New Student Orientation

Welcome to Information Science at Cornell! This guide has been created by current PhD students to help orient you in Ithaca. It covers basic information such as finding housing, buying groceries, and using the bus system.

Table of contents

  1. Useful Websites
  2. Housing
  3. Shopping
  4. Transportation
    1. Walking
    2. Biking
    3. Buses
    4. Ithaca Car Share
    5. Taxis
  5. Courses
  6. Things to do in Ithaca
  7. Places to eat
    1. On campus
    2. Cafes
    3. Restaurants
  8. Healthcare
  9. Working in Gates
    1. Wifi
    2. Software
  10. Getting out of Ithaca
    1. Getting to NYC
    2. Booking flights
  11. Additional topics for international students
    1. COVID-related: vaccines, quarantine, and testing
    2. Getting a bank account (and credit card)
    3. Getting a SSN
    4. Getting an ITIN
    5. Paying taxes
    6. Fellowships

Useful Websites

  • StudentCenter You probably already know this one. It is the most accurate and up-to-date source of relevant information concerning your formal status in the university.
  • StudentEssentials Cornell’s more global version of this site.
  • Cornell Workday View your payslips and get your tax forms. Also, update your bank account information for your salaries to go into, etc.
  • Cornell Outlook Your official Cornell email account. Be sure to check your spam folder!
  • WhoIAm Cornell gives you the choice of putting e-mail to your netID address into either CMail (i.e. GMail) or an Exchange account (i.e. Outlook; if you activate it), or forwarding it to an arbitrary e-mail address you give them. This page is where you configure that. You can also configure how you show up in Cornell’s electronic directory here.

Housing

We primarily recommend using Facebook or Craigslist to find housing in Ithaca. You could also use the #housing channel on the CIS slack or even word-of-mouth.

Although Facebook is almost an archaeological site at this point, the Cornell University Housing, Sublets & Roommates private group on Facebook is very good. Please send a request to join the group as soon as you accept your offer, and start house hunting immediately. Alternatively, please contact the student leadership – notably Dhruv Agrawal (Ithaca) and Tauhid Tanjim (Cornell Tech) – for help in getting added to the group.

Please use the following sites to search for apartments or standalone rooms on Craigslist.

  • https://ithaca.craigslist.org/search/apa
  • https://ithaca.craigslist.org/search/roo

To join the CIS Slack, contact the student leadership (or an assigned mentor) to be added.

The most popular neighborhoods for graduate students are downtown (on or near the Ithaca Commons) and Fall Creek (located north of downtown). Both of these neighborhoods are a short bus ride or a 20 minute walk to campus. Fall Creek is a quiet, residential neighborhood that is close to both the Cascadilla Gorge and Ithaca Falls, but only a 5 minute walk from downtown. Downtown has larger, newer apartment buildings, but it can be a bit noisy because of bars and restaurants.

Collegetown is closer to campus, but it’s quite loud on the weekends as more undergrads live here. Not recommended.

Some students choose to live farther from town, often north of campus in Lansing. In this case, you will either need to drive or take the bus. These apartments tend to be quieter and cheaper than those in town.

Shopping

The biggest grocery store in Ithaca is Wegmans. They also have some home goods (dishes, beauty products). However, Wegmans is outside of downtown, so you’ll need to drive or take the bus (unless you’re up for a longer walk). Trader Joe’s and Walmart are not far away from Wegmans. Closer to downtown, the Greenstar Co-op (which has three branches in Ithaca) has lots of organic, local food; Aldi has discounted prices. The Ithaca Farmer’s Market runs every weekend.

Grocery delivery options are plentiful with Instacart and Walmart+.

There is no IKEA in Ithaca, but there is a Target and a TJ Maxx, both of which have some simple furniture and lots of home goods. You can also find nice used furniture at Mimi’s Attic in downtown Ithaca, at the Ithaca ReUse Center, on Craigslist, or on Facebook Marketplace.

Transportation

Walking

Ithaca and Cornell are very walkable, as long as you’re not afraid of hills.

There are beautiful walking trails all over Ithaca. Most importantly, the Cascadilla Gorge Trail leads from Fall Creek to campus. This route (which includes bridges, wildlife, and giant waterfalls) could be your daily commute!

Biking

Biking around campus or town is great. But of course, Ithaca is not only ‘gorges’ but also hilly; go for it!

There are very few bike lanes in Ithaca and on campus. (sad)

Ithaca Bikeshare, a stationless bikeshare program, has arrived in Ithaca!

