Binghamton Advantage Program vs. University at Buffalo for CS and Applied Math

College Search & Selection
1

I made it to quite a few top schools (Columbia, Stanford, NYU Stern, Northeastern, Boston University, etc), but they are giving me insufficient financial aid. I can’t afford to pay a lot for college for the first year. Binghamton and Buffalo are both offering full rides inclusive of room and board.

The problem with Binghamton is that they want me to join in fall 2018 or go to SUNY Broome Community College for the first year. I’m uncertain as to how going to Community College for the first year of college will impact me in the future. Binghamton is ranked better and upholds more prestige than Buffalo… Binghamton is attractive, but the fact that I’ll have to go to community college for the first year is upsetting.

I have a startup planned out and I’m starting it in freshmen year. I need you guys to take this factor into account before you advise me.

I’m leaning in close to deadlines and I only have two weeks left to decide. May 1 is when they expect my response by.

Please help me out so I can make the best choice.

2

@phoenixrising9 i would not downplay Buffalo, esp for CS and Math. It is actually just as strong if not stronger for CS and Math. Buffalo is a member of the selective and prestigious American Association of Universities (AAU) consisting of the best research universities in the country that also meet other criteria (such as faculty ranking, etc…). Check out www.aau.edu. While the quality of students is better at Binghamton and Binghamton is a more selective university with more rigorous programs in general (hence the higher ranking and more prestige), I would not waste a year at community college–you don’t deserve that—and be kind of an outsider at Binghamton (only living there and having to commute back and forth each day to community college, esp. in harsh winter weather) when you can be moving forward with your life as a full fledged student on campus at a fine research university on a full ride?

3

Since you are getting full tuition at UB, I would def choose that. Are you a presidential scholar at UB? A year of community college? No way.

As trackmbe3 says, just because SUNY Bing is rated higher overall, doesn’t mean you can discount UB. UB is well known for their CS program Just a couple examples for you but my nephew just graduated from UB in CS and had so many opportunities lined up before graduation. He loved the program and frequently went to computer hacks at really great colleges-didn’t have to pay a dime. He had a job before graduation and is still involved in research at UB.

My son is a senior physics/math major who just applied to many of the top aeronautical engineering grad programs in the country and got into all of them. U of Southern California, U of Colorado at Boulder, U of Illinois at Champagne-Urbana, and U of Maryland. That says a lot about his education at UB

4

Prestige should not be a priority. It’s more about how to use your time and your money.

If I were you, I would do one of two things:

  1. I'd just go to Buffalo.

Maybe you can transfer to Binghamton later to get a degree with Binghamton on it.

Or maybe you can transfer to NYU or Cornell to get a degree with one of those names on it.

But I wouldn’t waste my money going to a school with more prestige for four years.

And I wouldn’t waste my time going to a community college for a year. That’s ridiculous.

I’d go to Buffalo for free, learn what I had to learn, follow my dream, have some fun, and avoid wasting my money and wasting my time.

When it comes to job hunting, maybe some companies will care about where you graduated from. After that, probably no company will care. It’s more about what you did and what you know and who you know (e.g., you’re a friend or relative of someone who works at the company).

The way it is with CS is not like the way it is with MBAs or JDs. In business and law, your school makes a difference - some companies and firms will only hire Ivy League graduates, and some companies will even only hire from a specific Ivy League school. But in CS, I think companies generally don’t care about that. They just want good, smart workers.

  1. I'd take the year off and go to Binghamton in the fall of 2018.

During that time, maybe you can drop $15k to $20k to go to a coding boot camp for about 3 months. These bootcamps are more directed toward career changers but are more about practical skills than theoretical knowledge.

You can also get a head start on CS by learning stuff on your own.

And you can get going with your first attempt at a startup.

Good luck.

5

Definitely choose Buffalo. If you feel insulted by the idea of spending a year at CC, then Buffalo would be the smart choice here.

6

Help me out here. The same student who was accepted to Stanford and Columbia was offered a deferred acceptance to Binghamton after a year at community college? Something doesn’t jive.

In any case, SUNY Buffalo is an excellent university (AAU member) and should be your choice between community college and Buffalo.