Things To Do As A Grad Student When There Seems To Be Nothing to Do
Going from undergrad to a graduate career can be a little (well, more than a little) hectic. Especially coming from a school that is nothing like Syracuse University/Newhouse. I had only ever visited New York City, not upstate New York, and had no idea what to expect. I knew nothing and no one, so I was flying solo until I moved in and went out to the first few events offered through the Graduate Student Union and Syracuse University. I remember we arrived near the 4th of July for our summer boot camp, and we were pissed. But little did we know, that’s when the first crazy memories would arise. We first went to orientation and that is where I met my first group of friends. So, be social when you first get here…you never know who might be feeling the same way. We then went to a picnic at the Inn Complete (which is where a lot of events for graduates happen, and we can drink for free or very low prices!) and from there saw fireworks near the fairgrounds. Then, by that weekend because one of my friends was ‘Greek’, we went with her to a Greek house darty (day party), as people call it here, and it was so much fun! Met so many other grad students and cool undergrads. From that day, I made even more friends who weren’t even in my class. So, point in case again? Be social and be open to doing things maybe you wouldn’t normally do. In the same weekend, we heard there were some bars that some of the other newly known grads were going to, so you know what we did? Went!
The first few weeks were the best few weeks I’ve ever had. By the time fall started to roll around we had begun to hear a lot about what we should do and go see. So, we made a mental note of the things we should try. We go to brunch at a spot called Modern Malt in Downtown Syracuse on most Sundays. They have three different kinds of mimosas and let me tell you, they are BOMB (get you a great buzz too!). Plus, their food is great and there’re large portions. We also have tried out a place called Funk N’ Waffles which has a great variety of waffles and sweet treats!
On the weekends, or sometimes during the week, we’ll go to a select few bars around downtown (Benjamins, Kitty Hoynes, or Byblos) or if we want to stay near campus we’ll either go to Orange Crate, Faegan’s or Harry’s. On Wednesday nights there is a thing called Flip Night at Faegan’s where you can flip a coin to get something free and it’s usually packed so that’s one thing which also has good music. At Orange Crate, the music is pretty diverse and the drinks are cheap and good! Harry’s… well, we mainly leave that to the undergrads unless we really see nothing else is going on or we’ve already had a long night, but the drinks are cheap and great, and it’s nothing but dancing all night!
If you don’t like to go out like that, I definitely recommend just going around Downtown Syracuse. In the Summer and Spring, there’s a lot of festivals that come in town and food trucks. There are two different art museums that are really fun to go to! Also, there are events like Sip N’ Paint and watching kids read to dogs, which is the cutest thing ever. Plus, you can go to the mall and go to Dave N’ Busters, the Mirror Maze, go-kart racing, and much more.
The point of the matter is, your time at Syracuse University is very limited so make the most out of it. There’s a lot to do and see, and you have an ample amount of time so see a lot of it! So get out there, get out of your head and relax on the weekends!
