Incoming Grad student looking for reasons as to why I should not regret

Colleges & Universities A-Z Cornell University
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<p>Hi guys, I am an incoming PhD student at Cornell. To be honest, I come from a small town in my country and have yearned for a nice metropolitan city to do my PhD. Brown was my first choice as Providence seemed just right - not too big enough nor too small enough and that it had a handful of tall buildings plus its proximity to Boston. Sadly, I was rejected by my dream school but was offered a place at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh. Now I was waitlisted at Cornell and got off the list on April 15, the deadline for accepting offers for most PhD programs in my field. Before that, I was already content with Carnegie Mellon in that it's a great school and that Pittsburgh also seems to be a nice city. But when Cornell's offer arrived, for some reason I felt as if it was meant to be for me having waited for about a month to hear from them. Cornell's program is better than Carnegie Mellon's in my field but the location mattered to me too. I did not have much time to think after hearing from Cornell and fortunately or unfortunately I have accepted Cornell's offer...</p>

<p>Now Cornell's a great school and that the program I got into is somewhat competitive. But every now and then I still have doubts and its driving me mad! So to those who are in Cornell, what are the pros of living in Ithaca? Sadly I'm not a nature kind of person, I do appreciate it but it's not something that would entice me for 5 years, say. Are there any places where you can do shopping in Ithaca like famous retailers and such? (this would be indicative of the city itself). What about the transportation? Are the buses convenient and frequent? I heard that someone had to drive to reach a grocery! Another downside is that I'm scared of biking so I am really dependent on buses...any insights on the buses in cornell and ithaca? lastly, many have been saying that getting in and out of ithaca is troublesome and that some have taken a bus to syracuse just to avail of the airport. What about the ithaca airport - any comments or whatnot?</p>

<p>Apologies for the lengthy post. I'm not from the states and I havent been to Ithaca so it's rather shady for me right now. The only plus side of living in Ithaca that I can think of, aside from the academics at Cornell, is that Cornell has clay tennis courts for grad students but that's about it.</p>

<p>Thanks so much!</p>

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<p>the public bus service, called TCAT, is great in my opinion. the buses run regularly and on schedule, and they have as pleasant and clean of an atmosphere as I’ve seen on any public transportation. (granted I’ve only ever used public transit in the US and Canada).</p>

<p>there is a small 7/11 shop in collegetown (<5 minute walk from campus) where you can buy the basics of groceries, but if you are stocking up for the week you should go to a regular store. there’s a P&C, two Tops, and a Wegmans that are all accessible by various bus routes, none of which require any transfers or hassle.</p>

<p>I should also say that besides the buses, it’s quite easy to walk around Cornell and Ithaca. there are adequate sidewalks all over, and they provide a very easy connection between downtown (Ithaca Commons area) and Cornell itself. I have walked up and down that hill many times, at all times of day, carrying stuff, whatever. maybe it’s a little tiring, but it’s definitely safe and feasible for the average person.</p>

<p>I am not sure what I famous retailer is, but we have an urban outfitters downtown. we also have a mall with a BonTon, a Sears, a Target and a Best Buy, plus mall staples like Aeropostale, American Eagle, GAP, and a few more. that’s the Shops at Ithaca Mall btw if you want to search for more info about it.</p>

<p>it is hard to say much about the Ithaca airport right now because due to the sequester (federal government cutting spending with plenty of political drama), the control tower for the Ithaca airport is supposed to shut down. (this aspect of the cut was supposed to have already taken affect but I believe it may have been slightly delayed.) either way, the airport itself will stay open and the tower control duties will be filled by a neighboring airport, but that could affect the timing/quality of flights available. we will all have to wait and see how airport service works out though. I’ve never taken the shuttle up to the relatively much larger Syracuse airport, so someone else will need to comment about that.</p>

<p>one aspect of living in Ithaca that I would like to promote is the interesting people you’ll find here from around the world. with the university, you get people here from all over the world, with all sorts of backgrounds. I guess you will get that in any university, but I think the Cornell setting, with a strong college town feel and no over-emphasis on intercollegiate sports, is really nice.</p>

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<p>Hi faustarp, thanks very much for taking the time to reply. Are you currently an undergrad at cornell?</p>

<p>Actually one thing that I thought would be that if I chose Carnegie Mellon, the absence of graduate housing + the vastness of the city would perhaps provide me with less incentive to build connections during my graduate studies. not sure about that but i trust it when people say that cornell has a great student atmosphere.</p>

