Potentially studying there this coming semester, but can't find any info on the status of the campus. Is the housing actually open? Are there grad student offices? Are there professor offices? I can't seem to find a real-time status anywhere..
Posted Oct 10, 2017, 6:07 PM UTC
Are you talking about the Cornell Tech MBA?
From what I understand it's only a MBA program and it's fairly small. There are professional offices as well as lecture halls. Some companies have opened space on the campus to work closely with the MBAs. There are also some opportunities for current full-time MBAs in Ithaca to take a semester there.
It's for a PhD in EE with an advisor located at the Tech campus
The housing is open but as far as I know the leases are for academic years i.e., August to July though you might be able to work something out (however, the housing is really expensive, especially if you will be living alone). The website: https://thehouseatcornelltech.com/apply-for-housing/
The campus is mostly done. There are touchups and sometimes they close parts of the building, but most of the meeting rooms, offices, kitchens, open spaces etc. are available and used.
PhD students sit in an open office space that is shared with other groups. In the area where I sit are my group (~8 people), the CV group (~8 people), and several other groups I don't know well further down (~20 people? this includes some finance/operations research groups), plus about twice as many empty desks. Professors have their own offices plus a desk in the open office space that they can use if they want.
Let me know if you have questions about doing a PhD at Tech (most info you will find online about Tech has to do with its masters programs, because the PhD programs are technically still managed by your department in Ithaca). And feel free to ask your prospective advisor about Tech too. He/she will probably have an answer. The campus is mostly masters students; there are ~40 PhD students.
Is the housing expensive compared to similar Manhattan apartments, or just expensive compared to Ithaca?
For one bedrooms, it's comparable to luxury apartments the upper east side, and if you're planning to live on the island anyway, it's the best option there is price- and quality-wise. If budget isn't an issue or you're looking for something fancy, then it is probably a good option, especially if you have someone to share the apartment with.
For two bedrooms, I believe the housing is a lot more expensive than finding somewhere off campus. I saw several (extremely nice) two bedrooms in Manhattan between $2500 and $3000, whereas the smallest two bedroom on campus costs $3200/month. So if you are sharing with someone, I believe it is cheaper to live in Manhattan.
However, you can easily find places to live, e.g. in Queens, that will let you live more than 50 feet from your workspace (something that was important to me) for cheaper surrounded by amenities. For comparison, the total cost (for three people) per month in the largest/cheapest apartment (2 bedroom and 1.5/2 bath) is $3,600/month. My apartment has slightly more square feet than that one, and the total rent per month is 60% of that. The only downside is the commute.
Also, the apartments are furnished (they won't let you bring any of your own furniture), which might be part of why they are more expensive (although you can easily furnish an apartment one time for < $800 or so rather than paying an extra $200 or $300 every month).