You can buy used bikes on Craigslist or at the Old Goat Gear Exchange downtown.

Buses

The bus system is fast, reliable, and free for your first year! We recommend this as your primary mode of transport.

You can view bus schedules at the TCAT website: https://www.tcatbus.com/

The stop for Gates is Sage Hall. It’s worth noting that the housing prices might vary depending on proximity to bus routes. The most popular bus routes for the downtown/fall creek areas are #10 and #30.

Ithaca Car Share

http://www.ithacacarshare.org/

If you don’t have a car but would like to occasionally use one for groceries, day trips, etc., the Ithaca Car Share is a great option. They have discounted rates for students, and the cars are located all over Ithaca and the Cornell Campus.

Taxis

There is Uber and Lyft in Ithaca! While convenient, they can be pricier.

There is also College Town Cab service. If you take a cab, it costs about $17.50 to go to or from the airport. The driver will make multiple stops along the way to pick up other passengers, so it can sometimes take a while to get to the airport (even though it’s about a 15 minute drive).

Courses

You can find the list of courses for enrollment here: https://classes.cornell.edu

Information Science has five core course areas and you must take a course in at least four of these. You can read more about the core courses here.

Most PhD students take 0-2 courses per semester. If you are TAing or doing research, we strongly recommend taking no more than two courses. Some students take three courses, but it is a lot of work—be warned!

It’s common practice at Cornell to “shop” for courses during the first week of the semester. You can sign up for a course and then drop or change it after attending the first meeting. Feel free to sign up for classes and change your schedule during the first week.

There are also some fun courses available to all students at Cornell. Some courses that have been popular with IS PhDs are wine tasting and sailing.

Things to do in Ithaca

  • Ithaca Farmer’s Market
    • Open on various days of the week and various locations. Tons of food, drinks, fresh produce, plants, local arts and crafts. Great people watching. You have to go!
  • Ithaca Falls
    • This is a bit waterfall just a 15 minute walk from downtown.
  • Buttermilk Falls
    • 10 minute drive from campus. Lots of hiking trails and beautiful waterfall to explore. Multiple picnic areas and especially nice in the summer.
  • Cornell Botanic Gardens
    • An enormous and gorgeous park that is part of the Cornell Campus, with walking paths and ponds full of turtles and colorful fish. You can walk from Gates, but it’s a long walk – budget at least an hour or two, but you’ll have to make multiple trips to fully explore.
  • Trumansburg
    • (some nice restaurants, bars, and music)
  • Indian Creek Farm
    • Apple picking in the fall, and other fruits and vegetables available to pick in different seasons. Only a 10 minute drive from Ithaca. Also has a nice produce stand, with apple juice, fruits and vegetables, and apple cider donuts (smile)

Places to eat

On campus

  • Temple of Zeus
    • Maybe the best lunch on campus, but crowded and hard to find a place to sit. 5-10 minute walk from Gates. Soups, sandwiches.
  • Terrace
    • Popular lunch place for Gates inhabitants. Closes at 3. Good salads, burritos and bowls.
  • Gimme Coffee
    • Located in Gates. Pastries only.
  • Duffield
    • Located near Gates. Food isn’t great, but this is the closest option to Gates. Soups, pre-packaged sandwiches, yogurt, etc.
  • Trillium
    • A short walk up from gates to the Ag Quad. Food is really nice, lot of options and good portions. Mexican, Chinese, American.
  • Cornell Dairy Bar
    • Satisfy your ice cream cravings with imaginative flavors made at Cornell. 15 minute walk from Gates, and highly recommended!

Cafes

  • Gimme Coffee
    • Located in Gates and two locations downtown. Great coffee that will fuel your long afternoons of research.
  • College Town Bagels (CTB)
    • Located both in Collegetown and downtown. Bagels, sandwiches, smoothies, pastries, coffee, ice cream… Everything you could ask for!
  • Coal Yard Cafe
    • A 20 minute walk from Gates, nice for a brunch outing. Delicious coffee, cinnamon rolls, crepes…

Restaurants

  • Mia Tapas Bar
    • Tapas (small dishes) and wine bar. Highly recommended!
  • Cent Dix
    • French food, delicious but expensive.
  • Northstar House
    • Located in Fall Creek, a casual place for brunch or dinner
  • Hawi
    • Ethiopian food near the Commons with good vegetarian options
  • Gorgers Subs
    • Best submarine sandwiches (subs) with good vegetarian options

You might want to check out this Reddit thread on Ithaca restaurants.

