<p>Glad to hear move-ins went well! My D is an orientation guide and is loving meeting all the freshmen! She lugged stuff up 4 flights of stairs for several hours yesterday at Dickson.</p>
<p>We went to Stella’s for lunch on move-in - her favorite hangout at the moment. </p>
<p>Best of luck to all for a great year!!</p>
<p>Oh my! oldfort (et al), we were at Maxie’s on Friday night… H and I went back for a late night drink last night. And we were on line for the Carriage House this AM before opening. (CS dad D and i loved the omelette!) D had a wine tour booked today so it was an early day. Can’t believe we just had our very last college drop-off day! Sad in a way…
PS - We booked Homewood Suites last spring.
PPS - Best wishes for a great year to all the Cornellians!</p>
<p>Carriage House is my husband’s favorite place. We drove by it this morning, but there was long line.</p>
<p>Cormom - many thanks to your daughter, without volunteers like her, it would have been very hard to move in 3000 students.</p>
<p>We did 3 runs to BB&B, first time to pick up and 2 times to return damaged goods (and pick up more stuff).</p>
<p>We won’t need a special parking placard on Tuesday, will we? I don’t think S ever got one this year.</p>
<p>^correct, the placard thing was only necessary on Friday. you’re on your own now: no one will bother you about parking, but also no one will help carry your things.</p>
<p>No one really even helped carry our things freshman year either – we were in the third batch so maybe the help was petering out. There was a shortage of dollies at his dorm as well. But anyhow, we certainly weren’t expecting help on West even if we did move Friday.</p>
<p>oldfort - thanks from my D! She had the very early shift and the volunteers on her shift were happy to help lug a lot of stuff to rooms! </p>
<p>mathmomvt - true, no one will help you move into West this year! Seems like after freshman year there is no help/communication about anything! They are on their own! You won’t need a special placard.</p>
<p>Good luck to all the kids, whether freshmen or upperclassmen!</p>
<p>Yes, good luck to all! We enjoyed moving in to Risley on Thursday and avoiding some of the chaos. My son attended Hillel Freshman Fest Thursday and is really loving Cornell.</p>
<p>We moved in my son on Sunday evening. I am underwhelmed by the accommodations this year. There is not that much space in the closet to hang his clothes and keep his shoes etc. Last year’s single was so much better. But move in went smoothly, we even drove back immediately. Last years freshmen move-in was so much tiring for some reason.</p>
<p>He plans to stay off campus next year. Any pointers about where to look for the accommodations from parents and students who have been through that route is appreciated.</p>
<p>I have the same questions about off campus living. If you would like to start a new thread we can do that, or wait for responses on this one. Any help would be appreciated! We want to get right on this. My D is going today to look at housing in Collegetown for next year because she is worried about what is out there.</p>
<p>cormom I will start a new thread. I am little bit disappointed by the lack of space in the double that he is in. It is so crowded. So hopefully they can find something little bit more comfortable for the next year.</p>
<p>My D has lived in a single Dickson, a sorority house, Eddygate and now a house in Collegetown. Every year, securing housing was very stressful. Sorority house and Eddygate were very crowded. She’s blissfully happy to have her own room again.</p>
<p>I wonder how crowded my S’s double will turn out to be. He was in a surprisingly large double last year, so he could be in for an unpleasant surprise. He’s pretty resilient and will just keep stuff under his bed if needed, so I’m not too worried.</p>
<p>Shoes, Laundry hamper and travel suitcase went under bed. We bought some closet organizers from BB&B. But looks like the depth of the closet is not in the standard dimension, with the clothes hanged the doors won’t close properly. Also over the door hanger from BB&B didn’t fit in. There is no place to keep couple of plates, cups and spoons etc. And they haven’t yet received micro fridge yet. I don’t know where it will fit.</p>
<p>My D’s room on West is a single in a suite and most rooms, including the doubles in the suite are quite tiny. She did get a bit luckier with an end room so it is bigger than most - I think it isn’t too much smaller than the double next door. Last year she was crammed in there and somehow she made due.</p>
<p>Any advice on off campus housing would be greatly appreciated! The whole housing thing in general is rather stressful…</p>
<p>S1 lived in three different off-campus apartments at Cornell, and S2 has just moved into his first apartment there also. I definitely have opinions! </p>
<p>S1 lived in Campus Hill in a 3BR (just across the street from Cook House near a bunch of frat houses), in a 10 BR house in Upper Collegetown which I never ever went inside for very good reasons, and in a 4BR high rise on College Ave in downtown Collegetown right across from the infamous and defunct JohnnyO’s. </p>
<p>S2 is living across from Keeton House on Stewart Ave (West Campus) in a 5BR apartment in a former frat house. Haven’t seen the inside yet, looks solid, hear it’s nice.</p>
<p>IMHO the kids should not panic about next year before they get solidly into this one. They should, however, keep eyes and ears open about different areas, buildings, and building management. They should also keep you, the paying parent, informed, and you should absolutely read the leases before letting the kids sign. There are some very funky clauses in these leases – you’re renting the inside of the house only and have no rights to the lawn, the porch or the driveway for example.</p>
<p>YES! The rush to sign the lease each year was horrendous! D ended up living for 2 years with an absolute nut job. She realized this by October of soph year but had already signed for junior year. She was not so quick to sign this year’s lease…much better. Determining rent based on sq. footage was another big issue. Some rooms are obviously much bigger but the landlord will not determine that for the renters. I strongly recommend getting a copy of the lease and really scrutinizing it before allowing your student to sign.</p>
<p>D1 graduated from Cornell a year ago, and this is our second one. My advice to D1 has always been less is more, as in only have one roommate, and room with someone with the same budget as you.</p>
<p>D1 lived in her sorority sophomore year. It was a small room, but she shared it with her best friend. We removed the carpet (filthy) and exposed the wooden floor underneath. The girls were very good at decorating. They bought a cheap Japanese screen to give each other some privacy.</p>
<p>D1 and her best friend had the option of going into a large house with some sorority sisters, but they opted to rent in Collegetown for the convenience.</p>
<p>I think 312 College Ave is the best. The apartments are big, there is doorman and underground parking. D1 managed to sublease which made it a lot cheaper - lower monthly rent and not having to pay for summer months. All off campus housing require annual lease, but a lot of students end up studying abroad or doing coop, so they want to sublease their apartments when they are not on campus, even if it’s at a lower price.</p>
<p>Why did your students decide to move off-campus? I think my S would be happy to stay in the dorms for all 4 years if he can get a room, but I know that is not guaranteed beyond Sophomore year. If he waits for the housing lottery and finds out he can’t get a room, won’t it be way too late to lease a decent apartment?</p>