Recent Syracuse info

[Anonymous]

Title says it all, this is my rising senior's likely ED and I know almost nothing about the school other than they just cut a whole bunch of majors which I really don't like but he is undeterred. Anyone with a kid there right now or a recent graduate, I'd really appreciate hearing about their experience. Thank you.

[Anonymous]

Our friends daughter just graduated and loved it. She had a job lined up during the spring. It’s a fun school and if you dig deep, you’ll find many schools cutting out unpopular majors. It makes sense.

[Anonymous]

Some of the majors cut had no students; others had very few and were folded into other majors. I have a child there who is thriving. Syracuse has an amazing career center (opposite of most places!); a fabulous alumni network and a great energy on campus. Despite the mounds of snow, kids are not undeterred in their love for the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our friends daughter just graduated and loved it. She had a job lined up during the spring. It’s a fun school and if you dig deep, you’ll find many schools cutting out unpopular majors. It makes sense.

+1. This is a good thing, OP, not a bad thing. There is way, WAY too much bloat at most colleges.

We loved it when we visited, but I couldn't get DC beyond the fact that it was snowing in April.

[Anonymous]

OP here, thank you for the replies! The weather is definitely something he needs to consider as a mid-Atlantic kid, he thinks he knows winter but he really doesn't. That won't/shouldn't be the deciding factor but I hope he considers it. I appreciate your point about "bloat," and I'm also really happy to hear about your kids' positive experiences.

[Anonymous]

DC just finished 1st year and had a wonderful experience. Food could be better but overall quality of life was great. Loved the classes and professors, advising was great. Kids are overall very happy to be there despite the snow (which was brutal this year!). They’re excited to go back.

[Anonymous]

Rocking lax programs.

[Anonymous]

We visited campus this spring and thought it was great, with a nice energy. Students seemed happy.

[Anonymous]

Our kid is headed there this fall. Got into lots of other schools, mostly more sought after on this board, but loved SU. We've visited twice. I had the impression of just a big party school at first and was not a fan, but came around. There are some really great programs and it's a big place with a lot of true diversity - big athletes and really serious students, even the greek scene seems diverse. My student was able to meet profs in their department before deciding and it felt very personal for such a big place. I was impressed.

One of the reasons it rose to the top is a really great scholarship. One thing I do know is that they still offer merit aid to some strong students in ED, which is rare.

I don't know what they put in the water up there but they all seem to love it. One thing I can't get over if that we didn't talk to any unhappy kids or alums - literally couldn't find them. I can't say that of many ivy league schools we know people at. I think the cold and the sports and the distance just makes for a lot of cohesion that you don't find at schools that size normally.

I'd encourage you to read more about the majors cut, it's really a nothingburger. Normal consolidation.

[Anonymous]

My kid just graduated and though I’ve had many mixed feelings about the school over the past four years, I left graduation feeling really good about the place. The graduations (you attend one for their school and then a big overall one) were well done and heartwarming. Her friends all seem like great kids who are going places. Most of them have jobs lined up and all came across as smart and motivated. My DD loved it and I do think she got a good education. It is very pre-professional but in this day and age I don’t have a problem with that.
The weather does suck. The city of Syracuse sucks and the food sucks but the kids still seem to love it.

[Anonymous]

Lovely school that offers lots of opportunities. My son just finished his second year and has great internships lined up for both this summer and next. He went for the scholarship but we have been overall impressed with the school and what it offers.

[Anonymous]

Oh and as someone in higher ed, Syracuse has made many fiscally prudent decisions and is well positioned to weather the storm facing most universities at this time. Cutting those undersubscribed majors was super smart.

[Anonymous]

OP again: Wow, I am feeling much better about this (potential) choice, thank you all very much. I'm really happy for your kids!

[Anonymous]

Carmelo Anthony has a son there and Mady Gosselin just graduated from there a few years ago!

[Anonymous]

We visited and it was one of my 2026 senior DC’s top 3 choices but ultimately decided against it.

Pros: decent rep, strong business school that requires internships to graduate. Good mix of people from all over the country and international. Nice facilities. Good size (15k undergrad) but not huge. Good Greek system and D1 sports, if you’re into that.

Cons: weather, it snowed 140 inches last winter. The surrounding town is a dump. But the biggest one is, insanely expensive for what you get.

Sticker price is $97k a year and goes up $5k a year from what the trend is. Even with merit aid and “renegotiating” several times with the aid office, we only got down to $71k, which was at least $20k more a year than DCs other offers. Also it was frustrating it was so expensive in the first place. For what?

We passed.