Healthcare

Cornell Health (formerly called Gannett) will probably be your main resource for healthcare. They are located on campus at 110 Ho Plaza.

You can use their website to make appointments and order refills of prescriptions.

Their website is: https://health.cornell.edu/

Working in Gates

Gates Hall houses both the Computer Science and Information Science departments. Below is some information specific to Gates.

Wifi

Use eduroam instead of RedRover whenever you can. eduroam is more secure, and as a bonus you automatically get internet at many universities across the world (especially in Europe). Just log on with “[NetID]@cornell.edu” as your username and your NetID password. Warning: free Internet usage for students is capped at 100GB. After that 100GB, you’ll have to pay for your usage. This does not apply to machines plugged into the CS network (i.e. your desktop, or also your laptop when using a wired connection in Gates), so you should largely be fine.

Software

Cornell offers lots of productivity software either for free or with large discounts. In particular, you can get a free Microsoft Office 365 license.

Getting out of Ithaca

Getting to NYC

The easiest way to get to NYC is the Cornell Campus to Campus (C2C) bus. This bus will pick you up at the Sage Hall bus stop (very close to Gates) and drop you off at the Cornell Club near Grand Central Station in Manhattan. It has wifi, snacks, and relatively comfy seats.

https://c2cbus.ipp.cornell.edu/

If C2C is too expensive for you, you can take the Shortline or OurBus, both of which can be booked online and have multiple pick-up stops around town.

Booking flights

Flights out of Ithaca only go to NYC, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., and Detroit.

These flights can often be very expensive, especially at times when the undergrads will be traveling (just before classes start, the day that spring break starts, etc.). You should plan your travel months in advance, if possible.

You can also fly to nearby airports, such as Elmira, Syracuse, or NYC and take the bus or rent a car to get to campus. There is a shuttle van (no, not a limo) to Syracuse: http://www.ithacaairlinelimousine.com/to-syracuse

Additional topics for international students

Although COVID is still at large, there are no substantive requirements or restrictions – on vaccination, quarantining, or testing – either upon arrival to the US or for graduate work at Cornell. However, you’re responsible for your health and health preferences; you can mask up whenever it’s appropriate.

Getting a bank account (and credit card)

A common national bank used by PhD students is Chase. It’s likely that you will not have an SSN (social security number) so you cannot apply for a chequing account online. The Chase office is by the end of Ithaca Commons in downtown. Bring your passport and I-20 / student visa. There are also promotional offers (e.g. $225 bonus for setting up direct deposit) - just search for them before you book your appointment to set up an account.

If you come from a country that does not use credit cards, you may consider getting one. Getting one as soon as feasibly possible could be useful in building a strong credit history or profile. Consult your banker.

Getting a SSN

You generally need an SSN to pay taxes. It also makes it easier to apply for a credit card and have a credit history in the US. If you have never worked in the USA before, you likely do not have an SSN. You can only apply for an SSN if you are working (GRA/TA), not for fellowships or scholarships. To apply for an SSN (as of summer 2021), call beforehand to set up an appointment. Before the appointment, make sure you’ve requested and will receive a letter of employment from the Office of Global Affairs. Currently, this is sent by mail and it can take 5-7 days to arrive. Documents you will need: passport, I-94, I-20 / student visa, letter of employment.

This website has more information: https://international.globallearning.cornell.edu/employment-and-taxes/apply-ssn

Getting an ITIN

If you are on a fellowship and need to pay taxes on your fellowship, consider applying for an ITIN. From Cornell’s website: “Unfortunately, getting an ITIN is not a sure thing! Many ITIN applications are denied, in our experience, and it can take up to nine months to get a response.” More info: https://international.globallearning.cornell.edu/employment-and-taxes/apply-itin

Paying taxes

According to New York State law, students need to pay taxes on their fellowships and earnings.

Fellowships

Cornell gives out some fellowships to a select number of incoming students each year. You may also apply for other fellowships - industry or governmental. There’s another resource for industry fellowships application (link to be added). If you are awarded a fellowship and it does not cover the full guaranteed stipend amount, Cornell might “top it off”. But the fellowship must be at least half of the stipend (with an exception to diversity awards).

https://gradschool.cornell.edu/financial-support/fellowships/external-fellowships/supplementation-of-external-fellowships/