Syracuse University vs Boston University -need help pronto!

[KSuverkrubbe]

Hello everyone! Okay this is the deal. I basically need to know if any of you know much about Syracuse University/ why I should go there over Boston or vice versa.

 

Syracuse- just got a new offer of 80% off tuition I would pay 5,000 a year totalling 15,000 tuition over 3 years

Boston- Full tuition

 

In my mind they seem pretty equivalent. I love the student work at Boston a lot more...I find teacher work to be more suited to me at Boston,but Syracuse is okay.

 

I think it would be better for me to live in Boston versus Syracuse....but Syracuse has that extra year (it is a 3 year program) and it has the opprotunity to spend a semester elsewhere (which could be invaluable)...

 

I feel like Boston may be a better school education wise (and I could be dead wrong) but Syracuse my have more opprotunity........

 

I am just not sure .....

 

Any opinon on either of these schools?

 

Ps, Syracuse gave me a deadline off the 22nd...I avoided telling them no until the 23rd,but before I did they sent me information saying that I had been offered an 80 percent off scholarship. I apparently have an extra day to decide. A friend of mine thinks this is a little suspicious but I don't know.

 

Anyway, please help as soon as possible!

[Leahdog]

I think, based on what you're saying:

Boston is the one for you because you seem more interested in the place, faculty work , student work, and it's cheaper. I thinkkkk Boston is also known as a better art school??

Could you visit Syracuse? If a school really likes you, then sometimes they offer to pay for you to come down (that's been my experience).

Good luck hopefully someone else on here knows more about Syracuse than me

Edited March 25, 2015 by Leahdog

[KSuverkrubbe]

Well..I am not 100 percent drawn to all the faculty work at Boston- it is good but it's not all  my sort of thing (which is okay). Same at Syracuse..But to me at Boston there is a higher amount of 'the best' (i know I shouldn't call the art work better and is probably my biased opinion)  studentartwork- students that I am impressed by. Syracuse is much more mixed in that respect. They have some AWESOME as but my impressed feeling isn't as spread out as it is forI  Boston.

 

I am actually not sure which school is known as better. My teacher says that there are solid painters at both at schools,but I almost get the feeling that the painting department at Boston is more well known.......but.....that maybe the program at Syracuse has a lot more variety. It almost seems  to me that every other program at Syracuse is considered better ,except for painting!

 

It's really strange to me though...I know I shouldn't base things on those US news rankings but most of the other mediums like ceramics, sculpture, and printmasking Syracuse ranks in, but for Boston it is only the painting program.....and everyone only talks about the painting program there- so maybe Boston is just REALLY known for painting and that is really it? (Syracuse even 'ranks' above Boston as a fine art university, but probably because it has higher variety in mediums avaliable). I know the ratings are not 100 percent but can't you get a good very general idea from them?

 

I mean I don't know- would it be more beneficial to go to a program that seems more spread out in other areas? I kind of thing Boston may be better.

 

I haven't heard much from anyone about Syracuse here. It's all about programs like Hunter and Carnegie Mellon and MICA and RISD and places like that. Some PAFA and I have had quite a few people talk to me about Boston..

 

But, Syracuse only had like 35 painting applicants or something like that.

Edited March 25, 2015 by KSuverkrubbe

[CFBrown]

It's funny that you're deciding between Boston and Syracuse, as both are schools I was accepted into as well - for my master's that is...

 

For me, I kept Syracuse in the picture longer than Boston simply because of the two cities' cost of living and financial opportunities. Although Boston offered me a $7,500 scholarship for each semester, a semester costs near $30K which would leave me a considerable amount to pay in loans even if I landed a $4,000 assistanceship. Meanwhile, Syracuse is offering me a $5,000 scholarship for only the fall and spring semesters. It's not bad at all considering their total cost of $21K, and I could still compete for assistancehips that'll offer tuition remittance. Overall, while Boston offered a better scope of classes, the scholarship offered wasn't enough to justify going there.

 

That's just my perspective though, and I doubt there's any other similarities between me and you...I'd choose Syracuse because of cost of living, still quality program, and diversity. Not only that, but they do a good job of communicating with prospects. But if you have your heart set on Boston and can afford it, go for it.

[Derpderpderp]

I don't have any specific knowledge about Boston or Syracuse, but I did want to put my two cents in about faculty work and using this as a measure of their teaching ability. Some of my most valuable critiques have come from teachers whose work I didn't really relate to or even like. Along the same lines, some of the most influential classes haven't even been studio classes. So I would hesitate to make a decision based on faculty work, as this is just one aspect (and in my opinion, not particularly relevant) aspect of teacher, really in any discipline.

[KSuverkrubbe]

I don't have any specific knowledge about Boston or Syracuse, but I did want to put my two cents in about faculty work and using this as a measure of their teaching ability. Some of my most valuable critiques have come from teachers whose work I didn't really relate to or even like. Along the same lines, some of the most influential classes haven't even been studio classes. So I would hesitate to make a decision based on faculty work, as this is just one aspect (and in my opinion, not particularly relevant) aspect of teacher, really in any discipline.

yes it has bene very confusing to me. Some places have faculty work i love but then kind of not so much with their students, and then some art the opposite of that.

 

There was also a professor somewhere else at another school whose work is probably the closest to something I would love tolearn first hand from,but someone who knew that professor told me that they weren't a great teacher. (and that professor would be the main reason I would have gone there). Ah well..

