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Can anyone tell me how Syracuse is> the atmosphere, academics etc.
thanks

By Bkbaby (Bkbaby) on Monday, April 28, 2003 - 02:36 pm: Edit

hey...ive visited syracuse and im entering in the fall...compared to brooklyn and manhattan, which is where i have been living for the past 11 years..the town is pretty small. But the college it beautiful, the people are so nice, and the whole atmosphere is very college-esque. im not too sure bout academics, seeing as how i havent taken classes yet, but ive only heard good things bout this college.

By Reeses (Reeses) on Friday, July 04, 2003 - 06:07 pm: Edit

anyone a student here?

By Elazar (Elazar) on Sunday, July 06, 2003 - 11:47 pm: Edit

Is there any jewish life there?

By Jesiley (Jesiley) on Wednesday, July 16, 2003 - 09:22 pm: Edit

45% of the students of SU.. are jews.. so u'll find alot of RICH snooty jews from nyc area and nj... Elazar ;D :/

By Yankees927 (Yankees927) on Monday, August 11, 2003 - 11:40 am: Edit

j/w if i could get into SU!!

(this is all my info, including my upcoming senior year - I know what positions i will be holding in clubs already)

Sports:
Field Hockey
Indoor Track
Outdoor track (not amazing in any of 3)

Grades:
gpa 3.5
rank top 10%
5 APs all together
several honors courses

Academic Awards:
NHS
Pro Merito
Quill and Scroll
Honor Roll
Renaissance

Extra Curriculars:
President of Americas Teachers
President of Student Government
Peer Mediator
Editor in Chief of School paper
writer for teen section of local newspaper
involved in catholic church

Jobs:
Tulane University summer camp- 2 summers unpaid volunteer work, 1 summer paid
Local newspaper
Local Newsstation

think thats it~ please all feedback welcome1!

By Yankees927 (Yankees927) on Monday, August 11, 2003 - 11:16 pm: Edit

o yea sat of 1280 to 1350

By Starbucksfreak (Starbucksfreak) on Monday, November 10, 2003 - 07:04 pm: Edit

My daughter and I visited Syracuse this past spring. I had wanted to go there as a teenager but parents could not afford...I was a journalism major. After having visited the college, the two of us are of the unanimous opinion that the ONLY reason to go here would be for the J school. Compared to the other schools we visited - Cornell, Colgate, UVA, William & Mary, Georgetown, Dickinson...we could not believe how unfriendly the students were. The whole place felt very impersonal and the in-town location was, in a word, depressing. This campus did not feel safe to me. The tour guide mentioned (as though this was a commendable thing!) that you can pull the call box 24 hours a day and security will respond - within 10 minutes!! This is good? You could be long since dead by that time. The one dorm we were taken into was shabby and ancient (buily in 50s or 60s). Dining hall food was ok but nothing great and the seating was hard and uncomfortable. This is a private university? It had the cheap look and feel of a public u. with the exception of the grand older buildings dating to the 1800s. And they only looked good from the outside! I do not recommend this school. Better choices would be Colgate or Lehigh(if you're going for academics) or Lafayette (if you're going to party but want a good school). This place gave me the creeps!!

By Whitney (Whitney) on Thursday, December 11, 2003 - 07:17 pm: Edit

yankee girl---- syracuse would be an easy school for you to get into.

By Frogyjumpr (Frogyjumpr) on Tuesday, December 23, 2003 - 02:04 pm: Edit

Syracuse is a good school (especially communications type majors) and has good athletics program (S.U. basketball rocks!). It is kind of cold there so be prepared for that if you decide to go.

By Tbates (Tbates) on Wednesday, January 21, 2004 - 09:30 pm: Edit

I attend Bradley University (freshman) right now and I am an advertising major, with a marketing minor. I'm trying to decide if I should transfer to Syracuse University or not. I would like to go to a school that will give me the best education and experience for my major, and will also allow me to have a good social life. I also want to be further away from home. I live in Chicago which is three hours from Bradley University. What will Syracuse University do for me? Is it a good school honestly?

