I will be attending college this fall with an undecided major. I can’t decide between these three schools. I dont have much of an interest in med and really don’t have an idea of what to major in. Social life is important to me and I would be dorming at all three. If anyone could give me some insight into the undecided major I chose or any general advice that would be great! Thanks
Geneseo would have the best focus on undergrads, the students are very strong and academically oriented, and the environment ias well as the campus quite pretty. Stony Brook is more commuter/suitcase (many students will leave and go home so weekends won’t be as social as your circle of friends may not be there, and many have said it’s a bit harder to make friends because little is planned) but it’s the suny 's stem powerhouse. Buffalo is strong for stem, too, but I’ll leave it to people who know it better.
SB is a great school but it is a suitcase school and many people leave on the weekends. I am not convinced you would have the social life you want. It is very strong in the sciences.
Buffalo is strong in the sciences. It is a very big school and has a bus system that takes you between north and south campus. One campus is more suburban and near shopping malls, and the other is closer to the city. Not sure if this is a plus or a minus for you. There is also a train you can take to get into the city of Buffalo. The social life is quite active both on and off campus. There is a very large selection of undergraduate majors with over 20 combined degree programs (ie BS in Civil Engineering + MBA). I would say that UB has a pretty diverse campus.
Geneseo has a very different feel than Buffalo. It feels more like an LAC. It is much smaller and in a rural area. The town is very cute. The selection of majors is smaller than Buffalo, which may be a negative for you since you are currently undecided, or it may be a plus since the choices are narrowed down. Geneseo has an undergraduate education major if that is something that you are interested in. The universities do not. There are a few combined programs. For example, the 3-2 engineering program has students doing 3 years at Geneseo and the remaining 2 years at one of their cooperative institutions: Case Western, Clarkson, Columbia. There are a number of financial aid programs available including grants and work study. You come out with two BS degrees: one in the liberal arts and sciences from Geneseo, and the other in engineering from the cooperating institution. You are also permitted to take up to two courses per semester at the Rochester Area College Consortium- This includes the University of Rochester and Rochester Institute of Technology, at no additional cost. The social life at Geneseo may be a little quieter than UB since it is much smaller and located in a rural area. I am sure there are clubs on campus to get involved in, and you could walk to town. Most of the students are from the upstate NY area.
Undecided between what kinds of majors?
For the majors you may eventually choose, you may want to check on each school’s offerings.
I agree with @twogirls and would take SB out of the equation as it likely won’t have the social life you are looking for. In terms of the other two schools Geneseo is the more competitive for admissions. IMO it depends on if you want a big school feel or more of a LAC/mid size university feel. My D has friends at both who are very happy.
Welcome to the psychology dept of all three schools!
I think this is going to boil down to whether you want a small, rural LAC type school, or a large university in a suburb, close to a city. I agree with happy1.
You should try and visit. Seniors get some days off for college visits - schedule one for SUNY B and one for Geneseo, and see at which one you feel “at home”.