<p>There were a number of posts from satisfied Union students and parents earlier this spring. I just want to check in to see if that's still the case because I believe one or two of the students were freshmen.</p>
<p>I have a son for whom Union could be a possibility.</p>
<p>I'm interested, too. </p>
<p>We just discovered Union yesterday. Need to learn more about it.</p>
<p>I have a friend whose daughter will be a junior at Union, and yes, she is still extremely happy there. Great friends, great academics, excellent opportunities.</p>
<p>My son is a Junior and very happy with the school. You have to really soul search yourself when making a decision. Union is a small place where the teachers really get to know you. There is also no a lot around outside the campus except Albany and Saratoga. If you like a small environment where you'll be in small classes (not too many large/impersonal lectures with 100 people and multiple choice test to hide behind) and directly interact with your profs (no TA's here) it's a good choice. If you do better in a large metropolitan area with lots to do and like large lectures that are more impersonal look elsewhere.</p>
<p>My son just finished his freshman year and loved Union. He felt really comfortable and liked the kids. He has a great group of friends. He found the academics to be challenging and the students to be uniformly bright. He loved the hockey team and said their playoff games against Cornell were among the most exciting sporting events he had ever been to. Because the school is small, it is easy to jump right into things and play a significant role right out of the box.</p>
<p>Schenectady is not a college town and certainly has its problems, but he did start to go out into town more in the spring. There are some good restaurants within walking distance, a very good Italian pastry shop and a new sixplex movie theater (10 minute walk) that he says is beautiful. He will have a car this year and there is apparently a fair amount to do in the metro area.</p>
<p>i'm a big fan of the school, everyone i know who has gone there loved it.</p>
<p>Thank you for your comments. I will pass them on to my son. He'll have a chance to briefly visit Union in a couple of days and I'll encourage him to check it out.</p>
<p>I was accepted to Union regular decision this past spring. A very warm and friendly school. It's just so great all around- fabulous, top notch science and engineering programs, and great humanities/social sciences as well. I decided to go to another school, because I live fairly close to Union and didn't want to be so close to home, plus I didn't think I'd fit in to the social scene (more on this later..). The campus is not in a great area, though I imagine this isn't so much of a concern for a boy (as a girl, I would not feel comfortable walking in that area alone at night). There's not a lot of parking, and no cars allowed first year, so getting off campus can be a bit tricky, but the school seems to have a lot of on-campus events and you could always make friends with an upperclassmen.</p>
<p>I think there would definitely be an element of finding where you fit in at Union, because as per schools in the Albany area, it's known as quite a party school (compared to Skidmore, RPI, etc.). The greeks run the scene on the weekends and drinking is a huge part of the campus culture, but with such strong academics, it is also a serious school in terms of intellect, so obviously the students seem to have mastered the balancing act. </p>
<p>I would definitely encourage your son to check it out, but if he isn't comfortable with the social scene and/or somewhat dicey area (or if you aren't!), then I would suggest Skidmore as another great school to check out. In a much safer, more excluded area, but the town of Saratoga is right down the street with plenty of things to do. Plus, there's no greek scene, so it might be a better choice for someone who is not so into that. It's about 30-45 minutes north of Union.</p>