Syracuse University
Reviews

People Are on Your Side

The campus as a whole treats students like college students. Certain organisations are more strict, suck as the dining halls, and the residence halls. However DPS (Department of Public Safety) is very nice and helpful and usually is looking out to keep people safe and not to just arrest people. They are even known to play a game of beer pong or two on big weekends. But they still will make arrests if needed.

The main thing is that the people of the university give you the impression that they are working to help you and not to inhibit you.

Some RA's can be bitchy though.

Greek Life

Greek Life is very prominent at Syracuse. There are more frats and sororities than many other college campuses. Most of them have good reputations and take their associations seriously.

Campus Strictness

Campus is not that strict. I know at some schools if you go to the hospital for intoxication you get expelled. Syracuse has a couple offenses before it gets to that point.

Work-Hard, Play Hard...Most of Us Anyway

It's easy to find motivated, good-looking people at SU. Most of the people I've met are very interested and immersed in their majors (in a charming way) and yet are still willing to go out and have a good time on a Friday night. Greek life is very much fun and alive, though not mandatory for an active social life.

Extremely Diverse

You can do and be whatever you want. Many choices and people to pick from and hang with.

Greeks Dominate

Greek life is a very big part of the social life on campus. Unfortunately, they can sometimes create "status". Fraternities are pretty fun to go to and for the most part throw parties every weekend. THis is convenient because, being located in a small city, there are not many club/bar options especially for freshman and sophomores who are new to the school. It is a good way for freshman to get involved in the community, to branch out and meet new people. It definitely creates a sense of camaraderie across campus. Not only are there social fraternities and sororities, but there are also cultural and academic ones as well.

Marshall Street

In Marshall Street on campus you may find good food and restaurants

Always Something

I agree with many others when they say that Syracuse was once a thriving city, however like many other northern industrial areas, it has seen better days. There is currently a revival going on in many areas. There is always something to cater to your interests in Syracuse. Several good bars, house or frat parties, many good concerts at the Westcott Theater, The Lost Horizon, or even The OnCenter. Armory Square is a very cool artsy part of downtown with many cool shops and is comparable to U Street in DC. It is accessible by the Connective Corridor bus. There's the $2 bus to Carousel Mall to see movies, the War Memorial for hockey games or shows, and Marshall Street is always a great place. If someone says there is nothing to do in Syracuse, they're lying or are easily bored.

No One Goes to SU for Weather

Honestly, it's Syracuse, NY, it's going to be cold. I found personally the cold is not what gets to you, IT'S ALWAYS CLOUDY. The cloudy days really got to me especially coming from the typically sunny Washington, DC. My outlook has been slightly skewed this year as 2011 has been a warmer-than-usual winter. Almost no snowfall at all through the end of December. It shows how much one year can vary (ie: December 2010 had a record 72" of snow! ) There are occasional sunny, warm days through winter and everyone always takes advantage. However there are plenty of cold, windy nights to match. As a freshman in BBB, no one ever wants to trek 15 minutes across campus to class or to parties at night during the cold weather. Take advantage of the warm weather while you can and invest in a warm coat, gloves, scarf, and you will be fine.

Just Be Smart

Honestly, the campus police are not that bad at Syracuse. They're out more to make sure everyone is safe than to enforce the laws. They tend to ignore most obviously drunk students, and only really step in when a party is getting out of hand or someone is getting violent. Otherwise they're great for a ride home if its after 10 and its raining or snowing. The dorms are a slightly different matter. Getting away with drinking in the dorms is not difficult, and if caught, the punishments are not too severe the first couple of times. Drug use is more heavily frowned upon and punishable. Just be smart about it, and even if your RA thinks something might be up, as long as you don't hold a bottle out in front of them, they probably won't do anything.

Punishments Are Strict, but Fair.

Syracuse holds a pretty strict policy against cheating First time offenses will put you up for expulsion. They also have a high no tolerance policy for prejudice or discriminatory actions The most well known advocacy is the "No Place for Hate" campaign.

Greek Life

Greek life is very popular on campus and there are numerous sororities and fraternities to consider.

Really Depends on the Program

The Architecture, Communications, and Industrial Design programs are all ranked in the top-5 in the country. However, there are a LOT of idiots here, and it seems like outside of a few majors like those listed above (in addition to engineering) nobody works hard at all.

Depends

Yes, there is definitely a huge amount of diversity between ethnic groups on this campus. The Chancellor really made that a top priority when she took over, and she is getting alot of flack for it though now. People are accrediting our falling rankings in part to her incentives, thinking she is trying too hard to recruit a wide variety of minorities instead of helping the students already on campus. You would think that that is a beneficial thing for a large institution to be diverse, but it really doesn't do much for our campus. Groups self segregate in a big way, I rarely see interaction between different groups unless necessary for a class or a club or a project. It's a little discouraging, but it is a reality that is just accepted on this campus.

Frat Boys and Sorority Chicks

For sorority girls, the following are wardrobe staples: American Apparel V-necks and hoodies, North Face jackets, leggings, and Hunter boots.

