Hi, I’m a first semester sophomore currently currently attending Binghamton University. As I desire to become a special education English teacher, and the fact that Binghamton does not have an education program, I have pretty much decided to transfer schools. I figured out that since BU only has an education minor, I would be in school for at least 1.5 more years here as opposed to if I transfer somewhere else.
I was accepted to SUNY Geneseo for next semester with a $5,000 scholarship per year. I’m still waiting to find out whether I got into the education program, though. If I go to Geneseo I can be certified to teach adolescent English education in 2.5 years from now, and then go straight into a masters degree in special education. So in total that would be about 4 years left in my academic career. (Plus, I want to do speech pathology eventually so that gives me some more time to do that). If I stay at Bing, I won’t be certified to teach English until 4 years from now, and then would need additional time to get a special ed masters.
I’m hesitant about leaving, however, because I don’t know if the transfer will be worth losing my life here. I have friends who are like family and a boyfriend who I love dearly. Plus, I just know what it is like here. I don’t like how the school is so STEM-oriented, though. I know that this is ultimately my decision but I’ve been very depressed lately about this reality even though I think Geneseo will benefit my future. Can anyone provide me with any insight/opinions? Thanks!
If I were you, I would definitely transfer. Bing is a fine school. In fact, my son who is a jr in high school will be applying to Bing as well as other schools since he is interested in accounting/business. As you are well aware, Bing has a great business program. However, in your case, Bing does not even have a major in education. Why would you want to stay there?
I realize that you have a boyfriend, but you can visit him and visa versa. Do not let a relationship dictate your future!! I have been saying this for the longest time and I will say it again, each SUNY has their core competencies. A given SUNY is not the best at everything. That is a fallacy. For example, BING is known for business, math, nursing. They are not known for education. They do not have the resources to be the best at everything. Is Bing the most prestigious SUNY overall? Yes, but how does that help you? Go where you will get the best education in your chosen field.
Suny Buffalo is known for their Engineering and pharmacy programs, Stony Brook is known for pre med and computer science Geneseo, New Paltz, and Oneonta are known for their education programs. Albany is known for business and public policy programs.
My nephew’s girlfriend graduated from Geneseo for education and loved it there. My nephew graduated from Geneseo a few years ago for engineering and he loved it.
You may also want to check out New Paltz and Oneonta as well. I am not sure how they are with scholorship money. I think New Paltz is a bit stingy in that regard, but they have a great speech pathology and education dept.
Good Luck in whatever you decide. If you stay at Bing it is not a terrible thing by any stretch. It just seems like Geneseo, New Paltz, or an Oneonta would be a better fit for you.
I forgot to ask you a question if you do not mind. Overall, how do you like BING? As I stated earlier, my son will be applying and I know it is a great school, but I was more curious as to the overall academic atmosphere. Is it ultra cut throat? I know no college is a cake walk, I get it, but you always hear how BING is made up of alot of Cornell types that are ultra cut throat. I have no problem with competition, I just do not want a total pressure cooker. I also realize that it does depend on what the major is, but overall I was curious as to how you find it.
The other question is how are the writing courses you have to take as gen ed classes? My son is very strong in the math’s etc but he is a bit weak in the writing area. He does ok, but we will be getting him a tutor just to go over essay writing and knowing how to write a good essay. I am not asking him to be Hemmingway, I just want him to be proficient so when he gets to college, he can write a good essay and at least get a solid b or b plus in the course. So I was curious as to how the courses were in that regard. Do the professors grade all the essays like upper level 300 classes or do they understand that it is a 100 level course? In any event, I will have a tutor for him starting now so he develops good habits.
As a side note we are also going to apply to Albany, which has a great business program, Geneseo, Buffalo and some of the other Suny’s. Lets first see where he gets in!!
Thanks for responding!!! I think I will definitely transfer. I also agree not to stay/go to a school just for a significant other or friends. But it is difficult to change. I applied to New Paltz and Oneonta but don’t like it very much.
Also, Binghamton students all bond over how they hate Binghamton. I’ve had a lot of fun here, but almost too much. There’s a lot of partying. The school is very segregated because of the different communities but I absolutely love the layout. I would highly suggest living in College in the Woods for the best people but every community has their own reputation. As for my English classes so far, they are very easy… too easy for me, I’m actually in one of them right now and it’s sort of a joke, albeit interesting. I suppose it depends on who you have for a professor though. The classes are too big for my liking also. But good luck! Thank you again.
Nononononoono you are going about this all wrong. You should not major in education. You need to major in the subject you want to teach. You then go to grad school for education. Bing has a grad school for education or you can go somewhere else. In New York, you need a masters to teach. No one cares if you majored in education - in fact, no one wants you to major in education. NY requires you have the equivalent of a bachelors degree in the subject you want to teach, so that is what you major in at Bing. Let me know if you have more questions.
Source - teacher who went to Bing for English then grad school for education.
There is nothing wrong with majoring in education.
Have you considered SUNY Plattsburgh? It has a 5 year program where you come out with a masters in 5 years. My D has an undergrad degree in childhood/early elementary education with a music concentration and a masters in special ed. Once you are in the program, you don’t have to reapply for a masters and your last semester of undergrad, you take grad level courses at undergrad tuition. Since it’s a SUNY, you should be able to transfer your courses.
Geneseo doesn’t offer masters. My friend’s D, who majored in education there, had to apply to masters programs and didn’t get any financial benefit as the Plattsburgh program gives you. Also, Plattsburgh gives merit money and if you got into Bing, you probably have the stats that could get you money there.
Since you were an English major, maybe you can help me with my question. My son is still in high school and will be applying to the SOM. Who knows if he will get in directly from high school, but all you can do is hope. He is a good student. However, he is not Hemmingway. He is not a terrible writer, but he is not the best.
My question is this. For the gen ed requirement, do you have any recommendations on which comp 101 to take? I was not sure if you had different courses that you can choose from that would satisfy the requirement. He is not into books like the Romeo and Juliet per se or the Scarlet letter which he is reading now believe it or not as a jr in high school.
I know it all comes down to the professor. Some grade tougher than others. I understand that. I am not going to bother to ask you how you found the course since you are an English major. It is akin to asking the math major how he or she found calculus 4 lol
@euve69 Look at WRIT111 (it’s called “coming to voice” or something). It’s a really broad, generic intro writing class. You have to write one personal narrative, one research paper, and one op ed. Most people take it because it gets that composition gen ed out of the way and while it’s impossible to know who the teacher will be - they’re not taught by professors - it’s pretty easy to do well especially since you’re writing about what you know.
Hey guys! Im a senior here and i just wanted to clarify something. Binghamton DOES offer a masters in special education. The way Binghamton does it is as an undergrad you major in what you want to teach, then you would enter the grad school of education and can either go into regular teaching or special education. And if you do a minor in education as an undergraduate you can complete both your bachelors and masters in 5 years instead of the typical 6 which will save a year. Not sure if the original poster knows this or not, but at Binghamton you can save a year on your masters degree and still go into special education and you would become very familiar with the area you want to teach. I understand the poster may not like Binghamton, but i think it is a stretch to say everyone bonds over how much they hate it. I have met very few people who do not like it here but the majority of the people i have met would not want to be anywhere else
