<p>We visited Syracuse. You should check my review of the school found at the top of the Syracuse forum.</p>
<p>Honestly, I have mixed feelings about the school. I think it is quite good, especially in communications, art and design, business and arguably political science. It is also very good socially. They have lots of things to do at the school since they have a good theater and music program, and, for the most part, kids like the school.</p>
<p>However, with all that said, there are some drawbacks. First, it is very expensive. Second, many of the kids are very well off. There are lots of expensive cars around and many kids wear designer clothes and Gucci bags. There is definitely a "spoiled kid" environment. There is also a BIG party atmosphere to the school with a fair amount of liquor prevalent.This is not to say that everyone drinks, but it is very common to do so at this school.</p>
<p>The weather is frigid. You will see lots and lots of snow; however, Syracuse is good at snow removal since they expect it to happen.</p>
<p>The school does have a great retention track record. I attribute that to a lot of nurturing such as tutoring, learning centers etc.</p>
<p>Although you will get some smart kids attending the school, there has been a number of complaints in other student forums ( such as students review) that note the lack of intellectually stimulating kids and malaise regarding intellectual curiosity. Frankly, I am not sure what to make of these posts regarding this issue.</p>
<p>Also, if you check US News and World Report, their peer review rating (rating by deans and school presidents) isn't high for a school of Syracuse's caliber. Thus, its academic reputation among its peers isn't that sterling.</p>
<p>Finally, my daughter attended their pre-college program. She found that the university is very open and accessible by almost anyone. She had an "incident," which scared her and made her feel very insecure about the place. However, my daughter is a sheltered southern type and not real savvy about the world. Perhaps during the year, it is a lot safer. However, certainly the nearby aspect of city are not that savory.</p>
<p>I can't speak for Michigan; however, I do know that it has a great reputation. However, I personally, don't like large state schools. I attended one for a while and found it to be very impersonal. You really have to fight for your education at large state programs. These schools usually have cost cuts ( due to state legislatures being penny pinchers), problems with getting courses that you need, finding professors who are very accessible etc.. These may not be problems associated with Michigan,but it did occur at other state schools that I have seen.</p>
<p>Read my Syracuse review at the top of the Syracuse forum. Hope this helps.</p>