Collegetown Terrace Apartments

I would not recommend living at Collegetown Terrace. On February 5, there was a tragic incident in which a resident passed away. This event raised serious concerns among residents about safety and transparency. I am also frustrated with the leasing process. In my experience, rents were later advertised at lower rates than what early signers were locked into, which felt unfair. The internet service has been unreliable, and communication with management has often felt unresponsive and dismissive. Overall, my experience has been disappointing, and I would encourage prospective tenants to carefully consider their options before signing a lease. Just remember, Collegetown Terrace only cares about your money, not you.

I have lived at Collegetown Terrace for more than five years and have absolutely loved it! It's a good location that's within walking distance of both Cornell and the Commons. Maintenance issues are addressed promptly and without hassle. Jennifer, Patty, Jaymie, and the others at the front leasing office are very accomdating and have helped make this feel like a home. I absolutely recommend CTT to others and would choose to live here again without hesitation.

If you rely on wifi for school or work, do not move here. The internet situation is genuinely disastrous. It is finals week and multiple residents have had remote exams drop because the connection cuts out. Every time we raise the issue, management gives the same scripted line: “Based on our building’s policies, wifi issues are considered the residents responsibility, even if the building manages the service.” This makes no sense, because residents are not allowed to set up their own routers or make any changes to the network. We have zero control over the system, yet we are told we are responsible when it fails. It’s an excuse, not a solution, and it leaves everyone stuck with unusable service. People live here to study, do work, and advance their careers. Reliable wifi is not optional.

This is absolutely the worst place to live at Ithaca. The people at the leasing office are super unhelpful. They are passive aggressive, rude, and would rather do word puzzles than helping you. Many times they don’t reply to your emails. This year they changed the resident portal, failed to notify me via my email, and made it super complicated to pay, as a result of which I had to pay a late fee. The wall is paper thin, and I had trouble sleeping every night. An ABSOLUTE nightmare. It also takes forever to get your security deposit (which they call bonus money) back, and when you do receive it, they charge you for a bunch of stuff that makes no sense. Would give a minus star if I could.

If you require the ability to use the internet at all for work, studying, or especially interviews, I would look elswhere. Lots of people having to reschedule interviews or dropping critical calls. The internet is consntatly going out or is beyond slow. Management claims its on residents to figure it out with the provider, Firespark. They also do not allow you to pick another ISP. Firespark claims they don't know anything about the issues.