My daughter is seriously considering Susquehanna University and I was wondering if any parents of current/past students could comment on the school. We have visited a couple of times and it seems like a good school with a beautiful campus. She would be studying finance. I understand the Sigmund Weis School of Business is quite good. My concern is that Susquehanna is not a readily recognizable name and I don’t want that to be a downside when she graduates and is looking for a job. Any comments concerning the school would be appreciated.
I’m a Cum Laude graduate from Susquehanna in 2010 with a degree in Finance and a minor in economics and played football at Susquehanna. I have had 4 jobs since graduating in 2010, which were all my choice to pursue better opportunities. I am currently in Strategy for a Philadelphia hospital. I have never once had a problem with Susquehanna being “recognizable” and you nor your daughter should be worried. Two of my close friends work for high level investment firms in NYC, another has his CFA and is attending a top international business school (Rotman) full time for his MBA, another went on to pursue their JD as a family lawyer in Philly, and I am currently pursuing my MBA. I don’t think your daughter will have any problem at all.
Ultimately, in my opinion, if you work hard at SU and have a good GPA and get a couple good internships (most important) it is all about selling yourself and your abilities in the interview process. I personally believe the only downfall with SU is the fact that you are required to stay on campus for all 4 years now. Hope this helps!
dpav25 thank you so much for your response. You seem to have had an extremely positive experience at Susquehanna and I am glad you were willing to share information regarding your successes and those of your friends after graduation. There is not a lot of information on this board about Susquehanna, so I am glad I posted, and you so readily responded. Susquehanna is definitely in the running!
@dpav25, thanks for your post! Today, we just paid the deposit for my our daughter to go to Susquehanna next year. I don’t know who’s more excited - her or us!
As a mom, I don’t mind her staying on campus all four years! I did that by choice in college. I loved being close to everything. My husband hasn’t been to Selinsgrove yet, and I can’t wait to show him the area when we drop off our daughter in August. 
Please report back during your daughter’s freshman year, since there are so few posts about Susquehanna.
What swayed her decision ?
@MYOS1634, this is some of what I wrote TomsRiverMom. I could have written more!
The background is that SU offered my older son a full-tuition scholarship for the fall of 2010. My son ended up deciding he wanted to study engineering, so he went to another school instead. I have to tell you, I was disappointed! My son had excellent stats and I think he would have done well there.
We hired a college consultant for him, because we had the added factor of athletics to consider (my son was a good distance runner). The consultant was excellent. He has sent a lot of kids to Ivy schools. Along with recommending schools like Wash U, he suggested we take a look at SU. He had sent his own there, along with a LOT of other kids from Maine. I thought, wow, if he liked it enough for his own son, we should consider it.
At that point, my son was thinking he might go pre-med, and I read that SU has an excellent placement rate. Then I read that they do an excellent job of placing kids in jobs after graduating. The study-abroad requirement was another plus. When we visited in 2009/2010, they were constructing the new science building. I asked an admissions person this time how in the world they can afford such beautiful facilities, and he said they have very generous alumni. I guess so!
Then I started asking around, talking to kids and parents. To date, I have not heard even ONE negative or lukewarm report. Across the board, every person says they are glad they attended or sent their kids there.
When my daughter said she liked the school after visiting it once, we went back for the honor program presentation and the accepted students day. What stood out yet again was the friendliness of everyone. Not only do profs and students help when you ask, they APPROACH you to see what you need. One prof saw me sitting in the hall. When I told her I was waiting for my HS daughter to come out of a class she was sitting in on, the woman sat and talked with me for about 15 minutes! She told me about the freshman writing program and how much she likes it at SU. One student, when she overheard us talking to a prof about writing, insisted on walking us all the way across campus to look at the Writing Institute.
My son had similar events occur. I have looked at a LOT of schools, including Amherst and UT-Austin, and I have to tell you, I’m most impressed by SU. I think they concentrate on excellence in every area. The lack of name recognition in the general public doesn’t bother me. They are well-regarded in business and music, and I think word is getting out about the school.
My daughter wants to major in photography (and possibly double in public relations). We talked to the photography professor (although he was in the middle of taking photos for accepted students day, he took time to talk with us). I like that they teach a class on different ways of taking photos to make a career out of it.
D also plays jazz piano. We found out they offer a small scholarship to NON music majors if they submit a video of their playing and are accepted. If she gets in the program, they will even give her free piano lessons! She will be able to play in combos, too.
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Thank-you so much.
I must say that I, too, found Susquehanna ‘people’ to be the friendliest across the board.
Thanks for such a detailed visit report
What about safety - that’s an area(the only one) I’ve heard concerns about ?
I didn’t hear any concerns voiced by students or parents. It seems very safe. Well-lit and small. Not near any urban areas.
@MaineLonghorn congrats on the deposit! And I have to agree with everything you said as far as the profs and faculty. They will go out of the way to see you succeed in whatever route you go at SU. I very much preferred the small student to faculty ratio as being in a class of 20 vs 200 turns you from a number to a name in the class.
@MYOS1634 I can tell you in my 4 years at Susquehanna, safety never concerned me at all. SU is a very rural area and I have walked from Market Street back to campus at all hours of the night and have never had to look over my shoulder. The police department is located right on University Ave about 2 blocks from the entrance of SU. Campus security circles the campus at all hours and if you are worried about walking back to campus from off campus at night you can even call and they’ll come pick you up and bring you back.
Thanks!
So far, my daughter is having a wonderful experience at SU. Her dorm is literally right across the sidewalk from the music/art building, and she can go in, any time of day or night, to play a piano in a practice room, even though she’s not a music major. She said the pianos play beautifully and all are in-tune.
Move in was very smooth. A bunch of students helped us move her stuff in. There was an opening convocation with several excellent speeches. They kicked the parents out after that, and immediately got the kids into orientation activities. This past weekend, they had an outdoor carnival with lots of fun activities.
She loves her honors discussion class. The theme this year is mental health and social health, and she is looking forward to discussing our family’s experiences with mental illness.
Everyone we came in contact with was helpful and friendly. D feels like she is in the right place for sure.
Susquehanna U is looking good to our DD2 who wants colder weather, super friendly campus, lovely surrounding… oh and a great academic environment. We are going to be flying out from Europe for a overnight in town and a personal tour, visit and interview. Any other thoughs or info on Susquehanna are welcomed! PS… having lived thru trying to find an apartment for DD1 in a great college town with crazy high rents… I am looking forward to the 4 years on campus.