By Woogiewilly25 (Woogiewilly25) on Wednesday, February 04, 2004 - 07:05 pm: Edit

Particularly the SI newhouse school of communications

GPA-3.3, unweighted, 3.5 weighted (approx)
SAT-1250
3APs, 2 honors (AP Lit, AP Euro, AP Psych, Honors English (10th/11th grade), honors Latin (11th grade) )
4th year of math

Field Hockey
Lacrosse
Trumpet (only girl for 4 years)
Miracle Club (Cancer society...tons of charity work with this organization)
Psych Club (President)
School Magazine
Tons of volunteer work regarding trumpet (Charity perfomances)
Volunteer coach for PAL field hockey and PAL lacrosse (coached 4/5 graders)
A bunch of other random volunteer services...

Honor Roll all 4 years

Regents scores (for the NYers who know what this is all about)
Math Seq I, II, III-98,82,86
Global HIstory-90
Earth science, bio, Chem-92,93,74
French-67 (I hated french)
US History-94
English-93


Really good essay (original question on giing the eulogy at my fathers funeral), 2 VERY good teacher recs and 1 guidance rec (which i assume was very good as well?)

My father passed away going into Junior year, which my essays and recs all accoun for my GPA dropping from a 3.5 to a 3.3. Do we think this will have pull?

Any thoughts about whether or not SU would accept me?

By Carolyn (Carolyn) on Thursday, February 05, 2004 - 01:58 pm: Edit

Looks good for Syracuse Woogie - it's a definite match (not a safety) for you.

By Woogiewilly25 (Woogiewilly25) on Thursday, February 05, 2004 - 02:01 pm: Edit

When does syracuse let out their decisions?

By Steph0503 (Steph0503) on Friday, February 06, 2004 - 11:25 pm: Edit

Early March. it said so on the site

By Warriorlax22 (Warriorlax22) on Saturday, April 10, 2004 - 10:31 pm: Edit

has anyone else been to SU? what did you guys think?

By Nyc292 (Nyc292) on Saturday, April 17, 2004 - 06:39 pm: Edit

I'd like to know too!

By Sep2000 (Sep2000) on Tuesday, April 20, 2004 - 10:27 am: Edit

Went to syracuse spring reception. Were able to arrange class visits in addition to planned programs. Found enthusiastic students, staff and faculty. This school does seem to try harder to respond to student interests and needs. The climate is harsh and Syracuse is not innately a college town, and I think this encourages the university to embody an identity that people can become part of and contribute to. We were super impressed with the efforts to make connections. Every moderate sized university option appears to be here, accompanied by a more personal touch to help students (and parents) navigate the procedures and access the resources. The dorms are big and some are "tired", but they are working on that and they are more typical than horrible. Clearly, the school is working hard to ensure student safety. Syracuse itself has crime issues that impinge on the campus. Most of the concerns appear to be manageable if you don't walk alone at night(security will accompany) and are smart. Dorms have moniters checking Ids. The recpetions are well set up and useful. We left extremely glad to have seen the school in action. Our expectations were exceeded. Glad to respond to specific questions if we can.

By Teriwtt (Teriwtt) on Tuesday, April 20, 2004 - 11:17 am: Edit

My daughter and I visited last spring (2003) and were on campus the day tickets went on sale for the final four, so the excitement level on campus was high. Unfortunately, it was a snowy, slushy day in late March.... we had a real taste of the weather, so my daughter is not going in uninformed regarding that. She was interested in the J-school, so we attended a separate orientation for Newhouse and she was so impressed with the facilities and the admissions counselor from Newhouse who met with us.

The town of Syracuse left a little to be desired, but you're talking to someone who lived in Austin, TX for four years and Madison, WI for five years, so I have different standards by which to judge. We stayed overnight at the Genesee Inn, which was under renovation, and that was a disaster - would never stay there again. There's a Sheraton on campus that I would stay at in the future, although it is more costly than off-campus accommodations.

The campus is beautiful and we also saw what I would call "Greek Row" where I believe most of the fraternities and sororities have their houses on either side of a sort of parkway. We didn't have time to eat on campus or in town (had continental breakfast at hotel), so we never really got to see the area immediately around campus. I kept telling myself if the campus is that nice on a bad weather day, it must be incredible in the fall and spring (on days when you have sunshine!).

As far as dorms are concerned, you are not allowed to specify a dorm on your housing application. None of the dorms are air-conditioned. However, my daughter did compare the living space of SU dorms with other schools she was looking at and concluded the SU dorms on average are larger.

