<p>Hey guys, I'm thinking of applying to Cornell for grad school and one of my concerns is finding an active nightlife scene. What's the scene there like for the 21+ crowd? Where do the grad students hang out? Thank you.</p>
<p>there are bars in collegetown, but i think the bars close at around 1:30.</p>
<p>idk, keep in mind it's ithaca, not new york city.</p>
<p>Grad students have the chapter house - that's pretty neat.</p>
<p>Other than that, for partying, you'll be stuck with whatever you and your friends come up with; there are plenty of bars in Ithaca...and, uh, that's about it.</p>
<p>There are LOTS of trips to NYC/boston though, either organized by the university (i.e. cheaper bus fare), or private groups, so you can also get to new york if you want to.</p>
<p>There are a lot of bars in Collegetown, but the majority of people there will be undergraduates. Grad students don't tend to go to frat parties. The Chapter House and the Big Red Barn are places where grad students go out and socialize and maybe some of the pubs in the commons/downtown? I never took a trip to NYC or boston EVER, never needed to. There are so many people at Cornell though, it's really really easy to organize a house party and invite a bunch of people over.</p>
<p>While Ithaca isn't exactly Madison or Ann Arbor, I don't think it is a bad place to be a graduate student. Most of your social life would revolve around house parties and some select bars on the Commons and in Collegetown (Chanticleer, Korona, Chapter House, Pixel, Stella's). </p>
<p>The professional schools (Vet, Law, Business) are very small and integrated, so you life would revolve around your fellow classmates. Graduate students proper tend to have a little bit more interaction with upperclassmen (I definitely hung out with a bunch of graduate students at Chapter House in my day), but also tend to affiliate with their own fields fairly strongly. The dating scene isn't bad -- I would rather be in Ithaca than any other Upstate city -- but it isn't necessarily good either.</p>
<p>The one thing that Ithaca can offer to graduate students is an abundance of high quality, accessible shows (Haunt, Castaways, State Street, and even Cornell's own Fanclub Collective all offer fantastic shows) and high quality outdoor activities. If those whet your whistle, I don't think you would find Ithaca all that dull.</p>