<p>1st tier: Binghamton, Geneseo, Purchase (for the arts)</p>
<p>2nd tier: Buffalo (good engineering), Stony Brook (t1 for sciences)</p>
<p>Lower: Albany, etc. There are like 76 SUNY campuses including community colleges, so I’m not going to go through them all.</p>
<p>The SUNY system was purposely set up to have different campuses have different focuses/strengths. There is not one ranking system that fits all student’s needs. It’s not like most states that seem to have one “Main Campus” vs the lower tiered “Satalliete Campuses”. </p>
<p>In your case (with possible bio major or well-rounded options), look at the schools (perhaps Stony Brook, Binghamton, Geneseo, Buffalo) with stronger programs in those areas and think about whether you want a small/large, urban/rural population and where you would fit in.</p>
<p>For other students looking at different majors (who might also be following this thread because of the title) don’t necessarily listen to the posters who just call certain schools “the best” or “worthless.” </p>
<p>For example, SUNY Purchase has the only conservatory in the SUNY system and is very well respected for musicians/actors/film majors (and is very hard to get into - with very low acceptance rates in those programs), Buffalo has the only architecture program (also competitive), Geneseo is more of an LAC, compared to Binghamton which is a larger university, so even though they accept similar stats, not all students would choose one over the other. New Paltz (voted “Hottest Small State School” by Newsweek) would be a much better choice for an artsy student than, say, Stony Brook which is better known for science/medical. </p>
<p>Maybe blind ranking works better in other states, but not NY. Look at all the factors before knocking any of the schools, because there are some excellent programs, and the system was specifically set up not to have the schools ranked in one way.</p>
<p>APU has hit the nail on the head…but this is a 5 year old thread!</p>
<p>HaHa. Didn’t notice that since someone brought it up again and there have been recent posts. </p>
<p>Still, the overall info on this thread is related to SUNY programs which some others might be looking at now. Seems like there are some good options for a variety of kids.</p>
<p>Hope the OP got to go where he wanted!!</p>
<p>1st tier: Binghamton, Stony Brook, Geneseo
2nd tier: Purchase, Buffalo, Oswego
3rd tier: Albany, Oneonta</p>
<p>The rest.</p>
<p>I think that the university centers are the most prestigious ones among the suny’s. The smaller suny schools like Geneseo or New Paltz only have a few good programs and majors that stand out. Binghamton, Albany, Stony Brook, and Buffalo receive the most money so therefore they have more options to expand in more areas of study.</p>
<p>Binghamton and Stony Brook are really good for science and engineering, as well as business and medicine. Buffalo has the distinction of being the only state school that has a pharmacy program. Albany is really good with the liberal arts and social sciences like Economics, Criminology, and Communications. </p>
<ol>
<li>Binghamton</li>
<li>Stony Brook</li>
<li>Albany</li>
<li>Buffalo</li>
</ol>
<p>Stony Brook lacks a social life as many people commute from Long Island and the city, and go home on the weekends. There aren’t many parties that go on during the semester from what I have heard. Binghamton is definitely the most diverse of the state schools. It becomes increasingly difficult to get into each year, especially with the current state of the economy. Furthermore, it’s just as daunting if not more to stay in and succeed. Although Binghamton sends a lot of students to Med School and grad school. They also have a lot of connections with employment recruiters and internship agencies. So if you are able to get into Bing and stay in, you may find the degree to be rewarding.</p>
<p>If you are just looking for a quality school at an affordable price, Bing is the way to go. The smaller schools are pretty good as well if you are looking for a specific area of study and/or a smaller campus.</p>
<p>In order: Binghamton, Geneseo, Stony Brook. Apply to Cornell too (might as well, some of its schools are public) and DEFINITELY apply to Northeastern - I think your profile is above that of their average student so you might get a merit scholarship</p>
<p>The state supported parts of Cornell such as the Ag school will be cheaper than a private school but more expensive than a SUNY school – certainly worth a look. Of the SUNY schools, I think Binghamton is a pretty clear #1 with Geneseo an excellent alternative, particularly if you want a smaller environment. Stony Brook is very good in the sciences as well. I don’t knwo as much about Albany and Oneonta but they would likely be fine safety schools.</p>