Regarding crime - yeah, I did get the feeling there is a heightened sense or awareness of crime, but the university is working on improving this area. I think this might be why so many upperclass students continue to live on campus, and as a parent, I kind of like the idea.

We also looked at some other schools that had awesome campuses (Cornell, Ithaca, Penn State, UMichigan, BU, NYU, UNC) but she chose SU over all those places because of the reputation of Newhouse. So I think it has more to do with what your priorities are for the college experience.

My daughter was accepted into Newhouse and the honors program, so SU is the right place for her. She can't wait to get there and would go tomorrow if she could.

By Trinket (Trinket) on Sunday, April 25, 2004 - 04:03 am: Edit

alright, i'm going to be going to syracuse this fall.. to the visual/performing arts school.. art & design.

out of random curiousity, does anyone know anything about VPA specifically? reputation etc? i know its pretty respectable. [ most of the kids i know that applied with me, also applied to my top choice, RISD, some got in, some didn't.. most are still going to syracuse. no i didn't get in. super disappointed. ]

so anyone know anything about it?

i'm sort of excited.. everyone ive met going to syracuse in the fall has been pretty awesome.

By Reesespieces112 (Reesespieces112) on Sunday, April 25, 2004 - 12:03 pm: Edit

I'll be in VPA also and I chose it because of the reputation. I know a lot of people in art through this artist community near my house and before making my college selections, I talked to a lot of people. Two of the textile assistants there recommended Syrcause, saying that it has one of the best art programs (at a college)in the country. They both went there and loved it. My top two were Syracuse and Pratt and I knew that I would be happier here because of the campus and the activities. I was just there on Friday and we got to tour the art buildings and their facilities were better than most of the art schools that I looked at and they didn't lack any of the equipment that I saw at Pratt. Plus as they mentioned, sometimes you need to just step away from art and you can't do that at an art school. I'm really excited to go, I think that Syracuse offers the best of both worlds. What major are you? I'll be in fashion design.

By Trinket (Trinket) on Sunday, April 25, 2004 - 01:26 pm: Edit

i've heard mix things. that a&d is really easy to get into etc etc.. so im confused.. isit going to be really good facilities and terrible students or something?

i'm going for communications design.

i'm sort of upset that a&d is the only section of the school to use macs.. because i forsure as hell am not doing my design work on a pc.

By Reesespieces112 (Reesespieces112) on Sunday, April 25, 2004 - 02:03 pm: Edit

As far as I can tell, the program was competitive. When I went to a portfolio day, Syracuse was harder on me than Pratt was. Also there was some list that came out (Newsweek or something?) that listed colleges for different programs and I believe that Syracuse was number 5 or 6. Also a girl from communications design spoke at the reception on Friday and noted that she came to Syracuse because they had 100% placement for that program in jobs right after graduation. I'm not sure from your post as to whether or not your happy about Macs but they definitely are better for graphics and most graphic artists prefer them. I'm actually a little upset because fashion uses PC's and I really wanted an ibook! I hope that you enjoy Syracuse, I think that even if you find the students to be under the level you would find elsewhere, you can still do really well for yourself. Good luck!

By Trinket (Trinket) on Sunday, April 25, 2004 - 02:06 pm: Edit

when i had my portfolio reviewed at portfolio day [ syracuse wasn't there ].. a school that accepts 80% was harder on me than RISD. [ who gave me a completely positive review, and then rejected me. ] so i don't know

haha no, i ment macs = good. i have a powerbook.

i guess i'm just nervous. i'm sure it'll be fine though.

By Disappear_Here (Disappear_Here) on Sunday, April 25, 2004 - 10:10 pm: Edit

Trinket and Reeses! I'm going to VPA too! (fashion design major) can I get both of your aim?

By Marissa515 (Marissa515) on Monday, April 26, 2004 - 08:24 pm: Edit

heyy im going to vpa ALSO haha! im going for illustration. I am just a little worried it is going to be TOO much art and not enough freedom to take other courses..

By Marissa515 (Marissa515) on Monday, April 26, 2004 - 09:57 pm: Edit

hey does anyone know anything about the learning communities? are they good because they create a smaller setting or are they lame? HELP!

By Feath17 (Feath17) on Wednesday, April 28, 2004 - 02:57 pm: Edit

Hey everybody! I know that most of you are probably going to be freshman in the fall (like myself) or parents of soon-to-be freshmen but I have some questions that maybe someone can answer.

