Onondaga Community College - Syracuse, New York

Josh D.

I just want to shout out to the president, Dr. Warren M. Hilton. Since taking on the presidential role at OCC this school has nothing but improved. From how the faculty respond to students to the overall quality of your education. All it takes is one stroll through the campus and the proof is in the pudding. Dr Warren continues to allocate funds into the correct places allowing the school to continue to grow where needed. Also special shoutout to Coach Piraino who has made many junior college young men turn D1-D2 . This school gives you what you put into it. Lastly treat others how you’d like to be treated the staff here work tirelessly to ensure the operations run smoothly and effectively for all alumni’s to succeed. My first semester has been a dream at OCC and I can’t wait to continue my learning experience.

Outfield 2.

This school is only looking for profit. They will charge you for anything they can get their greedy hands on. Absolutely screwed me over ensuring financial security and left with a giant bill I never agreed to. Shut this trash down.

Paul J.

Super sketchy billing
Watch your billing like a hawk
Hit me with a $63 fee MONTHS after I was paid and registered for my Jan 20th class.

Trey C.

Charged me for an entire semester that I never attended all because I told them two days late that I wasn’t able to attend this semester and nobody did anything to try to help, lady on phone was rude and dismissive. Beware once you click register now they will do nothing to confirm whether you are going or not, they will give you random classes and charge you full price. How ironic the place that is supposed to be affordable will charge you for not going, and will make no exceptions to try to help you remove charges for services you never received. Guess I just made a $1600 donation 🙃

Alexandria R.

Graduated here a bit ago. Overall, this place is aesthetically beautiful. The wildlife, overview of the city, and sunsets while having headphones make you enjoy your free time there.

However, there are a lot of things I wish could be improved here. For one, the dining experience is interesting. None of my friends enjoy it, there is occasional food poisoning, and the allergy/diet accommodations are few to none and staff are only given a seven minute training for accommodations through video. I warn anyone who plans to live on campus with allergies have a good lawyer and doctor or connections at school that will care about your health because the meal plan is mandatory and I have been told by my friend with celiacs that it is complicated to get accommodations without getting mistakes in their food that is life threatening. There is a food bank that can provide meats and veggies but Wegmans/Aldis nearby will be your best friend. Also, there is no food available on Sundays/Saturdays until 12pm.

Living on campus without a car is a struggle, but I have heard Veo scooters are now on campus. Nevertheless, unless you have a friend who lives on campus with a car, each week will grow increasingly frustrating if you're stuck on campus. Parties are abundant but can be frustrating if you study diligently. Only building B has a kitchen in the room and I don't recommend using the public kitchens in A or C. The dorms are way better than other SUNY dorms, but make sure to document any problems and contact maintenance, unless you want to pay extra fees. Make sure you have friends to dorm with you and get a single room, because you could get ANYONE. I have had nightmare experiences with suitemates using my things without permission, and unfortunately a lot of my friends have had that problem.

There are lots of good staff, and there are staff who do questionable things. Look at RateMyProfessor and definitely ask people for info on previous professors. I'm lucky to have had most of my instructors, since they are amazing people. One concern I have is the amount of stress they have from the workplace, which means stress on students. Expect this to be commonplace and understand they are people too. Micron is making big changes and it's overwhelming staff and students.

Transferring and financial aid have been frustrating. I had to figure out everything myself on how to transfer because the transfer services are frustrating to reach out to and bring more questions than answers, so you'd be more in luck asking for help from the transfer institutions in the college you're transferring too. With financial aid, all I can say is make sure you look into it every week/month in case miscellaneous fees are charged and make sure to apply for TAP and FAFSA if able. There is a joke here that everyone has problems with financial aid here.

Near the end of my last semester, changes were being made to the program I was a part of. Beforehand, a lot of my classes I needed to graduate with were cancelled and I ended up with credits I could not transfer with, classes I was overqualified for, and courses that ended up being too crowded. As a result, I will have to take another year at my new institution. Some courses are cancelled without reason, so do be wary. One of my friends had to confront the dean to fix this problem or else they would not graduate. Overall, talk to your professors once you get screwed over like this and they will help. I am lucky to have had the professors I had, but I felt there was more stress than there should've been with my college experience.

Overall, I enjoyed my time here and made countless connections, but I question if I would be better off at a 4 year. I would suggest coming here if you would like to get back on your feet, like me, or take a few courses or just imprive your GPA. If you expect to go to a 4 year college and you want to save money at a community college, I recommend you do more research.

On the more good side of things, you will definitely find amazing people and friends here.

Olga I.

When you need to call the main school number, student central..beware..the lady that answers the phone is incredibly rude and unprofessional, and will not help direct you whatsoever!!

Alyssa M.

This “school” is absolute trash. The “advisors” don’t ever reach out or actually advise anyone. You are always left to fend for yourself. Like creating your own schedule not really knowing what classes to sign up for. Only to have the school change your schedule a week or less prior to the semester starting. Also, Financial aid here is a joke. No one helps you or explains anything to you and you are always greeted with attitude. They randomly send an email (no phone call, no advisor reaching out for a heads up. Nothing. This was also one week prior to Summer semester starting) they take aid away after saying it was due to “poor grades”. I received a final GPA for 2022 Spring semester of a 3.75. When I called them based on the issue expecting them to say that it was a mistake, they claimed it was due to a “PACE score” which I have never heard of. Or knew about before this happening. Had I known withdrawing from classes back in 2012 when I was 18 years old, fresh out of high school, also dealing with a stalker situation that stopped me from going to classes, would effect my financial aid (TEN YEARS LATER!), I NEVER would have tried to go back and finish my degree at this “college”. DO NOT EVEN BOTHER GOING HERE! Spend your time and money at a school that actually WANTS to see you successful!

Kory B.

I graduated from OCC and overall I liked it. It has it's pros and cons. The professors were very nice and engaging. A diverse student body makes for interesting classes. Like many other people, I agree that the administration is awful. It takes forever to get a response and you never get the same answer twice. They need more help or something. I ended up owing money for my final semester that I believe could of been avoided with better communication. My advice is to not be afraid to be a little aggressive with them. Keep track of your records and accounts.