it was just one bad experience. After being at Ithaca I found many people to be very unhappy, which is something I urge others to consider before going there.</p>

4

<p>I bet the horrible weather is a big factor in that. I for one hate winter! While IC is my 1A at this point, one serious con is the weather. I mean, Park is an incredible school and it's exactly what I am looking for, BUT I can't stand winter.</p>

5

<p>I would encourage you to think seriously before attending Ithaca if you're concerned about bad weather. Of course, there are days (at the very beginning and end of the year) that are absolutely GORGEOUS and really highlight Ithaca's natural beauty. But, for the rest of the school year, it's pretty grey. If you are one of those people who easily become depressed after days of grey, stormy weather, Ithaca might not be so fantastic for you. I didn't really realize how much precipitation we get from the lake-effect, but luckily I'm not the type of person that is so sensitive to the weather outside.</p>

6

<p>yeah the weather can really be a factor. I was used to the cold and that didn't bother me so much but the snow can honestly get overwhelming. At some point you do get sick of always being wet and having to walk through piles of snow. I think people do underestimate how much weather can play with your mind.</p>

<p>Anyone who is looking at Ithaca I would definitely recommend visiting during the winter, you don't really get a picture of the weather if you go toward the beginning of the year or the end.</p>

7

<p>i agree with you completely lobo. while there are people who enjoy this school very much, my personal experience is pretty much like you described, if you dont party 24/7 or do drugs, you're out of luck. poeple party constantly in the dorms, and from my personal experience these people are incredibly disrespectful and inconsiderate, so if you're the kind of person who needs to get work done in their room, its next to impossible unless you luck out and get a quiet hall.</p>

<p>thank god the semester is ending, and i'm finally transferring out</p>

8

<p>I'm a current Ithaca College student, started at the same time, and I have had a very different experience from the first two posters. I actually found that as a student who does not drink, party, or do drugs, the social life is surprisingly good, and I have lots of friends, some of whom drink but many of whom don't. </p>

<p>I'll admit that there are some obnoxious, entitled kids at the school, such as the middle class white kids who smoke all of their parents' money and some really annoying, ditzy girls, but most of the people I've met have been really down to earth and supportive. Just to give a bit of an example, I got a big package from home for my birthday that was 30 pounds and really large and awkward, so I was having an obviously hard time carrying it. On the trek from the mail room to my dorm, I had two people stop to help me get the package to my room who I had never met before. </p>

<p>I've also had a wonderful experience with the professors here thus far. I had one really not great professor but the rest were quite good, two of whom were excellent beyond my wildest expectations. </p>

<p>As for Emerson, I don't really have much experience with that dorm. I've met one person who lives there and she was very nice. The experiences with dorm living will vary from place to place. My semester at Boothroyd (which aside from not having private bathrooms, really is the actual nicest dorm on campus) has been absolutely wonderful, and I know every girl on my floor by name. </p>

<p>I do know two people who have left Ithaca this semester, but both were due to family issues that had nothing to do with Ithaca. Well, one could make the argument that the girl who left after finishing this semester had to do with Ithaca itself, but only with the fact that it was located on the opposite side of the country from her home, which turned out to be too far away for her. </p>

<p>I think the reality of the matter is that you're going to find a minority at any given school who find out that it's not such a great fit after all. This has nothing to do with the quality of the school or the student body, or else everybody would be complaining and leaving.</p>