1) Are the beds at Syracuse extra long or should I be able to fit my regular sheets on the beds?

2) Are there placement exams for Syracuse? If not, how do they judge what classes you should be in (what level math, language, etc.)

Any help is appreciated Thank you!

By Teriwtt (Teriwtt) on Friday, April 30, 2004 - 08:41 pm: Edit

It doesn't seem like many people posting here are actually Syracuse students/parents unfortunately. As for the beds, and any other information you might want, I don't know if you'll get any of it until they send out housing information. And I don't believe there are placement exams, except perhaps for foreign languages. I think they use your test scores to place you.

Does anyone have any suggestions as far as where to stay when arriving for move-in? We'll be driving from the Chicago area, and will need a couple of nights accomodation (we're giving ourselves at least one full day there to do last-minute shopping for the dorm room). The Sheraton is so expensive, and we stayed at the Genessee Inn when we visited last year - I'll never stay there again! Anyone have any recommendations?

By Teriwtt (Teriwtt) on Friday, April 30, 2004 - 09:06 pm: Edit

Well, if I'd looked long enough on the SU website, I would've found this before I posted earlier. From reading the below (taken from the website)it seems you won't know if you've got a standard sized bed or extra long until you know where you're living:


North Campus: All rooms are furnished with beds (mattresses: standard twin size 36"x75"), dressers, mirrors, curtains, closet space, mattress pads, desks, and chairs. The exceptions are Brewster/Boland, Kimmel, and Marion halls, which are furnished with long beds (36"x80"); Washington Arms, which is furnished with beds measuring 38"x75"; and Brewster/Boland’s open double with study carrel rooms where desks and chairs are available in each student’s private study carrel rather than in the student’s bedroom. All student rooms are carpeted. Long beds (36"x80") are available upon request while supplies last.

South Campus: Each Skytop apartment is furnished with extra long beds (36" X 80"), mattress pads, dressers, shower curtain, sofa, and study table or desk for each student. The Skytop apartment also is furnished with a dining room table and chairs, bookshelves, lamp, cube-shaped coffee table, drapes, wall-to-wall carpeting, stove, and refrigerator. The Skytop apartment options are two- or three-bedroom apartments, all with fully equipped kitchens. Students must provide dishes, cooking utensils, bed linens, and pillows.

Skyhall rooms are carpeted and furnished with a bed, mattresses (standard twin size, 36" X 75"), dresser, mirror, desk, chair, curtains, and closet space. A kitchen is available to students on each wing.

By Feath17 (Feath17) on Friday, April 30, 2004 - 10:25 pm: Edit

Thank you very much! For some reason, with all of my time on their website, I did not find bed sizes. I guess I'll be buying sheets rather late hehe

While I was up visiting Syracuse, I stayed at the Comfort Inn, it wasn't anything special but it wasn't bad and it wasn't expensive at all. Other than that, I know that there is a Holiday Inn (I believe all of these are in East Syracuse but still only a couple of minutes away from campus) but I'm not sure if they have any rooms left. There are plenty of hotels concentrated in one area around there. You may want to try searching one of those websites that find the best hotels at good prices if you don't want to stay at any of those.

By Teriwtt (Teriwtt) on Saturday, May 01, 2004 - 10:31 pm: Edit

Thanks for the info; I wonder if those places book up quickly due to move-in. It seems so far away to think about yet.

By Feath17 (Feath17) on Sunday, May 02, 2004 - 01:39 pm: Edit

You're welcome It seems like those places are booking up rather quickly due to move-in or maybe they're just holding it for closer to move-in? Whenever I've looked, the more expensive hotels (including the one on campus), are booked. I've been meaning to book a room for awhile now because I knew this would happen, but I haven't yet. I've been contemplating with my parents how long they are going to stay for. I'll be making them rather soon though. I guess the sooner the better!

By Sinfulangel (Sinfulangel) on Monday, May 24, 2004 - 08:04 pm: Edit

Hi, I was wondering if Syracuse sent any housing forms that allows us to customize our dorming arrangements. Some colleges let their students have a voice in the roommate situation by having them fill out a survey.

