Reflect on Acceptance Day on Saturday…
Pros…tiv
*Parks School was impressive.
*My daughter was accepted into the Integrated Marketing Communication Department. I was impressed with the professor we met and what was learned. Does anyone have personal experience with this program? How is it? Is it mostly hands on? Is it very competitive and stressful?
*Everyone we met in Parks building was enthusiastic and welcoming.
*They stressed the alumni connections. Does this include Integrated Marketing Communications majors as well. What kind of jobs are graduates getting after completing this degree/
*We loved the idea of going to Hollywood, living there for a semester and getting an internship.
Are the students in the IMC going to Hollywood or is it just a select few?
Cons…
*Buildings and dorms are old and outdated. There really hasn’t been any renovations done to the dorms and it looks a bit depressing.
*The Parks Building is the only building we saw that was modernized. The tuition is very high for dorms that are so old and look uncomfortable to live in.
*My daughter is not a theater/film kid. She is into fashion, makeup, dressing up, and taking photos. Will she fit into the IMC department? We saw mostly hippies(which we love) but she isn’t a hippie type. Will she find her people?
*The tour group brought us to the dining all only to be denied. The staff told us they weren’t accepting guests on acceptance day? How is this acceptable? What did they not want us to see? People on the tour were talking and saying it was a major red flag and unacceptable.
*There was a political group on campus that kept trying to interrupt the tour and let us know their political agenda. I have never seen this on any other campus. We have visited most of the SUNY
and some private schools as well
We were there too. We enjoyed the day and left with a good impression of the film program but agree regarding the outdated buildings, especially the dorms and cafeteria. They were pretty depressing. We didn’t go on a campus tour (we had done a self-tour last summer); we just visited the dorms and cafeteria ourselves. The campus overall for us was ok and she liked the vibe of the town when we went out to dinner on Friday. Of course, it didn’t hurt that all the students were out in the summerlike weather.
We spent most of our time at the Park Building. Our daughter was admitted for Cinema and Phtography and we felt the facilities were top notch. They certainly had one of the largest and best equipped equipment rooms we’ve seen and ample computer labs. The sound stages for film were not as large as some other schools (but bigger than others) but feel they provide the resources and contacts for Park students to succeed. She would definitely go to LA senior year if she attends.
Ithaca still remains on our final list which includes Emerson, Chapman and UNCSA.
My daughter also loved the downtown area. We went to dinner at a cool place in the Cornell downtown area. It was a fun, vibrant town for sure. I just can’t get over the dorms and from one I could see one cafeteria. I thought it was quite shocking that they turned away a very large group fro the cafeteria. I drove 5 hours to see it and was turned away. Overall, my daughter liked the school
My son is in his first year at Ithaca majoring in cinema and photography. Yes, the dorms aren’t modern, the cafeteria is meh, but he is having the time of his life. He loves his classes, has made a tight knit group of friends, and gotten involved a lot of activities. He said he doesn’t even notice or care that his dorm isn’t fancy, and he said he can always find something to eat so that isn’t a problem. And he loves the little town. It is a shame the dorms are turning some students away. My understanding is that a few older ones were scheduled to be knocked down and rebuilt, but the pandemic put that on hold. In any event, I am now doing the college search with my next kid, and they said the dorms aren’t going to factor into their decision at all as it is such a small part of a much larger experience.