I’m waiting to hear back from colleges right now, and Syracuse is at the top of my list. I plan to study biology on the pre-med track. I haven’t visited it yet, but once I get the chance I will. I was wondering if anyone could tell me the good and the bad about Syracuse to help me make a more informed decision. Thank you!
Some of the good depends upon the program you are in. They have some outstanding programs. Biology isn’t among the schools SU is known for. But the school has incredible school spirit and an active huge alumni network. It is a nice campus with a traditional campus flanked by an area of Syracuse that is very “college town” like-cafes, restaurants and stores that would appeal to students and their families.
Con: Syracuse costs over $60,000 a year and does not meet need. What is it about Syracuse that placed it at the top of your list?
Pros:
1Midnights on Marshall Street
2Kimmel Food Court at 2 a.m. on a Saturday night
3SU’s nine prestigious undergrad colleges
4The national championship-winning basketball team
5Happy hour
6Hanging out in Panasci Lounge during a blizzard
7After-hours frat parties that start when the bars close
8The wide variety of extracurricular activities
9Dorm perks (like snack bars, garages, game rooms, and coed-by-alternating-rooms housing)
10Orange spirit in the Carrier Dome
Cons:
1Windy afternoons on Marshall Street
2Dining hall food
3Teaching assistants who barely speak English, and part-time professors who don’t like their jobs
4The very average football team
5Bar raids
6Being able to walk into class and have the weather be 30 degrees and sunny, and then walking out of class an hour later to find a blizzard, sub-zero weather, and winds up to 30 miles per hour
7Not clear enough? The weather is awful!
8The outskirts of campus are not as safe as one would like
9Dorm downfalls, like the endless stairs to the Mount, the “ghetto” areas of Brewster and Boland, and the “middle of nowhere” feel of Lawrinson and Sadler
10Pick up that Freshmen 15 anyway
All this info was from college niche
Syracuse is a pretty school with a nice college town. If you walk 2-3 blocks from the campus the area becomes very very run down. The Syracuse Mall is magnificent. The school has a lot of spirit and there are a lot of parties ( as with many schools). There are a few programs there with very good reputations that are more competitive to get into; most students I know who attend Syracuse graduated HS with a B/B+ average. There is not a lot of economic diversity at Syracuse- it attracts kids from very upper middle class and wealthy families- many from the NYC suburbs. My daughter had a friend who brought her Mercedes to Syracuse ( not judging, just reporting the facts). Syracuse does not meet need and although it might give some FA, in my opinion it is still very expensive ($60,000+). One girl I know received a $10,000 art scholarship but did not receive any other form of aid.
Syracuse is a great school and the students who attend love it, but you really have to visit to see if it is the right fit for you. It caters to a certain niche, at least where we live. Neither one of my kids would have fit in for reasons that differ from one another.
Be sure to run the net price calculator for Syracuse for yourself. I know they don’t meet full need, however, for us the net price came our to be $3k less per year than our in-state public flagship school…
It is super cold and unbelievably windy. If you are used to Chicago or Buffalo, it’s for you.
People there are used to it. So after 4 ft of snow, there will be class…
On the good side: Salt potatoes and Varsity.
Sounds like a different planet compared to living here in Dallas.
My daughter applied ED and the financial aid package was very generous we thought. Our EFC is around $12,000 (we have twins going to school next Fall) and our out of pocket for SU is around $17,000. We thought that was pretty good and much less than it would cost to attend an in-state state school.
My D is a freshman at Syracuse. She has been very happy. She loves the people she has met. The campus is very easy to learn and get around. The dorm rooms were renovated over the summer so she is the first to live in the new space. The have split doubles so you have your own space but still a roommate. She said the food is just okay. Since she eats well at home, it is an adjustment for her. Any cafeteria food like this will become repetitive. We did not find the school to be generous with aid. She was offered more money at other places but she had her heart set on attending 'Cuse. She fell in love with it on her first visit and no other schools quite felt right after that. She loves her professors. The sports are great with a lot of school spirit. The campus provides buses to one of the largest malls in the country. The area near campus is easy to walk to and has a college town feel. Though, a few blocks from campus is a bit run down and there have been some safety concerns just off campus. There is a strong and caring administration who reaches out to parents which I appreciate. The weather is harsh in the winter. There are several majors that are highly ranked nationally. There is a strong alumni network. Overall, the pros far outweigh the cons.
Thanks MomfromPA15317, that is a great summation! Many facets you mentioned are also what drew my daughter in. I knew of all the schools she looked at that this one was the perfect fit for her and had all that she was looking for (and all that we as parents were looking for!) and we were thrilled with her acceptance and her financial award.