<p>I want people's opinions on the two. I have made the following pro/con list of my own... feel free to add to it, or just to add your own comments.</p>
<p>I'm trying to make up my mind by Sunday so that if I DO want to dorm at Binghamton, the form goes online on April 15th. And I don't want to spend all this money to dorm if I can't even get the dorm I want...</p>
<p>I would really appreciate any input any of you intelligent individuals have. =)</p>
<p>Stony Brook</p>
<p>PROS
- Easy to get home
- Long Island pizza & bagels
- Known for research advances nationally, if not internationally
- Very affordable
- Has a medical school*
- Accepted into University Scholars Program
- Ability to save money for medical school
- Continue Friendlys job
- Research = HUGE!
- More time to focus on studies, since social life would take a back seat.</p>
<p>CONS
- Feel like Im going to work = commuting.
- Need a functioning car for ALL FOUR YEARS.
- Additionally, gas money = $$$
- Dreary campus.
- Too many Northport-ers/too familiar.
- HUGE lecture halls = HUGE classes.
- Bigger than Binghamton
- Will never have THE college experience.
- Lack of school unity half a commuter school.
- Those that commute, originally plan to do so, in my opinion.
- * Going to the same school for Med. School as undergraduate isnt necessarily good. Fierce competition with others Stony Brook undergraduate graduates.</p>
<p>Binghamton</p>
<p>PROS
- Undergraduate focus
- HUGE Jewish life
- Independence
- Pretty campus
- Get away from parents, but a decent distance away.
- RA = leadership role.<br>
- Has a nursing school backup in case MD isnt my plan anymore.
- Reasonable transportation to and from school. (i.e. Bus, friend, parents)
- Really smart student body more selective.
- BIG study abroad program.
- Smaller lecture halls (approx. 400) = smaller classes in general.
- Wouldnt need a car (maybe in sophomore year, but not a requirement)
- Already foresee myself there/feel at home.
- Change in scenery/setting.
- IVY of the SUNYs reputation.</p>
<p>CONS
- Up to $40,000+ in debt (if current financial situation persists, without being an RA)
- Known primarily in the Northeast (?)
- Rural-ish area* (Though this does NOT have to be a bad thing)
- Weather = mostly rainy and cold. Could be depressing.
- Would require moving assistance to get stuff to dorm.</p>
<p>Just a few quick clarifications... we have nursing also, and the study abroad program is the same, no matter what SUNY campus you attend. So those should be "pro" on both sides, not just Binghamton's. Also, Binghamton has lecture classes too; every school does, to some extent. Assuming that their CHEM 111 is the same as our Chem I course here... looks like their course has 378 slots. So don't assume anything about class sizes anywhere.</p>
<p>A few of your other pros/cons are really dependent on you, not the school. Would you have to commute to SBU, or could you live on campus? And even if you are commuting, why can't you get involved in campus life? Honestly, Stony Brook has a campus life. If you want it, it's there. If you'd rather spend time at home, then you're not going to see it. But believe me, there are things to do on campus. It's all up to you, not to the campus.</p>
<p>That said, I always recommend living on campus if you can, no matter where you go. Good luck in your decision!</p>
<p>Chris</p>
<p>I know that Binghamton has large classes too. I was stating the fact that Stony Brook's lecture halls ARE bigger than Binghamton's. </p>
<p>I would commute to SBU. That's the reason for the difference in price between the two. I could graduate debt free. </p>
<p>I would much rather live on campus though. I know that I could get involved, but the thing is... with all that schoolwork to do, and the commuting time, I couldn't see myself staying on campus for extracurriculars when I have a huge paper to be doing. Whereas if I'm staying on campus, I can go to my dorm room in between, get work done, and still have time for ec's.</p>
<p>Honestly, I'd recommend living on campus at Stony Brook... Is there a particular reason you're not considering that as an option? The presence of the med school and health sciences center here are a huge benefit when it comes to doing medical research and getting clinical exposure, we've got tons of other healthcare professions programs (some of which you can start as an undergrad) if you decide to go with something other than medical school, Bing probably has just as many Long Islanders as SBU, the weather's much better here, you can RA at Stony Brook just as easily as you can at Bing... the list goes on. </p>
<p>If reputation is an issue, I definitely think Stony Brook has a much stronger reputation in a lot of subjects (i.e. most of the hard sciences, psych, engineering, and more), and from my experiences visiting friends at Binghamton, I really think you're imagining the difference in student body caliber--there are many brilliant people here, and I don't use that word lightly. Our campus culture also seems quirkier and more varied than Binghamton's to me.</p>
<p>As for class sizes... once you get past the point where the professor can easily know everyone's face, I don't think there's a huge difference in how big the class feels. There are differences between 20 and 50, 50 and 70, 70 and 100, but once you get past 100 or so the student/professor interactions in class all feel pretty much the same. You're being flat out lectured to at that size, and it doesn't really matter whether there are 200 or 800 other bodies in the room. I will say that Stony Brook is extremely good at structuring large courses well and efficiently, while I've heard that at schools that only have a handful of classes at the 200+ level, logistics are problematic much more frequently because they just don't have the experience to deal with them smoothly.</p>
<p>And now I'm going to go back to studying for my neural development exam and planning the event I'm running tomorrow. Apologies if there are typos or if things seem rambly; I've been up since 5am. Feel free to ask any questions you've got, and good luck with your decision!</p>
<p>Psuedo - I'd go to Stony Brook over Binghamton to save money on room & board. Overall, I feel a better fit at Binghamton. It's not academics per say, it's more the social life, and just... the general feeling I had when I visited. It's one of those things you can't quite explain. But I appreciate your input, and I will be visiting on Saturday =).</p>