StudentsReview :: Ithaca College - Extra Detail about the Comment
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Ithaca College

How this student rated the school
Educational QualityA Faculty AccessibilityA+
Useful SchoolworkB- Excess CompetitionB
Academic SuccessB Creativity/ InnovationA
Individual ValueF University Resource UseD
Campus Aesthetics/ BeautyF FriendlinessA-
Campus MaintenanceB Social LifeD
Surrounding CityC Extra CurricularsB
SafetyB
Describes the student body as:
Friendly, Arrogant, Closeminded

Describes the faculty as:
Friendly, Unhelpful

Male
ACT:28
id='quarter' class='snapshot' style='color: #977500; line-height:80px';float:left;
SAT1350
Quite Bright
Lowest Rating
Individual Value
F
Highest Rating
Faculty Accessibility
A+
He cares more about Campus Aesthetics/ Beauty than the average student.
Date: Feb 12 2008
Major: Communications (This Major's Salary over time)
I have very mixed feeling about Ithaca College. i transferred to this school from another university because of the strong communications program (Park School of Communications). In that, I was not disappointed. In practically every other way, I was.

Ithaca College is excellent for professional studies. If you want to study communications, theater, physical therapy, music or business (now, anyway. The business program has gotten MUCH better the past couple of years), Ithaca is the place to be. Everything else is decidedly mediocre.

I double-degreed here (B.S. in Communications, B.A. in History). Liberal arts are lousy. If you want to study history, philosophy, english, economics, physics, etc. don't bother coming here. It isn't worth the money and you will be disappointed.

The Park school is excellent, if slightly inconsistent. Some programs, like Television/Radio and Marketing are fantastic. Others are less well defined, like film and journalism. The Park's school biggest success may well be its administrative philosophy. The administrators and dean are accessible and will work with you to solve any problems that may occur.

Unfortunately, that does not extend to the rest of the college. The School of Humanities and Sciences and the upper levels of college administration are so rigidly bureaucratic it would make the Soviet Union proud. There is the letter of the law and nothing more. Your actual situation doesn't matter in the slightest. The review process for decisions is non-existent and, in my experience, the administration outside of the Park school is indifferent or punitive.

Politically, the school is very far to the Left, more so (on a person-to-person basis) than my previous school (CU-Boulder). If you are a conservative, you are definitely in the minority. While almost everyone is a liberal of one stripe or another, the school at least tries to throw those who aren't a bone and brings a conservative speaker or two to campus every year, which is more than I can say for CU-Boulder.

Financial aid is insufficient. My family is not poor, but we are also not rich. We are decidedly upper-middle class, and if you are similar it puts you in a hard spot here (and many other places). I got some aid, and worked very hard in school to get a bit more, but if your family earns more than $65k but not enough to afford some $25k/year that your financial aid doesn't cover, be prepared to take on quite a bit of debt.

On the balance, Ithaca is worth it if you are entering one of the well-known and prestigious programs. If you want to study broadcasting, music, physical therapy, music or (to a lesser extent) theater, Ithaca is a good place. If one of those major's aren't your goal, strike Ithaca from your list. It simply isn't worth it.

 
Responses
questionIt is funny you are comparing Boulder to Ithaca because those are my top two schools I am looking at? Which school did you prefer? I am from chicago a bit of a bohemian chick which college did you think was better?
responseThat entirely depends. As I said above, if you are interested in one of the professional programs, IC is hard to beat. If you are looking for a typical liberal arts education, Boulder has better resources, but I never took any higher-level classes there.

As far as the location, Boulder has nicer weather and as a much more "real" place than Ithaca - e.g., actual business gets done there, regular people live there, etc. Ithaca has a lousy climate is very much more an insulated, highly collegiate, extremely left-wing place (even more so than Boulder). If that is your thing, you find no other place like Ithaca.
I hope this helps, and if not ask me another question! Thanks for your interest in my review.

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