<p>My son is interested in applying to this school but at this point it looks a bit unaffordable for us. Nevertheless, it doesn't hurt to apply...but he hasn't visited yet and I'm concerned about him not showing interest prior to applying and certainly prior to interviewing. Should we make a supreme effort to get up there? It's about a five or six hour drive, I think.</p>
<p>(Posted in the parents forum because it may have more traffic than the Syracuse forum...)</p>
<p>Thanks!!</p>
<p>It’s a good idea to visit some schools because it will help your son decide if he is interested in those specific schools or not. It will also get him excited about the general idea of going to college. Five or six hours one way is time well spent for a school he might really want to go to.</p>
<p>You mentioned money. You’re going to have to do what we did, find a school that your son wants to go to, gets accepted to and that you can afford. Everyone I know who had financial constraints ultimately found a good school that they could afford in the end.</p>
<p>In my opinion the people that ended up with problems were the ones who didn’t put in enough effort during the application process. By problems I mean their kids weren’t happy at the schools they selected and ultimately left.</p>
<p>And don’t take your financial constraints lightly. I have a terrible story along those lines involving a student at Syracuse that you don’t need to hear.</p>
<p>Sorry if I wasn’t clear. We have visited many schools, but all of them are public schools. He would never decide to go to a school without visiting it, and some schools we have decided to visit if and when he gets accepted. Again, those are public schools, and it doesn’t matter to them whether a kid shows interest when the review the app. Of course he would visit Syracuse if he gets accepted, but my concern was about whether not visiting prior to applying would affect his chances of admission.</p>
<p>ReadyToRoll – We were wondering the same. We went as far as Binghamton this spring, but didn’t make the final push up to Syracuse. We’re hoping it’s a big enough school that it won’t make a difference. When S1 visited Cornell a couple years ago we asked the same thing and they told us they couldn’t possibly track interest-- too many visitors. Don’t know if that’s the case with Syracuse, but we’re going to hold off on visiting until we see if S2 gets in, and if we can afford it.</p>
<p>Don’t know if there’s a “Why Syracuse?”-type essay or question on their application, but if there is, I’d recommend that our S’s do as much research as possible, and note some specifics to prove they’re familiar with SU and it’s programs…</p>
<p>I don’t think visiting effects anything admission wise, doubt they keep that much track. A visit might turn him off, I went near SU for 2 years. Its dirty, cold, and I think its far worse than even driving in NYC (major construction is also happening which makes it just pure awful) . The campus itself is nice, but the surrounding area is not. And financial aid for me (with efc of 0) was pretty bad (but I was also a transfer applying).</p>
<p>Anyone, I don’t think its necessary.</p>
<p>It’s a good idea to visit syracuse. My brother was interested in it, so we visited, and I don’t think he liked it as much as he did before.</p>
<p>I know that I hated it. The weather was gross, and the town was unattractive.</p>
<p>D1 graduated SU last year, and turned down several other good programs to go there, due to the reputation of Newhouse.</p>
<p>Our high school’s college counselor was not all that helpful, but one thing he did say that I’m glad he shared was to not dismiss applying to schools that on the front look as if you can’t afford them, because you don’t know what kind of merit scholarship, etc. you might be awarded. We did visit Syracuse (on a dreary March day, but daughter thought the campus was beautiful anyway), and when we asked the high school college counselor about the best way to go about adding an addendum to one’s application (D had received an appointment that we thought would help influence her application), he actually called the school while we were sitting there in his office and verbally gave her a glowing recommendation. Not only did she get into Newhouse, but she also was awarded a substantial merit scholarship. So while I don’t know if the visit made much of a difference, I do like to think that this extra attempt to communicate her appointment and subsequent glowing rec from the counselor, tipped her over the edge for the scholarship.</p>
<p>One can argue the pros and cons of the city itself, but frankly, my daughter had little reason or need to ever go off campus, so it didn’t matter what she thought. Pretty much anything she needed, she could get from Marshall Street. Even after turning 21, they stuck to the bars on Marshall Street as opposed to going into the downtown area (there are small parts of downtown that are being revitalized and are very trendy).</p>
<p>Syracuse does give a ton of financial aid for a big private school, if you happen to be in that income bracket. Not at all like NYU or BU. </p>
<p>Syracuse isn’t much of a city (700,000 people, apparently. Where were they all hiding?).</p>
<p>ready: I just PM’ed you…</p>
<p>if your kid is remotely interested in the sciences, there is a suny program (ESF)that is housed on the syracuse campus. SUNY tuition even for OOS folk is still pretty reasonable.</p>
<p>[SUNY-ESF:</a> SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry](<a href=“http://www.esf.edu%5DSUNY-ESF:”>http://www.esf.edu)</p>
<p>When my son was applying to schools, Syracuse offered a “travelling road show” in NYC that was given by an admissions person. There was a sign in sheet and a glossy video (narrated, I believe, by alum Bob Costas) along with the usual info/Q&A session. It’s an alternative way to show interest.</p>
<p>I’m somewhat of a local, not an SU parent, but around here Syracuse does not have a reputation for providing great financial aid. However, if you child is very competitive (at the top of stats for his/her program - or D-1 material!), you might get a good deal. Average kids…not so sure.</p>
<p>I think a interview can be important for small programs (Newhouse, ESF, architecture, for example), but probably not so much for arts and sciences.</p>
<p>Obviously, Teriwtt’s daughter must be very talented - Newhouse is a major draw for the school (think Bob Costas) and very, very competitive.</p>
<p>I’m local, Big school, Big name, Big reputation. But my top 10 child would not consider it. Too close, too much ‘tude. Pretty expensive window sticker. Large spread campus…much snow, cold, wind. Contrast to Cornell, Ithaca, Colgate, Hobart. Smaller classes, nicer campus’</p>
<p>Syracuse’s city population is nowhere near 700,000. More like 150,000, if that. The “metropolitan area” may be 700,000, but if so that includes a lot of dairy farmers and Onondaga Indians. Some cows, too, probably.</p>
<p>I’m not sure where you live, but Syracuse has a presence in a townhouse in NYC called “The Lubin House”. You can ask to set up an interview there to show interest if it’s closer to where you live and then visit the school after you are accepted. My S will be attending the Newhouse School next year. His visit to the school played a big role in convincing him to attend. Syracuse also has top-ranked programs in Information Sciences, Public Policy, Visual arts and Architecture and Musical Theater, to name a few.</p>
<p>I wonder if it matters (visiting or not) depending on the major, and of course, depending on the student’s stats. We didn’t visit until accepted students week. But that was Newhouse. It doesn’t seem to be like Wash U, where every show of interest is noted, whether email, visit, phone call.</p>
<p>Yes, Syracuse does give a lot of financial aid;however, if you are one of the kids that get very little aid, it won’t make you feel too good.</p>
<p>My daughter got merit scholarship offers from several places but NONE from Syracuse. In fact, they wouldn’t even match any offers that she got. Needless to say, she didn’t go there.</p>