Julian Palacios Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 Im going to Hasbrouck apps. (one bedroom apartment) I haven't been to Ithaca so I didnt want any bad surprise. Its pretty close to campus, theres a bus every ten minutes anyway, I dont think theres too much of a hill, and I prefer to be surrounded by golf courses and water falls than by noisy undergrads. Plus Ive heard they have a swimming pool there, and gyms are close by.. @Comosifuera: Im also in Spain so if youre in madrid it be nice to meet u @Dontuse: Im into biomedical engineering so I might see u in the bio quad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TehMatrix Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 Hey everyone. I too will be going to Cornell next year, for chemistry. I have the benefit of living about an hour away, so I will be able to scope out housing and get situated. I know I'll be in Ithaca in early July for TA training, and probably will continue through the summer doing research. If I check out any of the options you guys are looking at, I'll be sure to let you know my impressions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dentafryian Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 Hello everyone, I will be attending Cornell for Statistics. Any advice as to what type of car to get? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dontuse Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 im sure we both plan on many hours in the new biotech building so here is my hello to you Julian Palacios. it's really quite nice to see this thread growing. yay. you've got a good question there dentafryian. hopefully those who are already on campus can answer this more in depth than i'm about to. i visited just this past weekend (to scope out apartments) & thankfully saw a decent mix of car types. i think the majority was higher suvs but by no means were sedans & lowlying coupes no where to be found. since im also in the market for a car i ended up paying a lot of attention to that. still, other opinions are welcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TehMatrix Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 I've been to Ithaca/Cornell many times and live nearby so my advice is based on that. As far as cars go, keep in mind that Ithaca is very hilly, especially in Collegetown where the undergrads predominantly live. If you can, try to get off street parking because even just visiting I've seen quite a few side mirrors get sheared off of parked cars by cars coming up/down the hills. Parking on campus is expensive and not fantastic. On campus parking is about $700 a year for a car (parking also might not be included in your rent!), and even then most of the parking is on the edge of campus. I guess that might work if you live far from campus and whatever academic discipline in is near the parking lot you get. I don't know for a fact if you get to choose what parking lot you're assigned. For what it's worth, motorcycle parking permits are a one time fee of about $60, good for as long as you own the bike--I believe you can park in more places if you have a motorcycle. From living in a similar area and knowing Ithaca, most of your driving will be to grocery stores and shopping, as well as travelling to and from your hometown if it's within a drivable distance. At the moment, gas in this general region is about $2.15-$2.20 a gallon, so compare that with what you're used to and maybe that affects your decision of car type. Hope some of this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phedre Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 The on-campus parking permits are overpriced and NOT worth it. The bus system is quite good and unless you're at the vet school, you should have no problem getting to campus. I REALLY REALLY recommend coming to visit Ithaca to find a place to live. The quality of life in Ithaca can be wonderful, and you can find some lovely apartments and houses for cheap, but you have to put a little effort into it. There are really great places and great deals, and some really terrible places. It's seriously, seriously worth the time and effort to come up for a weekend and look around. or get a friend or someoen in your program to look for you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dontuse Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 Phedre: if i don't get the cornell parking permit [phew. that's $ i'd gladly not spend!] where would we park? i'm moving to 201 highland ave [i think this is cayuga heights?] but would likely have most of my on campus things near the biotechnology building. any suggestions [since i'm coming with my car]? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dino88 Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 I'll be moving there this summer...currently looking for an apartment/house/farm too. Torn between getting a 1 or 2 bedroom within walking distance to campus or a place 20 minutes away with some land. Have a car. Probably will buy parking for convenience. Open to suggestions... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slothy Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 I'm going for sociology. I'm really struggling with housing... the posts here have been really helpful though. Does anyone know if I'd be completely out of luck if I had to wait until mid-June to come out and look for apartments? I'm an undergrad coming from the West Coast so it's not like I can easily drive down for the weekend, but on the other hand none of the university's housing options look ideal... