<p>Marny1--you are right about Syracuse U, we visited there when my son was getting ready to apply for colleges and it is an impressive school, particularly in communications. Top-notch. I will take a look at the link you sent in the environment science and forestry college--could be a match. Thanks for the heads up!</p>
<p>alwaysamom, teriwtt & morandi--thanks to you all for your great knowledge. You all seem to know the area and schools there well and speak highly of IC, too, which is great. I agree with you that the area is beautiful and Ithaca is a great town (my son did a summer program in philosophy and law last summer at Cornell and will be starting there in the Arts and Sciences this August). Overall, while Cornell is obviously impressive, I think my daughter Liz might fit in better at IC, 'cause of its smaller campus, artsy feel. Plus, she doesn't have the scores to get in to Cornell. I am excited to take her up to visit IC! </p>
<p>Morandi--yes, I did notice that IC has good career placement, the list of companies who recruit there is on the website and it is impressive!</p>
<p>OP-we looked at Ithaca closely a few years back for D who was a music performance major,visiting in the summer and again at audition time in February.She applied, auditioned during a horrendous snowstorm but attended elsewhere.I'm somewhat different I like more modern buildings on a college campus so I liked Ithaca's structures. Dorms leave something to be desired though except those big towers in the middle of campus.The town is wonderful, as you already know.Theres plenty of shuttle bus transport down the big hill into town. An artsy feeling to the campus and student body.D really liked the vibe.A student with stats above average there (the Ithaca average) can do okay with merit aid.
Their outdoor rec leadership/management major has a good rep and combining that with photography could make for some interesting career choices later on!
It is a cold snowy winter much like Syracuse, something to do with valleys and mountains and snow squalls, etc.Like an extra snowy area in that part of NY State (like Buffalo and Chicago have the lake effect snow phenomenon).
Enjoy your visit! I guess if you have another child going to Cornell you are already familiar with the transportation issues in the area.
Marny- on a visit once to the Finger Lake region we stayed at a winery that had its own motel/hotel right near Keuka Lake.A very luxurious,pleasant stay but Im sorry I cant remember the name.Perhaps if you are looking at the wineries listed it wuld pop up as having guest facilities.</p>
<p>thanks cathy- we have our room reservations already- but I'm sure we'll be hitting some wineries on Keuka lake. I don't even like wine that much- but I find that spending a few days in the finger lake region to be oh so RELAXING!! I'll be up there on a Saturday- so I'll finally be able to go to the Amish/Farmers Market (the windmill??) near Penn Yan. My first college RA was from Penn Yan- who woulda thought this Brooklyn girl would be spending her summer vacation there- but I have really grown to appreciate the region so much. I almost have fond memories of my winters in Oswego.</p>
<p>Thanks Cathymee--glad to hear you liked the campus at IC. It's a shame the dorms are so abysmal, seems everyone thinks they are. So, the towers were the nicer ones--egads! You are right about the combination of an outdoor recreation and photography degree being good for interesting careers--my daughter is on a photography program in Asia right now with Rustic Pathways, learning photojournalism and doing outdoor trekking, rafting, etc. The director of the program has a combination photography and outdoor recreation background. He runs their India/Thailand summer programs and does photography for the company's catalogue, etc. So, there are some jobs to be had, just probably not very lucrative. Snowiness doesn't bother my daughter, she likes snowboarding a lot. Where did your daughter end up going to school and is she now studying music?</p>
<p>pam
she graduated from Arizona State's School of Music,went there to study with a particular professor. Halfway through she switched from performance degree on flute to musicology.Shes now in Grad school getting a PhD in Musicology at Wash U in St Louis.</p>
<p>We looked at Ithaca with my son, who will be starting his junior year at William & Mary soon. He really liked Ithaca and it was a close second - had he gotten the full ride scholarship he was up for, he would have gone there. He was interested in journalism at the Park School of Communication and was nominated for, and then was one of the finalists for, the full-ride Park Scholarship. Alas, he did not get it, although he was offered a 1/2 tuition scholarship.</p>
<p>When we visited, we focused on the Park School and were very impressed with it and with the whole school. The programs in journalism, broadcast, etc., seemed top notch. He decided on W&M, which doesn't have a journalism degree, because he decided to go the liberal arts route rather than the professional degree route to becoming a journalist. He has a couple of friends who are at Ithaca and they love it.</p>
