I was disappointed to see that I was only offered the Binghamton Advantage Program, as Binghamton is top on my list. I am currently deciding between Penn State or this program at Binghamton. My major of choice for both schools is Biology (Pre-Med Track). The downside to Penn State is that since I am a NY resident, the OOS tuition is double that of Binghamton. The downside to Binghamton is that I would be paying for a 4yr university only to get a 2yr community college education. I spoke to a teacher about it who is a Binghamton alumni and he believes that I should schedule an appointment with admissions in order to learn more about the program and maybe work something out. We both had questions about the differences in rigor of Bing and BCC classes, what will show on the transcript for med schools, how is the premed program (ex. shadowing, research) is during the first year (if it’s even available), what busing will be like, and ultimately if it is really worth it. Of course the best option would be going to the cheaper school to rack the least amount of debt, but I am concerned with the quality of education. I am also aware of Binghamton’s great Pre-Med program, but I still question if I still get the same resources as other Pre-Med students. Lastly, I’d like to understand the two options of the program (1 yr, 30 credits, 3.2 GPA; 2 yrs, 60 credits, 3.0 GPA) and why wouldn’t it make sense to get it done in only 1 year.
Have you looked at the ratings for biology at both Penn State and Binghamton? US World report would be a place to start although obviously that is just one. When you mention Penn State, do you mean University Park? Have you been to both campuses. Big differences in campus, ratings, etc. Were you accepted to a program similar to the Advantage program at Penn State or where you accepted as a full fledge student of the university?
@lostaccount Thanks for the quick reply. I see that Penn State ranks higher than Binghamton in Biological Sciences (PSU - 42; Bing - 164), which is definitely something to consider for research and rigor. I’ve been accepted to Penn State University Park Main Campus as a full fledged student and I’ve visited the campus numerous times (my sister is currently a freshman there). I scheduled a visit to Binghamton for this upcoming Monday but I’m aware that it is smaller in comparison to Penn State. Do you think that it’s worth going to Binghamton for the Advantage Program over Penn State?
You can read my previous posts. Basically
my opinion is that students ready for 4 year colleges should be encouraged to attend them. Perhaps those attending 2 year colleges should be encouraged to continue at Binghamton if they are academically inclined or they should be at least allowed to live in Binghamton dorms to expose them to a more academically oriented group of students.
There is no circumstance I can conceive of that would suggest a community college is a good idea for a student who is ready for college unless they want to stay in their home community, live at home, save money (or if they have no other options). $15,000 is a good chunk of change to save by living at home. If students need remedial work that is a different story. Students in high school honors classes will find few similarly academically oriented students at BCC. Instead students will see a lot of others in need of remedial programs. IN fact, fully half of students at community colleges need remediation.
Does Binghamton promote itself as the public Ivy and claim that BCC is no different from Binghamton U? . Strong local students wanting to save money by living at home typically go to Binghamton not to BCC. The students at BCC are generally those who did not take any honor classes in high school.
Classes and assumptions at BCC and Binghamton are different. Why someone would go from a high school where they were high achievers and probably took classes with high achievers to BCC is beyond me. I don’t buy the idea that is helps the student unless there are some clear deficits. As you were also accepted to Penn State, you probably don’t have academic deficits.
If the goal is to save money, then what kept you from simply applying to community college in the first place. If the idea was to get a good education, then why would you spend one or two years at a community college? Is the idea to have a name on your diploma that everyone knows? Well Binghamton isn’t that either. Outside NY state you might find you even have to correct people who think you got your degree in Alabama. I do not think prestige is associated with schools that want to get the rent money for their dorms and instead of educating them too, ships them to classes at a local community college. There are some excellent community colleges but BCC isn’t really one of them. If they believe that the first two years of classes at Binghamton and at BCC are the same, why tout the idea that Binghamton is so competitive?
At least read about BCC because that is apparently the school you were accepted to, not Binghamton U. They apparently don’t count those in the Advantage program as their students.
This is from a report about SUNY community colleges:
"Data Brief: Key Takeaways
A SUNY goal is improving performance at community colleges. Do they just mean improve the numbers or do they mean helping more students? The Advantage program will make success rates at BCC look better. But it won’t necessarily impact on how well the actual BCC students perform.
