I don't like my colleges anymore

It would also be useful if you told us which schools you are defnitely accepted to. Your other closed thread is confusing. You can’t have heard back from Syracuse or BU yet. Meanwhile, you are posting other responses from a couple of days ago asking about dorm size at Buffallo and the fact that it’s upstate, and worrying about prestige.

You also say you want a traditional college experience, for one year. Generally, urban campuses don’t give you as much of a tradtional experience as other types of campuses do. Also, one year of campus life, when you have made friends, got to know your professors, become involved with groups, figured out the vibe of campus life, and invested a year of your life is probably exactly when the traditional campus experieince starts paying off. Nothing wrong with urban campuses at all, but it’s worth understanding that it can be a little difficult to meet people as a transfer at an urban campus, becuase many people form friendships in the first year and students at urban colleges tend to do stuff in the city. There are probably fall transfer events to help.

I get the feeling you aren’t sure what you want and that you unfortunately didn’t research well enough. In short, You MUST compromise. You will not get every single thing you desire. Almost no one does. Prioritize what is non-negotiable, and what you can perhaps live without.

Please clarify exactly where you’ve been accepted and what your stats are. We can try to help you figure out your best options going forward.

@CalinAmry , we cross posted. I bleiieve you posted in a thread yesterday that you didn’t think some college was prestigious enough. I am aware you got into a U Conn school, but not Storrs. I am not trashing your stats, I did not see them anywhere, and thanks for providing them. AS for CUNY schools, they are not likely to provide you with the traditional college experieince because people commute. This is what I mean that you need to compromise.

If your sister is taking on “tons of debt” for college it doesn’t sound like your parents are willing to pay for any school you want. What I’m understanding from your posts, which were all made within days of each other, is that your parents will pay $30k/year and anything above that will be your responsibility. If your parents won’t pay for a $70k/year school then you can afford a $30k university if they’re committed to paying the $30k/year. Your budget may be a little higher if your 1260 SAT/3.65 GPA make you eligible for merit, but even with the $5500 federal student loan $70k/year colleges will likely be unaffordable.

You mentioned pursuing biology as a major. Are you thinking about becoming a doctor? If you want to go to med school avoid debt for undergrad. You don’t need a prestigious school on your resume to get into med school either. The SUNYs would be fine for that.

Unless I’m completely mistaken, the OP has made it clear that while she no longer values perceived prestige as a meaningful attribute, she nonetheless values the engagement that would be associated with a student body with academic preparation comparable to her own. For this reason, a school such as Temple (382nd in the analysis below) might not be appropriate based on her criteria.

https://amp.businessinsider.com/the-610-smartest-colleges-in-america-2015-9

@merc81 this data is 4 years old…

@collegemom9: The averages listed would be different today, but do you think the relative positions of the colleges have changed much? Would Temple’s have in particular?

OP stated she doesn’t want to be at a college where her stats are at the middle or top of the range. She wants to be where everyone has her stats or higher. If her stats are at the bottom of the heap then her academic preparation would be below the majority of the student body which is the exact position the students at the schools she no longer likes are in. If she believes they aren’t academically qualified to challenge her what makes her think she’s academically qualified to challenge the students at a school where her stats are the ones at the bottom?

There are smart students everywhere. OP’s biggest challenge seems to be her budget. A $30k budget will pay for a SUNY. I don’t know how far it will go at an OOS college. It doesn’t sound like she qualifies for need based aid and, although a 1260 SAT/3.65 GPA are very good, I don’t know if she’ll qualify for the kind of merit she needs for $70k schools. I think compromises will have to be made.

Average SAT score for a ranking seems very limiting since that score is weighted by 1) percentage of engineers and 2) medium family income.

In my opinion, @CalinAmry should visit each campus she’s been admitted to and choose the one she likes best based on her criteria.
Temple, SUNY Buffalo, SUNY Stony Brook are all roughly similar in terms of reputation, academic rigor, setting, diversity. Vibe is likely quite different so that op would figure out if one feels like a better fit than then others. If not picking the cheapest of all good fits is the way to go :wink:

@CalinAmry it seems to me that you are in a very good place. You have several good options that meet your criteria: UB, UMass, CUNY ( have you heard back?). While SB is an outstanding school, it may not meet what you are looking for ( very suburban, probably close to 2 hours into the city by train…depending).

When you hear back from BU, you can sit down with your parents and ask them if they will pay for it …that does not mean co-signing loans and leaving you ( them) with the same debt as your sister. I work with somebody who is currently paying off hundreds of thousands of dollars in loans so that her kids could both attend BU. Trust me when I say it’s very difficult and was totally unnecessary.

