So What Is SU Really Like?

<p>so is it worth it to apply to syracuse for the pre-med program? syracuse is a middle/safety school for me. we follow the basketball team which does pretty well, but for premed is it worth it?</p>

<p>Well to be honest with you I haven't heard much about their Pre-Med program. I know that they have one because I know of people who are majoring in Pre-Med at SU, it is just that SU doesn't seem to publicly acknowlegde it too much. I looked on the SU website for it a while ago when I was interested in it, but couldn't find anything about Pre-Med. </p>

<p>Personally, I would keep SU in mind for pre-med, but I am sure that there are better pre-med schools out there that are along the same caliber admissions-wise as Syracuse.</p>

<p>Julie - Between the two colleges i was at, i was a triple major in english, history, and economics. At SU, it was in the college of arts and sciences. I took most of my english classes at the community college since SU is really weak in english. The transition shouldn't be too tough, just don't take more than 17 or 18 credits per semester. At Cornell, i'm in the ILR school. </p>

<p>I did hear of SU's chancellor talking about admissions at SU. Unless the population expands significantly, i can't see SU's selectivity really increasing. It's just too big of a school. Just look at Cornell ... even though they receive the most applications of all other ivy league schools, they still have the highest acceptance rate (a solid 27%). It is just because they're a big school and can afford to admit more. Peope sometimes see this and figure they have a chance, but forget that over 18,000 students a year are rejected. Syracuse would need stronger academic programs coupled with an increased yield ratio in order to significantly change the acceptance rate. SU should focus on admitting a more quality student rather than quantity.</p>

<p>"I did hear of SU's chancellor talking about admissions at SU. Unless the population expands significantly, i can't see SU's selectivity really increasing."</p>

<p>I'm glad to hear that. I was worried when I first heard about this, but I'm happy to see that it may not be as bad as I thought. </p>

<p>Now the only thing I have left to worry about with regards to SU is how those extra 400 freshman they admitted last year will affect the '07 admissions! Just my luck to apply on a year after a fluke like that. Maybe I'll get lucky and they'll house me in the Sheraton if they admit me like they did for some other lucky appicants... :-)</p>

<p>eh, you dont have to worry about anything. It's unreasonable to expect even a 10% drop in acceptance rate. I know some people with 2.8 GPAs out of high school that got into SU. </p>

<p>"It just depends on what you want to major in. If you are looking at Communications, IR, Art, Interior Design, etc then Syracuse is hard to beat" <-- I would agree with this. Also note architecture. My girlfriend was set on SU architecture before getting a spot off the waitlist for Cornell. The broadcasting school (newhouse i believe) has alot of famous alums. If you're not a student in the top 2% of the class looking for academic rigor and challenge, SU is great! I did have some very fun times there, the basketball games a great and Dinosaur BBQ downtown is just wonderful. All of my friends from high school who are at SU are enjoying their time ... it just wasn't for me. If the school fits, you'll have a blast. No worries!</p>

<p>i dont get it. if you were enjoying self, why didn't syracuse fit? can you elaborate more? i'm trying to understand how to know if a school is fit me or not.</p>

<p>there were times when it was alot of fun. Mostly hanging out with friend, going to mall, going out to eat, or going to the basketball games. Please not that i didnt say i was enjoying myself, but alot of my friends from high school also at SU were. It didnt fit because i wanted a more rigorous school with a better focus on academics and less of the "if you dont party all the time, you're lame" feel.</p>

<p>I'm a current freshman @ SU, and I'm sort of disappointed to hear so many negative posts about Syracuse life. I would just like to say that my first semester at Syracuse has gone fabulously and I absolutely love it. I'm a Newhouse student and have thoroughly enjoyed what SU has to offer! Feel free to message me, northeastmom, or anyone else with any other questions. :-)</p>

<p>Thank you GoOrange. How do find the large lectures as a freshman? How is the housing? Are there too many parties in the dorms? When I visited I passed the new business school. It seems like quite a walk from other buildings on campus. How much of problem is this in the depths of winter (I guess you have not experienced Jan/Feb there yet, but how is it in the beginning of December? Anything else you could tell us, both positive, and negative would be great. Oh, and Happy New Year!</p>

