<p>I think rebeccar wasn’t trying to portray Scholars in a negative light necessarily, just assuring people that didn’t get in that it’s nothing make-or-break.</p>
<p>As for Cornell, obviously it has more overall prestige but I can’t speak to quality of education. I don’t think everyone there is elitist, but some are for sure. Cornell is the easiest Ivy to be admitted, for the sheer size of the school if nothing else, and I think some kids that go to Cornell only go because it was the only Ivy to which they were admitted. As such, they feel the need to be extra mean to non-Ivy kids, in the same way that the most insecure girls of the popular group are the ones making fun of people.</p>
<p>Wow haha you really read a lot into my post. I didn’t have any bad experience in the scholars program-- I generally liked the classes, I loved the priority registration. But that was about it. Not that I disliked the rest, just that it wasn’t particularly important or special. I think I’m a better judge of whether it was meaningful than you, to be frank. My friends are all from outside scholars, I muuuch prefer my off-campus apartment to Newing, and I don’t think it’ll be a big deal that I have “scholars!” on my diploma. My acceptance letter to grad school was very personalized, citing a list of things that impressed them, and scholars was certainly not one of them. In my experience the large majority of non-scholar students have never heard of the program. There are pleeenty of ways to get in contact with professors and the president without being a scholar. And nope, it hasn’t changed other than that they’ve expanded it to more students. </p>
<p>No I’m not an ambassador, haha, why would you think that? I like talking about the school I go to and helping people who have questions about it. I’m just answering everyone truthfully. I have nothing against Binghamton or the scholars program. </p>
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<p>I agree with you on this, not sure where you got the impression that I don’t. I can think of tons of schools that are “better” than Cornell, which has a huge rep boost due to the fact that it’s technically an “ivy.” </p>
<p>“Technically” ? Sounds like a bit of sour grapes, it IS an Ivy, Ivy is a very specific and clear group of schools,
of which Cornell is a part, and SUNY Bing is not (despite their self appointed “public ivy” advertising).
The avg SAT to get in is about 200 points higher at Cornell than Bing.
Cornell has had a graduate reach the Supreme Court and others receive Nobel prizes.
Bing has Flo from Progressive Insurance (she is very funny, I will admit).
If you look at any of the major rankings, Cornell is ranked as one of the top 20 schools.
So yes, you can find 15-20 schools ranked higher, and 3000 ranked lower.</p>
<p>I work for a downstate employer that recruits on campus. We go to Columbia and NYU typically,
in part due to geographic preference to go to the best schools in our immediate area. Decided
to travel further this year, went to Cornell, not Bing. We look for business, engineering, comp sci grads.</p>
<p>Anyone can be successful, if they work hard to be a top grad of their school, Bing and many others.
But there are clear advantages if you win the Top 20/Ivy lottery. I don’t think those advantages
last long, for those who work hard and make their own advantages by impressing professors
and employers with your work ethic and talent. </p>
<p>This is one reason I wanted my S in the Scholars program, to have more contact with top
professors and students, more competition, so he can rise as high as anyone at an Ivy/top 20.
I am sure he can make his mark in other ways, if he does attend Bing, which is one
of his top choices.</p>
<p>Jeez, my posts are really being nitpicked. I meant “technically” in the sense that factually, in name, it is an ivy. And as we all know, that’s a term related to sports, and doesn’t make Cornell automatically superior to Stanford, MIT, etc. That was all I meant. I’m not even sure what people are arguing with me about-- jon42396 is upset I made Cornell sound much stronger than Binghamton, blevine is upset I didn’t make it sound strong enough. I guarantee you I don’t have “sour grapes;” I chose Binghamton over Cornell. Plus, like I said, I’m going to another ivy for grad school, so clearly I’m happy with how it all turned out here. My stance is that Cornell is clearly higher ranked and has definite advantages over Binghamton, but I wouldn’t say that it’s <em>so</em> much better that anyone would be an idiot to choose Binghamton, because there are plenty of great opportunities for success at Bing too. Can we all agree on that?</p>
<p>I would not have had my S apply if I did not think he could succeed by going there.
Did a great deal of homework and have eliminated many other schools,
My wife graduated from Bing, also went on to grad school, and succeeded.
So yes we can agree on that. </p>
<p>Congrats on getting into grad school, I am sure you must have had many options
if you got into an Ivy grad school, including staying at Bing for grad school ?</p>
<p>Thank you. Yup, I got my Binghamton acceptance last week. </p>
<p>FWIW, this thread was about Binghamton. The opinions interjected about Cornell do not emanate from anyone associated with it, There’s nothing good to be gained by “fighting back”- since no members of its community are fighting with you in the first place!
I agree that there are people who would be best served choosing a school like BU over a school like Cornell, and my family is testament- 2 of my 3 legacy children chose not to apply there. They felt that fit was important, and for them it was not the best fit.</p>
<p>Can we leave it at that??</p>
<p>to the original poster - so glad you were admitted and enjoyed your experience at Binghamton’s admitted students day! Congratulations!!! </p>
<p>Both my husband and I are alums (from a little ways back) - got an incredible education, met each other, made wonderful life-long friends, and have terrific memories. We are both very successful in our respective industries and have been able to give generously back to the school. Binghamton is well known in the NYC and general area and many employers have a ton of respect for its graduates. (There was a time when I moved SUNY applicants to the top of my pile as they consistently proved to be smarter and harder workers.) We have a son who is a junior and would be thrilled if he were accepted to Binghamton next year- though it is much harder now than when I applied! </p>
<p>Clearly getting accepted to Binghamton this year is a HUGE achievement and you should be extremely proud and excited! Great choice!!</p>
<p>Two more exciting Binghamton Admitted Student Days will be held on April 5 & 6. Invitations go out this week.</p>
<p>Any idea when the next ones are AFTER the April 5/6 days?</p>
<p>@seldoon, can you please provide more details? Can’t find them ANYWHERE. Thanks!</p>
<p>OP was right. What a great Open House. Just went today!</p>
My kid was accepted at Binghamton and we are planning to go to the admitted students day in a couple of months. It was not her first or even second choice school but she is an adaptable kind of kid and is now enthusiastic about attending. The first time we visited school was not in session so it was hard to get a real sense of the place. My biggest concern is the size of the classes. Can any of you comment about that? Are most of the classes large lectures or are there seminars as well? One of the best parts of college for me, was getting to know my professors.Thanks, and I realize I may not be on the right thread so if you can direct me elsewhere, I would appreciate it.
Hey @AmericanGodsFan what’s your daughter’s intended major? I can only speak for humanities but the class size is definitely something that varies and that you can choose when you pick your classes. I happen to like small classes so I picked a lot that were 20-40 students each. I got to know my professors really well. Before I graduated, my English professor gave me a copy of a book he thought I’d like with a handwritten message inside for me and my boyfriend…that was crazy. I’ve taken a good number of ~70 person classes too. I actually didn’t mind those and didn’t have trouble participating or having relationships with my professors. The 120+ classes are generally for big intro lectures-- PSYCH 111, for example. Although I can’t speak for what science and math classes are typically like.