<p>I need to make my decision by this Friday (May 1st), and I am just torn between the two. The thing is Syracuse is offering me a wonderful financial aid package/scholarship, within which there are three loans: Federal Perkins, and Federal Stafford, subsidized and unsubsidized. All in all, I will need to owe back approximately $8k after each year (2 semesters). Whereas if I stay in the city, I'd be living at home and will end up debt-free after I'm graduated. </p>
<p>If I do end up in Syracuse, I will need to get a job in order to save up so I can pay the loans. All the while I must also keep my GPA at a 3.2 or above, otherwise the scholarship will be taken away from me. Personally, it just all seems a bit overwhelming. Not impossible, but overwhelming. Are there any on-campus jobs I can get at Syracuse so I am able to pay off the loans on time?</p>
<p>Overall, what do you think about my situation? In my shoes, what would you do? Would you stay home and get the education @ City College or would you go to Syracuse, keeping in mind that your grades need to remain top notch while you work to get the money for those loans? Of course, I understand Syracuse would probably be more worth it in the long run, as it will most likely jumpstart my career faster than City College would... </p>
<p>If I were in your shoes, I would first ask myself, can I keep up with the academics at Syracuse? The curriculum at Syracuse is definitely not a joke but it is not impossible to pull a 3.2+ here. So you should really evaluate whether you have the work ethic to thrive. The second is if you really don’t want to deal with loans and debt, I would recommend going to City college even though a degree from Syracuse carries much more weight but if finances are a problem then by all means go to City and apply to Syracuse for grad school instead (if you plan on going). The third thing you’d also want to ask yourself is if you are willing to pass over the traditional college experience for a local college? This includes living on your own, going to parties, enjoying studying on the quad on a warm day, the beauty of romanesque & contemporary style buildings, greek life, vibrant sports, and myriads of extra-curricular activities. If all these things don’t matter to you then I’d go ahead and send a deposit to City.</p>
<p>Yes, there are campus jobs available for students on campus and you can pay back your loans with it unless they are loans that you must defer payment for until after graduation. Syracuse University will always be here so you shouldn’t feel rushed to attend. Remember, graduate school actually holds more weight in job offers and if you plan on going I’d save money and attend City instead.</p>
<p>If you think the degree from Syracuse is going to be worth more then I would go to Syracuse, and I don’t think managing a 3.2 gpa will be that tough at all.</p>
<p>I just came back from the spring reception that was held today, and the campus is really beautiful, the people were friendly, the professors (only met the ones from the iSchool) were really nice, and it’s got a really great campus feel. I really fell in love with the buildings, the way the campus is situated, where the dorms are (the dorms on the hill are pretty cool, I’ll probably regret saying this if I get one of them in the fall though), and the buildings that I did go into were absolutely beautiful and in amazing shape. </p>
<p>Also think about the fact that if you attend CUNY you would be living at home, and that’s gonna be a lot different from living on a campus.</p>
<p>Im attending CUNY Baruch now as a fresman on a full scholarship. I just sent in my deposit to Syracuse. I craved the traditional college experience everyone else had and fell in love with campus when I visited in March.</p>
<p>Thank you for your insightful post. I think I just might end up going to City, then Syracuse for Grad school. Sounds like a wonderful idea.The only thing that really beats me up at the moment is letting go of such a wonderful scholarship. I mean Syracuse is offering me a lot of money…the money I would owe back is pocket change compared to the rest of the money they’re offering. But I just don’t know if I could pull it off (working while attending school full-time). I still have a couple days or so to make my ultimate decision, so I just hope I make the right one.</p>
<p>frank01,</p>
<p>Thank you for your wonderful insight as well. I think at the moment what’s worrying me is the debt I might fall into after I graduate. As far as keeping the 3.2, if I could focus only on the classes, I think I’d be fine. But juggling a job at the same time might cause me to lose focus. But I will definitely take your suggestions into consideration on these final days before my decision.</p>
<p>Thank you all again…I love the College Confidential community. Questions get answered so quickly.</p>
<p>House of London notes,"even though a degree from Syracuse carries much more weight "</p>
<p>Response: Oh? This isn’t necessarily true! It depends on the major. CUNY can have a LOT of clout especially in New York. It also depends on the major. If you were majoring in art or design, or performing arts, Syracuse is one of the best schools in the country and much better than that of any CUNY. On the other hand, if you were majoring in any area of business, Baruch beats out Syracuse, hands down! It does depend on the major. For the most part, there are a heck of a lot more CUNY alumni than that of Syracuse,which means that there are generallly more contacts resulting from being a CUNY alum. </p>
<p>Frankly, Overall, Syracuse does NOT have a significant amount of cache over that of CUNY and especially City College. It really doesn’t. If you were talking about an ivy school or MIT vs. CUNY, that would be different.</p>
<p>Moreover, I would advise against the debt. This way you won’t have the GPA pressure, and you will graduate from CUNY with NO DEBT. This REALLY, REALLY is nice.</p>
<p>Finally, New York City is a MUCH, MUCH better place to be a student than that of Syracuse. It has better weather and has a lot more things to do and see.</p>
<p>“typically, how many credits do students sign up for per semester? 12 or 15?”</p>
<p>12-16 is the ideal range. You shouldn’t go below 12 credits. </p>
<p>“Finally, New York City is a MUCH, MUCH better place to be a student than that of Syracuse. It has better weather and has a lot more things to do and see.”</p>