By Taxguy (Taxguy) on Monday, May 24, 2004 - 08:37 pm: Edit

My daughter is going there as part of the pre-college HS program. Syracuse has two very good schools: Communication and Visual Arts. Both are ranked at or near the top in the country. I don't know much about the other schools there,but I think that they are mediocre.

My daughter likes Syracuse over Parsons, MICA and Pratt because it has a beautiful campus, a great social scene, and she wants to associate with other people other than "artsy types."
Also, Syracuse has both Graphic Design and Advertising Design as majors, which most other top art schools don't have.Although I don't know where she will settle on as to a BFA,
Syracuse would be very good choice for art and design and is very well ranked.

By Reesespieces112 (Reesespieces112) on Tuesday, June 15, 2004 - 01:23 pm: Edit

To the other art students on here, other than the info found in the bookstore packet, what have you heard about computers? When I went to the spring reception, I spoke to someone in Fashion who said to buy a PC, but the packet said Macs. Especially for the other fashion students, what are you getting?

By Disappear_Here (Disappear_Here) on Wednesday, June 16, 2004 - 11:07 am: Edit

I'm going to be in vpa for fashion design and i know we use macs in the studio but despite the fact, i really want a pc because i will never be able to get used to a mac!

if you ever want to chat, my screename is in my profile. i have yet to meet another incoming fashion design student!

By Reesespieces112 (Reesespieces112) on Wednesday, June 16, 2004 - 06:51 pm: Edit

I guess I'll try to find an email for them and ask about computers. I had no luck finding an email on the Syracuse webpage for fashion but I think I'll try the student services for VPA. I would at least like to know whether or not it matters what platform we have for our personal computer. And I'd love to chat - it would be great to know someone new coming in. My AIM is reeldancer112.

By Angie266 (Angie266) on Thursday, June 17, 2004 - 09:31 am: Edit

Hey, I don't think Syracuse gives you a survey or anything for the rooming situation. I didn't get anything and I talked to the housing office and they told me all my forms were complete and I never filled out a survey. I'm pretty sure its random.

By Curlinterrupted (Curlinterrupted) on Friday, June 18, 2004 - 09:33 am: Edit

I hate to do this (yet another can i get in post), but do you think I can get in to Newhouse?

I'm a black female
3.1 unweighted
1310 SAT (I'm taking it again in the fall)
IB courses (math, spanish, english, history, all four years), 1 year bio, 3 years chem, 1 year psych, TOK; some APs
I'll have the "IB Diploma" when I graduate
National Merit Scholarship Finalist

E/C:
Community tennis
church involvement
Many different choir groups all 4 years (award winning choirs)
spanish club
mock trial
teaching ESL
newspaper internship
I can pretty much guarantee glowing recommendations. My essays will be very good, also.

Also, how is Syracuse about financial aid? I'm in a single parent household (27,000-30,000 a year).

Thanks!

By Taxguy (Taxguy) on Friday, June 18, 2004 - 10:20 pm: Edit

I don't know why people keep asking "can I get in?" We are NOT admissions officers. However, since you asked, I will give you an opinion. Based on the average SATs and Grade point average that you have and especially because of the IB program, I think you have a good chance. Certainly being a Black Female will be a big plus. I hate to say that in that I HATE any form of racism, however, I do think it will greatly help you.

By Feath17 (Feath17) on Saturday, June 26, 2004 - 04:51 pm: Edit

Does anyone happen to know the height of the beds at Syracuse? I can't find it on their website but I want to buy storage for under my bed. Thank you!!

By Ejpowers87 (Ejpowers87) on Sunday, August 29, 2004 - 10:25 pm: Edit

Gimme the dirt on this college.

How's the city?
How's the campus?
How's the student body?
How are the classes?
Etc, etc.

From the pictures I have seen the buildings and campus look beautiful. Also, the city of Syracuse doesn't seem as bad as I first though. I've heard that it's cheap and the administration doesn't like the students. If someone with real experience there could clear it up, that would be great.

By Mom102 (Mom102) on Monday, August 30, 2004 - 07:52 am: Edit

Epowers87, my daughter just finished a pre-college program there. I will thus give you are take on the college, at least from a summer program perspective.

1. The city: CRAPPY. There really isn't much to do in Syracuse, and from what we have seen, it is fairly dirty and old looking. Admittedly, we didn't travel around the city looking for the high spots,but certainly, there was nothing great right outside the campus. However, the campus does have some decent eating facilities.

