While some Syracuse students hope to spend more time meeting new people others wish to concentrate on academic achievement.
For most of the world, the new year begins on Jan. 1. But for a great majority of American college students, the term, new year signifies something a little bit different: the first day of fall classes.
With just under 20,000 students on campus, Syracuse University is a place where undergraduate and graduate students alike come together to discover their passions and pursue their various goals and interests.
SU students start the fall semester with challenges, enthusiasm and sunglasses.
As the sun peeked out early Monday morning, signaling both the end of Hurricane Irene for Central New York, and the beginning of the school year for Syracuse University students, some students remained in Irene’s wake instead of on campus for day one of classes.
Aasimah Navlakhi, an arts journalism graduate student, spent her first day of school stuck in a Boston bus station for seven hours after three buses that should have brought her home had all been cancelled because of flooding.
After a sun-soaked first day of school warmed nervous freshman and relaxed upperclassmen alike, the countdown to May is officially on.
When freshman Justin Hoffman showed up to his calculus class Monday morning, the Carnegie classroom location he scribbled down was completely empty. In fact, it wasn’t a classroom at all –- just some kind of office.
Unfortunately for many of the 3,450 freshmen starting their Syracuse University careers Monday, Hoffman's not alone.
Obviously confused first-years gripped their printed MySlice schedules and campus maps, wandering the paths and searching for building names such as Hinds and Heroy halls.
The first day back at SU is filled with signs of nerves, excitement and determination.
Approaching the Syracuse University campus at 10 a.m. this morning, it seemed a bit too calm for the first day of the fall 2009 semester. Nearing the Schine Student Center, the bustle and excitement began to pick up.
The network of sidewalks outside of Schine was crawling with students making their way to and from class, texting on their cell phones, waving to familiar faces across the grass, and catching up with old friends. Two, three, four, five girls in a row drinking Dunkin’ Donuts iced coffee exited Schine, taking advantage of the warm weather while they still could.