<p>If anyone has a son or daughter attending, or one who recently graduated, I would love some more insight into the school. I posted some questions under SU in the alphabetical listing. My greatest concerns are the large intro classes and whether that was a problem, as well as TAs or pofessors with language barriers, and about the cold winter months. My S really loved the school after visiting, and is comfortable w the cold, but there is cold and brrr...then there is cold!! These are all my concerns, not his concerns.</p>
<p>Hi, Northeastmom...my S goes to Cornell (and to get there he flies in and out of SYracuse)...he grew up in the "northern south" (i.e., Virginia)...so while I can't tell you anything at all about Syracuse classes, I can tell you that a kid who says the weather doesn't bother him probably means it, and the weather probably doesn't bother him...closest my S has come to "accommodating" weather is to request a hat--something he'd rather scrub toilets than wear prior to moving to Ithaca! He absolutely loves it in Ithaca and doesn't even complain about the many, many MANY days it rains all day and all night!</p>
<p>One more point: again, I can't comment on Syracuse itself, but I can tell you that Cornell keeps its buildings (dorms, classrooms, student centers, etc.) warm...(I'm wondering how much of a tuition increase we're gonna get as a result of the hugely higher heating bills they're forecasting for this year!)...</p>
<p>Hope this helps--</p>
<p>THe weather "up there" bothers me a whole lot more than it bothers him (as far as I can tell, it doesn't bother him at all!)...so...I think I'd believe him when he says the climate doesn't concern him...</p>
<p>northeastmom:
I know nothing about U of Syracuse, but can comment on the upstate winters. We don't think of our winters as especially cold. Cold is like, I don't know, Quebec. When we ski up there it is always below zero - sometimes 20 below zero.</p>
<p>The "problem" with our winters is SNOW. Syracuse, especially, gets dumped on all winter. They have "lake effect" mostly from Lake Ontario, but they also get it from Lake Erie.</p>
<p>Now, if you don't have to drive anywhere I think the snow would be a non-issue. But to those of us who really hate driving in the snow and shoveling, it gets old fast. I even have to shovel a path for my dogs to go outside!</p>
<p>I don't know how completely accurate this is, but here's a quote I found on the web:</p>
<p>"The National Weather Service has a ranking of the nation's big cities by average annual snowfall...Syracuse is No. 1 in the nation, with an average snowfall of 108 inches a year. Buffalo and Rochester, with an average of 93 inches each, come in tied for second. Albany ranks sixth with 66 inches a year, edged out by Denver by just two inches."</p>
<p>They at least know how to do the road maintenance in places like Syracuse, Roch and Buffalo. A few inches of snow can shut down the DC area, and they are, by and large, just not used to Winter driving conditions like Western NY people.</p>
<p>I live about 20 minutes away from SU, and I can tell you the winter weather bothers ME. There's not much sunshine between late November and late March, and there are occasional big snowstorms and then regular squalls that dump 1-4 inches most days. In a word, the weather stinks. And weenie, you are so right about the driving!!! (Are you north of the city? If so, you have my admiration - I could never drive through those white-outs!)</p>
<p>As to SU, I think the large intro classes and potential language difficulties with TAs will vary with each kid's major and whether he/she is in the honors program ( <a href="http://honors.syr.edu/%5B/url%5D">http://honors.syr.edu/</a> ). We have friends in the Newhouse School, for instance, who have been thrilled with every aspect of their undergrad experience, including internships and career counseling. There is a lot of drinking on campus (probably no more than you'd find on similar campuses, though), but there are many favorable aspects, too: ethnic, cultural, and artistic diversity, for certain. Plus it's great fun to go to a major basketball school! (The less said about the current football team, the better.)</p>
<p>Northeastmom, go back to the Syracuse Forum. At the top, you will see a sticky post entitled,"Overview of my visit to Syracuse." This may answer a lot of your questions. It is divided into two parts due to CC's 10,000 per post word limit.</p>
<p>Okay, I am convinced that I would not do well in Syracuse, but my S probably will be fine. I will give him fair warning about the weather. He can then decide for himself. At least the plowing in college is done for you :). I guess students handle it, as every year a new freshman class selects SU.</p>
<p>If anyone has a son or daughter attending, I would be interested in hearing from you. Thanks.</p>
<p>Thanks Taxguy. I read your review when you first wrote it, and I reread it after we got back. I would like to hear from SU college students, or their parents.</p>
<p>Northeastmom, I'm a Syracuse alum, and it IS cold and snowy for most of the winter. We had 8 inches of snow the day before my graduation in May. The big difference is that Syracuse seems to know how to handle snow, so the entire city doesn't just shut down like other northeastern cities seem to. It is managable.</p>
<p>Of course, I graduated a long time ago, but I felt I received a very good education at SU. Yes, there were some kids who partied a lot, even back then, but I found SU to be large enough that there was a niche for everyone, with plenty to do on the weekends. I'd actually transferred from a different school, partially because of the drinking that went on there, and was very pleased with the difference at SU. It's a great place to spend your college years, in spite of the snow.</p>
<p>Thanks Carolyn. I know you are an alumni and thought you might post :). It sounds like you enjoyed your college days there. I read some past posts about how you were challenged there. </p>
<p>I would like to hear from someone who has experienced SU in recent years and went there as a freshman.</p>