2.Campus: Frankly, other than one or two buildings, we found the campus to be VERY underwhelming. There was lots of construction going on. There were no parts of the campus where we were "in awe" of its beauty. They did have one or two nice buildings such as the main library and the "Adams" administration building. Frankly, it looked like a city school, execept thast it was tucked away in its own enclave.

3. Student body: I can't comment on this since my child went to a pre- college program.

4. Classes. Classes had very few kids for the most part. My daughter's art classes numbered around 12 kids. Lots of computers available. For the most part, my daughter really like her teachers.

5. ETC: From our perspective, Syracuse is an OK school. I think that they have couple of very good programs such as communications, visual arts and some others,but many of the others are mediocre. In the summer program, kids were from all states but most were from NY. They do have a great sports program, which gives some great school spirit. They also had a good, large gym that was fully stocked with equipment. I do wonder what the weather would be like in the winter though.

Tuition was very high there. I did, however, get the feeling that they Syracuse was out to "stick it" to us financially whenever possible. For example, When we brought out daughter to the campus, there was no welcoming orientation for parents and no refreshments were served. We decided to try the cafeteria.

Although the food was good, at least for college food, the prices were outrageous for guests: $14.65 for lunch per person and $16.95 for dinner per person! I have NEVER been charged this by a school cafeteria. Book costs and supplies are also very high. There is a lot of nickel and diming there. They even charged us to attend the "closing dinner." Personally, after paying $5,000+ for the summer, they could have given us a free dinner for the closing ceremonies.

Anyway, this is just one parent's take.

By Teriwtt (Teriwtt) on Monday, August 30, 2004 - 10:53 am: Edit

From a different perspective, we just returned from dropping our freshman daughter at SU, and these are my observations.

CITY: yea, not the best, but it seems as if there's a lot going on on campus to keep you entertained. We did not have time to search out the 'nice' areas, although I heard the Armory Square area was nice (maybe we'll visit it when we return for Parent's Weekend). But it's something you may have to make a compromise on if SU has a program you're interested in. Next weekend, the recreation department has a whitewater rafting excursion planned and I guess the location is only a little over an hour away, so there is good access to outdoor recreation. The cost for the students (including a light lunch and BBQ dinner, transportation, rental equipment, etc.) is only $20. A steal if you ask me. Wish I was a student again!

There are certainly areas abutting campus that students are warned to be careful of. But good common sense plays a part, too. I could say the same thing about the University of Chicago (we live in the Chicago area), but it shouldn't prevent people from going there if the academic match is good.

CAMPUS: Once you're on campus, I thought it was nice; yes, other campuses are prettier, but the VPA building, Hendricks chapel and 'Adams family' building are stunning. Yes, there is construction going on, but we rarely saw a campus during her 'looking' stage that didn't have construction. We also had convocation inside the Carrier Dome and got to eat on the turf. My daughter's dorm room (split double) was actually decent. She has a good sized closet (two sliding doors width wide) and with some creativity, she has no problem storing all her stuff. In fact, move-in for freshman was awesome. The 'goon squad' was waiting for us in front of the dorm when we pulled up. They unload everything from your car into BIG rolling bins, take them on the elevators up to your room, and unload the stuff in your room. All her stuff fit in three bins (some people needed more bins), and she still has space in her closet for more stuff (which we'll probably bring up at Parent's Weekend). The only gliche was one of the three elevators was broken that day, but it was very well organized and the 'squad' was very helpful in directing us to stores for stuff we still needed to purchase. As parents/family, we were also offered free meals in her dining hall, for breakfast and lunch for the two days we were there; but with some other orientation stuff going on, we weren't really able to take full advantage of it. My daughter seems happy with the food so far. Our box lunch at the Carrier Dome was also free. They were giving out free water bottles on campus, too. So I definitely didn't feel like we were nickle and dimed. I think an unusual amount of upper class students continue to live on campus in dorms and apartments; I'm sure it has to do with a combination of positive dorm experiences and lack of nearby off-campus housing. I kind of like the idea of her remaining on campus if that's what she chooses.

CLASSES: she's at her first one as I type, so I have nothing to offer there; however, she did have to change her schedule with the help of wonderful peer advisors, and that went smoothly.

