Chances at Newhouse?

<p>I am a hs senior from ny applying to Newhouse- mass communications
I have about a 3.6 gpa, 2150 SAT, 32 ACT, 760 sat 2 in us history, 5 on ap us history
i have taken 5 aps so far, and mostly all honors for other classes, only a couple standard
my hs is extrememly competitive, i am in about the top 15% and i have all a's and only a few b's
i have good essays, good recs, and really good ec's where i have leadership positions-- captain of the soccer team, editor of school yearbook, president of a community service club, etc.
i also have an interview with syracuse in a few weeks which should go well
i really want to go to a good communications school, and i know newhouse is one of the best. the only thing i am worried about is the reputation of syracuse as a whole- it is known for being sort of a party school and that is just NOT me.
i am looking for a academically focused school, good reputation, and a solid communications program.
what are my chances for getting into newhouse? and if syracuse doesnt sound right for me, what other schools would be be a good fit?
thanks!!</p>

<p>You sound just like the type of student that Newhouse attracts; and you are not alone in not wanting to get involved with the party school atmosphere; you will find your own (if you choose to attend and are admitted)…</p>

<p>there are academically focused students there, Newhouse has a great reputation…but if you want a school where EVERYONE is “academically” focused, Syracuse may not be the school for you (nor would alot of schools of that caliber)…</p>

<p>Where else are you applying?</p>

<p>thanks for your help!! what schools would you suggest that may have more students like me?
as of right now, i am applying to nyu, bu, and umichigan… thinking about northwestern as a reach</p>

<p>all of those schools will have students that are and are not “academically” focused; someone just posted on the “schools that my child eliminated after visiting” that their daughter eliminated UMich because some of the dorm room doors had stickers noting whether or not someone was a drinker (implying that if you aren’t, you’re out of luck)…</p>

<p>I would assume that Northwestern would be more academically focused but you know what? most schools are party schools…some more than others; I’m sure there are plenty of people at NU that party well; the biggest difference there is that even though they may party heavily, their academic ability and achievement may not be affected by it…study hard and party hard…same with UMich and others…</p>

<p>My daughter had a very similar profile to yours and didn’t want a school where most didn’t give a “you know what” about academics…she’s at Newhouse; there are alot of kids at Syracuse in the other sub-schools who don’t really care; she’s not really associated with them…</p>

<p>The kids at Newhouse are at the other end of the spectrum; ridiculously competitive, cut-throat and over the top academic…more than she can deal with sometimes…they don’t really “get” the fact that communications is all about internships and experience, not brown- nosing professors…in that aspect, Newhouse students are more like the kinds of kids at the other schools you are looking at (minus BU)…</p>

<p>Hope this helps…are you interviewing at Lubin House? PM me with who you are seeing…</p>

<p>thanks so much for the reply- it was very helpful!
does your daughter like syracuse/newhouse though? what other schools did she look at?
and i actually have an off-campus interview so its not at lubin house</p>

<p>Rodney did a perfect job of describing Syracuse/Newhouse culture. My D is a newhouse/whitman sophomore and is very pleased with her choice. She does love the school spirit, and can find many alternatives to the party scene. My S just graduated from NYU and I would say that there is a similar amount of partying there, although they tend to be smaller, private parties with minimal school spirit (in its place, there is nyc spirit). I believe that my D is actually receiving a more intensive, personalized education at Syracuse than my S did at NYU. Also, there is no program that is similar to Newhouse at NYU and my D did not apply there</p>

<p>i thought there was a comm major at nyu? i know they dont have a school of communications but i thought they did have a major for it- and it was well known
thats good to hear that your daughter likes newhouse and can find alternatives!!! thanks for your help</p>

<p>Re NYU- when my daughter looked two years ago, there was a communication, media, and culture major at Steinhardt but it seemed to be more academic and theoretical than a professional school of communication. Of course, it might have changed now but you might want to look at the course offerings.
Both NYU and Syracuse are similar in that the university is divided into schools that you apply separately to in your freshman application. In both, it is very difficult to transfer from one school to another once you are enrolled. It is based on your GPA and internal transfers are limited.</p>

<p>My S is a freshman at Syracuse. He is not a party guy and most likely wouldn’t fit in with party hearty kids. Syracuse has a lot of learning communities and he opted to be part of one, partly to make sure that he was in a dorm with kids whose interests are similar to his own. He has made a number of friends in the learning community and they are not partyers but they have a good time together. He very much likes Syracuse. He reports that some kids will have a good time on Friday and Saturday nights, but he says everyone he knows buckles down on weekend days and studies very hard. He is not in Newhouse - he is in VPA and is in a program that required an audition as part of the admissions process - but he has friends in Newhouse. He tends to be a creative kid and the one thing he likes about Syracuse is that, with VPA, the School of Architecture, Newhouse, and various other majors, there are a lot of other creative kids at Syracuse and he really likes that aspect - plus there is all that school spirit and a location close to a lot of outdoor activities.</p>

<p>Twoparent: I am looking to apply dual enrolment Newhouse/whitman. Does your d find the workload manageable or overwhelming? Ive heard both.</p>

<p>I think that she finds the workload manageable and, at times, overwhelming. There is a minimum of 8 extra classes that you need to fit in ( it depends on your Newhouse major - she is in advertising so it is 8 but if you want Broadcast journalism it is 10). Many students come in with AP credit which can count toward the extra classes. She has chosen to take courses during the summer at our local state college to make the 8 - you have to get at least a C but they don’t count in your GPA- and they must be in the liberal arts classes. I imagine if you chose to take 6 classes each semester, that would be very difficult.
What she complains about is that she basically takes only courses in her two majors which are very intensive. She has very few electives. The Newhouse courses have been outstanding and it would be nice to be able to take more there, but that is almost impossible since she has to complete the core for Whitman. Newhouse students are extremely competitive and driven - she finds that she cannot really play that game nor would she want to, since she has to devote so much time to the very intensive Whitman courses. On the other hand, the Newhouse faculty who are leaders in their fields are very accessible and open to working with the students.
She feel that she is getting a wonderful education and has never considered dropping either school. By the way, she was in the Whitman residential learning community the first year and that really helped her adjust to the academic rigor.</p>

<p>wow, thank you so much! Does Syracuse have a lot of core classes that weigh you down the first two years?</p>

<p>There is a one page worksheet titled Whitman School of Management/Newhouse School of Public Communications Dual Degree Checksheet for freshmen entering Fall 2009 and later, that lays out all of the requirements. I am pretty sure that this sheet is in the online catalog. There are many abbreviations, but I think that you will get the basic idea. Each school has their own core requirements. When are a Whitman/Newhouse Dual, Whitman is your home school and you have to satisfy their program - my D will only take 8 classes at Newhouse (this will differ depending on your major). Oh- and by the way, I hope that you like math since Whitman has 21 credits of math, statistics, and accounting courses that all business students have to take.</p>

<p>Okay, I will definitely check that course sheet out. And math…is not my favorite subject to say the least.</p>