I agree wrt SB - it’s fits your criteria the least.
Hope you get to visit UMass and Temple to compare with SUNYs.

I know two recent grads from Temple. Both loved it and are doing well. If you want a more realistic picture, look the the website Niche. Then you can read what actual Temple students have to say about their school.

I think I may have stated this before.

The University of Massachusetts at Amherst — is spectacular.

Top US 25 public research uni , usnwr top 75 out of the thousands of schools.

Large diverse population. A bit of city feel plus the rural setting.

One of the best college towns and access to Smith my Holyoke and Amherst College for classes.

Number one in dining and food in the country. That matters.

Top 10 Informatics and AI schools in country. A highly regarded school of business at Isenberg.

And the historical roots as an agricultural school with the Stockbridge School.

I only state these different groups to give you a sense of the diverse group of kids at the school. Great grad schools too. The vibe is really great.

And it’s a really fun school. With the top ranked men’s hockey team in the country they are going nuts for them at games.

And a big scholarship offer. For me I would stop worrying. If you get into BU and it’s affordable. Great. If it doesn’t, whatever. It is all good. I would personally have already sent in my deposit and bought UMass amherst sweatshirt.

I think OP has made it very clear that Buffalo has already beat Temple in her decision “bracket” and further urging will only stiffen her resolve. And while Temple is a great school, if she likes Buffalo better, that’s a great school too and her most affordable option… and like Privatebanker says, UMass is a phenomenal option too - not quite as urban as OP wants, but hardly middle-of-nowhere. So much to do on the campus, the nearby campuses, and the town… and not that drastic an excursion to get to the bigger cities in the region.

As a BU grad myself, I can see why it appeals and hope it becomes an option, but I would not go into big debt for BU as compared to UMass or Buffalo. It’s not an objectively better undergraduate education IMHO. Being in Boston is fun, but if the cost savings mean you could go to Buff or UMass and spend every summer having fun in Boston and still come out ahead… do that! You can rent affordable summer rooms in Greek houses and co-ops in Boston if you plan ahead, and enjoy the place when the weather is good. For that matter, BU summer session has open enrollment and wide-ranging course offerings, so you can even get the academic experience if you want it, without paying through the nose for eight (cold and dreary) semesters.

Syracuse… same rationale as BU only much more so. Neither the city nor the university is worth going into debt for (or even paying more money that you do have for, IMHO) over Buff or UMass. The only exception IMO would be particular specialty programs in which SU excels - possibly business (although UMass is no slouch there either), fashion design, maybe sports management for basketball devotees… but OP falls in none of these categories. Given the legacy bump and the competitiveness relative to her other acceptances, I think she’s right in expecting to get in, but odds that it will make a better offer that she already has? Meh, not so much.

So… OP, I would encourage you to do some research on your transportation options, since your main objection to Buffalo is distance. The cost savings could buy you a lot of quick, easy and flexible Southwest flights to/from BUF. (Their changeability is great for students, who often find out that a finals schedule has changed and they can actually get home earlier, or whatever.) Megabus serves Buffalo too - I know lots of students out here in NorCal who travel cheaply to-from SoCal on Megabus and find it quite humane - clean and comfortable, with good WiFi to get schoolwork done en route, the better to enjoy their time at their destination! The distance might not be as daunting in practice as it may have felt when driving up to visit. (I can’t remember exactly where you’re coming from and how travel time to UMass would compare.)

Things are shaping up really well, with multiple good options already on the table.

^very good points

Syracuse seems to offer some a range of amenities for college students: https://www.travelandleisure.com/slideshows/americas-best-college-towns.

OK, OP… it’s been a few days. What have you done in the way of fixing this problem? (Says someone else who also had a snow day yesterday :wink: )

I don’t think @CalinAmry has a problem? She likes SUNY-B and it’s apparently affordable. She also likes UMass-A and has a scholarship, so it might be affordable. She’s waiting on BU to see if that’s an option but as far as I can tell she has two good ones already?

As of now, my first choices are UB then UMass, but if I get into BU, it may be my first choice.

UB definitely fits most of my criteria. So it’s very high up my list. And cheap.

Hey guys. Another college update, I got into Gettysburg and Syracuse. 5k from Syracuse. UB is still my first choice though because of its price and diversity. I am waiting on Bing and the first choice Boston University.

Congratulations on your wonderful options!