ETC.: My daughter is fairly bright and received a nice scholarship from SU without even applying separately for it, other than sending in her application. It cuts the tuition in 1/2. Otherwise, yes it's expensive. But with the scholarship, and her offer to join the honors program, and the reputation of Newhouse (the public communication school so highly ranked), it's an offer we couldn't refuse. I do know that Newhouse, and the visual arts programs are very competitive to get into, so if you're interested in those, consider SU seriously. They have high national recognition.

Greek life is 30% there (my daughter's dorm overlooks Greek Row, so she'll get to observe before deciding what to do), and I appreciate the fact that rush isn't until spring semester - gives the kids a chance to check out all their options.

Her dorm is on the opposite end of campus from the Carrier Dome and it took us about 15 minutes to walk there at a leisurely pace, so the walk between classes will be very manageable if 15 minutes is all it took us to make that walk.

The new chancelor has teenage children of her own (one in college in Wisconsin), so I think the tone of administration may be changing. She definitely alluded to that in her convocation speech.

Again, there were a ton of orientation activities planned for both students and parents while we were there, and at no additional cost to us. Whenever we looked 'lost' whether in the bookstore, on campus, Newhouse, someone was always asking if they could help us.

Our only grief - getting her computer; it was supposed to be waiting for us at the computer store (part of the bookstore), but it was still at the warehouse and we had to return to the computer store later in the day to get it, and the lines were longer then (still only about 15 minutes). We should have chosen to have it sent to our house over the summer.

Oh, one last grief - no A/C in the dorms, and unfortunately Syracuse was having an unusual hot spell while we were there, so it got pretty miserable during the day. But the lobby lounge and dining area of her dorm were A/C'ed, so the kids tended to find areas that were cool to hang out in. As of last night, a front came through and cooled things down a lot.

I'd be happy to answer any more questions.

By Ejpowers87 (Ejpowers87) on Monday, August 30, 2004 - 11:58 am: Edit

Thanks for the info Mom102 and Teriwtt. It seems like they acted much differently at the summer programs and at orientation. I think I may apply there and if I get accepted, do a college visit.

By Lowermorelndmom (Lowermorelndmom) on Saturday, September 04, 2004 - 10:23 am: Edit

I would like to hear how your daughter likes her classes, and her roommate. Did they have icebreakers for the kids to meet each other? My daughter is also considering Syracuse. We looked at it in the winter, on an especially beautiful warm day. (I wonder if she would have felt the same on a freezing day about the campus). I thought the surrounding area was kinda crummy, but no worse that the area surrounding Ithaca and Cornell, (which I saw tons of trailer parks). My daughter is also considering Delaware, Univ Of Maryland, Muhlenberg, Pennstate and Pitt. Any comments??

By Teriwtt (Teriwtt) on Tuesday, September 07, 2004 - 03:52 pm: Edit

Well, unfortunately, we have an experience to share about SU that isn't typical for a first week. But I think it is an experience to share. The Friday night of the end of her first week of classes, a very good friend of hers from home (Chicago area) was killed in a car accident. Suddenly our focus shifted away from her getting settled in to getting her back home.

Her RA was amazing - he was very helpful, both emotionally and practically. He experienced the same sort of loss a year ago, and told her not to let the fear of missing classes interfere with her decision to come home. Yea, easy for him to say, but I think the message comes top down... he encouraged her to get in touch with her dean, that deans have discretionary funds set aside to help students out in situations like this (the original airfare would have been over $750 and we thought about not bringing her home, but we got something very decent on priceline.com). He also said deans are prepared to help the students get on a flight if flights are sold out. She never got a hold of her dean (it was Saturday morning of this past weekend), and her RA was willing to pursue this with his dean, but when we found the good airfare, we completed the arrangements ourselves. Her RA gave her options to get to the airport, etc. He also encouraged her to contact all her profs e-mail, which she did, and as of Sunday had heard back from all of them except one. She's in the honors program and was really concerned about getting behind in work. Thankfully with Labor Day, and her returning Wednesday night, she will only miss two class days.

So far she likes her classes (except French, and that's just because she hasn't had any since junior year in high school and hasn't gotten back into the swing of it yet). There have been lots of opportunities for her to meet other people, but she's really hooked in with some people on her dorm floor (there's no one else from her high school at SU). She is a serious student, but likes to have fun, too. She has been to a couple of parties (in fact was at one when her friends tried to contact her Friday night with the news), and yes, alcohol is readily available to underage kids. But that doesn't mean all kids go that direction.

