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Big Tuna wrote:

ktg808 wrote:

chatterbox43 wrote:FWIW, I walked about .8 of a mile to class, pretty much every day, rain, shine, or -17 degrees (ok, that day sucked a lot. as did the day that it snowed and everyone cancelled class except my prof. anyway). Yes, it was uphill, no, it (mostly) wasn't that bad.

That said, if you don't like walking, if you can't handle the hills, the cold, or being gross and sweaty when you get to school, either live close or be prepared to take the bus. You know yourself, we can't really tell you where you should live.

Some apartment complexes offer free shuttles to and from campus. I lived at the Gun Hill apartment complex for two years, and while it wasn't luxury apartment living, the shuttle to and from class was convenient.

Casa Roma also offers this service.
Honestly, it isn't that bad in the winter, MTHS is exaggerating the situation quite a bit.
Yeah that's right called OUT!

well, when you're an amazeballs anno skinny corpse like MTHS and I, you tend to find ithaca a bit cold.

that's right, emo is back and sadder than ever.

Big Tuna wrote:

ktg808 wrote:

chatterbox43 wrote:FWIW, I walked about .8 of a mile to class, pretty much every day, rain, shine, or -17 degrees (ok, that day sucked a lot. as did the day that it snowed and everyone cancelled class except my prof. anyway). Yes, it was uphill, no, it (mostly) wasn't that bad.

That said, if you don't like walking, if you can't handle the hills, the cold, or being gross and sweaty when you get to school, either live close or be prepared to take the bus. You know yourself, we can't really tell you where you should live.

Some apartment complexes offer free shuttles to and from campus. I lived at the Gun Hill apartment complex for two years, and while it wasn't luxury apartment living, the shuttle to and from class was convenient.

Casa Roma also offers this service.
Honestly, it isn't that bad in the winter, MTHS is exaggerating the situation quite a bit.
Yeah that's right called OUT!

Yeah OK bro

koalatriste wrote:

Big Tuna wrote:

ktg808 wrote:

chatterbox43 wrote:FWIW, I walked about .8 of a mile to class, pretty much every day, rain, shine, or -17 degrees (ok, that day sucked a lot. as did the day that it snowed and everyone cancelled class except my prof. anyway). Yes, it was uphill, no, it (mostly) wasn't that bad.

That said, if you don't like walking, if you can't handle the hills, the cold, or being gross and sweaty when you get to school, either live close or be prepared to take the bus. You know yourself, we can't really tell you where you should live.

Some apartment complexes offer free shuttles to and from campus. I lived at the Gun Hill apartment complex for two years, and while it wasn't luxury apartment living, the shuttle to and from class was convenient.

Casa Roma also offers this service.
Honestly, it isn't that bad in the winter, MTHS is exaggerating the situation quite a bit.
Yeah that's right called OUT!

well, when you're an amazeballs anno skinny corpse like MTHS and I, you tend to find ithaca a bit cold.

that's right, emo is back and sadder than ever.

lol I love you

koalatriste wrote:

Big Tuna wrote:

ktg808 wrote:

chatterbox43 wrote:FWIW, I walked about .8 of a mile to class, pretty much every day, rain, shine, or -17 degrees (ok, that day sucked a lot. as did the day that it snowed and everyone cancelled class except my prof. anyway). Yes, it was uphill, no, it (mostly) wasn't that bad.

That said, if you don't like walking, if you can't handle the hills, the cold, or being gross and sweaty when you get to school, either live close or be prepared to take the bus. You know yourself, we can't really tell you where you should live.

Some apartment complexes offer free shuttles to and from campus. I lived at the Gun Hill apartment complex for two years, and while it wasn't luxury apartment living, the shuttle to and from class was convenient.

Casa Roma also offers this service.
Honestly, it isn't that bad in the winter, MTHS is exaggerating the situation quite a bit.
Yeah that's right called OUT!

well, when you're an amazeballs anno skinny corpse like MTHS and I, you tend to find ithaca a bit cold.

that's right, emo is back and sadder than ever.

Koala's aren't meant for cold weather :-/

And seriously, to people worrying about the cold before you get there: grow a pair. I just spent 4 years on the shore of lake Michigan- Ithaca may be colder and steeper, but there will be less wind.

