<p>Hey guys! I used CC a lot while I was applying to colleges, so I thought I would try to give back a bit.</p>
<p>I'm a sophomore at Binghamton. I got off to a pretty rocky start (a really rocky start), but now I love it here. I'm pretty much obsessed with the school and the student life and all of my classes. Anything you want to ask me... from academic questions to social questions to questions about housing, I'll try to help out as best as I can.</p>
<p>Please define “rocky start”? It can’t compare to my childs’ catastrophic start, me thinks</p>
<p>Least favorite thing about Bing?</p>
<p>Are the kids competitive at all?</p>
<p>Is it likely for a deferred EA applicant to get in for RD?</p>
<p>what’s the best dorm to live in?</p>
<p>Is triple-majoring practical?</p>
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<p>I had a lot of social issues. My roommate first semester freshman year was mentally unstable and she stopped taking her medication mid-semester. It caused me a lot of stress and the need move at the beginning of my second semester. I found myself emersed in a whole new group of people and really out of my comfort zone, which negatively impacted my grades. It took me a little while to find my niche, but I did eventually. That was an issue personal to me, though and not a problem with the school, by any means. I’m not sure what your child’s situation was, but I do hope it is being resolved.</p>
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<p>1) That would probably be the city of Binghamton as a whole. It has its hidden gems, but it’ll take a while for you to discover them. Eventually, it becomes kind of an inside joke. There’s some kind of camaraderie and school spirit in the “we love to hate it” respect. </p>
<p>Academically, it would be that it’s so difficult to find a damn advisor. But that’s only in Harpur and that’s what you make of it. </p>
<p>2) Kids are competitive to an extent, but not cut-throat. It’s the general consensus around here that work is our first priority… and we will absolutely get it done no matter what. But we know how to have fun too. </p>
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<p>There was no EA the year I applied, so I don’t have any personal experience in the matter, but don’t give up hope. It’s possible. If you haven’t come for a visit yet, I’d recommend doing that prior to April.</p>
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<p>That really depends on your personal preferences. We have living “communities” here, and everyone falls into one pretty accurately. I live in Newing and I absolutely love it here. It’s the newest community (it was just rebuilt and opened this year) with the best ammenities. The rooms or corridor style and the buildings are really social, but it’s kind of far away from the center of campus and focused largely toward Greek life. </p>
<p>All of the communities have their pros and cons (live in Mountainview if you want to live in a suite but don’t mind a long walk, live in Hinman if you want to be close to the academic buildings but don’t mind small, older buildings, etc.) My personal preference is Newing, but definitely do some research to see which best suits you.</p>
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<p>It depends on what you want to triple major in. I know a few people who are doing it, but they have majors in which the requirements largely overlap. If you want to major in poli sci, theatre, and chem, I’d say probably not… But English, theatre, and comp lit… maybe.</p>
<p>How harsh would you say the grading is? Specifically SOM if you can</p>
<p>also are there any weed out courses you’ve heard of?</p>
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<p>Grading really depends on your professor or TA. Just like at every school, there are some duds and there are some really, really genuinely brilliant people. The brilliant ones tend to grade more harshly, in my experience, but taking their classes is always worth it. </p>
<p>I’m a Harpur student, so my logic is obviously tilted toward that school a bit. I do have a lot of friends in SOM… and usually, they’re nowhere near as stressed as I am. It’s a running joke that SOM is the hardest school to get into and the easiest school to stay in. SOM students definitely have a lighter workload than a lot of people in Harpur/Decker/Watson, and I’d imagine the grading is a little more lax as well.</p>
<p>As for weed out courses… in SOM I really don’t know of any (if you’re trying to transfer to SOM from another school in the university, that’s kind of a weed out in itself… it’s damn near impossible). In Harpur, there are a few. Like 75% of the freshman class (this is not a real stat, so don’t quote me), comes into Bing wanting to be pre-med. Then they have to take Bio 117 or 108 or Chem 107 and they declare themselves as sociology majors or something. I know Psych 111 is apparently the most difficult intro science class, and a lot of prospective psych majors change their minds after taking it. I’m an English major. We’re required to take English 310 after we’ve declared, and if you don’t pass it, it is strongly recommended that you change your major.</p>
<p>How would you describe the social life at bing? What do most people do in the weekends?</p>
<p>Is it easy to get a job with Accounting degree (SOM)?</p>
