Ok, so I plan on majoring in Management Information Systems. I like both schools, and plan to apply EA (Bing) and ED (Cuse); they have my major, have basically everything I want in a college, and they’re fun, well-rounded schools. However each school has some flaws for me: Bing - no football team (not the biggest deal breaker but…) and constant construction. Syracuse - has everything I really want, but the tuition is EXPENSIVE for an in-state, upper middle class student, like myself. Which school do you guys think is best? I would love if students from both schools can comment, but I’m listening to everyone!
Do you like football? Some students look for a school with football because they think that school spirit is higher in schools that have football teams. Syracuse has a football team. I assume you know that the real story regarding school spirit at SU is the basketball team right? Binghamton has a basketball team too. If you are really interested in school spirit rather than football maybe you should ask about the school spirit related to Syracuse University vs Binghamton. Maybe there are people who know both schools who could compare them on that dimension.
Binghamton’s basketball team is easily the worst in the country. Go to Syracuse. Better in every department.
Not sure what your question is since you seem to have made your decision. IMO Binghamton the academically superior school and is a good bit cheaper but doesn’t have the big time sports that Syracuse offers. Your decision should depend on what your family can comfortably afford and what you are looking for in your college experience.
SU has some outstanding programs. How Binghamton compares academically is highly dependent on the school or area of study. Some of SU’s programs are second to none-communications, public affairs. Others are excellent and some are mediocre. I don’t think there is any area where Binghamton is stronger but the vibe is very different across the 2 schools. Very different sense of community. Very different location. Very different feel to the campus.
Many kids that go to Syracuse do not have the grades to get into SUNY Binghamton. I know that Newhouse is the exception. So, I’m assuming if you think you can get into Binghamton, you will most likely get into Syracuse ED. I’m not going to argue about which school is stronger in different departments but I will tell you that Syracuse does have terrific networking when you graduate. I personally think you will find the student body more academically inclined at Binghamton which may not be important to you but it is a factor for some students when choosing a school.
Agree that for Newhouse SU would be superior…
Syracuse is a private school, so there is no in-state tuition. If you can’t afford the expensive tuition, I would not suggest applying ED to the school. Especially since Birmingham will be a much more affordable option.
BU is definitely my first choice. It specializes in my major and cheap. However, I kinda wish I was able to get the experience of going to college football games. Like I said, this isn’t a big deal, but it’s something to think about. Also, I hear theres a lot of construction on campus on a regular basis. This also isn’t a big deal, it’s just something to take into consideration…
Construction on campus isn’t a big deal, as long as you’re not living right next to the site. In fact it can actually be somewhat of a positive, especially if the construction is renovating facilities, building new labs, etc. I’ve gone to a school with no football team, and one with a huge sports scene. The reality is, there are maybe 7 or 8 days a year that are game days, and frankly most people only go to a few games a year if they go to any at all.
You admitted that Binghamton is academically better than Syracuse for your prospective major, it’s significantly cheaper, AND it still has an active on campus life. To myself the choice seems fairly obvious. You’ll adapt to not going to a big sports school.
If Binghamton is your first choice then definitely do not apply ED to Syracuse.
If i were you, i will pick BU over SU. Its much cheaper. have you into other sunys?
Invader 71, “Especially since Birmingham will be a much more affordable option.” True but much further away. I believe you meant Binghamton. That was probably a typo but if you do go to Binghamton get used to that if you are talking with people outside of the NY, NJ met area. You will learn to say something like “Not Birmingham. Binghamton. It is in the Southern Tier of NY near the Pennsylvania line about an hour south of Syracuse. It is part of the State University of NY system. Sometimes students call it SUNY at Binghamton”.
Whenhen, Did the OP say that Binghamton was stronger in Management Information Systems on another thread?
Seems doubtful. For that, SU admissions will be much more competitive.
lostaccount, I did say BU is known for their excellent business programs. So, I guess we can assume their MIS program is pretty good.
I graduated from Binghamton in 1971 and I have never had to say “Not Birmingham. Binghamton.” OP, you may want to look up lostaccount’s posts on Binghamton. S/he never states his/her connection (or not) to the school, but s/he almost always posts about it negatively. (For what it’s worth, my daughter was accepted there but decided to go elsewhere, which is fine with me.)
OP, please don’t apply ED to Syracuse if you and your family can’t afford to pay for it. Even if it’s the best school in the universe for what you want, you can’t go if you can’t pay.
Thanks, oldmom. May I ask what you majored in when you went to Bing?
Agree with the rest that you will certainly get used to not having a football team! If you’re looking for sports spirit, I recommend looking into BU Zoo - that’s the student organization that organizes the whole rah-rah cheering and excitement and face-painting and whatever. But I have a feeling you’ll get used to not having an actual football team. School spirit at Bing manifests itself in myriad other ways.
As far as construction, I believe last year they finished up the construction in the central area of the school. It’s my understanding that they’re now focusing on the oldest dorm and building a pharmacy school downtown, which shouldn’t really affect students in the way that it’s been over the past couple of years. My brother’s school has been doing massive construction on the library since he’s been there, making that a huge hassle, but even then he manages and he’ll get a fancy new library out of it.
Regarding the “Birmingham” thing… dude, I don’t know. lostaccount repeatedly insists that no one has heard of Binghamton, you’re going to spend your life pulling your hair out in frustration trying to explain it to people, everyone is going to think you mean the Alabama school, but he has never explained where he gets this supposed information from and I can at least tell you from my perspective that it has not been the case. Off the top of my head, I have friends from CA, FL, GA, OR, and OH who all have jobs lined up back home. And four in Israel. Most grads, though, stay in the NY area and obviously everyone here is familiar with the school and its merits. I recently finished the post-grad interview circuit and I’m not even exaggerating, so many employers commented positively on the Binghamton in my resume. Either they had gone there, they went to another SUNY, they used to visit their friends there, their kids go there… it’s like you enter a sort of SUNYwide alumni network, not just Binghamton. I’m rambling, but the point is, I’ve never said “Birmingham, not Binghamton” in my life. Although there was one kid I tutored at Bing who spelled it Binghampton when he texted me to set up a time; I never figured out if that was a one-time typo or if he was just very confused.
Agreed with @rebeccar. I’m going to a different school (as you can see from my profile pic), but my school also does not have a football team. I’d MUCH rather have no football team than a terrible one. You may have weak athletics in other areas, though. 
But for real, I see Bing and Cuse as rivals. Not in sports, but in the sense that both schools commonly share the same applicants. I was one of them this past year. Didn’t get into either, but I respect both. If you’re more of a sports fan, go to Syracuse. If you’re more of a bookworm, choose Binghamton. I would definitely recommend that you apply to both schools. Personally, I went EA at Bing and RD at Cuse; if your parents can’t afford the expenses at the orange school, perhaps consider that route as well.
political science.
If you aren’t sure if you can afford Syracuse, definitely do not apply early decision. And besides, if BU is your first choice, you shouldn’t apply ED at SU anyways - early decision is meant to be used at a school that you know you can afford and is your number one choice. SU doesn’t seem to be either of those things for you.
And really, this is a question for after you’ve been accepted - there’s a possibility you only get into one of the two schools. Then the decision will be made for you. And in my opinion, if you wait to decide, you hopefully won’t get your heart too set on one or the other, thus decreasing the disappointment if you only get into one of the two.