Weather has been up and down there, either very hot, or rainy. That will change soon. We're going back for parent's weekend in October, and I look forward to it.

It was funny... as I read your response, a friend of hers (sophomore) was over who goes to Ithaca College (they returned together for the funeral); I read your comment, and she has no idea where the trailer parks are in Ithaca that you referred to. She's very happy at Ithaca, doing the OT program.

My daughter applied to BU, Penn State, U of Illinois (safety school) and UNC. She only got rejected from UNC. Penn State was the first school to notify her of acceptance, and they really wanted her, but the reputation of Newhouse at SU swayed her decision. Penn State is a gorgeous campus, she was in love with it, but course it was also very large. My daughter says her longest walk from her dorm to any of her classes is 7 minutes this semester.

The alumni from Chicago told her that although Syracuse gets a lot more snow than Chicago, it's not as cold as Chicago, so we'll see how she adapts to the winter.

Hope this answers your questions.

By Carolyn (Carolyn) on Thursday, September 09, 2004 - 10:08 pm: Edit

Teriwit, First, my condolences to your daughter on the loss of her friend. Your heart must be broken for her but what a wonderful story about how Syracuse helped her in her time of need.

I suspect that she is living in the dorm where I lived many, many years ago. I loved those split doubles and have often wondered why more colleges don't have similar floor plans!. I enjoyed my time at Syracuse immensely. Even back then, the city of Syracuse had its pluses and minuses but there was so much going on on campus and around the immediate campus area that it was never a problem for me. What I particularly remember is that even though it was (is) a relatively large school, most of my teachers were remarkably involved and friendly. I still remember dinners at my creative writing teacher's house, field trips to NYC led by my journalism teachers, and an art teacher who allowed me to audit a studio art course even though I wasn't a major (and actually spent time critiquing my work.) I have never regretted my time at Syracuse --- except, maybe, for a few snowy days when I nearly froze to death!

By Teriwtt (Teriwtt) on Friday, September 10, 2004 - 07:03 pm: Edit

Carolyn, she's in Haven, but I didn't think Haven was the only dorm at SU to offer split doubles. But yes, it is a wonderful concept, and I do have to explain it to most people, so I know it's not common at other campuses. More places should do it. She feels priviledged to live in Haven since not very many freshman live there.

Did you get your degree from Newhouse? I'm curious as to what you did with it, if that's what you graduated with. I, too, got a bachelor's of journalism, but from UT-Austin, also a reputable J-school. I did a little PR for pay, and have done a lot in a volunteer capacity since staying home with my kids. Somewhere technology passed up my learning curve, and much of what I learned regarding layouts, graphics, etc., is now done on computers, so I would be obsolete in any agency, etc. Besides, five years ago I decided to get my master's from a seminary to be a chaplain. But let me tell you, all that writing experience gave me an advantage in grad school - in only two of my classes have I had exams. Everything else is papers/projects. Anyway, nice to hear from an adult that went to SU and was grateful for their experience.

By Teriwtt (Teriwtt) on Friday, September 10, 2004 - 07:10 pm: Edit

I was rereading old posts on this board and wanted to make a correction on something someone said. SU is not 45% Jewish. When we were there for orientation last month, an administrator stated there are 3,000 Jewish students on campus. With over 11,000 undergrad students, that percentage drops to less than 30%. So there is plenty of diversity if that makes a difference to the person who was asking.

By Dickied414 (Dickied414) on Tuesday, October 05, 2004 - 06:45 pm: Edit

hey i'm a white male senior at a public high school in amssachusetts...i have a 3.58 UW GPA, and i dont know my W GPA...i am 25/485 in my school(top 6%ish)...i took 1 ap soph and junior years(eurp. and us), and 3 this year (cacl bc, econ, chem)...my SAT1 is 1290(690 math, 600 verbal), retaking next saturday...SAT2's will be in november...my extracurriculars include 3 years varsity basketball, 2 years varsity baseball, NHS, 10 years altar serving at catholic church, 100+ hours various community service, tutoring, and summer job last 2 years a baseball camp...i will also have many good letters of recommendation...what are my chances at syracuse?