Just layer. On the coldest days I started wearing the the liner of one coat under another coat, and then the shell of the first on top of that. Worked great.

Arbiter213 wrote:
Koala's aren't meant for cold weather :-/

And seriously, to people worrying about the cold before you get there: grow a pair. I just spent 4 years on the shore of lake Michigan- Ithaca may be colder and steeper, but there will be less wind.

Just layer. On the coldest days I started wearing the the liner of one coat under another coat, and then the shell of the first on top of that. Worked great.

you're in for a nasty surprise

mths wrote:

Arbiter213 wrote:
Koala's aren't meant for cold weather :-/

And seriously, to people worrying about the cold before you get there: grow a pair. I just spent 4 years on the shore of lake Michigan- Ithaca may be colder and steeper, but there will be less wind.

Just layer. On the coldest days I started wearing the the liner of one coat under another coat, and then the shell of the first on top of that. Worked great.

you're in for a nasty surprise

You clearly haven't been to Chicago in winter by the water.

http://www.areavibes.com/ithaca-ny/weather/

http://www.areavibes.com/evanston-il/weather/

What's the dining at Cornell/Hughes like?

I will be living off campus and not sure if I should get a meal plan.

The meal plans talk about eating at one of those unlimited food places but I looked up hughes and they only have stores in their dining hall.

So not sure WHICH meal plan to get...if I should get one at all.

Advice?

johansantana21 wrote:What's the dining at Cornell/Hughes like?

I will be living off campus and not sure if I should get a meal plan.

The meal plans talk about eating at one of those unlimited food places but I looked up hughes and they only have stores in their dining hall.

So not sure WHICH meal plan to get...if I should get one at all.

Advice?

I wouldn't. You'll get tired of trecking to dining halls and give up/spend double.

mths wrote:

johansantana21 wrote:What's the dining at Cornell/Hughes like?

I will be living off campus and not sure if I should get a meal plan.

The meal plans talk about eating at one of those unlimited food places but I looked up hughes and they only have stores in their dining hall.

So not sure WHICH meal plan to get...if I should get one at all.

Advice?

I wouldn't. You'll get tired of trecking to dining halls and give up/spend double.

Does the dining hall at/near hughes accept credit card/cash?

Sounds like a dumb question but for my undergrad there were some dining halls that only took meal plans.

johansantana21 wrote:Does the dining hall at/near hughes accept credit card/cash?

Yes to both.

johansantana21 wrote:

mths wrote:

johansantana21 wrote:What's the dining at Cornell/Hughes like?

I will be living off campus and not sure if I should get a meal plan.

The meal plans talk about eating at one of those unlimited food places but I looked up hughes and they only have stores in their dining hall.

So not sure WHICH meal plan to get...if I should get one at all.

Advice?

I wouldn't. You'll get tired of trecking to dining halls and give up/spend double.

Does the dining hall at/near hughes accept credit card/cash?

Sounds like a dumb question but for my undergrad there were some dining halls that only took meal plans.

For clarity's sake, Hughes Dining is NOT a dining hall in the traditional sense of the term. They have a menu that is the same every day: standard breakfast fare, variations on burgers and sandwiches, barbecue options (pulled pork, brisket), and a decent design-your-own salad. The closest real dining hall is in Willard Straight Hall on Ho Plaza. It is not much further from the law school than walking to Collegetown for meals and has several options: a traditional buffet/cafeteria-style dining hall; a food-court-esque dining area that has stalls for burgers/sandwiches, salads, asian, and mexican foods as well as soups and whatnot; and a sandwich/deli option that is pretty good, arguably better than CTB and not as expensive.
This all being said, I have no idea what a meal plan would get you access to. If it gets you meals at WSH then it might be worth it if what I have described is something you might be interested in.

johansantana21 wrote:What's the dining at Cornell/Hughes like?

I will be living off campus and not sure if I should get a meal plan.

The meal plans talk about eating at one of those unlimited food places but I looked up hughes and they only have stores in their dining hall.

So not sure WHICH meal plan to get...if I should get one at all.

Advice?