<p>about TCAT, are the buses frequent enough for travel to downtown say when I stock up on groceries for the weekend? I fear that you know the buses only arrive at the stop once every 30 minutes and that if you were only a couple of minutes late then you’d have to wait for a long time…But there’s a night bus service am I right? I mean I’m not a party person but you know just in case you need to go home late or something. As of now it’s a bit hard for me to grasp how life in Ithaca would be because whenever I see photos of it all I see is nature and so it’s difficult for me to think that it would have ample amenities for comfortable student living. I believe that it’s ranked the best college town for a purpose and I might have to wait till I get there to truly appreciate what it has to offer.</p>

<p>By the way, I guess I ought to take this opportunity to ask what you can recommend regarding traveling to Ithaca. If the airport there won’t be in operation, for instance, I’ve heard that the airport in syracuse is a very popular alternative. Now I’ve been looking online as to how to get to syracuse from ithace but to no avail. Ive checked [Short</a> Line Bus](<a href=“http://www.coachusa.com/shortline/]Short”>Welcome to ShortLine | CoachUSA) and <a href=“https://www.greyhound.com/[/url]”>https://www.greyhound.com/&lt;/a&gt; but for the latter the website says that there are no fares from ithaca to syracuse while for the former it seems like there’s no direct route from ithaca to syracuse. Any suggestions for this? Thanks very much and I hope you enjoy your summer break :)</p>

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<p>Ithaca is definitely not the place for big-city living. If you can keep an open mind, though, you’ll soon come to appreciate what Ithaca does have. You’ll form strong ties with other students in your department, there will be lots of activities (lectures, movies, arts events) on campus, the downtown area is quaint and fun, there are lots of places to picnic and enjoy the scenery, etc. </p>

<p>I was a grad student at Cornell and loved it there. You won’t find great shopping, though – if that’s what you want, it’s easy enough to go to New York via the Campus-to-Campus bus service: [Campus-to-Campus[/url</a>] Also, don’t be too shocked by how unattractive the adjacent Collegetown area is. Once you get used to it, it sort of fades into the background and you only notice how beautiful the campus is. </p>

<p>It’s true that Ithaca can start to feel a little small and isolated after several months. If that happens to you, just get on the bus to NYC and enjoy a weekend away. You’ll feel refreshed and ready to enjoy Cornell again.</p>

<p>Getting to Ithaca by air can be a bit difficult. Flights in and out of Ithaca were never very reliable, so your best option is usually to fly into Syracuse. The airport web site has some transportation options at the bottom of this page: [url=&lt;a href=“http://www.syrairport.org/faq.cfm]Syracuse”&gt;http://www.syrairport.org/faq.cfm]Syracuse</a> Hancock International Airport: FAQ / Help](<a href=“http://transportation.fs.cornell.edu/coach/]Campus-to-Campus[/url”>http://transportation.fs.cornell.edu/coach/)</p>

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<p>eek…the bus to nyc is pricey! that does not even include the cost of staying in new york.</p>

<p>thanks for the information, anyway. would you have answers to some of the questions I asked like frequency of TCAT buses?</p>

<p>Or would you know of the specifics regarding traveling to syracuse from ithaca? I’m curious about this as I believe that syracuse is a metropolitan city which makes it a better alternative to nyc…</p>

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<p>I kind of confused why people want to convince a person who is so fortunate to be accepted but dislikes the school even before she comes.</p>

<p>If you said take a bus to New York she said the price is too high. If you said Ithaca is a nice American town (certainly different from where she comes from) she would say all she sees is nature . If you said…</p>

<p>There are plenty of admits who are excited to attend Cornell, let those who want to attend so much to go to Cornell! I suggest sharapov to go to other school that she will not regret.</p>

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<p>Famous retailers? Target and Old Navy ought to do the trick.</p>

<p>Grocery? I take to a Taxi to Wegman’s.</p>

<p>Ithaca airport? I fly to NYC and then take the bus here. Took me 20 hours flat to get from L.A. to Ithaca the last time around.</p>

<p>Hope I answered your questions.</p>

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<p>Buses depend. During the day, buses to the mall (not necessarily lots of high end stores though: [The</a> Shops at Ithaca Mall :: 40 Catherwood Road, Ithaca, NY. 14850 :: 607.257.5337](<a href=“The Shops at Ithaca Mall ::: Ithaca ::: NY”>http://www.theshopsatithacamall.com/)) and airport run about every 30 minutes. Buses that go downtown run every 10. There are also on-campus buses that run about every 10 minutes. After 6pm though a lot of the routes stop, or are running at about a 30 minute frequency. </p>

