<p>I know there's a separate forum for financial stuff, but maybe I can learn some Cornell-specific things from here too. I got no financial aid so I want to see what I can do to save money. There are a few things that I want to address in particular, but any tips will be great!</p>
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<li><p>Can you take online community college courses while attending Cornell? At least maybe during the summer? Just for some general classes that I don't really care about but need in order to graduate</p></li>
<li><p>What meal plan would you recommend? I haven't calculated the price per meal, but just looking at the total price for a semester, dining halls seem pretty expensive.</p></li>
<li><p>Are there kitchens in the dorms? I've been to colleges that have them but I don't know if Cornell does. I'm not very high maintenance for breakfast, and I kind of just want to make my own cereal and eggs. I don't think I'd eat my money's worth by going to the dining hall for breakfast</p></li>
<li><p>How abundant are jobs at Cornell? Random jobs, research stipends, TA work, etc.? And do they pay reasonably well?</p></li>
<li><p>Do you have to pay extra to study abroad? It's something I'm interested in but don't know if I'd have the money to do it</p></li>
</ol>
<ol>
<li>meal plan - My kid had a fridge in her room. She kept milk cereal, fruit and coffee in her room. She had 10 meal plan with more red bucks. She struggled to use up her 10 meals. In her case, she was eating by her classes instead of going back to the dining hall.</li>
<li> My kid is not eligible for work study, but she was able to get an office job on campus. You can also get jobs off campus (collegetown, if you don’t have transportation). Jobs on campus pay minimum wage plus. My older daughter also graduated from Cornell a while back, she was a TA for few courses when she was senior.</li>
<li> Study abroad can be less expensive than Cornell. Tuition at many host colleges are often cheaper than Cornell’s tuition (by half). Cornell charges extra $2500 for administrative fee. As an example, my kid is going to study abroad next fall, the host school’s tuition is 10K, so we’ll be paying 12.5K instead of 25K for one semester. When you study abroad, your grades won’t be factored into your GPA, you’ll get P/F instead.</li>
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<p>@oldfort or to anybody than can answer:
- Fridge are standard issue at every room? Or the student has to buy one if desired?
- How does red bucks work? Can you use it anywhere on campus?
- For the extra meal intended for visitors, can the student use meals for themselves if they know that they will not have visitosr for that semester?
- If students elect to stay on campus during short breaks, are the dining hall open? Are meals during break included?
- For study abroad, what year and semester students normally go oversees and study? Is it limited to 1 semester?
- How much is a typical apartment in Ithaca? Is it cheaper to live off-campus than in the dorm?
- How about coop? How hard is it to get in? Is it really cheaper and advisable?</p>
<p>1) i believe there should be floor fridges in each dorm, but if you want one in your room, you have to buy/rent one
2) they are tax free. with the exception of a few places (mandibles, zeus cafe, food trucks) they can be used anywhere on campus
3)no, you can’t use them for yourself. however, I’ve seen people (and have done myself) use their visitor swipes to help out others who ran out of meal swipes
4)few of them are there are special schedules for all of the breaks
6) don’t know specific numbers, but definitely cheaper-just have to sign lease in later summer/fall before all the good ones are gone</p>
<p>Thank you @spacygirl !</p>
<p>Me and my daughter are attending Cornell days. The campus is beautiful.</p>
<p>It was a beautiful weekend. Hope you had a good visit.</p>