My D was admitted to both schools and now has to make her decision. We have visited Bing and are planning a visit to Geneseo next week. I realize they are very different types of schools but does anyone have any thoughts. MY D has no immediate plans for a major but probably more liberal arts focused than math or science.
@whozitnow I graduated from Geneseo in December have taken quite a few classes at Binghamton as well, as I am a Binghamton native and am hoping to go there for nursing. What would you say is most important to your daughter when looking at colleges: academics, social life, the general area? I’ve found that both schools are very different in these respects so knowing what is most important to her would definitely help.
As far as academics are concerned, I personally enjoyed Geneseo’s small class sizes much better than the large lectures at Binghamton. I took one semester of a year-long course at each college, and the course at Geneseo was about 60 students with professors teaching the labs, while the course at Binghamton has over 200 students and sometimes TAs will teach the lab. Personally, I liked the small class size at Geneseo more, but your daughter may feel differently.
Socially, I thought that Geneseo was a very tight-knit community (~5500 students), and Greek life definitely has a big presence on Geneseo’s campus (about 30% of students are involved in Greek life). Binghamton is a much bigger campus and I don’t see people I know every time I’m walking around campus, and Greek life definitely isn’t as important here. I don’t know if joining a sorority is something your daughter is interested in, but it’s probably good to keep in mind.
Lastly, Geneseo and Binghamton are very different in terms of environment. The Geneseo campus is small and walking from one side to the other always took me about 15-20 minutes. Off-campus housing was very easy to find (and cheap) and all within a 20 minute walk to campus. I always felt safe walking home alone at night, and I know many people who would always keep their doors unlocked. That being said, Geneseo does not have much to do around town, and you’ll have to drive 30-40 minutes to Rochester to go to the mall and whatnot. Binghamton, on the other hand, has many shops super close to campus and also has a mall, sporting events, and concert venues in the area. I personally love all that it has to offer compared to Geneseo. Although the area has a lot to offer, there are downsides. The campus is very spread out, and you would definitely need to take a bus to some locations, as well as to the bars downtown. Although the campus is very safe, I can’t say the same about downtown Binghamton. The areas where a lot of off-campus housing is located are not very nice and somewhat unsafe.
I hope this information is helpful to you, and if you have any more specific questions that would help feel free to ask!
Wait until you visit both schools. In high school I was incredibly into Geneseo and knew it was the school for me; once I visited, I was really turned off by the incredibly rural area and lack of anything to do in the surrounding area. I liked the vibe at Binghamton much much better. Your daughter might visit Geneseo and love the small feel, but what I’ve garnered from talking to people is that most who visit both know immediately which they prefer.
Thanks for both of the responses above. I think you are correct that it will come dow to the campus visit as both are very different places. Looking forward to visiting Geneseo later this week.
@whozitnow My oldest daughter faced a similar decision 4 years. Prior to the admitted student visits, I thought for sure she was leaning towards Binghamton but after the visits, Geneseo was her choice. In my opinion, Geneseo did a better job of connecting during the admitted student visit - perhaps due to it being smaller. She’s had a great experience and is involved in a sorority and other activities. It’s also a beautiful campus and we love to visit the area.
We recently attended admitted student day at Binghamton with my middle daughter and while it was better than 4 years ago, the ability to connect is still missing - other schools have done better, in my opinion. While I’d love for her to attend due to cost, it’s not her 1st choice right now.
That said, one thing you may want to consider is the options and depth in majors at Binghamton since your daughter is undecided. My oldest started out majoring in psychology and then switched to business. For business, Binghamton offers more and her decision might have been different if that had been her major 4 years ago.
Good luck with your visits!
Off to admitted students day at Geneseo tomorrow. Really looking forward to it!
Geneseo in my opinion is stronger for liberal arts. The class sizes are generally smaller and the atmosphere is more laid back. Binghamton does have more variety, some majors that aren’t offered there but a lot of times you have grad students teaching and the instruction can be hit or miss.
We loved the campus and vibe at Geneseo (very warm and welcoming with a small private college feel) based on admitted student visit but I think my D is leaning towards Bing because of the size. Off to Bing in a few weeks for more of the same. My D would be very happy at either school. Good luck to everyone as you finalize your school choice for next year. Just glad the process if finally over!
Glad to hear. Update after Bing pls?
I’m in a similar situation. I have been accepted to Bing/Geneseo/SBU. I have a full ride (basically) to all three. I want to study medicine, and I was wondering which would be the better choice. I’m hoping to move on to an Ivy League medical school, so insofar as connections, I know SBU would be the best. Help!
Just back from the Bing admitted students day and my D is choosing Bing. Both were great options but she felt the size of the school and overall vibe at Bing were better suited for her. We saw the dorms, dining halls and recreational facilities at Bing and the improvements to the campus in the last several years are impressive. Maybe not ivy covered gothic buildings or a picturesque college town but they are obviously investing significant money to improve the physical plant. In the end, I think my D just felt the college experience at Bing was a better fit for her. As parents, we would have been very happy with either school. Good luck to all.
Thanks for the update! I think there is something to be said for the $ SUNY is pumping into Binghamton. Good luck to your D!
@schroscat do what you think gives you the best shot at med school. If that is Stonybrook, then that is your answer! I’ve not been therr, so can’t comment.
But, I think you would only be slightly benefitted. All 3 are great options. Do you like SUNY SB?
Thank you for the update!
What is there to do on campus or within walking distance?
What about the town of Binghamton? I’ve heard rather negative reviews (ie., not much to do, rather depressed/gritty).
There is nothing really walking distance from the campus (except chabad if you’re into that). It is kind of isolated in a suburb. The exception is the nature preserve which is lovely to visit during the fall or spring. The city isn’t as bad as the students make it out to be. The shopping in the surrounding area is to be honest, a little lacking, except Wegmans is great. But there are a number of nice parks, restaurants and other activities in the binghamton area. Many students don’t really get to see that since they only go to the few bars on state street and walmart. It’s not new york city but there are things to do.
Like all cities, Binghamton has nice areas - and not-so-nice areas. I am quite familiar with the area. Aside from driving through the sketchy areas to enter onto a highway, there is no reason to go to those areas. They are residential or industrial - and not destinations. The campus is walking distance to Vestal Parkway, but probably walkable only to those establishments closest to the campus - Denny’s, Nirchi’s (pizza), etc… The greater Binghamton area is fine, but nothing thrilling. Vestal Parkway is like most other commercial highways - lots of strip shopping centers and big box stores. The City of Binghamton is fine downtown, but if you venture a few blocks off the beaten path, it is sketchy. Bus transportation to/from campus is outstanding - easy to get where you need without a car. Look - Binghamton/Vestal is by no means a “college town” in the traditional sense, but it has what you’d expect of a smaller market (shopping mall, minor league baseball and hockey, etc…).
@sprinkles12 @itsajoke : Thank you very much for the report!
What about Geneseo - was the town prettier/less generic? Were there things within walking distance? Any Wegman’s - or even Walmart or other store? Is there bus transportation from/to campus?