<p>As for airports, I’ve flown in and out of Ithaca - yes there can be delays, but usually I’ve had a good experience. Don’t know what will happen with the sequester and all though, the tower is on the list slated for closure. Syracuse is near, though it can be an $80-100 bus/taxi ride - which might make the $90 round trip to NYC more fathomable. </p>

<p>It’s definitely different from a big-city experience, but as others have said there’s a lot to see & do, and a lot of people come to love Ithaca! Though it is true that it’s not the environment for everyone…</p>

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<p>I was an undergrad but I’ve since graduated. I’m still living in Ithaca, though, and I don’t own a car, so I have some experience with what you’ll be dealing with.
the TCAT route 15 runs once per hour throughout the week. [TCAT</a> - Route 15](<a href=“http://tcat.nextinsight.com/routes.php?mrnid=415]TCAT”>http://tcat.nextinsight.com/routes.php?mrnid=415)
that goes to Tops, Wegmans, and WalMart, each of which would be fine for grocery purposes. you would want to be sure you’re not late, but at least it runs reliably on time. you have one hour at the grocery store until the next bus comes to pick you up, so you can shop at a leisurely pace. I use this route (or Route 30 to go up to a different Tops) at least once a week, and I have never once missed them or had any problems.</p>

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<p>Honestly, I think it’s unfair of you to judge me like that. I like Cornell as a school, it’s just the location which I’m not yet so sure of. True enough it’s pointless to be worried in that I have not been to Ithaca yet. </p>

<p>To the rest who commented: thanks a lot. Although I think that most colleges in the US have a simlar setting if I’m not mistaken, except for those in urban cities, according to what I’ve read. In my country most universities are located in the city which makes everything convenient. I am unaware of the situation in the US though… </p>

<p>I do have a last question: How do you travel to Syracuse from Ithaca and vice versa using the shortline or the greyhound buses? I am of course looking for cheaper traveling alternatives since I will be on a budget, considering that I am an international grad student. Is there a city in between them at which I should transfer buses? I’d appreciate advice on this because I am still unsure yet as to how I will be traveling to Ithaca. Sadly I do not drive nor do I have a car and I am looking, again, for cheaper alternatives. If anyone knows of a Cornell forum which I can have varying suggestions, that would be of great assistance too!</p>

<p>Once again, thanks a lot. Perhaps most of you won’t understand why I’m worried instead of being excited…Unlike most of you I come from a third world country and I am ignorant about certain things. Apologies if I appear to be discontented but rest assured it was not my intention.</p>

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<p>College (both undergrad & grad.) are big opportunities for change & growth…with that in mind, perhaps instead of looking for a situation closest to what you’ve known, looking for one that is farthest from what you’ve known may end up being the best for you?</p>

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<p>I do have a last question: How do you travel to Syracuse from Ithaca and vice versa using the shortline or the greyhound buses?
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/cornell-university/241241-bus-ithaca-syracuse.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/cornell-university/241241-bus-ithaca-syracuse.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>I am of course looking for cheaper traveling alternatives since I will be on a budget, considering that I am an international grad student. Is there a city in between them at which I should transfer buses? I’d appreciate advice on this because I am still unsure yet as to how I will be traveling to Ithaca. Sadly I do not drive nor do I have a car and I am looking, again, for cheaper alternatives. If anyone knows of a Cornell forum which I can have varying suggestions, that would be of great assistance too!</p>

<p>Typically, people from to Ithaca Airport and then take the bus (TCAT, Rt 32 or 72) to Cornell. Or they fly into Syracuse and go to Cornell. Or, some fly to NYC (JFK, Laguardia Airport) or Newark and the take a bus to Cornell.</p>

<p>Once again, thanks a lot. Perhaps most of you won’t understand why I’m worried instead of being excited…Unlike most of you I come from a third world country and I am ignorant about certain things. Apologies if I appear to be discontented but rest assured it was not my intention.</p>

<p>^ Although Cornell is very rural and somewhat isolated, I absolutely loved my time here. Ithaca is very beautiful, and although it is small, there are so many things happening in the town and on-campus that you will never be bored. </p>

<p>Also, here is a link to a blog that describes how one grad student liked visiting Cornell/Ithaca:
[Cornell</a> vs. Ithaca | BME/BioE Grad Interview Adventures](<a href=“http://gradinterviewadventures.■■■■■■■■■■■■■/2013/03/14/cornell-vs-ithaca/]Cornell”>Cornell vs. Ithaca | BME/BioE Grad Interview Adventures)</p>

<p>Best of luck!</p>