hey, i live in southern california, and i really want to live in the bay area asap. however, i find this school hella appealing, so if i went here, would it be possible for me to miss california if the surrounding area is different than cali?
Depending on your personality, you could get homesick no matter where you go. Consider our winters here on Long Island–sometimes no snow, other years 2 feet+ at a time. Would that make you miss Cali? (If snow is a total no go for you, maybe reconsider.)
In spring/summer, there are plenty of beaches to go to, and local parks (the Avalon!!) for the rest of the year. Definitely beautiful spots here on LI.
Do pay a visit though because the campus is not exactly what it seems in all of the brochures.
However, LI sunsets are absolutely beautiful at all points of the year, just like those Cali ones 
You will miss California, without doubt. I miss California. I’m born and raised on Long Island…not far from Stony Brook. I also lived in San Fran for several years. I love Long Island for the summer. Hamptons beaches are some of the best in the world - in the summer. Summer here is truly July and August. Spring and fall are a crapshoot, weatherwise. Chances are, you won’t even be here during July and August. Winters are pretty miserable and gray. I’m sorry @fishgill , I agree with all of your points but there’s really no comparison. The Bay Area is pretty awesome year round. As @fishgill suggested, I would also HIGHLY recommend a visit if it is within your financial means before making a final decision.
I grew up in California and I miss it even though I’ve lived on the East Coast for most of my adult life. People who are from Long Island rave about the beaches there. But Long Island beaches don’t necessarily seem that awesome if you’re from California. Just my opinion.
You will probably miss CA but if you are open to new experiences, you might find that there’s lots to discover outside of it. I grew up in LI and live in California as an adult. The eastern area of Long Island boasts some of the best beaches in the world, no kidding. The Bay area is gorgeous and wonderful but sorry, imho, the beaches can’t compare. You can’t swim in most of them while the Hamptons beaches are amazing expanses of sand and warm(ish) water that’s inviting rather than forbidding during the summer. Autumn is also glorious in a way we don’t get out here. NYC is not around the corner but it’s accessible by bus or train for weekend trips. Visit the school if you can. You might find it to be a new and exciting opportunity.
I definitely agree with what you’re all saying! If I lived in Cali and not on LI, I would probably never want to leave Cali. My post was just to show that it isn’t ENTIRELY drab here, even though it can’t compare to Cali (I really think anyone will agree on that point).
As to what @3girls3cats said, NYC is about 40 min to an hour from Stony Brook, ideally. Or you can take a train to Penn Station for relatively cheap off peak. It makes for a nice weekend if you don’t have much to do. Stony is not too far from Ronkonkoma train station, which runs trains to Penn about every hour. Not sure if there’s one closer to it that has as many trains? Someone correct me if I’m wrong.
Winters are miserable and gray like @STEM2017 said, but we did hit a whopping 60 degrees about two weeks ago. That’s crazy for a LI February. But again, if you can’t deal with the dreary days or snow, don’t go to Stony. It will make your college experience miserable as that is the typical weather from Dec - mid March.
@fishgill Always optimistic! Never change!