Michael Berlin ’08

A: Ithaca’s version of pass/fail is S/D/F, which is short for satisfactory/D/failure.

Grades C- and above count as satisfactory and don’t affect GPA, whereas grades D+ and below will be recorded individually and affect your GPA.

Most programs allow four S/D/F courses in your college career, but you can only take...

A: Most courses are three credit hours, meaning that they meet three hours each week. To be considered a full-time student, you need to take 12–18 credits a semester. Completing a total of 120 credits is a good rule of thumb for many majors; this works out to about five courses per semester over four years. AP credits from high school or courses you take...

A "Real Deal for Parents" question

A: Sometimes coexisting in a shared space is a challenge. Whether the clashes are about different bedtimes, borrowing sweaters without permission, or other invisible lines being crossed, even the best of roommates won’t agree on everything. Each residence hall floor has a resident assistant ...

A "Real Deal for Parents" question

A: The first few days of college can be intimidating, especially for those who aren’t used to a large social scene. Most students bond with those on their floor, but classes, clubs, and campus events also provide plenty of opportunities to make new friends. Whether their interests are...

A "Real Deal for Parents" question

A: Ithaca does have a frosty reputation, but it doesn’t make the students miserable. When winter comes, the plows and salt trucks are ready. The campus is also relatively centralized, and many buildings are connected, which reduces the distance of the outdoor commute on those extra chilly...

A "Real Deal for Parents" Question

A: Though central New York can seem isolated to some, most students find that both the College and city of Ithaca are not only thriving but also extremely well connected. With a lively local music and theater scene and more restaurants per capita than New York City, Ithaca represents a treasure trove...

A "Real Deal for Parents" question

A: The first few weeks of college can be tough, but they are also important for developing independence. Resist the urge to let your children come home on weekends. It only makes the college transition harder. If you find yourself suffering from a bit of empty nest syndrome, remember that your ...

A "Real Deal for Parents" question

A: The concept of self-discipline can be a challenge for any new college student. First-year students have a lot of new responsibilities to juggle, but there are support systems in place to help smooth the transition. If students are finding it hard to schedule and prioritize, academic advisers are...

A "Real Deal for Parents" question

A: Choosing a major can be overwhelming, even for students who have a future career in mind. With Ithaca’s Exploratory Program, students don’t have to make that decision until they’ve had an opportunity to discover what major they’re really passionate about. A very popular...

A "Real Deal for Parents" question

A: Potluck is the name of the game when it comes to food on any college campus. But at Ithaca, your child won’t be subjected to the Salisbury steaks and mystery meats of decades past. Ithaca’s three main dining halls and food court have enough variety to suit even the pickiest of ...

A "Real Deal for Parents" question

A: Whether your child is walking home from a late-night study session or a party, they will feel protected in almost every location. Public safety officers patrol Ithaca on foot and by car, and the campus is dotted with blue-light emergency phones. If your child is concerned about traveling...

“At Ithaca you have a lot of the benefits of a large school, but same benefits of a small school where you’re not overwhelmed by either the physical size of the campus or the physical size of the student body. Ithaca is small enough that you can make your own mark.” ~David Grey

As part of the Distinguished Visiting Writers Series, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Yusef Komunyakaa visited Ithaca College to teach a class of writing students and give a reading of his work to the greater Ithaca community. Komunyakaa's poetry reflects his experience as a soldier in the Vietnam War as well as his upbringing in the pre-civil rights South.  ...

It’s funny how things work out. A decade after Danny Green ’85 entered Ithaca College he found himself in Washington D.C., waiting with a crowd of other journalists to get his hands on the public release of evidence in support of the Kenneth Starr report. “I bought a copy, literally ran to Kinko’s, and began making copies and faxing the...

One recent weekend, I stepped outside my house on Prospect Street (just two short blocks from downtown Ithaca) and immediately smelled the chili as the wind on the Commons slowly wafted uphill. It was a welcomed aroma, this being my personal favorite of the Ithaca community events, Chili Fest (more formally known as the Great Downtown Ithaca Chili Cook-Off and...

At 8 p.m. on Wednesday, January 30, Ithaca College will be utilizing the new technology available in the recently opened, LEED approved School of Business (room 111) to screen an interactive webcast titled, "The 2% Solution." Born from an increasing concern over...

A: Many courses are offered here during the winter and summer sessions—both on campus and online. It’s a great time to fit in that art class you’ve been meaning to try or to catch up on required courses. During the summer there is a wide range of courses offered in almost every department. Students can also do independent studies and internships...

I enter the Commons from Seneca St. and am immediately hit with the enticing, unidentifiable mix of aromas from a row of food vendors. Pushing through people carrying their own gourmet choices on paper plates, I am overwhlemed by the options--pumpkin curry from Taste of Thai, gumbo from Katy's Cajun, and of course, apple fritters, pie,...

When Paul Fowler ’01 answered his phone one day in the spring of 2006, he was notified that his entry had been selected as the winner of a composition contest for the New York Youth Symphony. He was surprised, to say the least. “I had completely forgotten I had submitted the piece,” says Fowler, who found himself in the sonorous...

