Collegetown Terrace

overall is good

My first year at CTT was good. Appliances in the apartment are very old and closets are very uncomfortable, however, it was OK given the price paid for a furnished apartment and the location is excellent. They "forced" me to renew my lease after 2 months of being in the apartment because "someone else" was interested in signing for next year which seemed pretty aggressive to me, but no major issues.

Problems started in my second year. After the COVID 19 pandemic hit, management had months in advance to prepare and did nothing to improve the internet bandwidth and ensure safe use and access to the gym. This situation created lags in my classes and took them almost 5 months to fix it. Also, I was paying for a gym that I couldn't use because of management's irresponsibility. We as a community approached them to lower the rent but received no answers.

There was another situation in which I borrowed my friend's car to carry items into my apartment, I must mention that I do not own a car so I don't have a need to pay for parking, but parking spaces are abundant in my building. I parked for one hour and came back to a surprise note threatening to tow my car if I ever parked there again. I called the office to see if I could pay for monthly parking given the pandemic and the special situation we were living and I only got a no for an answer, pay 900 for the year or you cant park. Heard the same from other tenants who only needed parking for a short term and needed to travel outside of Ithaca

Last but not least, I had an automatic payment set up to pay my rent and when I switched apartments (couldn't sign my original place in the first paragraph) apparently all my information was wiped off from the system and nobody was kind enough to tell me. Management threatened me once again with a delinquent rent fee after letting me know 2 weeks later.

Do not live here.

Great place to live but sometimes the internet sucks. It has improved a lot but still more can be done.

Most staff have bad attitude all the time. Walls and floors are super thin, you can hear everything. Some buildings near trees have bug problems.

Will aim to nickel and dime you for everything (even standard cleaning procedures at move out).. overpriced. Were not accommodating for considering lowered rent fees during Covid, especially considering lack of access to gym that is included in rent.

Not the most safe, people’s bike get stolen and people easily can get into buildings without key fobs.

The apartment is conveniently located and it is nice that other students live in the building but it is not worth the price considering other options close by, such as City Center.

CTT is convenient - both location and setup -wise. It does feel like a dorm at times, but you have all your friends there which is nice. The wifi is not reliable and has been an issue for classes and exams. The management team is usually helpful when you need something fixed, but big changes (i.e. reopening the gym) will take more time. If you're looking for convenience, you'll get that CTT however, I'd consider the wifi, constant fire alarms and the lack of management efficiency when choosing CTT.

Generally good. Wifi becomes better.

The location is the best part of living in CTT. You’re close to commons, campus, and maple wood. However CTT feels like glorified dorms. Common study areas are few but usually kept clean.

CTT is incredibly convenient, so that's why I chose it. The shuttle and gym services are great. It is a short walk to downtown.
My apartment is definitely small for the price, but that seems to be an issue throughout Ithaca.
Internet was sometimes unreliable, but it was never a huge concern for me, as normally it would disconnect and then connect right away. Issue has also been nonexistent for the past few months.
I also pay for garage, which is great in the winter. It's pretty cheap compared to other covered parking in the area and prices I've paid outside of Ithaca for covered parking.
Personally, if money were not a concern, I would live in City Center, but CTT is the next best choice if looking for comparable amenities. Maplewood is pretty cheap, but hard to find availability, no covered parking, and inconvenient location.

Avoid CTT if possible, management is not transparent and very difficult to deal with. If forced to stay here, make sure to be very careful in inspecting the amenities within the apartment when you first move in (as the CTT management will try to charge you a lot of extra fees for "cleanup" when you move out). Also, make sure to have everything in writing from the management to protect yourself.