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<p>The Binghamton “culture” on the weekends is definitely geared toward downtown. Sunday morning, everyone on campus will probably talking about what happened at the frats or on State Street at the bars. But while that’s the choice activity of the majority, it’s not the choice activity of everyone and you’re not “shunned” if you don’t go downtown on the weekends. There are restaurants and theatres and art galleries in the area, and there are concerts and activities on campus that people use as an alternative. That’s also not to say that everyone who goes out, goes out every weekend. Or that everyone who goes downtown drinks. </p>
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<p>In SOM, if you play your cards right, you’re probably better set for a post-grad job than you would be in any other school. Price Waterhouse Cooper works in conjunction with SOM. And it’s not true for everyone, but if you become a PWC scholar and get an internship with PWC, you’re likely to get a post-grad job offer from them too. I have a friend who is graduating in May and going to work for PWC with an $80k starting salary.</p>
<p>Parent here - hoping to bring D for a tour one day next week. Will be staying overnight in the area, seeing city, etc. Any advice?</p>
<p>I was accepted and I enrolled for fall 2012. Bing was my first choice school, and it was a really big reach for me. My SAT scores (600 M, 680 CR, 720 W, 2000 composite) fell within the acceptable range, and my ACT score (31) was way above the requirement, but my GPA was way below (3.4 weighted).</p>
<p>I’m undecided as far as majors go, but I’m leaning towards psychology. (I saw your post about Psych 111, I’m definitely going to keep that in mind!)</p>
<p>I’m kind of nervous that I’m going to be leagues behind other students since I’m pretty sure I barely met the admissions requirements. I’m really excited to be on campus but I feel like I’m going to struggle. Any advice?</p>
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I think you need to give some thought as to why your GPA is rather low. Has it been rising over your hs years? Did you have a bad semester or year from which you had to recover? Or have you worked as hard as you could and that was the best you could manage for grades (I find this unlikely given the SAT scores!)?</p>
<p>My GPA dropped after taking Chemistry, Trigonometry, and Economics, since I struggle with math and similar topics. I’ve always been stronger in English, so my A in that class kind of compensated for my C+ in Trigonometry.</p>
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<p>Don’t come in expecting Manhattan North, and you’ll be fine. 
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<p>In all seriousness… the city of Binghamton isn’t really anything to write home about, but it is what you make it. There are some pretty decent restaurants downtown, and some good shopping if you look for it. If you venture into downtown Bing at all, stay near Gorgeous Washington St/Court St for most of your recreational activities. If you want to see where students hang out, Walmart on Vestal Parkway is where it’s at. </p>
<p>I DEFINITELY recommend taking a tour. They do a really good job with it and you really get a feel for the campus. I don’t know about the frequency of official tours during the week, but they’re in full swing on Saturday and Sunday mornings. If you want more specific recommendations, PM me. </p>
<p>laurie2012, I’m sending you a PM.</p>
<p>Hey. thanks for taking the time out to do this. really nice of you…
SOOO couple of questions</p>
<p>1.) do you know anything about the HEOP program at bing?
2.) how heavy was your course load freshman year?
3.) how diverse is bing?
4.) is bing good for a pre med track?</p>
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<p>No problem! I’m happy to help.</p>
<p>1) I know it’s an EOP program, but I don’t really know anything about it. Sorry. </p>
<p>2) I took 16 credits (four classes of four credits each) both semester, which is normal. 16 credits is considered a full courseload. Freshman can take up to 18, but can’t go over that. You must take 12 credits to be considered full time, but taking only 12 credits is not a bad thing. Some students do that during their first semesters to assimilate into college life. I took all freshman intro classes my first semester, and began moving into 200 and 300 level courses by my second semester. I also came in with a full 16 credits from AP testing, so I was technically a sophomore by the end of my first semester. Sophomore year, I picked it up. I overloaded with 21 credits last semester, and I’m going to 20 this semester. But that’s for later on in your career.</p>
<p>3) It’s… well, it’s different. It’s certainly not as diverse as some schools, but we do have our international students and our out-of-staters and such. It’s just that the majority of students are from Long Island/NYC/New Jersey and are either Jewish or Asian. Seeing a student from Montana or California is like seeing a deer on the quad… it happens, but not a lot. We do get a TON of exchange students from Turkey, for whatever reason, and lately I’ve been noticing a lot of international students from England and France. </p>
<p>4) It’s excellent for the pre-med track. And because of the value you get on your undergrad education here, a ton of people come into the school with the intent to go pre-med. It’s just a matter of toughing it out. Unfortunately, most of those who want to go pre-med end up abandoning those ambitions by the end of their freshman year. It’s difficult, but it’s an excellent program and an even better value. If you have what it takes to get through it, you’re in very good shape.</p>
<p>Thank you, ns. Are there any ‘can’t miss’ places on campus? And where on campus would you recommend getting pizza or other lunch fare? </p>
<p>Walmart? Really?</p>