Local Atmosphere

Syracuse is not the most affluent city, but it does have some nice attributes. Marshall Street is practically on campus and has a bunch of cafés, shops and restaurants. It's definitely handy if you want off-campus dining but don't want to go too far, and the bars attract a lot of students at night. There is a Civic Center downtown that hosts a lot of events and performers, as well as The Westcott Theater that gets quite a few good bands every year. The school provides "Connective Corridor" buses straight to downtown. Armory and Clinton Squares are some of the nicer areas with restaurants, bars, and shopping. Salina St. also boasts a small Little Italy with some great and authentic Italian food.

Campus Strictness

THE SCHOOL HAS A GOOD AMOUNT OF SAFETY RULES. THEY ARE NOT HARD TO FOLLOW. IT HAS A STRICT POLICY OF NOT LETTING STUDENTS WHO ARE NOT IN GOOD ACADEMIC STANDING PARTICIPATE IN ACTIVITIES. THERE IS A PRETTY STRICT POLICY ON THE DRIKING ACTIVITIES OF THE UNDERAGE STUDENTS. THERE IS ALWAYS A FAST RESPONSE FOR THOSE STUDENTS WHO NEED ASSISTANCE.

Challenging

but manageable. your life sucks if you're an architect major, though.

Omg

commstock, euclid, ostrom are amazing. best parties EVER.

Computer Options at SU

The computer clusters operate with Windows and are very slow. However I believe there are Mac and Windows laptops and computer in Bird Library. There are computer cluster with free printing scattered around campus which is convenient. ITS, the group in charge of helping with technology, is helpful. SU operates on a completely wireless network which is great.

To Greek or Not to Greek

Whether you are in greek life or not really doesn't effect your social status, your friends, or your good times at school. I have plenty of friends who chose not to go greek and are perfectly happy, still having an amazing time, and don't feel left out. Because Syracuse has so many diverse greek organizations who are all very different, sometimes it is hard to pinpoint who is greek and who is not because the greek organizations represent all types of girls and guys and are not just the stereotype images that tv puts out. Many people rush and find the house that is right for them, and many rush and enjoy the experience and the people they met, but don't join an organization. Going greek definitely an opportunity to feel more connected on campus if you are not involved in any other sports or activities on campus. Greek like offers you the opportunity to be involved, or not as involved as you please. Like anything, you make of it what you want. Greek housing is widely available to almost all fraternities, but for sororities it is a little harder to live in the house because of the demand and the size of the house. But all greek students will have the opportunity to live in the house if desired.

however, at least for freshman year, some of my guy friends said they feel like they cant get into any parties if they are not in a frat.

Whitman World

I love being a part of the Whitman School of Management. Because business students do so much group work, being in Whitman really feels like a family as you become so close with your fellow students, staff, and faculty. As a Whitman Student, you receive special access to the Whitman School at all hours with a swipe of your I.D. card. The front hall, the cafe, and the many "private team" rooms are perfect to work on group projects, study in groups, study alone, cram for that text next period, or even take an nap (oops). I just finished my freshman year and was so impressed with how small the class sizes were in Whitman because I was expecting huge lectures. The teachers are always available, and the attention you CAN receive in class if you are an active student really makes the difference. Just because of my Accounting professor, Mitch, I have been considering adding accounting as a second major. He is a great resource in the business school and i always feel welcome in his office. Newhouse who?? WHITMAN is where its at.

Tailored to You

I entered at a student in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communication. I am now a dual student in both Newhouse and the Whitman School of Management. In addition, I'm minoring in Psychology. I want to go abroad and I want to take more electives than I have room for. Instead of shooting me down, my advisor has worked with me to make everything I want to do possible.

Your Typical Northern Private University

Syracuse is divided along three lines: Greeks and wannabe Greeks, hippies and hipsters, and international students. These three categories tend to separate themselves from the others and there is not much intermingling. There is a joke at Syracuse that all of the girls wear black leggings, an old t-shirt, and a North Face jacket 24/7. While a lot of women do wear this one outfit, a lot of people are very fashion conscious so there is some diversity.

Unless you're 21 or have a fake, you pretty much have to go to a frat or make friends with upperclassmen who are allowed to live off-campus.

There a lot of really pretty girls at SU, but, unfortunately, not a lot of hot guys.

Not the Best

Food services brags that there has not been a single case of food poisoning caused by dining hall food in well over a decade--well, not a proven case, at least. While the food may not be carrying deadly diseases, it's certainly not appetizing or necessarily healthy. Hot foods are typically heavy and rich in starches and fats. The best dining halls will have hot food that tastes like it should, but other halls may serve food that is cold and tastes gross. If you're willing to give up taste for two years or so, then the hot foods are pretty ok.

There are some healthy options;every dining hall has a salad bar and some have vegetarian options. Although salad bars are opened during breakfast and left to sit all day, there is little that can be done to prevent this from happening while making sure that even those with abnormal schedules can walk into a hall and find something to eat.

Syracuse requires that all students have a meal plan for the first two years.