With graduation fast approaching, I’ve realized that by the time I graduate, I (or more accurately, my parents) will have spent more than $120,000 on tuition. And this hefty price tag does not even include the cost of housing or food, or the ten cents I’m charged for every page I print and every copy I make at the library.
However I believe that, for the most part, I do get my money’s worth at Cornell—because I take advantage of free stuff around campus.
First, I’ve developed a knack for finding free food. The best time to stop by the cafés to scavenge is at the end of the weekend. I once got a couple of (mostly) fresh croissants from Libe Café around 11:30 p.m. on a Sunday. Free food is also offered at university-sponsored events. Lectures are usually followed by a reception, often with treats from Collegetown Bagels and sometimes even drinks. Events promoted by the career advising offices tempt students to fill out surveys with the reward of free Cornell Dairy ice cream.
After food, the other thing a college student needs is school supplies. And while I haven’t yet found a way around printing and copying expenses, I have discovered a great supply of free pens—at Gannett Health Center. I grab only one pen each time on my occasional visits, but I make sure to hold onto it all semester.
But the most interesting way Cornell students get free stuff is through the Collegetown street economy. My roommate has found countless perfectly good items that people have discarded on the street, including our grill, which provided us with countless summer evenings of S’mores and grilled corn. Recently, I contributed to the street economy by placing a somewhat broken but still usable chair outside my house, with a “free” sign. The chair was gone in less than a half hour.
At first I was embarrassed about taking pens from Gannett or food from Libe. But then I embraced the stereotype of the poor college student and realized that I can only use this excuse for so long—eight more months, to be exact. I’m going to take advantage while I can.