Some things get better with age—and in the case of the Enduring Masters concert series, that’s exactly the point. A joint effort between the School of Music and the Ithaca College Gerontology Institute, the Enduring Masters series will showcase legendary musicians performing and reflecting on aging and their art. Guests slated for the series include...

As a freshman, you may come to Physics 101 expecting nothing more than a crowded lecture hall or lab and a faulty overhead projector. But with the help of a $150,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, Ithaca College is taking a different approach to teaching physics in the classroom.

“The new facility is called the...

This past spring, staff, faculty, and journalists attended the official groundbreaking for construction on the College’s new Gateway Building. “The Gateway Building will provide prospective students and other visitors with an exciting first impression of Ithaca College—it will be the portal through which the campus experience begins,” said...

Rory Kennedy, cofounder and president of Moxie Firecracker Films, is coming to Ithaca January 28 to give a lecture titled “The Camera Doesn’t Lie: Social Change through Documentary Filmmaking” in conjunction with the launch of the Park School’s new Center for Independent Media and a related conference. Passionate about human rights and...

Following the success of Ithaca College interns at the 2006 Olympic Games in Torino, Italy, the Roy H. Park School of Communications will send a delegation of students to Beijing, China, to work as NBC Sports interns for the 2008 Olympic Games. The internship, open to current juniors and seniors, will start next August and end in time for the 2008 fall semester....

The Ithaca College Center for LGBT Education, Outreach & Services is continuing its long-held tradition of raising awareness about LGBT issues through their fall film series: Visibili T Out of the Closet and Onto the Screen Film Series. The film series, which kicked off August 30, with...

Softball catcher Hannah Shalett ’07 can easily remember her first day at Ithaca College. “You set foot on this campus and you’re part of a family pretty instantly,” she says with that day in mind. As a freshman, Shalett was sitting on her dorm balcony when she was spotted by an older softball team member, who had recognized her from tryouts...

Last year the Roy H. Park School of Communications launched the Cellflix Film Festival to challenge students to create compelling, 30-second short films shot on a cell phone. Now in its second year, the festival has gained much media notoriety and attention.

Zack Wilson ’07 took home this year’s $5,000 grand prize with his film,...

For the past 17 years, Ithaca College has had one student win a Fulbright Award every year or two. Last year two Ithaca College students received Fulbrights. This year—for the first time ever—three of Ithaca’s graduating seniors earned this prestigious honor.

Spanish and English double major Kelly Helin ’07 will travel...

Ithaca College psychology professor Nancy Rader spent the past few months studying Australian diver Lloyd Godson, who won Australian Geographic’s “Live Your Dream” Wildest Adventure Competition. Godson’s winning proposal was a sustainability demonstration that involved being submerged in a pond in Albury, Australia, in a...

For any composer, hearing one’s work played by a prestigious orchestra is as good as it gets. Composer Paul Fowler ’01 debuted his composition Tapu'at at Carnegie Hall in New York City on February 25, 2007, with the New York Youth Symphony. Fowler, who won a composition competition sponsored by the orchestra, says that the piece was inspired...

Need to work on your karma? The Dalai Lama will visit Ithaca College on October 10 to present “Dharma Talk: Eight Verses on Training the Mind.” His talk will focus on achieving a more compassionate and ideal interaction with the surrounding world.

This is not the first visit to Ithaca for the Dalai Lama. In fact, Ithaca’s...

A: Ithaca has active Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish communities, and services are held weekly in Muller Chapel. The chapel is also used for organized prayer, meditation, and other appropriate events.

A few years ago, long-time business partners Carol Doroba ’88 and Robin McConaughy were avid sports fans with a reasonable complaint. “There was a complete lack of classy, high-end apparel for women sports fans,” says Doroba.

Ill-fitting football jerseys and baggy basketball tank tops just weren’t cutting it for Doroba ...

Adding to Ithaca College’s growing commitment to sustainability, President Peggy Williams recently signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment. This is one of many recent efforts put forth by Williams, along with the construction of our innovative new business school facility, to address Ithaca College's role as an ideal,...

A. There are plenty of theater opportunities at Ithaca. The programs offered by the Department of Theatre Arts are highly competitive, so it is very difficult for non-majors to earn...

The Division of Graduate Studies has recently added a master’s degree program in elementary education. By working through the School of Humanities and Sciences, students will be able to pursue child education, specifically for grades 1-6. The program lasts 13 months, incorporating theory and practice with...

His Holiness the Dalai Lama will be visiting Ithaca College on October 10, 2007, to present "Dharma Talk: Eight Verses on Training the Mind." Tickets will be priced at $125, $75, $50, and $20, and will be on sale at www.namgyal.org starting May 23, 2007.

This past November, Ithaca College sent Garry Thomas, retired from the anthropology department, and Sean Vormwald, assistant director in the Office of Alumni Relations, to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Nairobi, Kenya. Currently, Thomas’s blog, entitled “...