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TehMatrix Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 I know the chem department holds TA training starting the beginning of July. All the faculty and grad students I talked to said that this time is usually used to find housing for the school year. There are lots of housing options and none of the grad students I talked to indicated any difficulty in finding housing, even as late as July. I anticipate you'll be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovescornell Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 So, I'm not sure if anyone's mentioned it yet, but South Hill is a lovely area to live and houses many grad students who like the quieter atmosphere! I rent a duplex here in a beautiful old home, and LOVE having the creek to one side, and one of the hiking trails behind me. I am a 1 minute walk to the Commons (great restaurants) and a mile and a half from the Arts Quad on campus. I walk most days, but catch the bus on the Commons during inclement weather (free rides for the first year, cheaper than getting a parking permit on campus after that). The bus arrives every ten minutes, which is excellent!!!! Consider this area if you're looking for the best of both worlds (nature/culture)--the walk to campus (20 minutes) is a great workout, and if you're like most grad students who are constantly holed up inside, working on various projects, you'll appreciate the time outdoors and the exercise. Around here there is street parking for the most part, but finding a spot has never been an issue for me--I only use my car for Wegman's runs (grocery store) for the most part. Only a mile down the way is a waterfall and a wild flower preserve that is just gorgeous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whatever123 Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 I'm also a student from the west coast and can only make it out to Ithaca mid june. would finding decent housing then be a problem? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esperando Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 I'm curious about the cost of utilities and services associated with renting an off-campus apartment. Can anyone provide any insight as far as electric, heat, water, gas, trash removal, cable, internet, etc? I will be receiving a 26K annual stipend (about 2K a month) and I would like to know if it's better, financially-speaking, to rent an apartment for about $660/mo. that does not include any utilities or an apartment that includes all utilities (except cable and internet) for about $870/mo. Do the utilities add up to about $200? Am I better off paying utilities myself? Also, any info. on auto insurance would be greatly appreciated (i.e. did your rate increase when moving to Ithaca). Thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psycholinguist Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 I'm curious about the cost of utilities and services associated with renting an off-campus apartment. Can anyone provide any insight as far as electric, heat, water, gas, trash removal, cable, internet, etc? I will be receiving a 26K annual stipend (about 2K a month) and I would like to know if it's better, financially-speaking, to rent an apartment for about $660/mo. that does not include any utilities or an apartment that includes all utilities (except cable and internet) for about $870/mo. Do the utilities add up to about $200? Am I better off paying utilities myself? Also, any info. on auto insurance would be greatly appreciated (i.e. did your rate increase when moving to Ithaca). Thanks in advance. Electric: about $30 a month. Varies wildly, in my experience. Heat: mine's included. Water: twice a year, $30 each. Gas: mine's included. Trash-removal: you have to go buy stickers to put on your trash-bags. They cost $2.50 each for bags of 20 lbs. That's about $7.50 a month for me. Phone and Internet: about $65 a month. I would go for the cheaper one without the utilities, unless you really hate dealing with bills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esperando Posted April 24, 2009 Share Posted April 24, 2009 Electric: about $30 a month. Varies wildly, in my experience. Heat: mine's included. Water: twice a year, $30 each. Gas: mine's included. Trash-removal: you have to go buy stickers to put on your trash-bags. They cost $2.50 each for bags of 20 lbs. That's about $7.50 a month for me. Phone and Internet: about $65 a month. I would go for the cheaper one without the utilities, unless you really hate dealing with bills. Thanks, psycholinguist. The info. really helps. I think I will go for the cheaper one. I would really like to find out how much heat would cost as that is the utility I'm most concerned about. So, again, if anyone can help I would really appreciate it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovescornell Posted April 24, 2009 Share Posted April 24, 2009 To the poster above--I pay 178 a month for heating...I live in a 1250 square foot duplex, to give you a basic idea of what that price covers. Now, that price is based on a thing NYSEG does where they let you pay the same amount every month, no matter what actual heating costs amount to, so that there is some stability in your bill amount each month. At the end of the year, they supposedly (and I haven't been here quite a year yet) do the math and either pay you back for the amount you went over, or have you pay the difference. It seems that 178 is a bit