They have a few meal plans which are mostly Big Red Bucks, and those might be a better option. I had the $250 BRB-only plan (that's $250/semester), and ate about 3 meals a week from the on-campus a la carte places (Hughes, One World Cafe, the Ivy Room in Willard Straight). I believe they also have a $500 BRB plan, which includes 10 all you can eat meals. If you never want to have to bring lunch, and don't want to carry cash, that could be a good option. But the food in Hughes, in particular, is over-priced and not that great.

chatterbox43 wrote:

johansantana21 wrote:What's the dining at Cornell/Hughes like?

I will be living off campus and not sure if I should get a meal plan.

The meal plans talk about eating at one of those unlimited food places but I looked up hughes and they only have stores in their dining hall.

So not sure WHICH meal plan to get...if I should get one at all.

Advice?

They have a few meal plans which are mostly Big Red Bucks, and those might be a better option. I had the $250 BRB-only plan (that's $250/semester), and ate about 3 meals a week from the on-campus a la carte places (Hughes, One World Cafe, the Ivy Room in Willard Straight). I believe they also have a $500 BRB plan, which includes 10 all you can eat meals. If you never want to have to bring lunch, and don't want to carry cash, that could be a good option. But the food in Hughes, in particular, is over-priced and not that great.

do you get a discount for using big red bucks instead of cash?

theturkeyisfat wrote:

chatterbox43 wrote:

johansantana21 wrote:What's the dining at Cornell/Hughes like?

I will be living off campus and not sure if I should get a meal plan.

The meal plans talk about eating at one of those unlimited food places but I looked up hughes and they only have stores in their dining hall.

So not sure WHICH meal plan to get...if I should get one at all.

Advice?

They have a few meal plans which are mostly Big Red Bucks, and those might be a better option. I had the $250 BRB-only plan (that's $250/semester), and ate about 3 meals a week from the on-campus a la carte places (Hughes, One World Cafe, the Ivy Room in Willard Straight). I believe they also have a $500 BRB plan, which includes 10 all you can eat meals. If you never want to have to bring lunch, and don't want to carry cash, that could be a good option. But the food in Hughes, in particular, is over-priced and not that great.

do you get a discount for using big red bucks instead of cash?

Nothing significant.

mths wrote:

theturkeyisfat wrote:

chatterbox43 wrote:

johansantana21 wrote:What's the dining at Cornell/Hughes like?

I will be living off campus and not sure if I should get a meal plan.

The meal plans talk about eating at one of those unlimited food places but I looked up hughes and they only have stores in their dining hall.

So not sure WHICH meal plan to get...if I should get one at all.

Advice?

They have a few meal plans which are mostly Big Red Bucks, and those might be a better option. I had the $250 BRB-only plan (that's $250/semester), and ate about 3 meals a week from the on-campus a la carte places (Hughes, One World Cafe, the Ivy Room in Willard Straight). I believe they also have a $500 BRB plan, which includes 10 all you can eat meals. If you never want to have to bring lunch, and don't want to carry cash, that could be a good option. But the food in Hughes, in particular, is over-priced and not that great.

do you get a discount for using big red bucks instead of cash?

Nothing significant.

You don't pay sales tax and *sometimes* things are cheaper.

what do you guys think about the new grading guidelines/grade inflation?

theturkeyisfat wrote:what do you guys think about the new grading guidelines/grade inflation?

we'll let you know after OCI

mths wrote:

theturkeyisfat wrote:what do you guys think about the new grading guidelines/grade inflation?

we'll let you know after OCI

+1. According to Wikipedia (100% accurate), Cornell already had the highest published curve of any law school in America. We curved to a B+ (i.e., 50-75% of people in any given class got a B+, the rest got either a B or an A-). Anecdotally, I've heard more professors exercised the option to raise their curve than to lower or stay the same (e.g., Hillman & Meyler). So I think, on the whole, you're curved to somewhere between a B+ and an A- nowadays. Which is ridiculous.

