Campus Questions

My daughter is a hs jr and is looking at University at Buffalo.

Buffalo seems like a good fit from size, quality of school and her potential major and budget.

She’s currently thinking about a major in Communication Disorders. I understand that’s one of the few majors with most classes on the south campus. Would she then most likey want to dorm on the south campus or she could still dorm on the north? Either way isn’t it going to be a good bit of time spent going back and forth on the bus? How much of a PITA is that, especially in the tough winters up there?

How “nice” is the campus in general? I realize I’m in a Buffalo forum so the answers may be a bit partial. No offense to Albany, but I recall visiting many years ago and it being a pretty ugly campus, but the recollection is vague. Does Buffalo have some attractive buildings and open green spaces? Are the facilities all in good shape with nice classrooms? We’ve visited Rhode Island and Towson so far, anyone have any comparisons to either?

It’s going to be a 7 hour trip up there that we’ll probably do late summer, but I’d like to feel somewhat comfortable about these 2 things before we commit to visiting.

Most freshmans have there classes at North Campus. It’ll be better to dorm at north campus because most freshmans live there. The stampede bus will go from south to north and vice versa

Rise2246 is correct, that most freshman classes (and most students) are on the North Campus, and it would likely make the most sense to dorm on North Campus freshman year. I’m not familiar with that major’s requirements, but as she moves on in subsequent years and most/all of her courses shift to South campus, she’d probably want to live off South Campus (which also gets her closer to the medical campus downtown, if that is part of her experience). I’m sure you can call or email someone at the department (or ask if you visit) to get a feel for what most students in that major do.

If she has courses on both campuses, the buses run constantly (it’s a 10 - 15 minute trip at the most), and you can track their real time location with a phone app. Is it a PITA? That’s subjective I suppose. Winters are indeed rough, but how one takes it is up to the individual. Experiencing four years on a small, single campus could be viewed as either comforting or stifling, while going between separated campuses could be viewed as either varied or disruptive. It’s all perspective.

There’s plenty of open space. The North Campus was built in the 70’s, and for the most part looks it. There are newer, more architecturally interesting buildings, but if ivy, brick, and leafy lanes are a prerequisite, then North Campus isn’t going to work. Facilities are well maintained, and snow management is pretty much a non-issue (Buffalo “gets” snow management, I can assure you). I read in one post that it is like a well-run small city, and I think that describes it well.

South Campus is the original campus, and is far more visually appealing, with a traditional college look and feel. While it has it’s own campus life, most activity is on the North Campus. Students constantly shuttle between the two. I would say South has a college feel, and North has a university vibe. In comparison to Albany, I would say UB has a more open university feel to it, where UAlbany architecture is more “modern” and somewhat smaller. But neither is “cozy”.

That said, having two students at UB, there is the opportunity to do pretty much anything at UB, academically, experientially (to steal the buzzword), and personally that you could want. It’s a very large school, so if you don’t reach out, those opportunities will pass you by. But they are there for the taking. We’ve had a fabulous experience there.

Good info. Also got a lot of replies to my reddit thread that we helpful.