purple

My friend told me she called Amtrak and she can ship 100 lbs for $50! Is there an Amtrak stop in Ithaca though?... http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?c=Page&pagename=am%2FLayout&cid=1241267371736

Haha... Actually I would've left from Sacramento! But my car would've been packed anyway... Wow that's a lot of boxes shipped. Are you going to be checking in luggage to the max when you fly? Luckily, I will have a traveling companion (my bf) so I'm checking in 4 boxes of 50lbs each... And I'm hoping that's enough haha... Actually, that weekend, I *might* be traveling to NYC for fun. It might be useful having a ride back. But I'm not sure yet... I'll let you know if we decide to do that!

Ok so my plans to drive have been changed, and I am now flying! I am now on the same boat as you and am not sure how I'm going to ship all my stuff to school... Any luck finding the best way to go about this? I am going to look at UPS, Fed-Ex, DHL... and then Amtrak. ~Ok, new question here: What are the utility companies in Ithaca? I am going to be the first person to arrive at my apartment, and I want to have electricity and gas and maybe even internet when I arrive... Help!

I like the sign saying "gradcafe.com" idea. I'm taking all my stuff by car... from California. I wish there was an easier way, but shipping all my stuff seems way too expensive... Wish me luck!

Hi! Yeah I was just looking at the same forms... And I have some questions too... ID card photo: I just took a couple shots in front of a blank wall and cropped it. I hope they accept it... I don't know what type of accounts can be applied to it, but I'm excited to get my new ID card for student discounts and bragging to friends If they don't accept it, does that mean I will have to wait in line when I get there? Parking & Commuter services: The form says we can register our vehicles w/out purchasing any permits. But then on the bottom, it says we shouldn't submit the form if we aren't ordering anything... so should I register my car if I'm living off-campus? I'm kind of worried, because will be living very close to campus. Cornell Fitness Centers: Is this one worth the purchase? Are the fitness centers nice? I don't know how much time I'll have to go regularly, but I guess it would be nice to have a place to work out in the dead of the winter... @Debbie C: Oh good question about the Installment Plan... It says you have to call them up? Has everyone filled out their MPNs for their loans? I'm new to this... help!

Ooh good to know. Thanks for calling in!

Regarding the financial aid package, I recently checked the Student Center and there was a loan application that was way overdue already. I called the graduate financial aid office, and they said I had to fax all the remaining documents such as your last year's tax return, the Federal Loan Application forms, etc. And once all the required information is gathered, they told me we should be receiving financial aid packages in July.... but isn't the first payment of our tuition due in July?? I'm kind of worried about that. I am relying on loans to pay my tuition :/

Ooh, thanks for the tips! I was wondering which kind of shoes to get. I went to REI and looked at some hiking boots, but wasn't sure if it would be over the top. Is that the type you meant? And do they do well on snow? I also saw these attachments you can wrap the bottom of your shoe with to make it easier to walk on snow, haha.. Again, not sure if that's going too far? Also, great to know that all the buildings are heated well. I was kind of worried about that too. Thanks!

Oh, here's a good question for you Cornellians... As someone who has never lived outside California's sun... I will need to outfit my wardrobe with appropriate garbs for Ithaca's weather... what would you recommend as essentials. Some ideas I have are: Hiking/waterproof boots for the winter months; a peacoat; raincoat... and thats when ideas run out for me.. I am not equipped for the snow at all. Help? Also... still no luck finding housing.. I am a female grad student looking to live in Fall Creek or possibly Collegetown. I am aiming for the $500 price range for a nice room. Please pass the word! Thanks!

I've been meaning to thank you for the advice! I was still waiting for my NetID, but I've since joined the listserv. So all I do is reply to it, and it sends to everyone on the list, correct? I think I'm going to need to post something soon! I haven't gotten any emails in the last... 6 hours that I've been on this list...

so47: Congratulations on finding a place to live already! May I ask you, how did you do that?? I got accepted late and decided to go to Cornell about a week ago... also, I could not attend my department's open house, so now I am completely lost w/out any way of contacting other incoming grad students to even try to coordinate looking for a place to share. My only options are now craigslist... and the DOS website (has anyone used this to successfully land a home?) Not sure where to begin...