<p>My daughter is interested in majoring in chemistry (not pre med). She intends to apply to Geneseo, Binghamton, Stony Brook, and UB and has visited each school and sat in on classes at each one. She has found things to like at each school. Any idea which school is the best for chemistry, (profs, reputation, job offers). The posts on the site seem to indicate that Binghamton has lousy profs in Chemistry. Anyone have an opinion? relevant experiences? thanks</p>
<p>I'd have to give it to Stony Brook. It is well known and very highly rated as a research university and it excels in the sciences. It has all the facilities and faculty needed to give a sound education in Chemistry. </p>
<p>Read this for more info:
Stony</a> Brook: World-Class Secret? - New York Times</p>
<p>I'm currently taking intro chem now as a pre-med here at Binghamton. I would say that the workload is intense, but I happen to enjoy my professors. I think there are a lot of things to think about as far as sb/bing are concerned. If your D really thinks SB is better suited for her, then I would say SB is the best choice. The only thing to keep in mind about SB is that it is a suitcase school. I have friends who go there and complain that 75% of the school leaves when friday comes...</p>
<p>Stony brook is quite possibly the worst SUNY ever.</p>
<p>I visited Stony Brook and then Binghamton and noticed how Binghamton was at least a step up in every single area imaginable</p>
<p>Stony Brook is hands down the best SUNY for chemistry. As far as faculty quality, grad school placement, and research opportunities, I don't think there's really much competition. Stony Brook administers Brookhaven National Laboratory, which means access to a level of researchers and equipment no other SUNY (and very few other universities) have. There's a materials science research center on campus. The MRI was invented in Stony Brook's chemistry department, and nowadays there's tons of exciting research going on. SBU has world class chemistry and biochemistry (yep, two whole separate departments, meaning more profs, more resources, and more research).</p>
<p>Plus, although the intro chemistry and orgo courses are big because of the large number of pre-meds at Stony Brook, upper division chemistry courses are small and there's plenty of attention to go around for majors. It's also worth noting that many of the professors are talented and dedicated teachers in addition to being top researchers... I'm a biology major myself, but I flirted with chemistry for a while and really enjoyed the professors and courses here. And I don't agree with Perfectedxchaos's assessment of the social life at all, since in my experience there are always tons of people around and tons of things to do on weekends. The "suitcase school" perception is outdated and inaccurate.</p>