<p>I see Stony Brook on the rise.
How good is Binghamton Right now in terms of academics and opportunities there?
I know that Binghamton has a greater amount of school spirit than stony, and the campus is more lively.</p>
<p>Well, this is the kinda thing you’re gonna have to research yourself. I can only give you my views on the topic and you can take them or leave them, I suppose.</p>
<p>There’s <em>really</em> no difference between any two schools at the undergraduate level in every respect except perhaps one or two - Ivy league schools NOT excluded. Do you think that Stony Brook teaches different stuff in Bio101 than Binghamton, or Binghamton teaches different stuff in CS101 than Harvard? Of course not. While there may be senior level classes than Stony Brook would have than Binghamton would have or visa versa, for most of the classes, there are no differences.</p>
<p>This is where you come in: you have to look at the campus culture of the two; the people that go there; the lifestyle you’d live. If either sounds better to you, that’s the one you should go to. I contend that Bing is a better choice for most, if not all, New York Residents than any school in the country. </p>
<p>themandotcom could not be more wrong! There are huge differences between schools. Yes Harvard teaches things differently than Stony Brook. More importantly, the people at Harvard are different from the people at StonyBrook. Think back to high school. Consider the kids who went to schools like Harvard and those that went to a SUNY. The expectations are hugely different across schools as is the overall environment. The classes, expectations and the experience at Harvard will be very different than Stony Brook or Binghamton. I suspect that themandotcom has not spent a lot of time in private universities. I’ve spent time in both. There are no public Ivys. </p>
<p>You’re deliberately twisting my words, I didn’t say “Harvard teaches things differently than Stony Brook” I said that Harvard does not teach different things than Stony Brook. Harvard may or may not teach things differently, though I find that extremely hard to believe. </p>
<p>It’s an incontrovertible fact that CS101 at Harvard or Binghamton teaches the same stuff. There isn’t some secret branch of math that they only teach at higher ranked schools; they teach the same material in generally the same or similar time frame.</p>
<p>" I suspect that themandotcom has not spent a lot of time in private universities."</p>
<p>No, because I’m not a privileged rich boy. I have no debt and make more money than 99% of Ivy League grads. You, on the other hand, have nothing better to do than to try to deride public schools. I in fact wear my public school education as a badge of honor.</p>
<p>You should really feel bad for yourself that your life has sunk so low.</p>
<p>Oh please. I am not deriding public schools. I am being straight forward and honest. There is a place for public schools and they provide economic ways to get a degree. If you have an opportunity to go to a school that is accepted as one of the best in the world, I would advise seizing that opportunity. Nobody puts a SUNY in that category </p>
<p>You allude to not having loans yet SUNY is actually more expensive than Ivy+ schools for those in need. All the Ivy League+ schools currently meet (100%) the economic need of any student who can get in. In fact, their financial package often results in no loans at all. Nothing that doesn’t offer something very special retains the kind of reputation that schools like Harvard have. Harvard does not publicize itself as a “Private SUNY” but Binghamton does advertise itself as a “public Ivy”. Why might that be? Stop being so defensive and cut to the truth.</p>
<p>Is Harvard the be all and end all for every student? No. But it is my opinion that a student admitted to Harvard and Binghamton should go to Harvard. And, that is particularly true for students who are the first in their family to attend college or who have experienced economic hardship. Studies show that the name colleges make a much bigger difference to those students because it gives them entry into a world that they otherwise would not encounter. Upper middle class students usually already have connections-so it matters less for them. If the parents would rather spend the money on a new BMW than a Harvard education the student can still do fine. There are tons of articles and studies focused on this issue. </p>
<p>A SUNY degree does not preclude success. In fact, because salaries in NY are higher than they are in most cities and because so many SUNY graduates work in NYC, the salaries of SUNY graduates tend to be high. If you make more than students graduating from Ivy+ schools, good for you. Take a look at starting salaries by school. Besides military academies, graduates of elite private school tend to have higher salaries. But NY salaries are higher than most too and that is where most SUNY students are from, stay and never leave. </p>
