NSCS Chapter School
UNIGO SUMMARY
Syracuse University is a big school divided among a number of academic, cultural, and social communities—-what ties them all together is a strong school spirit. Most students come from mid-Atlantic states and flock to one of Syracuse’s stand-out undergraduate schools for theater, business, or media. Campus is huge, and students either live in one of the huge residential halls or in a nearby off-campus location. On the weekends, sporting events, frat and house parties, and trips to off-campus Marshall Street dominate the social landscape. While prevailing stereotypes label students at Syracuse as either being wealthy daddy’s girls or fratty guys, the large (11,500+) student body offers a fair amount of cultural diversity. Students keep from getting lost in the mix by participating in any number of popular on-campus groups, including the student newspaper, performance groups, intramural sports teams, and service organizations. School pride is written all over the students-—on any given day, half the masses are sporting gear for the
Cuse. But don’t take winter-weather warnings lightly, since walks across the large campus can prove bone-chilling without the right gear, or, better yet, a car.
UNIGO REVIEW
Students able to weather the long upstate New York winters find Syracuse’s “
nationally acclaimed schools”, “
pride in sports”, and “
AMAZINGG” party scene worth the months spent under snow. Syracuse is a “
great ‘big’ school” for most students, just “
small enough where you know people when you walk down the street, but…big enough for you to meet new people when you go out at night,” according to one sophomore. It’s located next to the town of Syracuse, but students have mixed feelings about its namesake city: “
It is not the wealthiest of cities…it’s almost like two different worlds being on campus versus ‘downtown,’” explains a student. And yes, it gets very cold, with winters that seem “
3x as long as any other winter,” but for most, the November through April freeze is just a part of their Cuse experience. "
The cold weather just becomes a part of life - you deal with it and complain but it rarely ever stops you from doing what you want to do,” says one junior. And, one sophomore tells us, “
By spring you will be sunbathing on the quad cuz it gets close to 76-80 degrees.”
The rigor and quality of undergraduate education varies greatly between the nine schools comprising Syracuse—with hundreds of classes and nearly as many majors and minors, “
your academic experience depends on you,” writes a senior linguistics major—“
what school you are in, what your major is, whether you want hard classes or the easy way out.” Many students point out Whitman (business) and Newhouse (communications and journalism) as the most prestigious. They praise Whitman’s “
beautiful $40 million building with state-of-the-art technology” and “
amazing” professors, as well as the Newhouse philosophy that’s “
100% about getting a job," making grads “
basically set” for real-world media jobs. Large class sizes are typical of intro and other popular courses, but students say Syracuse still tries to personalize the learning experience. Big lectures are typically paired with smaller “recitation” groups taught by TAs, which are “
lifesavers if you are not understanding something being taught or if you need another way of picking up your failing grade,” says a sophomore. Even in another student’s 350-person Intro to Philosophy class, “
the professor knew about 75 to 80 percent of the names.” But “
when you find your niche/major, the classes get really personal, and the professors make an effort to meet your needs,” explains a junior communications major. Indeed, professors, typically “
experts in their fields, [with] great business contacts and applicable learning methods,” are all about “
want[ing] their students to succeed,” reports a business student.
“
Studying and being an academic is certainly expected among my peers, but it's something that's done on your own time,” says one junior. “
If you're looking for an intense scholarly environment, this is not it.” Instead, the school gears its resources towards imparting as much real-life skill as possible, through classroom projects and internships. “
Finding an internship is important right away,” according to one journalism student, and Cuse kids “
often dominate the prestigious internship pools during summers in New York City.” Its “
technologically advanced” curriculum and facilities are geared towards future employment in fast-paced industries, and when job-hunt time comes, “
alumni contacts are great,” says a junior. If all the resume-packing weren’t enough, “
there is a center on campus just for resumes, and even classes for course credit dedicated to teaching students how to…build a resume,” reports one sophomore. “
If anything, students will graduate with a great resume!”
In a student body numbering over 11,500, it may seem hard to pin down a single stereotype, so Syracuse students joke that there are three: “
The most prevalent stereotype among Syracuse students would have to be that they are either Jewish, rich, or both,” says a sophomore. The majority of students hail from the mid-Atlantic—especially New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York state, and Long Island (“
Yes, it is its own state here,” jokes one student)—and the number of BMWs in the parking lots and designer handbags on girls’ arms may make the campus seem more moneyed than it really is. Uggs and leggings for the ladies and Abercrombie & Fitch for the “
bro dudes” are the outfits of choice for Syracuse trendsters. “
It seems kind of like a contest to see how everyone is dressed, and who can outdo who,” observes one sophomore. The competitive nature that extends from clothes to classes to clubs can seem intense at first, but “
it's not like high school,” says one student. “
I've seen individuals competing more against themselves than other students.” But “
the campus as a whole is not any one thing--it’s too big to be unified,” explains a senior. Diversity is a big issue in everyday Cuse life: “
Syracuse is diverse, but it's also very, very segregated,” says one sophomore, with many ethnic and religious groups preferring to stick together. One student reports an “
accepting” environment for LGBT students, “
as we are one of the only universities in the country to have an LGBT studies minor.” But by and large, if you’re looking for someone or something in particular, there’s a Syracuse student who represents it. “
I don't think anyone would feel out of place at Syracuse unless their heart really wasn't into being a student here,” writes a sophomore. “
There honestly is a place for everyone.”
Students report a generally friendly and accepting campus for anyone who tries reaching out. “
Syracuse students are probably one of the nicest groups of people you’ll meet…everyone is up for meeting and making new friends,” says a sophomore. Friendships start early, usually formed “
through the activities you join,” explains a senior. “
As a freshman or sophomore, you are usually friends with people on you floor.” Arts groups provide shows nearly every weekend, as well as strong social networks for their members, and the university screens movies and invites guest speakers and performers on-campus regularly. Syracuse’s frats and sororities also “
make the university smaller, and you get to know so many people quickly,” says a sorority pledge. While only roughly one-third of students choose to pledge, “
Greek life is HUGE,” according to one sophomore. Frat houses host their share of weekend revelry, but their presence is much larger than their actual numbers—“
I live my life totally unaffected by the Greek system,” says one junior.
“
There are parties going on almost every night,” whether at Greek houses, off-campus student housing on Comstock Street, or club parties in the dorms. Nearby Marshall Street has a “
a plethora of bars that are willing to serve minors and provide a constant source of entertainment to all cool non-Greek and Greek people,” and the Carousel Mall fifteen minutes away has a movie theater and “
a full night” of shopping and food options. But venturing too far off-campus late at night has its hazards: “
Not all areas of Syracuse are safe for students, and it is advised not for students to ever walk alone at night,” says a sophomore.
Students love cheering on the Orange, even though their Division I football team has hit a rough patch (“
To get through the football season, we get psyched about the basketball season,” says one senior). “
The best thing about Syracuse is the Carrier Dome,” one student reports, where students congregate early-and-often to cheer for whichever team is taking center stage, whether it’s football, basketball, or the recently successful men’s lacrosse team. “
There is a lot of school pride, lots of orange around” says the senior Syracuse fan, “
It kind of hurts the eyes after a while.” It might not be the country’s winningest team, but for hardcore sports fans, “
this is the school for you.”
For Syracuse students, “
It’s all about experience,” says one sophomore. Whether that means experiencing a Saturday football game, a hands-on internship for class credit, or just the January wind chill, the kind of students at home here are those who are willing to give it all a try.