Syracuse University
Responses from the Student Interview
From a student who identifies as Major: Illustration – Syracuse School of Visual and Performing Arts
Minor: Animation
Student Self Identifies as: Caucasian Heterosexual Female
Summary
I’m in a sorority and I do illustrations for a magazine on campus.
Background
Gender Identity: Female
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual
First-Generation College Student: No
High School Experience: Public magnet school in Baltimore, MD with a graduating class of about 800 students. It had a focus on art and you have to audition to get in and you go for a specific interest. I went for visual art.
Major: Illustration – Syracuse School of Visual and Performing Arts
Minor: Animation
Extracurricular Activities: I’m in a sorority and I do illustrations for a magazine on campus.
Academic Experience
Can you describe the weekly coursework for your major?
I have two core classes that I take every semester that vary in different things we do. This week I have an oil painting due that we’ve been working up to with sketches and color compositions. In another class, I have an assignment due every week. I have two other Studio Arts classes I take every week. I spend about ten hours a week on these assignments or more. You have to learn how to manage the workload. Animation also takes a lot of time. Some classes you have to bring in something every week to show the professor and our midterm is showing the professor what we’ve done so far or fixing the project based on the feedback. That’s the way it is in my storyboarding class. We don’t have specific deadlines but the professor sees how we’re doing and we get things based on how long we think they’re going to take to get done. It’s nice that the professors work with you, and I think a lot of the professors try to help you out with your workload.
Did you especially like or dislike anything about your major’s department? Did they do anything especially well or poorly?
I feel like there are really good professors that help you. They really do try to help you out. I didn’t like the foundation program which you take as a [College of Visual & Performing Arts] (VPA) student. I thought it was very poor and didn’t set and didn’t set me up at all for this year’s courses. The school’s Illustration department wants to separate from the VPA school, but it may not be able to because of funding. Hopefully, it will balance out in the next couple of years.
One thing that’s cool is I did a two-week semester in May in Los Angeles. It showed us a very different side of Illustration in the entertainment business, like doing animation or storyboarding professionally.
What has been your favorite class you’ve taken for your major?
Storyboarding. They pair a Film student and an Illustration student together and by the end of the class, you make a six-minute video. It also makes me think that’s what I want to do in the real world. I get to learn film lingo and things about the business.
What has been your least favorite class you’ve taken for your major?
Media Art, which is a core requirement class with a professor I don’t like.
What is a fun class you’ve taken outside of your major?
People of the World, which is an Anthropology class. We got to do interesting stuff within the Syracuse community and got to learn about that area. There’s a huge disconnect between the college and the town of Syracuse. Syracuse has lots of poverty and educational issues that I wasn’t aware of. [The poverty rate in Syracuse, NY is about 33%.]
Why did you pick your major?
I’ve always really loved to draw. I’ve been drawing since I was really, really young, so it was an easy choice for me because I knew I wanted to do something with that. It was tough to figure out what type of illustration I wanted to do. The illustration department has four focuses.
Reasons to Attend
1) The professors that I’ve come across here are really good. They look out for you.
2) The friendships I’ve been making are really solid. Because there are so many people, you can meet a bunch of different people.
3) The Art department has helped me become more individualistic because I can do my own art and get personal feedback from it. The professors respect my personal style.
Reasons Not to Attend
1) Diversity. There are lots of different mindsets but not as much cultural diversity. [About 57% of students are White.]
2) I wish guys didn’t always have to pay or have trouble getting into parties. It’s really difficult that you have to be part of some organization here.
Around Campus
Where have you lived on campus?
Freshman: Lawrinson Hall in a split double. It’s the size of an open double but there is a half wall in between beds so you have some privacy.
Sophomore: Booth hall in a two-person suite. My roommate and I have our own rooms and there’s a door that separates them. It’s super nice that you have all that space.
Next year I will be living in a house and I have already decided that I want to live in the sorority house senior year. I think the dorm situation is really good here.
How safe do you feel on campus and in the surrounding area?
Coming from Baltimore, I wasn’t really fazed by a lot of the stuff that happens in Syracuse. I’m used to having homeless people approach me and stuff. A lot of people here are from places like Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York, so they’re not used to anything like that which can be pretty hilarious. Syracuse’s campus is very safe. There’s lots of activity and campus police. I don’t ever feel like I’m in danger on campus. I do know that the town of Syracuse is not safe. We get Syracuse alerts about muggings and stuff. A lot of it is using your common sense and sticking with a buddy if you’re out late at night. The town itself is kind of impoverished and you can sense the socioeconomic dichotomy between the university and the town. [There are about 36 property crimes and 7 violent crimes per 1,000 residents.]
