<p>As an international student attending Cornell all the way from India, there is only so much I can hope to take with me. As a result there is probably a lot of stuff I'll have to buy from the surrounding instead of lugging them from half the world away. There's also the question of winterwear: Good quality clothes that will keep you warm will not be found here, considering India has > 25 degrees Celsius weather all year long. So I have a couple of questions which I hope someone will be kind enough to answer. If you can't answer all the questions, please at least answer one or two. Thank you.</p>
<p>Firstly, what do I need to purchase in terms of winter wear? I've never been in a snowy climate before so I have no idea. I'm guessing I'll need more than just a sweater.</p>
<p>Secondly, where can I make most of the purchases from? There's a Bed, Bath and Beyond, sure, but the prices are kind of steep. What are some of the cheaper options to buy things from? In addition to winter wear I'll be buying bedsheets, blankets, pillows and other such items from the Ithaca stores. And kind of prices would I be looking at for these purchases?</p>
<p>The bargain stores will be WalMart, Target, JCPenney, KMart. They will have a range of prices based upon quality.</p>
<p>In terms of winter clothes, the temperature drops gradually during the fall, so you have time to buy stuff once you are there. As a general rule, you a better off with layers rather than one huge thick mega coat. So if you get a hoodie/sweatshirt/light jacket, you should be ok into November, and then you can add something heavier. Some decent heavy shoes/boots will be important as well.</p>
<p>And I also recommend to buy them after you are in the US. Less hassle since you can get them from Ithaca Mall or online (they will have sales/deals).</p>
<p>For the pillows etc you can buy from the Bed, Bath and Beyond or from Target. They are both pretty good. There is also Walmart, but I don’t know what they would have.</p>
<p>Also, you can look for winter clothes at Goodwill (second-hand clothing at excellent prices, sometimes great condition). You won’t really need warm clothes until November, so you don’t have to feel stressed about this right away.</p>
<p>Assuming by your username that you are a girl, I would also suggest some rain boots. I am not sure if they are popular in India. It rains very frequently in the fall and spring, so getting some decent rain boots would be a good investment. Having waterproof shoes would be alright too, but if it’s raining your jeans will definitely get wet if you have to walk around.</p>
<p>Also, heavy sweaters are not needed too much. Having a couple would not hurt, but usually it is pretty hot in the lecture halls and classrooms, so like was suggested before, layers (hoodies, zip-hoodies, light sweaters you can layer) would be pretty necessary when it’s cold outside. </p>
<p>Closer to winter, the good heavier jackets will be pretty astronomical in price. So it might not hurt to look at some online when you get to Ithaca. Also, Di.ck’s Sporting Goods sometimes have good sales on winter jackets in the summer. Check it out if you have time. I am pretty sure there is a store in Ithaca.</p>
<p>Just a warning, during orientation the stores mentioned above (Target, Walmart, etc.) are extremely busy and empty if you go later in the day. Go early in the morning when they have had a chance to restock.</p>
<p>Also - something to consider about Bed Bath & Beyond is that they give out a TON of coupons - many of which can be combined on one purchase. I don’t know if you have to sign up for the mailing list - or if there are also coupon codes online, but I would take a look because they could be worth the extra effort!</p>
<p>Let’s see - I’d advise buying the following items. You can order these items online and have them shipped to your dorm. You can try to order from the “sale” items if you want to save money. You might also find items from the “dump and run,” which is a huge sale of items left over from last year’s students. You’ll be able to visit the “dump and run” one of your first days in the north campus area.</p>
<p>Items:
warm, flexible winter coat (down coats are very warm)
a fleece vest or jacket - very warm and easy to wear
mittens or gloves, a wool hat, warm boots
underarmour shirts and possibly pants, they keep you really warm and you can wear them under sweaters, fleeces or jackets.
one or two wool sweaters</p>
<p>Once the weather begins to get cold, you could also ask a friend to take a trip to one of the local stores or the mall with you to help you shop. . a good time would be late September or early October.</p>
<p>Some online sites you might want to visit include:
REI (expensive, but good quality - look at their sale or discontinued items)
Eastern Mountain sports (similar to REI)
others - I’m sure that some of the students can offer other suggestions.</p>
<p>Best of luck - you have an exciting journey ahead.</p>
<p>I went to my local bed bath & beyond and set up a registry. Then i walked around the store with a handheld scanner and scanned everything that i need. Everything will be waiting for me at the bb&b in ithaca. idk if that helps, but it works for me.</p>