<p>What do you suggest people do who don’t make enough money to send their kids to a $60,000 a year school, yet don’t qualify for FA at a school that meets full need? These kids either get merit aid to an OOS school, or they go to SUNY. I do not spend my money on fancy cars and I live in a small house that requires a lot of work, yet we do not qualify for any financial aid except for HPY, where it will be greatly reduced as soon as I have one kid in college instead of two. </p>
<p>My daughter is at the very top in her HS class with excellent test scores. If an " elite" school is affordable then she can go. If an OOS school gives her merit and she likes the school, she can go. If neither of those two things happen, then she will go to Binghamton. She is a leader, very driven, and smart. She will succeed anywhere because that is who she is. I can’t afford to spend $60,000 on Cornell or Vanderbilt, and I can’t jeopardize my retirement so that she can attend. Additionally, she plans on going to either med school or grad school so for us, college is 6-8 years and not 4. </p>
<p>I agree with Twogirls. </p>
<p>The strongest/best schools do meet need. I am not sure Vanderbilt is one of those but you may find the Harvard is less expensive than schools that have to use money to attract strong students. Harvard uses money to provide financial support to students who otherwise could not attend. it’s different. Merit aid is used to fill seats. Financial aid for need is used for students who would chose that school as their number one choice but can’t afford it. The others use merit aid to attract students who would not otherwise rate the school very highly.</p>
<p>What twogirls is experiencing is all too common. Many top schools including Harvard (and yes, Vanderbilt) meet the student’s full need with grants, not loans. But if you are middle class you may very well earn too much to qualify for need-based aid. Too many of these schools are filled with the very rich who can afford the $65000 year and the very low income who qualify for need. What’s missing from these campuses are the students from middle-class families who were admitted but couldn’t afford to attend. Some of the calculations used to determine whether you can afford aid are insulting. I think this may be especially true in the New York area where the parents’ salaries may seem high but the cost of living is also quite high. These students have three choices: public school (which is no longer a bargain), merit aid at an OOS (but only available if the student is at the top of the school’s gpa/test profile) or loans. It’s a grim choice. My only advice is to get educated about how different schools compute your EFC because some are more generous than others. But the calculations are not accurate for all families (especially if you have your own business). Bottom line, though, is that talent will out. In the long run it is the schools that are missing out by creating a campus that does not truly reflect the nation’s diversity.</p>
<p>Lostaccount, I come from a high-income family in an area with a very high cost of living. We did not qualify for FA even from Ivies or top schools, and we simply cannot afford to send two overlapping kids to college for $60k each per year. My brother and I both chose SUNYs for undergrad. Now I’m at an Ivy and to be honest, I was happier at Binghamton! That’s beside the point though; I couldn’t have afforded the Ivy for undergrad, period.</p>
<p>To refer back to your original question - I just visited the campus with my rising senior. The school is definitely on the rise and has been for the last several years. There is an enormous amount of new building on campus - dorms as well as admin/classroom buildings. (The new dorms are insanely beautiful btw.) Frankly I was much more impressed than I expected to be. There is a new downtown satellite campus and there are plans for further growth. We have been on several tours - one other public and 4 private schools and BU was very impressive. I think it is a school on a big upward trend - and with such a great price tag, even for out of staters, I am shocked it is not more popular.</p>
<p>I think binghamton has a lot of issues. I think the biggest problem for students is the lack of reputation in most places of the state and country. Anyway, Binghamton is never going to be a top tier university unless the suny system crowns it its flagship but it can be a solid regional school with significant ties to the local community. Unfortunately people don’t want to hear this and would rather pretend Binghamton is something that it isn’t.</p>
<p>Now stony brook is a completely different story. Stony Brook is a solid research university especially in the sciences. There is a lot of great stuff coming out to of there and it’s a great place to do research. Unfortunately this doesn’t translate to the undergrad experience so a lot of students don’t really want to go there even for engineering, math or science and those programs tend to be full of international students and this scares away other folks.</p>
<p>Lol.</p>
