<p>I never got a chance to visit Cornell before applying/getting accepted. I'm going drive up there with my parents during the weekend before the new year and hopefully walk around the campus and see the area around the campus. It's gonna be a pretty short visit because it'll take us the whole day to get there and we're just gonna stay at the near-by holiday inn for a night and pretty much leave right away in the morning. And there won't be any tours that day because it's a winter holiday...and we'll be arriving pretty late anyway. So...is there anything i should look for in the school or around it while visiting? (i'm gonna be in the engineering school) And, will we be allowed to just wander around without id or anything?</p>
<p>I would def go see one of the falls, that was pretty cool when I went, and most are on campus or like a 5 min drive away. The whole campus is awsome so try to see as much as you can.</p>
<p>you can wander around as much as you want. However, the school is closed from December 22 to January 5, so I doubt there will be very many people on campus. I doubt you'll be able to get into any of the buildings. You should go down to collegetown though and check it out, it's like due south of the engineering quad. Check out north campus and take the trek from north down to the engineering quad, that'll show you want you'll have to deal with every day. I dunno, there won't be too much to see otherwise.</p>
<p>Parent comment:</p>
<p>I took my son to visit Cornell last year, and I am almost positive it was between chritmas and new years, and we got a tour. (it was our last college visit)</p>
<p>So check the website out, perhaps you can get a tour.</p>
<p>There were almost no students there obviously, but as noted we got the tour.</p>
<p>It is a little grim this time of year, but my son was accepted and started last fall, and loves Cornell.</p>
<p>The Herbert Johnson art museum has heart-stopping views of Cayuga Lake: <a href="http://www.museum.cornell.edu/HFJ/about/generalinfo.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.museum.cornell.edu/HFJ/about/generalinfo.html</a></p>
<p>They are open on Sat. and Sun. 12/30--31:
<a href="http://www.museum.cornell.edu/HFJ/about/holiday2006.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.museum.cornell.edu/HFJ/about/holiday2006.html</a></p>
<p>Good luck, I hope you have a wonderful visit.</p>
<p>Be sure you get a map. It's a confusing place if you have never been there. Walking is great. Be sure to get over to the North Campus dorms -- that's where you'll be living as a freshman, so you will want to be able to visualize the area when you get your housing assignment.</p>
<p>If it's one night only, I might spring for the Statler Hotel and stay <em>in the middle</em> of campus. We always stay at the Best Western which is very close to campus.</p>
<p>Second the suggestion to check out Collegetown.</p>
<p>I think it would also be good to go to Ithaca Common (downtown) and walk around or eat around there.</p>
<p>Things you should see (going from south to north)</p>
<p>1) collegetown
2) engineering quad
3) willard straight hall
4) uris and olin libraries
5) arts quad
6) north campus</p>
<p>Keep in mind the amount of walking between places 2 and 6 because you'll be doing that every morning so you'd better get used to it. ;)</p>