How law firms will take this remains to be seen. According to Career Services, they will still only receive a letter saying that the published median is a 3.35, and maybe explaining the optional swing that professors can make (I don't remember). I'm sure, if Cornell really was a higher curve than all its peer schools, that they were already used to discounting Cornell grades as compared to Northwestern, Georgetown, Michigan, etc. My vain hope is that they stick by their old mental discount and that they're tricked by our new, inflated grades.

vexion wrote:

mths wrote:

theturkeyisfat wrote:what do you guys think about the new grading guidelines/grade inflation?

we'll let you know after OCI

+1. According to Wikipedia (100% accurate), Cornell already had the highest published curve of any law school in America. We curved to a B+ (i.e., 50-75% of people in any given class got a B+, the rest got either a B or an A-). Anecdotally, I've heard more professors exercised the option to raise their curve than to lower or stay the same (e.g., Hillman & Meyler). So I think, on the whole, you're curved to somewhere between a B+ and an A- nowadays. Which is ridiculous.

How law firms will take this remains to be seen. According to Career Services, they will still only receive a letter saying that the published median is a 3.35, and maybe explaining the optional swing that professors can make (I don't remember). I'm sure, if Cornell really was a higher curve than all its peer schools, that they were already used to discounting Cornell grades as compared to Northwestern, Georgetown, Michigan, etc. My vain hope is that they stick by their old mental discount and that they're tricked by our new, inflated grades.

fixed but otherwise yeah

whatever, nothing we can do about it now

Can anyone comment on the pre-orientation program? I didn't get an invite and I just want to know if I'm missing anything substantial, or is it just ice breakers and free breakfast for 5 days?

what's the difference between commercial outlines and E&Es?

Sig218 wrote:Can anyone comment on the pre-orientation program? I didn't get an invite and I just want to know if I'm missing anything substantial, or is it just ice breakers and free breakfast for 5 days?

If you mean the diversity thingy (I don't remember what it's really called), it's the invitees taking mock law classes, briefing cases every day, and at the end taking a mock exam, iirc. It is preparatory work for law school success. Most people who went, though, will tell you it didn't help.

theturkeyisfat wrote:what's the difference between commercial outlines and E&Es?

A commercial outline is a very large (200 page+) outline of a class, with a condensed version at the front of the book, and usually keyed to one of the more popular casebooks (the Emanuel series has a table in the front of each outline which notes which chapters of the outline go with which chapters of the most popular casebooks). They are exactly that, outlines, so they are in bullet-point format and go really in-depth on small points of law, but they're best used as a reference when constructing your own outline, or maybe to catch up if the professor's playing hide-the-ball with a point of law...

E&Es are a series published by Aspen, each written by a preeminent professor in the field, so each one reads differently, and some (those by Glannon) are much more helpful than others. They go chapter-by-chapter and break down the biggest concepts in the class, though they're much less in-depth than a commercial outline is. They read more colloquially, and at the end of each chapter are open-response questions and sample answers (the "Examples and Explanations" part) which help drive the points home.

This is just a shot in the dark, but does anyone have any advice/thoughts on health insurance? I will be going on the school's plan, but my wife's looking for health insurance. We had private insurance back home (definitely not fantastic coverage, but a decent safety net) and it ran about $50/person/mo. After calling all over this week the lowest price (besides Cornell) was $360/mo JUST FOR HER.

I'm kind of having a heart attack. Right now Cornell's spouse plan is cheapest, but come on. $360 for the lowest budget health plan is sickening.

Sig218 wrote:Can anyone comment on the pre-orientation program? I didn't get an invite and I just want to know if I'm missing anything substantial, or is it just ice breakers and free breakfast for 5 days?

I don't recall free breakfast everyday - so don't count on it. I know there's a few free meals that week and a social but that's that.

Ultimately - the AOP does not help with your GRADES, which is what is most important. But the orientation does help 'mentally' with the first week or 2 of classes since you'll have a better idea of what to expect in class. You get some sense of how to brief, but most of us have found that you still don't know how to brief until the middle/end of Fall semester, mainly b/c you're still clueless on what you're suppose to get out of the cases. The professors that taught at the orientation last year didn't teach us in the Fall so there's no overlap or real advantage. But their teaching style is representative of what you'll see in your first year. The MAIN plus side I think is meeting people, socializing early so you'll feel comfortable the first day of real registration/orientation.

If you really want to enjoy your last days before law school starts and you're not worried about getting to Ithaca early, meeting ppl, then there's not much use to attending. GL!