Admissions

I encourage all freshman planning to attend Upstate to become active in student life. Join at least two or three organizations and be completely devoted. Also, remember to stay focused on academics. Its easy to become distracted with friends and events. At the end of the semester your GPA matters the most.

Make sure you park correctly or you WILL get a ticket. Coming to school 10 minutes early, if you commute, isn't a bad idea at all since parking is always an issue at Upstate.

If you're in high school try to earn college credits in your last years or the summer of your senior year. Look for as many scholarships; www.fastweb.com and www.collegeboard.com is a great site.

Try to make it to every class and do not skip out because it would be your luck that the day you skip out the teacher will have a pop quiz and missing out on that could truly bring you grade down. Try not to procrastinate! that was a major issue of mine. i waited the night before the test to even open the material. trust me that does not do you any good! stay on your teachers good side and make frequent meetings with them, the better they know you the more potential you have to pass the class with at least a B. get involved. there are so many organizations to choose from. remember this isn't high school and the teachers wont just send you outside in the hall. the teacher has the ability to completely withdraw you from their class and never let you come back for the rest of the semester. REMEMBER: YOU ARE PAYIING FOR THIS!

I would suggest that you make sure that you get involved in some way or another on campus! Don't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone! However, don't get so involved that you put your studies aside. I have had many friends who decided to be lazy, not come to class or do the homework because they thought Upstate was just a community school that they could get way with anything and ended up losing their scholarships! If you manage your time well, you will be able to have fun, make friends, keep your grades up and keep your scholarships!

Come in with an open mind and a goal of getting involved. College is all about putting yourself out there and making a name for yourself. Upstate is the perfect place to start that process.

Don't drive freshman year because parking is not that great.

Be ready for a whole lot of walking in order to get around campus. Make sure to have a ride because the post office is not on campus. Also cafeteria food isnt all that it is cracked up to be they basically serve the same food but the school has many resturants around campus but the main one open at night is Sandellas also the best day to eat lunch is on wednesdays. Also make sure not to slack off during the school year you dont want to do that because then it is tough to pull back up at the end of the year. Make sure to check out all your teachers on ratemyprofessor.com in order to see what you are getting into trust me it saved my butt plenty. Dont worry about trying to make alot of friends that will come naturally. Also make sure to talk to your teachers and advisors, they are people too and it can help you in long run.

The dorms are suite style and huge. If you're a science major don't freak out about the information being thrown to you, just study everyday and you'll be fine. Get involved and meet a lot of new people to make your college experience fun.

Do everthing early and make sure that you have your school work on time.