Tuesday, August 10, 2010

cornell redux (lyn)

Sally, Alexander, Jean and I are up early for our six hour drive to Ithaca NY.  We’re on the road by 6:30, just barely awake.  We pack Jean's homemade brownies (I had two the night before and am determined to have no more), an assortment of fruit, goldfish, and a bunch of other snacks. We make about three bathroom/drink stops.  The drive is long, but pretty.  Lots of big green mountains spotted with cows for the last two hours of the trip.

We arrive by 12:30 and everyone is hungry.  Jean and Sally head over to tour Ithaca College while Alexander and I visit Cornell.  Alexander was here during spring break with his grandmother but I’ve never seen the school.  The first thing that strikes me is its size.  It’s big and rambling and there’s a ton of walking.  Alexander points out on the positive side, “I wouldn’t need to worry about the freshman 15 here.”  That’s the myth that freshman gain 15 pounds during their first year of college.  


I like the Arts and Science quad, as it is fairly well contained, and surrounds a large green square.  Cornell is on a hill and some of the vistas of the surrounding town are magnificent.  As a student, I would assume that most of Alexander’s time would be spent in the Arts and Science quad, which is a manageable space, though a 15 minute walk from the dorms.





We visit the bookstore and they are low on stock.  None of the t-shirts that Alexander wants with the Cornell bear are available.  So we buy nothing.  We wander off campus to College Town which is a street with a couple of stores on it. We grab some pizza and head back to campus.

I can see Alexander being happy here if he can get in.  But I worry about the size (it is very big); the pressure (this is supposedly the toughest ivy once you are in); and its remote location. 

Jean and Sally are back to pick us up at 4:45, as our next adventure is to drive to Colgate College in Hamilton, almost two hours away.

Dinner ends up being a delicious but highly unhealthy and fattening burger and fries for everyone.


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