<p>In response to my comments some have noted that they can’t afford the private schools. My response is that if you can’t afford the private then go to the public school. But that does not change what I have said. There is nothing wrong with a public school education but let’s not delude ourselves. SUNY is not Harvard. I am sure there is overlap in the distribution of incomes of those from Harvard and SUNY. But even if income overlaps, the experiences are quite different and so are the characteristics of the students. There is overlap there too I am sure. But SUNY Binghamton and Stony Brook students are not known to be the most engaged, brilliant, energetic students-whereas those at Harvard are much more likely to be so-not always but more often. But going to SUNY has its advantages too. It’s important not to pretend that there is no advantage to going to a school like Harvard. There are advantages that graduates will enjoy for their entire lifetime. SUNY students can also be successful. </p>
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<p>Reread what twogirls wrote. Reread what fondmemories and rebeccar wrote. There is a class divide that assures a constant and steady flow of “engaged, brilliant and energetic students” to Binghamton and to many other state schools. I know many, many “Harvard quality” students, including more than one valedictorian, who attended SUNY schools undergrad.</p>
<p>I agree with sprinkles about the issues the SUNY system faces. The one issue it doesn’t face is a lack of student talent.</p>
<p>I really don’t need to re-read posts 3 girls with cats. I get it. You’d like to think that very poor and very wealthy students are the only ones at Ivy League schools and that Binghamton is filled with students who got into Ivy League quality college but couldn’t afford to go. That just isn’t true on two account. And it is a good thing it is not true any more. If twogirls’ student gets into an Ivy+ school it is likely they will be able to afford to go. There are two reason why what you say, 3girls with cats, is not really accurate. The first is that the top schools really give very generous packages. And they do that for kids whose families are solidly middle to upper middle class. There really isn’t the big divide refer to. At Harvard, if your family income is less than $65,000 you pay nothing. Up to $150,000 and you pay from 0-10% of your income. If your family has considerable assets you may be expected to pay more. But retirement and the home are not considered assets. Above $150, 000 and it may be more than 10% but it is based on assets, etc. Adjustments are made for siblings in college and nearing college age. If you choose not to spend money on college, that is another story. The second inaccuracy is the idea that outstanding students who are admitted to the Ivy+s and can’t afford to attend end up at Binghamton. That is also quite rare these days. The schools that are slightly lower in terms of credentials needed (but still higher than Binghamton) are offering great merit based packages. These schools have siphoned off the stronger students. There are still very strong students at SUNY but it has changed markedly over the past 15 year. I am not saying you can’t get a great education at a SUNY. Students do quite well. But I think it is very important to be crystal clear about what colleges offer and what they don’t. Binghamton is emerging from 2 decades of horrible management and corruption. That has taken a toll on the quality of the school. That is my opinion. The OP asked the question and I gave my honest opinion. Yours may differ. </p>
<p>@lostaccount I happen to know a couple people who were accepted to Cornell but instead chose Binghamton due to the price. Unfortunate, yet practical.
Also, a lot of SUNY students come from long island, as do I. The real estate is very expensive, the taxes are high and well, I’m lower middle-classed and I really don’t think I’ll be getting much financial aid from any SUNY due to a salary that does not reflect – at all – our wealth. My sister goes to SUNY Cortland and although being over-qualified, she only got about 3k in scholarships. No financial aid.
I mean, I read through your comments briefly, but it seems like you are ignoring a huge part of the demographic.
Take what you want from this, but I can’t even remember what I was on about. C’est la vie, amirite?</p>
<p>Really ThanksKnow? I imagine some got into Cortland and Binghamton. Yes, but most that get into Cornell go there. You can look for yourself. There are plenty of sites that compare the two schools and give rates for preference of one over the other. Take a look. Everybody who is saying that there are an appreciable number of students at Binghamton who got into Cornell but couldn’t go due to cost should look at the stats and pony up! Nope. But I know plenty trying to transfer from Binghamton to Cornell. Yes, there are many who’d like to and some make it out. Good for them. Good for those that can’t get into Cornell but do well in Binghamton. Having alternatives for students at different levels of academic aptitude is a good thing! Not everyone is cut out for or even desires an Ivy league level university. Binghamton certainly fulfills a need. </p>
<p>Not very!</p>
<p>^^^^^^That was a very insightful and classy post Lostaccount! Thanks! /sarcasm off</p>