<p>I'm leaning more to toward buffalo because of its atmosphere (my parents say I'm crazy when I say that) and unique characteristics but I think Stony is the stronger of the two in Engineering Departments though they are both very strong. Anyone want to shine any insight on any of the schools and how I should decipher which one I want?</p>
<p>And if you are wondering, they will cost about the same since I will be dorming at either.</p>
<p>I’m having the same problem deciding as well</p>
<p>Buffalo. Kids all seem so happy there.</p>
<p>Buffalo has great reputation for it’s sciences. My son is a dual engineering major and very, very happy up there. Has offered lots of things for him. Great “fit” and program and he chose it form all 15 schools he was accepted at. </p>
<p>Yes, it is far…but only a plane ride from LI and NYC.</p>
<p>Ha…Buffalo doesn’t hold a candle to SBU.</p>
<p>SBU is a research school…buffalo is a place where students go to get drunk.</p>
<p>^No…UB is obviously a major research university, with many opportunities for undergrads and a very large annual research budget. With so many schools and programs, there are many serious students at UB, including thousands of grad students and internationals and I’m sure the same is true at Stony Brook. It is not a commuter school in the way that SBU is, though there are certainly local students that don’t sleep on campus and a large number who live in off-campus housing, and the campus isn’t a “ghost town” on weekends as SB is often reported to be. At UB, there are many choices/events right on campus that are very well-attended by both residential students and locals. </p>
<p>As far as partying goes, my impression is that it mostly happens off campus, near South, and there apparently are many students that do not drink at all…though every school has opportunities to party if that’s what a student is looking for! I’ve been on campus many weekends and see students studying all over the place…libraries and study centers are very popular, as are the student centers, cafes, lawns, and even in the laundry room, which isn’t something you see at every school! But many of their programs are quite rigorous, so I’d say that there’s definitely a serious and success-oriented culture going on there. I agree with crazed, UB’s students do seem very happy overall and the same is true for the alums I’ve met.</p>
<p>I think you’ve got two excellent choices, so it’s up to you to decide which is a better fit for you and your family! I would recommend trying to attend one of the accepted student days at UB, if at all possible, and definitely get your deposits and housing selection done early…IIRC, they’re refundable until May but the housing on North campus fills up long before then. Also, check out the new sophomore dorm in Ellicott!</p>
<p>Fancyfeast (isn’t that a cat food?)- You obviously know little about these schools and should not be so quick to post a negative response. Sadly, I find many of the student posters on CC to be quite immature.</p>
<p>You state about other state U’s you posted about “Both middle of the road state universities. You could get a great education at either. Just like you could get a great education at most universities-including ivies. It’s all up to the student. Going to a highly ranked school won’t make you smarter.” Why the change of thought here?</p>
<p>To the OP- UB has an incredible science dept. Lot’s of research going on. My son is a sophomore and volunteered in the engineering research dept and they liked him so much they offered him paid research this semester. Unsure which project he is working on.</p>
<p>FYI- Buffalo is opening a new Computer Science/Engineering building, projected to be completed and open in Sept 2011.</p>
<p>My son is doing phenomenally well. Dual engineering major. Works hard every day and has little to no time to get drunk. There are some very hard majors and kids take these academics seriously. </p>
<p>Easier to get into UB than SB, Yes. Better education at one vs the other. Doubtful, as far as engineering goes. By the way, USNWR (not that you should go by all their rankings) ranks UB’s engineering programs higher than SB. Thought you should all know.</p>
<p>…and… I live in the town next to SB. Those HS kids who opted to stay local are doing well there and like the school. I know it has a reputation for unhappy kids, but I have yet to see any. UB kids are likely happier though!!</p>
<p>Feel free to ask more questions or PM those of us who have kids at UB.</p>
<p>Had to post this from fancy feast to put his post in prospective… Even sadder he is not in HS and posting the way he is…</p>
<p>"Grades are overrated. I had awful grades in HS.</p>
<p>I earned 21 semester hours with all A’s from a local CC then transferred to one of the best public universities in the nation. Then I went on to receive a masters from a top 30 university. All of this before the age of 25. I am more educated and have a better paying job than the 2 valedictorians in my graduating class. Suck on that HS!</p>
<p>My HS GPA was a 1.2 and I finished last in my class. "</p>
<p>All this before age 25. Yikes. You went to CC and got a bachelors and masters before 25. You took 2+ years (or time off) to get a Masters. Impressive?? I had my Masters at age 22 and that is with an 18 month (summer required) Masters program.</p>
<p>Last post gang-
Fancyfeast is a freshman. Now I feel better and more hopeful.</p>
<p>"I’m a freshman. I have a big scholarship to TCU. SBU didn’t offer much in way of financial assistance.</p>
<p>Not sure what I want to study but I love extracurricular activities and the liberal arts."</p>
