<p>hello, there seems to be more people visiting the syracuse forum so i figure i'll post now. </p>
<p>Feel free to ask any questions about the city of Syracuse. </p>
<p>I attended SU last year before transfering out. I have lived in Syracuse all of my life so I have a good idea of what there is do to within and outside of the city. I will be glad to answer any questions about what restaurants are good, mall stuff, parks, athletic stuff, theater, symphony, downtown stuff ... anything. </p>
<p>i was a triple major: economics, history and english. I should note that I was also dual-enrolled at the community college right down the road. </p>
<p>I transfered out for various reasons, mostly personal. First of all (and as i've stated before) i've lived in Syracuse my whole life. I felt it was time to move out for a bit. The main reason was because i didn't feel challenged enough and I wanted a school with stronger programs. The student body as a whole seemed too apathetic at times and too little emphasis was placed on academics. Some would disagree but these were just my observations. The student body was very fun and basketball games are great. I felt like another school would have been a better fit ... I gave up a really big scholarship at SU but i'd do the same thing all over again. SU will be perfect for some and others will benefit more elsewhere. </p>
<p>I'm glad i transfered, but I'm also glad that I did spend a year at SU.</p>
<p>OK, good answer:
1. What is crime situation like? Is there a lot of crime on campus and just outside of campus?</p>
<ol>
<li>There have been a number of complaints about kids being too "plastic." I guess the stereotype of the the bored rich guy or girl who has Gucci bags and fine cars seems to be mentioned a great deal by students. How true is this stereotype?</li>
</ol>
<p>Yeah. I'm really interested in the question about the student body, thats been the thing that concerns me the most about SU, everything else I love. And as far as crime goes, doesnt one side of SU border the 'hood?</p>
<ol>
<li><p>What is crime situation like? Is there a lot of crime on campus and just outside of campus? Crime on campus was never a big complaint when I was there. I never heard of anything serious nor was ever really worried about anything when it was a late night on campus. The downtown area was always pretty safe too, though I never went there alone at night. The really bad part of Syracuse is the south side - dont go there. Robbings/murders/shootings happen there quite often. Luckily, it's not very close to campus and you wont have any issues with the violence and gang stuff spilling over into the city. Also, you wont need to go there for any particular reason. As far as one side bordering the 'hood ... it's not a great neighborhood but it's not completely crime infested and "never ever ever walk alone!" Just be smart, avoid wandering around random streets at 3 am. </p></li>
<li><p>There have been a number of complaints about kids being too "plastic." I guess the stereotype of the the bored rich guy or girl who has Gucci bags and fine cars seems to be mentioned a great deal by students. How true is this stereotype? Well, i'd have to say it's pretty accurate. There were too many students who were from wealthy families, too "plastic," too pretentious, expect people and cities to cater to them, have never worked a day in their lives and have never had anything tragic ever happen to them. For me, these kids have created a horrible image of a stereotypical long islander. Unfortunate but true. Luckily, SU's student population is big enough where you'll be destined to meet somebody new that you like. Though it doesn't seem like it at times, the "plastic" student body is only a small % in the true student body. To make some friend, I recommend joining a club or an intramural sport. This way you'll befriend some people from beyond your dormitory floor. I've found that a good way to sift through the mess of new students is to locate the dirrection of somebody's polo shirt collar - if it's up, find somebody new**; if it's down, start a conversation and see if you might have a new friend!</p></li>
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<p>**I know this is a really bad stereotype as not everybody who wears their collar up is "plasticky." I've found it's just the majority. Also, many may disagree but these are my opinions based on my personal observations. You may have different results.</p>
<p>i should also mention that I had a nice little group of friends (that i'm still very close to) and i'm the opposite of the "plastic" stereotype. The main point being just be sociable and you'll find your little group of friends in no time.</p>
<p>NYC
1. Public transportation
2. Cold weather
3. Expensive housing
4. Great food all over.
5. Prada, Louis Vuitton, Gucci
6. Malls?
7. No SU basketball. Do have the Knicks though. </p>
<p>Syracuse
1. You'll probably need a car to do anything off campus
2. Cold and snowey
3. Cheap housing
4. Also great food, it's just harder to find
5. Ehhh, not much of that.<br>
6. Big big mall.
7. Yes, SU basketball. </p>
<p>Syracuse is alot more spread out and less populated. You dont have to travel far to "get away." The people are also very friendly. Syracuse and NYC are quite different. </p>
<p>melosyracuse - the syracuse area is pretty segregated for some reason. Most of the minority population within the CNY area reside within the city. I live (in Ithaca right now, but when i'm back home) about 10 minutes north of the city in an upper-middle class neighborhood - the only non-white family i know of is an asian family down the street from me. For the most part, my high school was predominantly white while the inner-city high school was just the opposite. IMO, it's a problem that neither I (nor anybody else) has any idea how to fix. The University, on the other hand, is like a little bubble within the city in some ways. I'm not sure of the minority % within the school itself but the majority are middle class white folk. The inner-city public schools are really bad, IMO ... I volunteered to be a peer tutor for elementary school kids and had a blast. I highly recommend anybody to do the same as it's an easy way to make a difference in a child's life growing up in a tough neighborhood. It's nice being a hero for somebody!</p>
<p>lmao @ the "collar" comments. There was a kid at my school who had his collar up, I went up to him, said "let me fix your collar", put it down, and said "there you go!" He was a soft preppy kid... fits the description perfectly.</p>
<p>my humble observations says that popped collar usually means "arrogant prick"</p>
<p>melo - yeah, i'm not sure of minority population of students within the university itself. You'll have to pull up stats on that if you want exact percentages.</p>