Ithaca College | Student Reviews | Best College

Student Profile

Aaron

Class: Senior
Major: English
Gender: M

High School: Lakeland High School
Transfer Student: N

Big Picture

Ithaca, for all intents are purposes, is a good school. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable, the students are friendly and active, and the community has everything a student needs. The campus is relatively small, which makes traversing it fairly painless, but the facilities are adequate and up-to-date. There is always something going on somewhere - be it a party or concert off campus, or school-supported activities on campus. That is not to say that every event is interesting or worthwhile, but there are certainly options to spend one's free time. That said, there are enough student groups for everyone to at least find something to be a part of. Not every group is fantastic or large, but it's also easy to get a group started. On the other hand, IC's administration clearly did not go to business school. Every week, IC finds a new ploy to get students to hand over fists of cash, and often for the most trivial reasons. The college handles money very poorly, and the students must always be the ones to pay. Don't be fooled by IC's claims of being a good value; it is a money sink.

Academic Life

Class sizes are mostly on the small side: 20 students in most classes, and some seminars with 7. This makes the atmosphere very friendly, and even in big classes there is room to establish somewhat of a rapport with the professor and peers. Most professors, in my experience, are very intelligent, and are generally good teachers. Some have lacked an interesting or engaging style, despite their knowledge of the subject. In my four years, two professors have been downright terrible, and (as far as I know) both were subsequently fired. In general education classes, I was shocked at the idiocy of some of my peers, but I soon realized they were students from the school's less established majors. Within my major, I was quite impressed with the intelligence of my peers, and on a few occasions I was challenged to better myself. Most challenges, however, came from the professors, though I wish they had challenged me more often.

Student Body

Ithaca is diverse in personalities and lifestyles, but not very diverse in race or socioeconomic standing. Rather, most of the community comprises wealthy white students. However, the school is ever attempting to diversify itself, and on the whole I feel the community to be accepting. Because Ithaca has a very populous LGBT community, there tends to be very little sexual bias. There are also groups, organizations, and events all geared toward LGBT understanding. There have been a few noted racial incidents, and the backlash from the community was notable, which is a plus. More students than not, it seems, are politically active. Even the most apathetic students at IC seem to have some semblance of a political and social understanding.