<p>From what I know, Stony Brook is far stronger than Buffalo. As for partying, they’re both party schools. Some kids party, others don’t. I think many people made unfair assumptions about both schools “Kids go to Buffalo to get drunk” or “Stony campus is a ghost town on weekends.” Living in Long Island NY myself, I know tons and tons of people who attend both schools.</p>
<p>From what I see (this is observation, not fact), kids are happier at Buffalo than Stony because of this: My friends (brother’s friends) who applied to Stony were also accepted into much stronger institutions such as BC and UMichigan, but had to attend Stony due to financial issues. Those who applies to Buffalo typically made it their top choice. And so, A LOT of brilliant students end up going to Stony, such as the valedictorians from my school for the past three years (The chain was finally broken, the valedictorian this year was accepted early to UPenn). :P</p>
<p>I don’t know about Engineering, but Stony Brook has far stronger programs (including research) in the Math and Sciences. Their Honors Math program is phenomenal. Stony is a simply higher ranked school, and has a stronger reputation in education. They’re both SUNY schools, how different could their programs possibly be? Stony is the strongest SUNY after Binghamton, I’m sure future job interviewers or graduate schools would rather see Stony than Buffalo.</p>
<p>UB- Ranked 54 for engineering
Stony Brook ranked 64
Binghamton- not ranked in top 100</p>
<p>You really have to go program by program.</p>
<p>Binghamton supposedly has a poor math and engineering departments.</p>
<p>To me 54 and 60 do not count for much. Everyone we’ve spoken to in the field (my friends) knows UB engineering reputation. (They don’t mention SB as my son is not there so we don’t discuss it.) Non of my peers mention they or their spouse as SB grads in engineering but many are UB grads.</p>
<p>Can’t tell you more about the differences between each, so go visit the depts and in this case go for fit.</p>
<p>Odd that Valedictorians go to SB over privates where, if they have the SAT’s would get full or almost full tuition. In my area its attracts bright kids that don’t want to leave home.</p>
<p>[US</a> News Engineering School Rank 2010 | Good University Ranking Guide](<a href=“http://whichuniversitybest.blogspot.com/2009/04/us-news-engineering-school-rank-2010.html]US”>US News Engineering School Rank 2010 | Good University Ranking Guide)
UB- Ranked 54 for engineering
Stony Brook ranked 64
Binghamton- not ranked in top 100</p>
<p>You really have to go program by program.</p>
<p>Binghamton supposedly has a poor math and engineering departments.</p>
<p>To me 54 and 60 do not count for much. Everyone we’ve spoken to in the field (my friends) knows UB engineering reputation. (They don’t mention SB as my son is not there so we don’t discuss it.) Non of my peers mention they or their spouse as SB grads in engineering but many are UB grads.</p>
<p>Can’t tell you more about the differences between each, so go visit the depts and in this case go for fit.</p>
<p>Odd that Valedictorians go to SB over privates where, if they have the SAT’s would get full or almost full tuition. In my area its attracts bright kids that don’t want to leave home.</p>
<p>Well the valedictorians in my area had a tendency to be socially awkward kids who never did anything but study (I’m not implying that they had no social lives, I’m implying that they pretty much had no ECs whatsoever). The valedictorian last year attends SB. The salutatorian attends Yale, and my brother who was ranked third attends Columbia. And thankfully, the valedictorian this year was accepted early into UPenn. :P</p>
<p>But in the end, as many here emphasized, it all comes down to what program. I would personally choose Stony (in case you choose to drop Engineering), but on a general note, I don’t know what would weigh more for you in the future: the overall rank of the school or the rank of the program.</p>
<p>Calvin, I did not mean to slight SBU with the “ghost town” reference…it’s been posted over and over again as a frequent complaint among SB students on the Stony Brook forum here. I believe the school is trying to get more activities going on the weekends and I believe their admissions rep, Chris, has acknowledged that in her posts as well. So I was simply stating that, from a social standpoint, this is a very different climate than what one would find at UB. </p>
<p>Your experiences about vals/sals on LI are interesting, but I suspect that you actually know very little about UB and the student body and programs there. UB has a huge international appeal, especially among the Asian countries, in large part due to the strength of their engineering, math, and science programs. I believe they currently have the 12th largest international student population among US universities. There are a decent number of students who receive awards, fellowships, and national/international recognition at UB, and the same is probably true at SBU.</p>
<p>I believe both schools have similar weight in the sciences and engineering fields and both send large numbers of students to grad schools (both within the SUNY system and elsewhere). Neither one would likely have a significant advantage if the goal was to look for a job on the west coast, as SUNYs are not widely known. So, when it comes down to such closely matched and priced schools, I think it’s all about the fit for the particular student. The OP seems to prefer Buffalo and might find that living in WNY is a very different experience that life on LI…I know my D’s friends think it is anyway, and not in a bad way! If it’s affordable for him to do so, why not take advantage of the opportunity?</p>
<p>UB is a research university. You’ve clearly never been here. Party scene is not so good. Engineering program is ranked higher. </p>