How walkable is the area around campus? Do you need a car to get regular necessities?
You can walk. There are buses that take you to the mall and down into the city near the campus where the bars are. I’ve walked to some of the bars from campus once and after that, I stopped because it feels sketchy. It’s only a twenty-minute walk from one end of campus to the other. Walking into the city requires walking by public housing near the edges of the campus, so people use Uber because it’s difficult to navigate.
What is your favorite off-campus restaurant?
Otro Cinco and Funk ‘N Waffles. It doesn’t seem like there’s a lot of places at first but then you live here and find them. There’s a bunch of college-y places here.
What is your favorite place to get away from campus?
If I don’t want to deal with anybody I go to my studio, or I go to a coffee place, Café Kubal. There’s an upper area of the student center where nobody goes that I like. There are lots of quiet hidden areas to take a deep breath and organize.
Social Opportunities
What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
People at Syracuse usually don’t have classes on Fridays, so I go out Thursdays and Saturdays. Fridays are when I stay in and chill. I’m not much of a partier compared to some people. If you wanted to you could go out every single night of the week. Now that I’m in a sorority, they set us up with an event most nights, which I like a lot better. There is a lot of activity happening on campus. There are no typical places we go on certain nights because we have social events that happen every weekend. I don’t usually go to the bars, maybe when I get older I will.
Can you describe a typical night out freshman year?
Usually hang out in the dorms, meet up with more friends, and go to house parties that aren’t affiliated with anything. You just walk past frat row and areas that have stuff every weekend and see what’s going on.
What were your favorite days or nights at Syracuse?
I just went to the Paul McCartney concert at the Carrier Dome nearby which was so much fun. I always love going to concerts there. Paul McCartney was only $20 for a student ticket, so concerts there are really cool opportunities for students.
Do freshman boys have trouble getting into parties?
Oh my God, freshman boys, it’s kind of sad. Sometimes junior guys can’t get in because they’re not affiliated with Greek life, especially when you’re not connected with those frats that have parties. That’s why a lot of guys rush. It’s hard to have a regular social life unless in you’re in Greek life as a guy. If you go out sometimes you have to pay $10 if it was early and then if you get there later you’d have to pay like $20. Girls are free all the time.
How happy are you with the weekend options? Is there anything you would change if you could?
I’m pretty happy. I think it’s good. I’m not a constant partier so when I go out I know it’s going to be fun. I didn’t even know that it was party school when I came here [laughs]. I came here for art and now, apparently, it’s a top 5 party school! You can have fun here if you’re looking for it, but I think I schedule myself really well because I have my academics on one side and partying on the other side.
If you could change anything about nightlife, what would you change?
I would change how you have to be part of Greek life to be part of certain events. If there is an event you have you’re only going to it with certain people. It’s very exclusive in that way. If I weren’t part of Greek life, it would be hard to go to these places and I wouldn’t have as much fun. When I wasn’t in Greek life, I was wandering around aimlessly looking for house parties. I wish I didn’t have to be in Greek life to have that social scene. You can be an athlete or in a club and have a similar experience, but I wish you didn’t have to be part of any one group.
Campus Culture
How did you meet your closest friends?
Through my sorority. I have my first semester freshman year friends, but I don’t enjoy them as much as I have the people I’ve met through my sorority.
How would you describe the overall social scene?
Kind of like I said before, it depends on the person you are. If you’re looking for a place to party, you’ll find it. But, if you only want to go out twice a week, that’s perfectly acceptable too. You can have a lot of fun and still do your academics. Also, the tailgates are crazy here.
Do people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
Honestly, not really. I think that there’s not a lot of diversity. I would like it if there was more diversity. In Baltimore were used to a lot of diversity, but campus is a lot of White people. Greek life is very White, and then you have cultural fraternities and sororities that are more diverse and fun to socialize with. I think the school’s trying to include people, but I don’t think it’s happening as well as they would want it to. [About 57% of students are White.]
What is the impact of Greek Life on social life?
It’s a broad community within Greek life. You can go to Syracuse without being in Greek life, but it’s a lot easier to make connections if you’re in it. For example, I found my illustration job through a sorority sister. [Over 30% of students are involved in Greek life.]
Careers
Has the alumni network helped you find internships or jobs?
I haven’t actually utilized any of those things yet. I’ll probably be doing that in January or February. I’ve come across more opportunities through my sorority than anything else. Also, the connections I made over my LA mini semester will be very helpful in the field that I’m interested in, and that semester was through one of my professors. The alumni at Syracuse really love Syracuse students. A lot say that if they see Syracuse on your resume they’ll try to help you out.