Syracuse University Top Questions

I took a class called "Animal Religion"--you don't really find that anywhere else. It was really interesting, a lot of work but it made you think outside of the box all the time, it was great! Making schedules is really hard... TAs are really nice, most of them at least.. You have to work hard and study hard in order to do well.

The professors are always willing to help a person out. There are a lot of different academic things to get involved in.

I would have to say that the Spanish department is kind of disappointing, unless you take classes at the SU Center in Madrid - then the classes are great. I would recommend Koseki, Lewis, Everly, and Walker as professors of Spanish and avoid Garcia-Calderon, Bonilla, and Kim. Newhouse classes are overall awesome. The students in Newhouse are competitive by nature but willing to help you out -- although, I'm not going to lie, there are some jerks there. The magazine department is a lot of fun. Most recently I was in an editing class where we created our own magazine about sex. It was a blast.

Connie Caldwell will find you a job. She is the dedicated, extremely helpful career services woman you will come to know and love.

You academic experience depends on you- what school you are in, what your major is, whether you want hard classes or the easy way out. My academic experience has been outstanding because of the rigorous honors program here, which is unique and has challenged me in wonderful ways. But whether or not you have a very intellectual experience certainly depends on who you hang out with.

Every teacher I've ever had knows my name and remembers it for years. I just ran into my Freshman Writing 109 teacher this fall and she remembered me and asked how I was doing. In the art department, students call all of their teachers by their first name. My favorite class I ever took was an English Class called Jane Austen in Context in which we got to go to London for spring break. I learned a lot, people participated in class, and I met two of my best friends from the class. Last semester our teacher actually got us together for a pizza party reunion. Overall I would say that education at Syracuse is geared towards getting a job, mostly because of schools like Newhouse and Whitman. Of course that doesn't mean that's the only thing students are interested in.

It depends on you major but classes are what you make of them. Professors in most cases give attention to those who seek it. That is what is written in our school emblem (suos cultores scientia coronat). Each college is what the students (alumni included) so its not hard to see some schools get more lime light than others ie. New House Communications Vs. LCS College of Engineering. The good thing is that it is not hard to find an internship. The school is affiliated with companies and organizations all over the country. Internships can be tailored to your needs, provided the company likes you.

It really depends on what kinds of classes you take. I'm in a class with 13 people and then another with 300. My favorite class would have to be my RTN class, which is for my major, broadcast journalism. And I DESPISE Spanish. My professor is awful, but most other people i know really like the languages they take. People definitely get down to work when they have to here. It's all about balance- go crazy on Saturday night, but know that you will spend the majority of your Sunday in the library. For class participation, it really depends on the class and professor. Some professors claim you need to talk to get a good grade, but many times you can get by without saying too much. Students do have intellectual conversations outside of class...people talk abuot everything from politics to the "M" theory. Students are competitive, especially in Newhouse. The most unique class I've taken is Human Sexuality and I would recommend it. I am a broadcast journalism major in Newhouse, and I can tell it's going to be a lot of work. People in Newhouse think that they are the shit, and there are some really cocky people out there. But it's one of the best communications schools in the nation, so that's to be expected, I guess. I dont really see my professors outside of class ever. And at least in Newhouse, the education is 100{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} about getting a job. There are so many connections with alumni, it's crazy. If you graduate from Newhouse, youre basically set.

I trust the professors and feel they know what they are doing. Almost all my teacher's know my name and I can get to know personally. I feel fully confident I will graduate knowing how to do my profession and will not be nervous to enter the field. Syracuse is also great when it comes to taking care of their students. I have gotten so much help and direction here from my advisor and the career services center. Whenever I feel lost i trust the school to help me out. They also are VERY helpful when it comes to finding internships, jobs, and networking, which is so important.

Now that I'm a sophomore I've gotten through most of my big lecture classes. Almost all of my professors learned my name by the third class. Professors are also always available for office hours and once you come and talk to them there, they never forget you. My favorite class was MAG205 last semester. My professor (who I have again this semester), is a former writer for People magazine and knows all about the industry. Since this is my major, I found this class to be interesting because we took a magazine of our choice and wrote a term paper about all the different components. Basically we got to look at magazines and really understand what goes into them to get a better understanding of how the industry works. Human Sexuality is another popular class. You basically come to a two hour lecture and talk about sex. It's like sex ed only with the details that people actually care about added in. It's funny and extremely eye opening. My least favorite classes were big lectures like astronomy or nutrition. The professor never takes attendance so I'm not motivated to go to class especially since I can get the notes from another student. Then the tests are impossible. Students study a good amount, but it's broken up nicely throughout the week. Students usually go out on Tuesday and Thursday nights (in addition to weekends) and study in between. Most students don't have classes on Fridays which makes life easier. Class participation is extremely common and very encouraged in all of my classes aside from large lectures. My news class is essentially based on class discussion about story ideas and how we can make things better. I definitely discuss class readings as well as current events and politics with students outside of class. If I really enjoyed the reading from the class I'll talk to other classmates about it before and after class. Newhouse students are constantly discussing current events- especially politics right now. It's impossible not to. Most students aren't competitive with one another. I've found that students block off according to their major and they all help each other along the way. In terms of looking for internships, students may be more competitive in that area, but in terms of school work, everyone wants everyone to succeed. The most unique class I've taken is within my minor- religion in the news media. It is definitely an interesting class because it intersects two subjects that seemingly do not intersect, but you find everywhere. My major is magazine journalism. It is definitely a unique program to Syracuse. There are specific classes that teach students how to write magazine articles as opposed to newspaper. Almost all of the professors are experienced in the field and help give the perspective of the industry and prepare the students for that. I see my magazine/news professor in his office hours on a regular basis. I'm in the process of finding an internship and he has helped with networking or any questions I may have about the business. Professors are helpful not only in the classroom, but for questions that pertain to jobs or the industry. Most respond to their email within a few hours (some within minutes) and almost all of them give their office or cell phone numbers for easy contact. The core requirements are relatively annoying for students who already know what they want to do. Syracuse has a variety of strong programs such as communications, management, architecture, performing arts, design, film etc. For those students, many came to Syracuse solely for that major and do not plan on changing. For them, the core requirements of say a science class for a right-brained writer may be tedious. However, they do not take long to complete and AP credit helps boost students through the core early. Newhouse definitely prepares its students to get a job. Finding an internship is important right away, however the curriculum focuses on giving students a breadth of skills. Dean Rubin always said that more than anything, students should leave Newhouse knowing how to write- if they didn't learn anything else but that, they would succeed.