Syracuse University Top Questions

What should every freshman at Syracuse University know before they start?

Jenny

Be motivated, over come any obstacle in your way can only make you stronger. Even when all else seems to fall around you, keep your head up high and find your place. Freshman year was hard especially since you dont know anyone but the friends you make will last a lifetime. Don't rush things, everything happens for a reason. There will always be someone on campus who can relate or feel what you feel, you just need to find them. When all else fails, call home every once in a while. Join clubs that you are interested in. Relieve stressfully workload through journaling, gyming, and other creative activities. When you transition from all the workload of High school to college, high school definitely seems easier but college work is doable. Please form study groups for each class, be on top of all your work and look at the syllabus. Dont hesitate to find the TAs and ask for help. No one is going to look for you to make sure you know your work. Make lots of friends, stay on top of your studies, love yourself and be motivate. If you do all this, you'll be fine.

Ben

there is no need to apply to clarkson, cornell, RIT, or RPI, because Syracuse is the best fit for me hands down.

Alicia

Don't get distracted about your overall goals in life, the sooner you complete what you need to acheive, the closer you will be to that ultimate goal in life.

Ismet

Hey, Ismet, yes. Here. Take a seat... So, are you ready for the college selecting process? Uh huh. I see... Syracuse? Sure, I think you should apply there as well. Well, yeah, Syracuse University is really good, but there are a few things to keep in mind. First of all, are you ready to pay $50K a year? Well, I mean your parents of course.. No? Well, in that case you might want to look into external scholarships because their financial aid is incosistent and well below sufficient. OK, apart from financial aspect you ask?.. Well, let me think.. I had a friend there... Uhh.. Max, yeah, Max was his name! He would say he had so much fun there.. Which fraternity was he in, let me think... Oh, yeah, TKE. He said he and his brothers were tight. He said he'd spent all his time in the fraternity.. So I guess if you want to have fun, you need to rush too Ismet. Not gonna rush? Well, you might want to not go here then because other than Greek life there isn't much to do socially. Thanks for visiting! Come see me when you decide!

Megan

When on those campus tours, keep track of how long it takes to walk across campus and where the resident halls are located. Count the number of frats and sororities, it's a projection of how much partying there will be. Do research and learn what different colleges have to offer - speakers that come to campus, regular events, clubs and student organizations. You don't need to be set on a school or major at the beginning of senior year. It's okay to change your mind. Play attention in high school, because college is hard. Keep connections with high school teachers. Be nice to your family, because you'll miss them.

Michael

Do not stress about college life. You will be fine in that environment. Just remember that this transition is not only to college life, but to life on your own as well. Always be confident in yourself and don't be afraid to do anything. Enjoy your time to come, but remember you are there for a reason.

Alex

If I could go back in time and speak to my high-school self, I would advise myself to get involved in everything possible in college. Many high school students have the attitude that participating in extracurriculars is something that the unpopular kids do. In college, however, most people are a part of some kind of smaller community. Joining a group, whether it be in the arts, sciences, a fraternity or sorority, or anything else, is one of the best ways to go about meeting new people and making new friends, and this is what college is truly about. Thus, the more things with which one is associated, the more people one can befriend. While academics are just as important as they were in previous forms of education, college is really about learning to communicate with other people. The best way to learn how to evolve socially is to get involved in everything that garners one's interest, and to not be afraid to try something new. This is what I have learned in my four years at school and these are the words that I would pass on to my former self.

Esther

It's easy to get caught up in your social life upon first entering college because everything is new to you and you're out on your own for the first time. Still, you need to stay focused on your work. Though it's great that you're excited and curious, don't allow yourself to be overwhelmed. There are many opportunities available on campus to get involved, so take the initiative and go to every interest meeting. Also, nobody is around to push you to do your work, so you need to take control of your life and do what needs to get done. It's never too early or too late to begin networking, so jump on the chance when you see one. Your own classmates could be future networks that you could refer to, so don't let that slip from your mind either. After all, you're studying with people that are going to be in your own profession someday. There are so many clubs and facilities available to you that sometimes it's easy to overlook them, but don't let yourself get lazy. Ask questions to whoever/whenever. Remember, no question is ever dumb!

Eliot

If I were to go back in time and give advice to my former, high school self, there would be a few things I would say. The first, and probably most important thing I would tell myself would be that while classes in high school may seem easy, classes in your intended field in college are not as easy. You will find that classes for an Electrical Engineering major get exponentially harder from semester to semester. That's not to say that they won't be fun, in fact my Electrical Engineering lab is one of my favorite classes. One of the other more important things I would tell myself would be to not worry about entering a new environment all alone -- everyone else is in the same position. Actually, you will make more friends freshman year than you will for the entire rest of your academic career. Everyone is just as scared as you are, and are willing to meet anyone else to share the experience with. I recommend you run with this information and tell everyone you can, there isn't one person who won't benefit from this advice.

Holly

Going back to being a high school senior, the best advice I would have for myself would be to keep an open mind. Maintaining an open mind for all opprotunities that present themselves, in whatever form they make take, is the way to find your path. Not being set on one life direction, but remaining open to all possibilities tends to welcome the unexpected, yet more applicable direction.