<p>"As for getting an expensive studio in Collegetown, that's not necessary either. If you go even a few blocks away -- Stewart Ave. or below -- you can find pretty cheap one bedroom apartments, to say nothing of residential opportunities in Fall Creek, North Campus, Forest Home, or East Hill. I know many students at Cornell who spend less than $300 a month on rent living off campus. The co-ops are fantastic as well."</p>
<p>I wasn't aiming for the overpriced studio....but due to many issues...I didn't decide to live off campus until May...so my options were quite limited at that point.</p>
<p>Oh my. Thank you yousonofatree. Wow, I hope I get a great financial aid package. Or does fin aid not cover dorming? If it does, does it conver singles?</p>
<p>Of course financial aid covers room and board. FA budgets you for a double room and the mid-level meal plan. As for FA covering a single room...I believe I read the info on the Dear Uncle Ezra page. If you request a single, then you cannot ask for an increase in aid to cover the single room. If you do not request a single and are assigned to one, then housing will notify FA and you will get an increase in your aid to cover the additional cost of a single room.</p>
<p>You don't always have to be with people to remain close to them. A lot of college students live away from home but are open with their parents and have strong bonds with them. And you're eventually gonna have to live away from them, no matter what...</p>
<p>I really wouldn't bring a TV/PS3. I know literally one person who has a video game system, and he pretty much never has time to play it. </p>
<p>Singles offer more than enough space for one person. My single (something like 8ft x 12 or 14ft I believe?) is about the same size as my bedroom at home. Every floor has a kitchen.</p>
<p>Townhouses have freshmen. They're sort of isolated, but people like them. I'd check how townhouses are set up... how many single rooms per unit, how many people per bathroom/kitchen, etc. I'm sure someone here knows.</p>
<p>The standard townhouse houses 4 students in has two double rooms on the second floor, with a bathroom. Toilet room is separate from sinks and shower room. First floor has living room, dining room and kitchen. Comes furnished with standard dorm room furniture upstairs and (I think) dining room table and chairs, plus sofa, loveseat, and chair in living room. Plenty of space for an additional sofa, a TV etc downstairs. </p>
<p>The kitchen has a oven, stove top and fridge. It does not come with cooking utensils, dishes, microwave, dishwasher, etc. No toaster, no blender, etc. Pretty much, naked kitchen!</p>
<p>I believe there are also some handicapped accessible units that would be different in terms of layout and number of residents/rooms. </p>
<p>My son lived in the townhouses last year. What an amazing place to live as a college freshman.</p>
<p>folks- keep in mind, you do not request a specific dorm (at least that was the way it worked 4 years ago). The "roommate" match questionnaire asks alot of questions--
-like are you a night owl or early bird?? (or questions like that)
do you want a single, or same sex dorm (for the ladies)??. But I do not think there is anyplace on the form to request a specific dorm.
-and from what my kid tells me, most students have little time for tv and computer games.<br>
also, I thought there were restictions on cable access in the dorm rooms- so you may not get a full range of tv channels in your room. There are tv's set in the lounge area which do get more stations.
I'm really not clear on that as my kid didn't have a tv in her room- but I thought that cable station access is somewhat limited in the dorm rooms.</p>
<p>Honestly, not very many people have TV's in their rooms. You have to pay for cable and you will not watch much TV. My first two years I watched maybe 10 hours of TV combined. There's just too much to do.</p>
<p>I agree with norcalguy...I usually had enough time to watch House on Tuesday nights :-)</p>
<p>CUTV...the Cornell cable service is pricey and usually every lounge in the dorm has a TV with basic cable....but you honestly won't have time to plop down in front of the TV for hours on end.</p>
<p>A lot of people I know do actually have TVs and video game systems. I have a Wii/PS2 and a small TV in my room -- I don't use it that much, but it's really nice to have when I have free time and I want to kick back and relax. Also, hooking up video games to lounges is a great way to hang out with friends while not having them all in your room. I know one friend who has cable, but it was a gift from her father, and she mainly uses it as background for studying (some people need background noise). There are a lot of gamers at Cornell, so more people bring video game systems than people generally think -- or quickly develop friends who do. On my floor alone there is a PS3, two Xbox 360s, two Wiis, a PS2, a few PSP owners, a couple DS owners... an N64... And I'm probably missing some, since I don't know everyone.</p>
<p>Of course, a lot of people switch to PC gaming, since it's easier to do. But... know that there is a gaming community on campus.</p>
<p>Oh, about townhouses -- they're kind of isolating, because you get to know your housemates really well but not many people outside of that. They're not nearly as social as the dorms can be, but they are kind of nice. It's just harder to meet people in them, and I know of a few people who switched out of them because they didn't get along with housemates.</p>