Syracuse University

About Me

Intro

Hey there. Now, I understand you may have clicked on me because the Princeton Review ranked me the "Number 1 Party School," and if you did, shame on you. We're not all fun and games here in Central New York, but we do have a lot of fun...and okay, maybe there are a few games involved.

I'm a school with a real campus feel in a city that's just barely big enough to not be a college town. With me, you get the good ol' "college experience" without feeling completely isolated from the rest of the planet.

I'm exceptionally friendly—perhaps even a bit of a socialite. I'm one of those "No, you hang up first" types of colleges. In fact, some of my most popular and strongest majors are all about talking, like communications (broadcast journalism, TV/radio/film, graphic design and the like), business, and performing arts. I mean, have you ever tried singing without talking? It's hard…

I even got me a creative writing grad program and a law school for those of you who want to really extend your chatter time.

Name

Otto the Orange. Yes, I know oranges don't grow in a climate with an annual average of ten feet of snow, and yes, I know there's very little intimidating about a summersaulting citrus. And I know that few people look good wearing orange. I get it, but trust me…it's better than what it used to be.

Hometown

Syracuse, NY. Middle of the state. Disclaimer: I'm closer to Canada than NYC.

Birthdate

1870

Body Type

Let me put it this way: When I'm looking for a shirt, a small is too tight, and a large has a bit too much fabric on the sides. A medium usually fits just right, but sometimes I have issues with sleeve length.

I've got 21,250 students total—14,400 full-time undergraduates and 675 part-time ones. The rest are graduate and law school students.

Current Living Situation

I'm cold and hilly. You'll be happy to live in one of the seventeen North Campus dorms your first (and perhaps second) year. For sophomore or junior year, you might opt for one of our South Campus apartments,, which would mean having your very own kitchen and bathroom. South Campus is a nice walk to North Campus where most of your classes would be, but there are shuttle buses that run regularly.

By senior year, you'll probably be living in a house that's been converted into apartments in a nearby neighborhood. There are also frat and sorority houses virtually on campus, but those can be ignored if it's not your thing.

Relationship Status

SUNY ESF (Environmental Sciences and Forestry) shares dorms and some campus space with me, but mostly, I see him as a little growth that gets mad when someone walks on the grass or forgets to wear hemp.

There's a small Jesuit college and a community college in town as well, but I tend to ignore them, too.

Other than that, I've had a lot of frenemies develop in the Big East Conference, but now that I've joined the Atlantic Coast Conference, I'm trying to figure out my spot at the lunch table. Do I share my Cheetos with Virginia Tech? If I sit next to Florida State, will I just have awkward silence? It's hard to say.

Religion

I'm kind of a hippie. Anything that sounds like a prayer that's given before any event on campus starts with hand-holding and the phrase "Dear Holy One." Frankly, I'm surprised it's not "Dear Holy One or Ones."

One of the most beautiful buildings on the quad is Hendricks Chapel, home to a myriad of services and interfaith groups, from Baptist to Buddhist.

There's also a Catholic center with daily mass offerings, a center for Jewish life, and lots of mosques, churches, and synagogues nearby if you fancy a walk before your worship.

Politics

If you look at that red and blue map of Upstate NY the day after any major election, there will be a blue island surrounded by a sea of red. That's me. I keep Onondaga County going blue for every election cycle. Twenty minutes outside of campus, there's a lot of farmland. Dairy cows sure love Republicans.

You should apply to me if...

if you want an education that'll give you a good book learning, but also teach you how to schmooze, network, and navigate social media like an all-star. Think it's impossible to compose a midterm in 140 Twitter characters and a series of Instagram posts? Try me.