<p>So I'm having a tough time choosing between the two.
I really liked them both a lot, but I don't know which one I want to go to. </p>
<p>I'm going for elementary education.</p>
<p>Help?</p>
<p>Surprisingly, I have visited both schools. Potsdam is very isolated and, on that basis alone, I suggest that you give strong consideration to SUNY Cortland.</p>
<p>I agree with icy9ff8. Cortland is not exactly a giant metropolis but Potsdam is incredibly remote.</p>
<p>Remote, yes, but it's a gorgeous area up there, and their staff is great. One of my colleagues is a Potsdam alumnus (Crane School of Music) and he has nothing but great things to say about his time there. (And he was a Bronx kid.)</p>
<p>Have you visited both campuses? I'd do that.</p>
<p>Chris</p>
<p>yeahhh i visited both campuses and loved them both, that's why it's so hard to make a decision because they both have such good pro's to them.</p>
<p>Are you closer distance wise to one or the other? That could be a factor if you want to go home often. Did one give a better FA package? Have you e-mailed or spoken with any current students (preferably in your intended major) to find out what the school is like, what there is to do on weekends, etc? If you are/are not interested in a "party" school, do current students see it that way?Also, are there activities you are interested in at one or the other. My daughter is looking at Potsdam and Mansfield in Pennsylvania, trying to make the choice, so we are going through some of the same things right now.</p>
<p>d is a soph Sport Management major at Cortland. Due to her major, Cortland was the SUNY to go to. What I can say about the location, is that Cortland is accessible to civilization. It's on route 81- and she can get to Binghamton- Syracuse and Ithaca within 45 minutes (well she could if she had a car) so she has been able to visit friends who go to school in those areas. Cortland isn't too bad either. There is a bit of a shopping area- has an Applebee's- and a WalMart. Kinda typical for an upstate town.
my understanding is that the SUNY colleges are all pretty strong for Education (I am an Oswego grad)- so Cortland vs. Potsdam for education probably comes down to personal preference. But Cortland does appear to be a bit less isolated than Potsdam. My kid is real happy with her decision to attend Cortland.</p>
<p>Marny, Can you walk to, or is there a shuttle bus that can take you to Walmart and/Applebees? Also, how does she like the food, and how are the dorms at Cortland?</p>
<p>so i just went today again to the Cortland Open House and attended a presentation only for childhood/early childhood ed majors. and i was very surprised by how little they seemed to know and how little options they had.</p>
<p>i thought this was supposed to be one of the best education departments around and yet it was the most limited i've seen which is strange because i've heard such great things about cortland. </p>
<p>i loved everything about it but that, and it's my major so...i don't know it made it 100000 times worse.</p>
<p>lb- that's not too good. I'm a bit surprised too cause I am under the impression that Education is a big major at Cortland. I actually have a Cortland Undergraduate catalog here, so I am doing a quick look re: early childhood educ. majors.
If I am reading it correctly and if things didn't change, it seems like you apply to become an early ed. major only after completing 30 credit hours. So (again- if I am reading it correctly), you can gain admittance to Cortland as a freshman, but you may not be guaranteed a spot in the Early Childhood Ed program until after you complete 30 credits. If you are not accepted, you can apply again after you receive 64 credits. I am looking at a 2005-2006 catalog, so things may be different now.</p>
<p>My neice who is an Ed. major at UCONN had a similar situation. They too limited their spots in the Education department. She needed to apply going into her junior year. Luckily for her. she was accepted into the program. But there were no guarantees.</p>
<p>As my kid is not an education major, I do not know if Cortland (or UConn's) process is common- accepting you as a freshman but not guaranteeing you a spot in the Ed Department until you reach sophomore/junior status.<br>
You may want to compare this with the Potsdam process. That may be a deciding factor for you.</p>
<p>Hi NE Mom. There is a shuttle bus to WalMart/Applebees. Don't know how often it runs-- but there is a definite schedule. The dorms at Cortland are very well kept and it was a very pleasant environment. The food is ok but seems a bit redundant. There's a few fast food places on campus including a Dunkin Donuts and a place to get pizza.<br>
Overall- my kid is having a very good experience at Cortland.</p>
<p>marny1 - oh! you misunderstood, what I meant by limited was the choices they had meaning, usually for a childhood education major you need to pick a concentration in a different subject, and usually the subjects are spanish, math, science, social studies, english...and a few others. Cortland however didn't have as many options as other schools i have seen and didn't have math, which was what I was planning on concentrating in.</p>
<p>I think in adolescent education 7-12 in the SUNYS you need to have a major in a subject you're going to teach but you can actually major in elementary education without another major? I think Cortland has a program in health education and phys ed also.</p>
<p>Oh, post 1,000 - now I look like I know what I'm talking about?</p>
<p>lb- I do not want to give out misinformation so please doublecheck this</p>
<ul>
<li> according to the 2005/2006 Undergraduate catalog- it looks like Early childhood ed majors do pick a concentration which include: "biology, earth science, English language arts, environmental studies, French, humanities, mathmatics, social sciences and Spanish. Concentrations are 30-33 credit hours with a minimum of 18 credit hours at the 300 and 400 level."</li>
</ul>
<p>also check out the course descriptions in the mathmatics department. some of the courses include MAT 101: Concepts of elementary school math 1 and MAT 102 (level 2 of Concepts of elementary school math.</p>
<p>I guess the best thing to do is compare the early ed and math offerings at both Potsdam and Cortland. I think there was also a thread on this SUNY website re: education majors at the Suny schools- you may want to see how the other SUNY's compare with Cortlands early ed structure.</p>
<p>Can't really give you additional info or advice, as we never really checked out the education majors for either of my kids.
Good luck with your decision.</p>
<p>Congrats Muffy on your 1000th post.</p>
<p>I think you are SO smart to attend the presentations specific to your major. When my daughter and I did that (last year - also elementary ed with a math concentration ), the schools REALLY distinguished themselves! Attending those presentations was critical to my daughter's decision-making process. Hopefully, you can attend the presentation at Potsdam and your choice will be much clearer. Good luck.</p>