 

I guess you're right that someone can be a good professor,but maybe not the best with their students.

 

it's probably best to go to a school that has a mix of both faculty work you really like and then a variety of very different stuff.

Edited March 25, 2015 by KSuverkrubbe

[KSuverkrubbe]

It's funny that you're deciding between Boston and Syracuse, as both are schools I was accepted into as well - for my master's that is...

 

For me, I kept Syracuse in the picture longer than Boston simply because of the two cities' cost of living and financial opportunities. Although Boston offered me a $7,500 scholarship for each semester, a semester costs near $30K which would leave me a considerable amount to pay in loans even if I landed a $4,000 assistanceship. Meanwhile, Syracuse is offering me a $5,000 scholarship for only the fall and spring semesters. It's not bad at all considering their total cost of $21K, and I could still compete for assistancehips that'll offer tuition remittance. Overall, while Boston offered a better scope of classes, the scholarship offered wasn't enough to justify going there.

 

That's just my perspective though, and I doubt there's any other similarities between me and you...I'd choose Syracuse because of cost of living, still quality program, and diversity. Not only that, but they do a good job of communicating with prospects. But if you have your heart set on Boston and can afford it, go for it.

Yes I am getting funding to where either would be suitable.

 

Also, Boston I may have already found an apartment for a good price.. I am going to recalculate expenses before I totally decide but I sort of caught a listing early and may have an agreement. (I had already ruled out Syracuse ,but then they offered me more funding).

 

I do know that if you want to roll with the school supported housing, both Syracuse and Boston are VERY expensive, and surprisingly- about even. You can find cheaper places in Syracuse if you are willing to live off further...Quite a cheaper. I've really gotten lucky with this apartment deal (if it goes well), though I'd be living with 2 other people. But hey would only be a 15 minutes walk !!!

[KSuverkrubbe]

'the food plan and health insurance for boston university are more expensive than Syracuse as well,but if there isn't that big of a difference then I am trying to rule out money as a factor.

[KSuverkrubbe]

It's funny that you're deciding between Boston and Syracuse, as both are schools I was accepted into as well - for my master's that is...

 

For me, I kept Syracuse in the picture longer than Boston simply because of the two cities' cost of living and financial opportunities. Although Boston offered me a $7,500 scholarship for each semester, a semester costs near $30K which would leave me a considerable amount to pay in loans even if I landed a $4,000 assistanceship. Meanwhile, Syracuse is offering me a $5,000 scholarship for only the fall and spring semesters. It's not bad at all considering their total cost of $21K, and I could still compete for assistancehips that'll offer tuition remittance. Overall, while Boston offered a better scope of classes, the scholarship offered wasn't enough to justify going there.

 

That's just my perspective though, and I doubt there's any other similarities between me and you...I'd choose Syracuse because of cost of living, still quality program, and diversity. Not only that, but they do a good job of communicating with prospects. But if you have your heart set on Boston and can afford it, go for it.

Is there anything else you really like about Syracuse?

 

I think it's the extra year and the semester spent elsewhere that is making it hard to say no- plus how awesome everyone is there just in personality.

 

Actually Syracuse walked me around on Skype and showed me the place- they were really the most invested and personable of all the schools that interviewed me. It makes it harder to say no. They are also the ones I have been able to talk to the most...so it will suck saying no to them. It really will.

[KSuverkrubbe]

Okay so I went through all the the calculations and if I get the cheapest rent in Syracuse as I can, I calculated it all up, and I would pay only 3,078 dollars more for 3 years at Syracuse than I would for 2 years at Boston, purely due to Rent and the food plan cost differences.

 

That means that either is a viable option for me.

[KSuverkrubbe]

I chose Boston!!!

 

Syracuse is so nice though and even invited me to come visit whenever I want . It's hard turning down a program with such good people.

[CFBrown]

Is there anything else you really like about Syracuse?

 

I think it's the extra year and the semester spent elsewhere that is making it hard to say no- plus how awesome everyone is there just in personality.

 

Actually Syracuse walked me around on Skype and showed me the place- they were really the most invested and personable of all the schools that interviewed me. It makes it harder to say no. They are also the ones I have been able to talk to the most...so it will suck saying no to them. It really will.

 

Sorry I'm just now seeing this. I agree with you that Syracuse is very personable. They've done the best job communicating with it's applicants throughout the process every step of the way. They've been honest about funding, or lack thereof, to provide realistic expectations. The sneaky bastards even created a cost comparison chart featuring three other schools I applied to at the top of the document! All in all, they've either got a genius marketing department or they're just good at doing all the little things people like us appreciate.

 

But, I see it's too late for me or anyone else to talk you out of Boston. Still, congratulations!

[KSuverkrubbe]

Sorry I'm just now seeing this. I agree with you that Syracuse is very personable. They've done the best job communicating with it's applicants throughout the process every step of the way. They've been honest about funding, or lack thereof, to provide realistic expectations. The sneaky bastards even created a cost comparison chart featuring three other schools I applied to at the top of the document! All in all, they've either got a genius marketing department or they're just good at doing all the little things people like us appreciate.

 

But, I see it's too late for me or anyone else to talk you out of Boston. Still, congratulations!

Yes they are really awesome. Anyone would be happy there I believe.

 

I just think that Boston has more life and exposure experiences for me which is what I feel I need.

 

I almost wonder if they want me to come and visit them so I'll change my mind and transfer ;0