<p>Do go and visit and see if it is a fit for your D. Good luck!</p>
<p>Wow, cathymee, that is great. It seems your daughter is doing fabulously! What Wash U in St. Louis is a great school and it is exciting she is pursuing her PhD. You must be so proud!</p>
<p>Thanks K9leader--great to hear your thoughts on Ithaca College. I'd be thrilled if my daughter got any sort of tuition scholarship! William & Mary is a terrific place to be--our family lived in Williamsburg for several years and just loved it, especially being so near Busch Gardens.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Seemed much more isolated from the town of Ithaca than Cornell does -- the walk down South Hill seems like it would be really long. But maybe I'm wrong about that and someone with a student there will correct me.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>You're wrong.</p>
<p>I have a daughter who's a student at that other college in Ithaca.</p>
<p>Downtown Ithaca is very much Ithaca College territory. Cornell students, on the other hand, tend to hang out in Collegetown, the commercial neighborhood next to the Cornell campus. And there's a good bus system in Ithaca, so you don't have to walk down any hills (or even worse, back up) if you don't want to.</p>
<p>pamelab
thank you I'm extremely proud of D.She's three years in, TA'ing and loves Wash U and living in St Louis (a big surprise, she didnt think she'd like the city).
K9Leader...that Park scholarship is one of the greatest merit scholarship opportunities around in my opinion. Be proud of your S for being a finalist for it!</p>
<p>A good friend of my daughters graduated last year from Ithaca College in (I think) journalism and is now working at the local television station here. While at Ithaca she did two study abroads worked at the one in London. She was able to get a great merit aid package.</p>
<p>BTW, all this talk about the Finger Lakes - my husband and I lived there for four long winters and I worked in Penn Yan! Beautiful country in any weather.</p>
<p>So would Ithaca be more of an 'artsy' school, rather than, say, computer science focused?</p>
<p>Son really enjoyed his visit there---although as a future comp sci major, I don't know that it would be an academic fit....</p>
<p>I never viewed Ithaca as an "artsy" school. It has a reputation for having a decent business program as well as a strong sports program (sports management- physical therapy) etc. So I always thought it had a bit of a jock and preppy environment mix.
I think it's good that a school can't be stereotyped and it gets kids interested in many different subject areas including theater and communications too. Makes it a much more interesting campus when there is not one dominant campus culture.
It has always been a very solid and popular school with Long Island kids.</p>
<p>Depends on what you mean by 'artsy'. . . Their music program is very strong, as is the theater department, but it's more in a 'professional' kind of way. Students are there to learn and practice their craft. It's the same with the Park School of Communication, a very professional feel. Computer Science and Math, while small as a department, seem to have equally talented students.</p>
<p>It seems like the townies are a bit more friendly toward IC students than Cornellians.</p>
<p>Thanks, marny1 & morandi, for those thoughts on the 'artsy' thing. Maybe that was just son & friend's perception when they visited. Appreciate it! </p>
<p>And, nice to know the town views the students in a friendly way!</p>
<p>How might a townie know an Ithaca student from a Cornell student?</p>
<p>by the sweatshirt ???</p>
<p>had a conversation with one of the workers at a winery (I really don't drink that much wine)- but we were talking about the college students in the area and the winery bus tours that are becoming so popular in the region. I assume there are fairly strict safeguards and most participants are 21 +</p>
<p>I had mentioned that both my girls go to school in the area- one at Cornell and the other at Cortland. His response was that the Cornell kids can be a bit obnoxious and overbearing. Whereas the Cortland kids seem much more respectful and a nicer group of kids. So maybe more of the Cornell kids come across as a bit more overbearing and smug than the IC kids (??)</p>
<p>You absolutely have to visit to decide. My D did not like it at all - although the academic programs really were perfect for her interests. She didn't like the campus and definitely didn't like the location - she likened it to the Emerald City popping up....there wasn't a whole lot around Ithaca except the town of Ithaca. The campus is rather modern and there was a lot of construction going on which may have influenced her, too. It also felt crowded. But many of their programs are really excellent - I wish she'd consider it but will not! Their BFA musical theater and vocal performance programs are known internationally.</p>