The College Blog: Syracuse University

Andres is back with his reflections on Syracuse for the College Blog!

Where do I begin? Syracuse University, by far, is the most beautiful school that I have ever seen in my life. First, let me begin with the ride up to the campus. Being that we were upstate, the driving scenery was not very exciting. There was the occasional cow but, other than that, there wasn’t anything else.

As we arrived to the campus, I was surprised to learn that there was no gate that signaled the entrance of the college, so it was interesting to see it so accessible to the general public, however, it did give a sense of openness, making the campus more admirable. On the day of my college visit, I went on two tours: one for the Newhouse School of Public Communications, and one for the overall campus.

The Newhouse school was a sight to see. Housing over 9 majors, all specializing in the communications field, the Newhouse School offers state of the art equipment, including cameras and microphones for students to use (no charge) as well as a professional news broadcasting studio. What was nice to know about the communications program is that the Newhouse school has a vast network with dozens of connections to major news and media organizations, a major advantage for anyone pursuing a career in communications. The program itself is quite tricky to get accepted to, as it is the most competitive program of all the Syracuse programs offered.

With requirements such as a 1300+ SAT score, only 455 out of 5,000 students are accepted as a freshman. That is quite scary! As for the overall campus, as stated above, everything was spread out, yet all the buildings were within walking distance for the benefit of the students. To be quite honest, much of the buildings, with the exception of the Newhouse School of Public Communications, the School of Business, and the football dome, every other building looked like a castle, especially the school of music, which bears much resemblance to the fictional school, Hogwarts.

My tour guide, Samantha, was very nice and very thorough in showing the group the campus and going over specific yet important details about Syracuse University. For example, she specified that housing is guaranteed for all four years (unless you move out and wish to go back to a dorm), every freshman is required to get a meal plan, and that the university offers more than 300 clubs and organizations, such as the school online newspaper, The Daily Orange, so there is truly something for anyone on campus.

The dorms are your normal college dorm, although they were quite bigger compared to other colleges that I have seen. One interesting about the dorms, however, is that you are offered the choice of an open or closed double. An open double is your standard room with no barrier. A closed double, however, has a barrier between the roommates, should both roommates be doing different tasks (ex. one is sleeping while the other is studying). And if you catch yourself having nothing to do, there is always something happening on or off campus. Being that the university has a massive football dome, you can watch a football or basketball game, or even some concerts that are held in that same space. And if you are not in a sports mood, you are only minutes away from the City of Syracuse, where it features many fun activities, such as shopping at one of the largest malls I have ever seen, Destiny USA.

Although this private research university costs a hefty penny, I truly believe that it is worth every penny, from the quality education you receive to all the resources that the school offers. Being that this is the only school that offers exactly want I am looking to major in (Broadcast Journalism), I will certainly not hesitate to apply to such a magnificent establishment.