<p>I have some questions in regards to how I will settle into Ithaca in the future. I'm becoming a bit paranoid in regards to having everything transfer over smoothly for myself and saving money in the process. I have many questions I've written for myself over the past few weeks. I hope they're not too much...</p>
<p>-What is the best way to get to the campus? Fly into Buffalo and bus it over or into Syracuse or into NYC?
-What is the best way to get around Ithaca in general? There's a very good chance I will be getting a job somewhere in Ithaca for work study and personal expenses. I cannot afford a car or insurance or anything similar and will need to use the bus. Are there services from CU to the Ithaca area that won't put a dent in my budget?
-Are 10 meals a week plenty? I believe that's what I chose as I've lurked over the forums and poked around, but I have a hard time believing that's enough. I don't eat much outside and am a vegetarian.
-Which banks are the best to work with? I did some researches on major banks and found that Bank of America seems to be dead center somewhere within the CU zipcode. Is this the bank of choice?
-How many hours a week is too much in regards to work study? (Please don't answer "it depends on you." I'm asking for your honest opinion if you were/are in the scenario.)
-Where can I keep my bicycle? I'm an avid rider and will use it to get from point a to point b (probably not work considering attire).
-How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?</p>
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<li><p>Many students fly into Syracuse or Ithaca. I know a few international students who fly into NYC and take a bus to Ithaca.</p></li>
<li><p>Ithaca has the TCAT bus service. All incoming students get a free bus pass and the service is pretty good. Keep in mind any work-study money you got from Cornell can only be used for an on campus job.</p></li>
<li><p>I thought 10 meals a week was fine for me. I was really only around my dorm for dinner and used my BRBs to buy lunch on campus.</p></li>
<li><p>The actual Bank of America banking center is not on the CU campus…it’s in the commons. There’s a BOA ATM in Collegetown. Tompkins Trust Company, M&T and CFCU Credit Union are physically on the Cornell campus. Many Cornellians open an account at one of these banks for their time at Cornell.</p></li>
<li><p>I worked about 15 hours a week with my work study job. It was difficult, but I really needed the money so I made it work.</p></li>
<li><p>Most dorms have a bicycle storage room and there are plenty of bike racks around campus.</p></li>
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<p>FWS can be used for most Cornell University hourly student jobs, Off-campus for community service jobs in the local area, Off-campus with not-for-profit agencies nationwide (job must be pre-approved), and occasionally for explicitly career-related jobs in small profit agencies. These employers are usually reimbursed for 50% of your gross earnings. </p>
<p>Ditto on everything dewdrop said. More stuff:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Pretty much without a car/friends with cars, your options are flying into Ithaca, Syracuse, and NYC. The bus from Port Authority in NYC to campus is ~$40. Keep in mind that it’ll cost some money (depending on how you travel, anywhere from $2-$50) and some time (a few hours?) to get from any NYC airport to Port Authority. You can order a shuttle from Syracuse airport to campus for ~$70 (rates might have gone up). Why it costs more to travel from Syracuse, a 1hr trip, compared to NYC, a 4.5hr trip, is beyond me. In my experience, the cost difference between flights to Ithaca and Syracuse is small enough that it doesn’t actually cost more to fly into Ithaca, but much more convenient, but you should shop around regardless.</p></li>
<li><p>There are plenty of student jobs available in and around the Cornell campus and Collegetown. If you really need to go to the commons/downtown Ithaca for employment, theres the #10 bus that runs every 10-15 minutes from campus to the commons, as well as the #30 which runs every 30 minutes between the mall (north of campus), through campus, to the commons (south/west of campus).</p></li>
<li><p>I did 10 meals my first semester and thought that it was too much so I switched to 7 the second. Even though the food is generally really good (as a junior, I thought of going to a dining hall as superior to the restaurants in Collegetown), you’ll get sick of it eventually. I think you can upgrade your plan at anytime during the semester, but not downward so keep that in mind as you select a plan.</p></li>
<li><p>I thought the M&T branch was only in Collegetown… Regardless, there’s also HSBC bank which has an ATM in Willard Straight and branches in the Commons, near the mall, and in East Hill Plaza (east of campus). They have a 3.5% interest savings account so that’s what I use.</p></li>
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<p>Cell phones are well worth the money and will make your life a heck of a lot easier. I didn’t have one in high school, and didn’t realize how much cell phones make scheduling communicating more convenient. With Verizon, good reception in Ithaca, you can easily pay off your monthly bills with about eight hours of work. </p>
<p>Depends on your college, but you generally determine your schedule during orientation, and it’s usually a good idea to have in mind beforehand what you want to take. </p>
<p>Having an M&T branch right in the middle of campus is great. I was easily able to talk to a person at the bank whenever I had questions, and I could make deposits quickly between classes. There are ATMs all over, too, so in my opinion M&T is the way to go. (Not that the other ones aren’t good choices either, but this is my experience.)</p>
<p>Is there ice available from the fitness center to students in general? Riding a bike and running put stress on my knees and back – I use ice to help me out in this respect. Should I stick to the fitness center or would I be better off with an ice maker?</p>
<p>I have knee problems and I could never find ice at the fitness center so I just bought a reusable ice pack (one of the gel ones) and kept it in my freezer.</p>
<p>10 meals is perfect - i wish i’d done that instead of 14 my first semester - most probably drop down. i’m assuming that this is because many, like myself, don’t take into account the fact that you will be using big red bucks for meals too (better meals btw) and occassionally eat in restaurants or cook for yourself</p>
<p>i had 10 meals and only went over once. i used my brbs a lot for lunch from the ivy room or green dragon while i was on central. i also took advantage of campusfood.com and ordered dinner from there sometimes. definitely enough meals…most of the time i wouldnt eat all 10</p>
<p>take advantage of all the good places to eat/order from off campus/collegetown - aladdin’s, dp dough, boatyard grill, the nines, really good indian restaurant whose name i cannot remember, etc.</p>