Ithaca College
Responses from the Student Interview
From a student who identifies as Major: Occupational Therapy
Minor: Outdoor Adventure Pursuits
Student Self Identifies as: White Straight Female
Summary
I’m part of the Yoga Club, the Outing Club, and the Environmentalist Club.
Background
Gender Identity: Female
Race/Ethnicity: White
Sexual Orientation: Straight
On a 5-year program
High School Experience: Public charter school outside of Reading, PA with about 74 students in the graduating class. There was a culture of going to college.
First-Generation College Student: No
Major: Occupational Therapy
Minor: Outdoor Adventure Pursuits
Extracurricular Activities: I’m part of the Yoga Club, the Outing Club, and the Environmentalist Club.
Did any of your extracurricular activities have a particularly big impact on your experience? In what ways?
The Outing Club has given me the chance to meet a lot of new people and experience cool things on campus.
Academic Experience
Can you describe the weekly coursework for the prerequisite classes you’ve taken?
There’s a good number of labs and projects for the Occupational Therapy (OT) classes. They’re either something like making a brochure for a retirement home or growth development chart. The exams and smaller homework assignments make up the bulk of my final grade.
Is there anything you feel your prerequisite classes have done especially well or poorly?
They’ve given me a foundation and have set me up pretty well for what I’m going to experience my junior and senior year.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
It’s definitely collaborative. We have a smaller classroom with [fewer] students per classroom, which is helpful because it creates a positive environment. You can work well with other students and the professors are always available to help you. [About 43% of classes have between 10-19 students and the student-faculty ratio is 11:1.]
What has been your favorite part of Ithaca academically?
The wide variety of classes I get to take each semester makes learning fun. With my minor mixed in with my Occupational Therapy classes it’s a fun mix so I’m just stressed out doing all Occupational Therapy.
How accessible are your professors?
They’re very accessible and always mention their office hours. They answer their emails quickly and can help you when you need it.
Why did you pick your major? Are you happy with your choice?
I’m extremely happy with my choice. I’ve always been interested in finding ways to help people with their life, even if it’s small. I’ve always been drawn to the geriatric community, so going into Occupational Therapy allows me to learn how to properly help someone of that age and make sure their life is what they want it to be.
Reasons to Attend
1) The education is really good.
2) The community that Ithaca creates on campus is awesome. The professors get involved in your life which is really good.
3) The scenery and the location of Ithaca are something not a lot of colleges have.
Reasons Not to Attend
1) It’s expensive, so I wish I took that into consideration more. [The tuition cost is about $44,000.]
2) If you have super bad seasonal depressions I’d avoid going to Ithaca.
Around Campus
Where have you lived on and around campus?
Freshman: The Towers with one roommate
Sophomore: Terrace with one roommate
How was transitioning from your hometown to Ithaca in terms of location?
It was a big change. Where I’m from is a little bigger than Ithaca, but the whole energy of Ithaca is very laid back and calm compared to where I’m from.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
There’s a good amount of safety. They have the blue light system around campus if you’re feeling unsafe. You always see campus police driving around, and at orientation, they give out the phone number.
Social Opportunities
What kind of nightlife or weekend activities do you participate in at Ithaca?
There’s a lot of small on-campus get togethers which is fun. We have the Ithaca Commons, which is downtown. There are nightclubs there which are fun. We have some off-campus sports teams who throw parties.
What nights of the week do you regularly do things?
I normally go out Friday and Saturday and go to the Commons. You can take the bus down and it’s super close. There are a lot of good stores and things to do there.
What have been some of your favorite times at Ithaca?
Ithaca is pretty quirky, so at the beginning of the year, there are a lot of festivals in the Commons. We have an Apple Harvest, a Chowder Cook-Off, and a WizardFest. Those are the highlights from August through October. Those are so fun and the weather is perfect. On-campus, the clubs have events, which could be a hike or camping. There’s always something to do.
How happy are you with the weekend options at Ithaca? Is there anything you would change if you could?
I’m happy with them. When I do go out and party, they can be kind of lame because we don’t have Greek life so it’s normally sports teams. For a normal weekend, I’d say I’m pretty happy. The clubs downtown are always fun.
Campus Culture
How did you meet your closest friends?
I met them through the clubs that I’m a part of because there are like-minded people joining those clubs. I also met them in my classes. Especially with my Outdoor Adventure Pursuits minor, I’ve met my best friends. Being involved in clubs and making an effort to talk to people in classes have been key to making my friends.
How would you describe the overall social scene?
It’s pretty good. There are easy ways to communicate with people and the RA on your floor makes time to intermingle with everyone on the floor. There are always fun events the college will put on, so that’s a good way to talk to people. The dining halls are always busy with people.
How would you describe the student body?
Ithaca’s student body is pretty down to earth and politically and socially liberal. It’s a [relaxed] campus and everyone is super friendly.
How do you like the size of Ithaca in terms of undergraduate enrollment? How has it impacted your experience? [There are about 6,250 undergraduates.]
I think it’s the perfect amount of people. It’s enough people where you can walk around campus every day and see someone you don’t know, but it’s also the perfect amount where you can go to the library and see ten people that you are friends with. It creates a strong sense of community, which is good for transitioning into college.
To what extent do people in Greek life and not in Greek life mix socially?
We only have two Greek organizations, but they’re not affiliated with Ithaca. They normally throw parties, so if even if you’re not part of the Greek life, you can still intermingle with people who are part of it.
To what extent do you feel people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
Our school is pretty liberal so we’re very open to the LGBTQ community. You can go around to any friend group and there’s someone with a different sexual orientation. People are so accepting, so it’s easy to make those friendships. You can walk around campus and there are people of other races hanging out. There’s a large African-American group who are really into protesting and finding ways to make the campus more equal for different races, which has been helpful because they get everyone involved. Our campus is good at mixing everyone together. [About 72% of students are White, 9% of students are Hispanic, and 5.5% of students are Black. See Washington Post article, “Ithaca College president resigns after protests over race issues” and The Ithacan article, “College responds to racially charged theater incident.”]
Careers
What have you used the career office for? How helpful have they been?
I used the office to find a job on campus. They were super helpful and I ended up getting a job.
Financial Aid
Have you used financial aid? If so, how accommodating was the office to your needs?
I do use financial aid and the office is super friendly. Sometimes I go during the day and have minor questions to ask them and I’ll walk away knowing more about what [their office does].