<p>Anyone have personal info or specific info on these schools or visited?</p>
<p>Still early search and we are considering these among others. Anyone can tell me more than I would know from searching the school's website?</p>
<p>Son and I really liked St. Lawrence. Visited 3 times between spring and fall 2004. Beautiful, beautiful campus, outstanding athletic facilities. It was a serious contender. </p>
<p>We couldn't, however, get over the location. Very isolated. Also, while the school was on our radar there were 2 students who died. A female committed suicide in her dorm room and a male was found dead in the river that flows through town. Apparently, he fell in while drunk. Very disconcerting.</p>
<p>I would say that Union would be considered the strongest academically of the three and also has a great campus.</p>
<p>Clarkson is even more isolated than SL. Union is in Schenectady-- nice campus, but... Definitely more going on in the Alb/Schen/Troy are than Potsdam. The difference in academics would depend on your intended major.</p>
<p>i really like union- great campus, strong academics, good reputation, a lot of school spirit leading to a tight sense of of community</p>
<p>Well, I'm not a student at Clarkson or St. Lawrence, but I do go to SUNY Potsdam so I am right in the area. </p>
<p>Clarkson's campus is a bit spread out over the town, so you could be living blocks away from where you have classes. Potsdam is a really small town with not a huge array of things to do, but it has it's charm and it grows on you. </p>
<p>St. Lawrence I don't know as much about, but it has a very nice campus and a good reputation. Canton is another small town just like Potsdam, small and cute.</p>
<p>They're both in very safe areas, and you'll meet tons of people with the 4 colleges within 20 minutes of each other. If you're into the outdoors, there's a lot of good activities available. The mall is about 40 minutes away from either, not a huge mall.. but a mall none the less. There's a bigger mall in Watertown about an hour and half away. Montreal and Ottawa are close enough to drive in about 2 hours or less, which make for really great day trips or weekend getaways. </p>
<p>I speak of up here as a lifelong Long Islander.. it was a shock going to rural upstate New York, but after 3 years there I love and appreciate it a lot, and I'm so happy I don't go to school in a more built up area. It's a nice experience.</p>