The Daily Orange

Media Credit: Mackenzie Reiss

Graduating high school students and their families flooded the Syracuse University campus Monday on the first of four days for spring receptions. Every spring, the Office of Admissions holds the event to introduce potential students to the campus.

During the reception, students attend presentations, and take tours of the campus and college they're interested in.

The students had lunch on the turf in the Carrier Dome, where there were tables of representatives from colleges, campus departments and student organizations. After lunch, students had an opportunity to go on tours of Boland, Brewster, Day, Flint, Lawrinson and Sadler residence halls. The day ended at 2 p.m., giving students the afternoon to explore the university on their own.

Taylor Noel, from Waterford-Halfmoon High School in Waterford, N.Y., said the spring reception influenced her decision. SU is her first choice, but she said she has to find more scholarships.

"I don't want to have a lot of loans after college, and here, I will," Noel said.

But other students found SU had been more helpful with financial aid than other colleges.

"I had to flat out say 'no' to some schools because they did not give me a good enough package. Syracuse, fortunately, did give me a good enough package," said Jesse Feitel of Northport High School in Northport, N.Y. "There were some schools that gave me nothing so I automatically just had to disbar them. Obviously the tuition here is very high, so I am glad that they gave out more money."

But Feitel said he wasn't too impressed by the reception. "It's exactly what I expected. They want me to come here. They are just trying to sell it to everyone," he said.

Despite tuition worries, academics and research provided a draw for some students. Joe Alfano from the Aquinas Institute in Rochester, N.Y., is choosing between Ithaca College and SU. He said the opportunity for undergraduate research is important to him because he wanted to get started right away.

And of course, many students said they were hesitant about the Syracuse weather.

Tim Koes, a student from Marcellus High School in Marcellus, N.Y., has been living in the Central New York area all his life. When he joined incoming freshmen Facebook.com groups, other accepted students contacted him about the weather in Syracuse.

"They ask me, 'Is it really as bad as they say? Do you really get a lot of snow?'" Koes said. "I have to break the truth to them that it is that bad."

Spring receptions will resume on Friday and pickup again on April 20 and April 27.



aucollma@syr.edu

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