<p>Cornell obviously has amazing academics, but what is the social life like? Does the "middle of nowhere" feel detract from it?</p>
<p>Well, when you have thousands of students in any one place, of course there’s going to be a decent social life. Cornell’s size, from what I’m understanding, allows for the same social scene as you’d find at any large school; you’ll have your choice of clubs and groups of friends.</p>
<p>When you’re on a cruise ship in the middle of the ocean, there are still a ton of activities, right? It should be the same thing with Cornell. Granted, it’s not the NYU feel where you can go out and eat at a different restaurant in Ithaca every night for your whole college time, but the fact that it’s in the middle of nowhere shouldn’t put too much of a strain on your social options.</p>
<p>Have fun!</p>
<p>^au contrair, ds143. ithaca happens to have the most restaurants per capita…a greater percentage than NYC! there is SO much to do in ithaca, whether its in collegetown, in the commons, or elsewhere. ithaca does NOT feel like the middle of nowhere (this is coming from someone living in suburbia less than 15 minutes outside of a major city). i have never been at cornell and been bored, and i know a lot of students can agree with me.</p>
<p>Thanks, CU Ambassador. I happily stand corrected then :)</p>
<p>I would have to second that Cornell never seems alone and boring, and I don’t go out much but I’ve still been to lots of great restaurants. I honestly don’t feel like I’m in the middle of nowhere, either…I know that objectively, compared to an urban campus, Cornell isn’t really close to anywhere, but there’s always plenty of bustling around.</p>
<p>Agree with the above posters. The restaurants in C-town alone are awesome, and while the mall is relatively small, it’s still a fun place to hang out (and it’s just a short bus ride away). </p>
<p>No matter what kind of social life you’re looking for, you’ll find it at Cornell - the student body is big enough and diverse enough for you to find your place. There’s plenty of partying and drinking, but there are also plenty of students who prefer sobriety and have fun in other ways. I’ve never been bored here and am very happy with the social scene!</p>
<p>^Wow thanks for your insights! There go my doubts about applying! :)</p>
<p>forget the mall - go to the commons!</p>
<p>i dont really go to collegetown, but what does restaurants per capita mean? I’m pretty sure its the number that matters, not per-capita.</p>
<p>i love the social life.</p>
<p>restaurants per capita: ratio between restaurants to population</p>
<p>ps i forgot to mention…APPLE FEST in the commons is umbelievable. about the mall- pyramid mall is small, yes, but it has the essential flagship stores at any mall. i was a little confused when i first arrived at cornell and saw that the mall had a target and acmoore in it. i come from an area where shopping malls are everywhere and being in a 1 story mall seemed really weird to me. but after being here for 3 years, i realized that the stores found there are the only ones i would end up shopping at. if i really needed something, i would drive the 45 min to carosel mall in syracuse, but nothing has been soooo necessary to get that i needed to do that</p>
<p>another plus about ithaca is a 24 hour wegmans…i dont have one at home…and wegmans being open all night during a horrible all nighter at studio is definitely a plus ;)</p>
<p>the only time i feel like ithaca is in the “middle of nowhere” is when i have to drive 6 hours to get in and out of there (lol) but once im there i dont have that feeling. but to get to and from nyc is so easy. there is a free wifi (and i heard they give out snacks too! jealous) campus-to-campus bus that runs multiple times a day, everyday, from ithaca to nyc. when students dont go home for fall break, or just need to get away, sometimes they will take the bus and go to the city.</p>
<p>I think the mall is definitely a plus I didn’t know about before I got here. it has basically everything I need during the semester and it’s so easy to get there.</p>
<p>I love the mall in Ithaca - it has tractor stores! :P</p>
<p>I went for summer college and Ithaca was pretty quiet, but we still managed to have fun…
We walked to the commons/collegetown, hiked around the gorges, went to the fabulous mall, and just explored the campus. It can only get more fun when everyone is actually there!</p>
<p>The commons and collegetown are great places to hang out. There aren’t that many restaurants in c-town, to be honest, but the commons has more than you’d ever need, and it’s only a 5-10 minute walk. My social life consists of doing homework with friends during the week and then either going out or eating out on weekends. I think it’s pretty sweet, even though I guess depends on what kind of person you are.</p>
<p>if you’re in search of better dining, there are some fantastic restaurants a little drive out (10-15 min). check out dijon (great wine list also), john thomas steak house, maxies (killer on IDs dont try it they scan them and take them), just a taste (tapas, in the commons), carriage house (brunch), the heights. these have more locals and upperclassmen. as a freshman you’ll probably eat out most frequently in ctown )plum tree/miyake for sushi and sake bombing, alladdins.</p>
<p>if you’re looking for a more active social life than most of the posters here seem to have it will probably revolve around frats freshman year (a topic that has been exhausted on this site so I’m not going into greater detail). later it will move more to the bars (dinos and johnny o’s, dunbars and level b on wednesday, ruloffs for a bit more low key, chapter house and the palms when you’re a senior. also as you get older you’ll do more in people’s houses and apts and go to nicer dinners more often. </p>
<p>feel free to PM me with any questions.</p>
<p>i was just saying it would be more fun to live in a town with 2000 people and 1000 restaurants than a town with 2 people and 4 restaurants. i know what “per capita” means.</p>
<p>“it would be more fun to live in a town with 2000 people and 1000 restaurants than a town with 2 people and 4 restaurants”</p>
<p>I know what you mean. The restaurant to people ratio is high here, but it’s not like living in the city. I think it would be nice if the commons was located in collegetown. But I guess the walk to the commons isn’t bad, and collegetown offers enough, whether you’re looking for a quick meal or a nice dinner at Plum Tree.</p>