Student Life

On Campus

Special Events and Ceremonies

Each August, first-year medical students begin their journey here with Student Orientation. This six-day program includes academic and social events which introduce students to the campus and give them an idea of what to expect.
On the first day of Student Orientation, the College of Medicine holds its annual White Coat Ceremony for new students and their families. During the ceremony, first-year students are welcomed to the profession, recite an oath, and receive their white lab coats from second-year students.
Each year, the Medical Alumni's Parents' Committee gives free copies of Atlas of Human Anatomy to first-year students, Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine to second-year students, and Practical Guide to the Care of the Medical Patient tothird-year students.
Each winter, first-year medical students organize and conduct a memorial service honoring the people who donated their bodies to the Human Anatomy class. The service is attended by students, faculty, staff and the families of the deceased.
Fourth-year students celebrate their residency match successes at the annual Match Day Brunch and celebrate their graduation at the Parents and Friends Reception the night before commencement.

Campus Activities

A large part of college life takes place outside the classroom, and Upstate is no exception. We offer 45 student clubs and organizations including ballroom dancing and student government, special events and
athletic programs.

The Campus Activities Governing Board schedules social, cultural and recreational programs for students including first-run movies on weekends, a guest lecture series, comedy hours, weekend getaways and discount tickets to local sports and cultural events.
The Campus Activities Building (CAB), located next door to our residence hall, has a computer lounge, snack bar, bookstore, TV lounge, pool, sauna, gym, squash and racquetball courts, treadmills, step machines, Nautilus, tennis courts, billiards, ping pong and more.

Our intramural sports program runs men's, women's and/or co-ed leagues in basketball, volleyball, softball, football, racquetball and soccer.

Campus Housing

Clark Tower, Upstate's residence hall, houses 170 students from all four colleges. The 10-story building has clean, attractive, affordable and fully furnished standard rooms, studio apartments and two bedroom suites. Clark Tower also has study rooms, computer rooms, private and shared kitchens, lounges, a recreation room, laundry, storage, fax machines, copiers and change machines. An optional meal plan is available through Sodexho Marriott Services.

Clark Tower is next door to the Campus Activities Building (which houses our athletic facilities), one block from University Hospital, and a short walk from the Health Sciences Library and academic buildings.

Students living in Clark Tower receive convenient on-campus parking, free cable television with Home Box Office movies, voice mail, and discounted long-distance telephone service. All rooms are wired for Internet access. Undergraduate students under the age of 21 are required to live on campus if they are not from the local area

Off Campus

Upstate, along with its neighbors Syracuse University and the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, form a dynamic hub known as University Hill. Our proximity to Syracuse University, which is right across the street, gives our students and staff the opportunity to participate in the intellectual, cultural, social and athletic aspects of life at a large university.

Combine our three campuses with nearby LeMoyne College and Onondaga Community College and you have a town filled with students, academics, research centers, computers, libraries, hospitals and great sports. Add abundant, affordable housing and a cost of living at the national average and you have a great place to go to medical school.

Syracuse—the fourth largest city in New York state—offers a rich city life. Within walking distance of campus are many restaurants and shops on “the hill” at Marshall Street and downtown in Armory Square.

Also nearby are three large shopping malls with movie theater complexes, the Onondaga County Civic Center (home of the Syracuse Opera and Syracuse Symphony Orchestra), the Everson Museum of Art (designed by architect I. M. Pei), the Museum of Science and Technology (which houses an IMAX movie theater), Syracuse Stage, Landmark Theatre, Syracuse University's Carrier Dome, Onondaga County War Memorial (home of the Syracuse Crunch hockey team), and OnCenter convention center.

A short drive will take you to the Rosamond Gifford Zoo at Burnet Park, which has one of the world's most successful elephant breeding programs; the New York State Fair, which attracts national musical acts and nearly 1 million visitors each year; and P&C Stadium, home of the Syracuse SkyChiefs baseball team.

Though decidedly urban, Syracuse is surrounded by beautiful countryside and farmland. Numerous parks and lakes offer countless opportunities for boating, fishing, golfing, hiking, hunting, skating, skiing and swimming.

The Finger Lakes, Lake Ontario and the Thousand Islands are within an hour's drive of Syracuse. A bit further you will find the Adirondack Mountains and the major winter recreation areas of New York State, Vermont
and New Hampshire. Located in the very center of New York state, Syracuse is less than half a day's drive from New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Toronto and Montreal.