The Advantage program does two things. It fills expensive dorms for Binghamton University and it will improve the stats of BCC. But will it do that on the hides of NY state students who should not be at a community college? When you move students ready for a 4 year college to a poorly performing CC the stats at the CC obviously improve because many of those students probably should not be at a CC to begin with. But do the achievement level of those students who planned fora 4 year college?
Data: http://old.suny.edu/provost/DataBriefRemediationMarch2014.pdf
BCC,
In 2012, 1448 BCC students (are listed by SUNY as ) enrolled in remedial classes. In contrast, Albany, the only SUNY Center listing data, had 48 students taking remedial classes. BCC has 5,952 students (4,113 full time). 66.2% (130) of the full time (FT) traditional BCC students enrolled in reading and writing remedial classes successfully (A,B,C or Pass) completed the remedial course. 70.2% (379) of the traditional FT BCC students enrolled in remedial math successfully completed the class. Pass rates for non-traditional students were lower. Over 30% enrolled in the remedial class did not pass it.
“The vast majority of remedial education at SUNY occurs at the community colleges, which have seen a steady increase in remedial students over the years. In Fall 2012, 97.1% of the total reported number of remedial students at SUNY were enrolled at the community colleges.” Data Brief Remediation, SUNY, 2014
@lostaccount I appreciate your inputs on the B.A. program. Now my question is whether you think I could work something out with admissions or not. A teacher on mine recommended that I email admissions and schedule an appointment, preferably on Monday after my visit. If I do end up getting an appointment, I would be prepared with more questions concerning the program. I am hoping I could possibly work out an offer for Spring 2016 semester, but I’m not sure how often they reconsider applicants (if they do anyways). I have nothing to lose through this appointment, though I worry how it will even go down.
Binghamton says their decisions are final and nonnegotiable but it’s worth a try. Good luck 
Don’t bother…just be thankful they didn’t reject you. Their decisions are FINAL. Sorry…
Have you and your sister each received your financial aid offer from Penn State for next year? With two in college next year, you might both be looking at more aid than she got this year.
If attending Penn State is not financially feasible with out-of-state tuition rates, what other SUNY schools did you get accepted to?
I doubt very much that you’re going to be able to negotiate with the admissions office. You might get “bumped up” later this month to a spring admission if enough students who have been accepted decide to go elsewhere. But, then again, it doesn’t hurt to ask!
I am sorry but I don’t speak for the school and don’t have connections that could provide information about wiggle room. I wish I did. Sometime it is possible to negotiate financial aid with one school (Penn State) if they are motivated to keep you from going to Penn State. Worth a try.
You only stray at the advantage program for two years if you don’t get the grades. Anyone who I knew in the program transferred after one year
ilovedogs521, why did your friends accept the Advantage Program rather than attending a 4 year college from the start?
I think because they like the “prestige” of a Binghamton degree. Also, the lower price in comparison to other schools affected their decision.
The prestige? Compared to what? lol! A bit like pretending not to be at community college.
Most if not all of the people who do the BAP were accepted to several 4 year Schools . They decided to do the program because they want to go to Bighamton and know they will be accepted after 1 yr.You do not need to be insulting and say they are pretending not to be in community college.
The problem is with a program that is taking students perfectly capable of attending a 4 year school and forcing them to attend a community college if they want to go to the university. I think there is something fundamentally wrong with that. It would not be so if the students needed remedial classes. That does not seem to be the case if the students were also accepted to several 4 year colleges. What rationale do you think there is for such a program. Beach12? Do you think a community college offers the same classes as Binghamton U? Are students at BCC really the same as those at BU? Yes I am pressing this issue because I think it unfair of BU to do this to students and I think it unfair for students to be forced to attend a school they prefer less to get an appropriately leveled academic experience versus an inappropriate academic experience and ultimately the school they prefer. What if they gave all Binghamton University and BCC students the option to attend the classes they prefer. Where would they attend?
Do you think these Binghamton University correctly views these students as needing remedial work even if they did get into other 4 year schools?
By prestige I just meant of the Binghamton name when you graduate. I don’t completely agree with that, but that is some people’s opinions
Outside NY, Binghamton is not known. People may ask three times “What did you say again” and then still write down Birmingham.