Did you recently visit Syracuse University? Share your experience with the community! Post your review in the comments below.
Some ideas for what to share:
- When did you visit?
- Where did you stay? Would you recommend it?
- Where did you eat? Did you try any local specialties?
- How did you get there? What’s the best transportation mean to get to-from the campus?
- What was the campus vibe?
- What did you think of the dorms?
- What are some must-see things in or around campus?
- How were the school facilities?
- Did you like it more or less than you thought you would? Why?
- Did anything surprise you?
We’d love to hear any tips or recommendations you can share for people planning their visit!
We visited SU in late October because my son was unsure whether he wanted to apply ED to SU or to another school. The tour was small enough for the tour guide to answer some questions, and she was able to convey a lot of the school spirit and make my son feel welcome. We were lucky that he was the only student that day interested in engineering, so we got a private college-specific tour of the engineering building afterward. He was impressed with the facilities (especially the flight simulator).
The campus overall was a mix of modern and “old,” and the “Harry Potter” building was our favorite. The campus was not too large and all parts were easily accessible by foot. Unfortunately, we did not tour the inside of the dome.
Also, the dorms were closed to visitors due to Covid. We did not like that first year students had no choice over the dormroom style (split double or open double) or the building they would be placed in but were assigned randomly by the university (he was able to list a split double as his first choice on his housing contract, but we are uncertain how much that is considered).
Syracuse was just one stop on our college tour, so we just stayed one night close to the airport in a hotel I would not wish on my worst enemy (Red Roof Inn). We only saw glimpses of the city as we were driving up from New Jersey, but the area around campus looked okay.
Overall, the application process was amazing. Admissions were a great resource for questions, and the financial aid office was very professional and processed all of his documents quickly and efficiently. Everyone was eager to help and make him feel as if he was not just a number in a pool of other applicants.
Re upping this thread. We are visiting in July and daughter is staying for a two week on campus class. What should we look for on my one day there?
My husband and I are alums from the late 80s and my daughter attended the pre-college filmmaking class last summer. We had not been to SU since shortly after we graduated because we lived mostly on the west coast, but the campus was just as beautiful as when we attended, even more so because they closed a couple of streets near the main buildings, so it is more walkable. Unfortunately, the surrounding area was not as vibrant.
We stayed at the Sheraton and were really disappointed how empty Marshall Street was. (Marshall Street is where all the bars and restaurants are located within a couple of blocks of the campus.) I understand it was summer but most places were closed, even my favorite restaurant/pub back in the day, Faeghan’s. We wound up eating downtown at Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, which was really good. Insomnia Cookies next to the hotel was open late so that’s a plus. Varsity Pizza is still open for lunch and Manny’s on Marshall Street is where your buy your swag.
We set up visits to other upstate colleges the weekends of drop off/pick up, so we didn’t do much more than eat and reminisce and tour the campus, but there are a lot of beautiful lakes and parks in the Syracuse area if you’re staying a few nights.
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Interesting. Would think most places on that street would be thriving with kids back on campus post Covid.
Not a lot of college kids there during the summer. I did one summer class when I attended which I think it ended by June. Maybe it’ll be better this year since everyone’s not all-consumed by Covid. Also, hopefully the businesses are doing better. I’m sure a few closed because of the pandemic.
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Does anyone know if they take you inside buildings for the Spring Preview/Reception days?
We loved our tour this summer, but we only got to go inside the engineering building as part of an engineering-specific tour. Everything else was outside-only.
For our upcoming visit, we arrive early the previous day (a Sunday), so we could wander a bit on our own and maybe peek into a couple buildings.