high for our gas/electric usage, and so we will probably be getting money back in a few months because we can turn off the heat permanently soon. Electricity is usually 25-30 a month, if that. Our dryer, stove, hot water, and heat is powered by gas, which is why the price is so high. Because of the free (and mandatory) recycling program, my trash is really cheap (only put it out once every two or three weeks) and my water bill is about 60 dollars every three months (I do laundry at home). All-in-all, utilities were a bit higher than I expected (our landlord said it would be about 200 a month altogether) but it's worth it to have such a big place. One more bit of useful info---I pretty much walk most places or take the bus, so the amount I thought I would be paying for gas (I'm from a busy metroplex originally where every destination is at least 20 minutes away) has been drastically reduced to about 28 bucks every 2 or 3 months. Hope that helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newcircuitry Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 I'm a first-year transitioning directly from undergrad on the west coast. As such, I think I'll want to stay in university housing the first year. Any opinions on Hasbrouck housing in terms of location/costs/convenience? (Most people I've spoken to recommend it above Maplewood.) Ease of transition is a really high priority for me; I figure I can survey the area during the year to find better housing off campus starting the second year. Anyone else planning on doing this? Any idea of what parking around Hasbrouck is like? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phedre Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 I totally agree that South Hill is the best deal in Ithaca-- amazing location and much cheaper houses (if you can find a nice one, sometimes the Ithaca College students ruin property). A lot of professors live here and I love the fact that I have tw great running trails within one minute from my house. I share a house with 3 other people and we pay about $475/month in rent. Gas+Electric varies from $40 per person in warm months to $100 per person int he cold months, but it's never gone over $100 per person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psycholinguist Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 I'm a first-year transitioning directly from undergrad on the west coast. As such, I think I'll want to stay in university housing the first year. Any opinions on Hasbrouck housing in terms of location/costs/convenience? (Most people I've spoken to recommend it above Maplewood.) Ease of transition is a really high priority for me; I figure I can survey the area during the year to find better housing off campus starting the second year. Anyone else planning on doing this? Any idea of what parking around Hasbrouck is like? Check out my post on the second page for at least a slight opinion. I'd favour Hasbrouck over Maplewood myself, though it's farther from central campus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clancy Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 Out of the 2 grad housing facilities, I favor Hasbrouck than Maplewood. It looks a bit far from main campus, but it is actually not that bad (15-20 minutes walk to school of engineering). Plus the campus buses make the stops at Hasbrouck's Center regularly. You need to pay extra for parking spot, but you will be given free bus pass. 1 bedroom cost roughly $800+/month (not including parking). The cost covers all utilities (electricity, gas, water, trash) and internet (you are given certain quota, I forgot). A lot of grad students with families live in Hasbrouck. The children's school bus also stops by the Hasbrouck center. The cheapest housing option in Cornell is if you have roommates. Rent a 3/4 bedrooms apartments and share with roommates. For example, there is an apartment complex (I think it is called Plaza Hills apartments in Pine Tree Rd), which is practically next to a grocery complex. A lot of grad students live there. Hope this information helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comosifuera Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 Hasbrouck singles are no longer available, according to housing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clancy Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 Hasbrouck singles are no longer available, according to housing. I see. That's too bad. The main contact person would be Missy Riker (net ID: mar13). Do you know if ILR department has email listing of incoming grad students? If the school does, you can ask for the list and shoot an email asking if there is anybody else in your class who want to look for housing together. Just a suggestion. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dontuse Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 i just turned down my hasbrook apartment offering. it was a single. have fun with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billy85 Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 Hello, I am going to Cornell too. I applied for Campus housing and they have not replied yet :wink: ........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comosifuera Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 I haven't heard back either. I'm going to call tomorrow, because I would like to know ASAP whether I should be looking into off-campus options. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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