<p>i wonder about syracuse's listing on schools with small interaction among different races (on princeton review). do you agree or disagree?</p>

<p>and do you know about the art department or architecture dept moving off campus to armory square?</p>

<p>Wannagotocornell notes,"and do you know about the art department or architecture dept moving off campus to armory square"</p>

<p>Response: I am very aware of this development. If you do a search in the art forum, you will see a whole thread discussing this. The good news is several fold</p>

<ol>
<li><p>It only applies for graphic design, communication design, advertising design and architecture and only starting in the student's sophomore year.</p></li>
<li><p>The facility will be new and supposedly decked out with the latest stuff.</p></li>
<li><p>Supposedly, the building will be well guarded and secure.</p></li>
<li><p>The armory square area is very nice. It has decent shops and very artsy.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Bad news: You will need to take an 8 min or so bus each way. Buses will run every 20 minutes. If a bus gets into an accident or hits some snarly traffic, you are shafted if you need to make your next class. Also, These classes will be held off campus; thus, you won't feel as much a part of the student community as other students.</p>

<p>Overall , I HATE this. The only reason Syracuse is doing this is not for you or for your parents. They want to be "politically correct" and have more of a presence in the city of Syracuse.</p>

<p>thanks. it sucks for people in those majors though. i just hope they don't add anymore majors. (esp. interior design, lol)</p>

<p>the armory square area is very nice though. I'm from Syracuse, and I go there often for coffee and just to hang out. I'd much rather hang out there than on campus. It's not very far away from campus anyways. </p>

<p>northeasternmom - right now, there's about 1-2 feet of snow on the ground. It's been rather warm (not in the teens) so some of the snow has melted away. Feb. is a pain in syracusae. It gets very cold and snowy. March isnt too bad, and things finally look better around April. Walking in the snow is never an issue as long as you have a good jacket, gloves, a hat, and maybe some boots. It's not the snow that will kill you, it's the cold.</p>

<p>Yes, only go to SU if you can stand a LOT of snow. Syracuse averages 120 or so inches a year, making it the snowiest major city in the entire country. Two years ago they got 180 inches, and last year they got around 150 inches. If snow isn't your thing, don't go to 'Cuse. But if you like seeing the white stuff, then Syracuse is the place to be.</p>

<p>Also, like gomestar said, it isn't the snow that students have problems with. It is the cold.</p>

<p>I guess that is a fair warning from both of you. Thanks.</p>

<p>I'd be glad to share my 1st semester experiences. I only had 2 large lectures, one being General Bio and the other being for a Globalization class. However, each was balanced out with small discussion sections which greatly helped my learning. </p>

<p>The housing, in my experience, has been absoultely fabulous. I live up on the Mount, and my dorm is mostly all freshmen. I'm also in the Honors program, and live in the Honors Learning Community. My floor in particular is very close with each other and we get along spectacularly. I've made some of my best friends just from getting to know the people in my hall. The week is pretty low-key in terms of partying, and I've noticed that most people usually just go out Thursday-Saturday nights. Its great because some people do go out partying but some dont, and there really isnt any pressure to do one or the other.</p>

<p>The buildings so far havent really been a problem, as the sidewalks usually get cleared relatively fast. I'm in Newhouse, but I have a class in the Management building next semester...I'm not really looking forward to the trek, but it really shouldnt be too bad with a heavy coat, boots, scarf etc.</p>

<p>Good luck with everything & happy new year!!</p>

<p>Hello GoOrange! I just got accepted to SU College of Arts & Sciences for International Relations. I just had a few questions and wanted to know how can I contact you? Do you an aim sn or msn? We can work something out!</p>

<p>--Thanks appreciate the help! :)</p>

<p>Northeastmom, for what its worth, I did't see any dilapidated buildings or facilities in dire need of repair. To be fair, I also didn't poke my nose into every building and room. However, overall, the campus seemed very well maintained. If you want to see dilapidated buildings, I suggest that you check out Pratt Institute.</p>

<p>Taxguy, I did not post here about rundown buildings. I am not sure what post you were responding too, but thank you anyway.</p>

<p>I was responding to some of Anarchy45's post 4.</p>