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Syracuse University is a private research university that was founded in 1870. SU is one of the universities that almost every average Indian student would apply to, and probably one that students can place in the ‘Safe’ category (which means that you’ll hopefully have Syracuse to fall back on if absolutely nothing else works out for you). Of course, those are just statistics, and one shouldn’t judge a university purely based on the number of applications it accepts. Syracuse is definitely one of the better universities around, thanks in no small amount to its location in the state of New York. Speaking of which…
Now, as the name suggests, the university is located in the city of Syracuse, on top of what is called Syracuse Hill. There really isn’t too much to do in the city, to be honest, but fortunately Syracuse is about a 5 hour drive from both New York City and Toronto (yes, in Canada). The city of Syracuse is a college town, which means you’ll find friendly faces everywhere, but not too many things to do with them.
What really strikes you about Syracuse University is the diversity of buildings – while some look like they’ve been flown down from Scotland, others give the ultra-modern look of Tokyo. The beautiful 200 acre campus is complete with two state-of-the-art study centers, and eight excellent libraries. The libraries together have over 2.5 million volumes, covering a range of all possible subjects. The university also offers world class facilities for anyone interested in pursuing any kind of sport. Panasci Lounge is one of the places that you’ll find a large population of students at any given time of the day.
Most graduation students choose to live off-campus. It’s a matter of simple economics really – living off-campus turns out far cheaper than staying in dorms. Add to that the fact that it’s far more comfortable and liberal, and there’s only one clear winner here. Rents aren’t too high fortunately, and all of the off-campus housing is within a 15 minute walk from the campus. The most popular destinations for student apartments are Comstock Avenue and Euclid Avenue, where you’ll end up paying a rent of about $600-800 per month.
Ooooo, it’s cold! Winters are beyond terrible. Sub-zero temperatures are a given in winter months, with the temperature often falling below -15°C. July is the warmest month, with an average high temperature of about 28°C. Syracuse receives snowfall quite a few months a year, which is why it’s called the Snowyest city in the United States.
Well, the faculty is pretty good. Professors are highly qualified (of course) and have the added bonus of being extremely approachable. They go out of their way to help students whenever need be. You ought to keep an eye on your attendance and academics, though. Your grades are a direct reflection of your attendance, your homework, and your performance in big tests.
It’s not difficult to get scholarships, thankfully. So you can take a deep breath and relax now. Research Assistantships and Teaching Assistantships are also pretty easily available.
Since Syracuse is one of the better colleges around, it certainly shouldn’t be a problem getting a pretty-high-paying job once you’re here. Where you get placed naturally depends on the course you’re doing, but more often than not, you can expect to get picked up by one of the top players.
Syracuse is a tiny little town, with not much to do both inside and outside the campus. Of course, that in no way means that the place is dead. There are hundreds of house parties going on throughout the week, in apartments and dorms as well. When they do get out once in a while, students normally hang out at Armory Square or Marshall Street. And you always have Downtown Syracuse, where you have something for everyone. Some of the places one should definitely check out are Dinosaur Bar-b-Que, Acropolis Pizza House, The Pita Pit, Tully’s Good Times, etc.
Nick Donofrio - Technology& Manufacturing, IBM.Arthur Rock - Venture capitalist who invested in Intel and Apple.Robert Menschel - Legendary partner at Goldman Sachs.
Aim for the stars, you might reach the sky. Syracuse is perhaps slightly below the proverbial sky, even though it’s an excellent university. Should be a good bet if you have an average or slightly below-average profile.