<p>Why does it seem that New York doesn't have as many prestigious public universities? According to USNWR, 11 out of the 100 top universities in the United States are in New York:</p>
<ol>
<li>Columbia University</li>
<li>Cornell University</li>
<li>New York University</li>
<li>University of Rochester</li>
<li>Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute</li>
<li>Yeshiva University</li>
<li>Syracuse University</li>
<li>Fordham University</li>
<li>SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry</li>
<li>Binghamton University - SUNY</li>
<li>Stony Brook - SUNY</li>
</ol>
<p>Well, the top eight of those are all private. Only the bottom three are public, and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry only has a ranking of #79. You'd think that being the third-most populated state, New York would have a public university system roughly on par with those of California and Texas, right? The private universities at New York seem top-notch, but the public ones are something else.</p>
<p>ESF is a good school for that specialty, not for someone who wants a liberal arts education or a business education. Binghamton/Geneseo/SB are excellent for that.</p>
<p>Remember that Cornell is a land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for its state-supported statutory colleges (College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, College of Human Ecology, School of Industrial and Labor Relations, and College of Veterinary Medicine) .</p>
<p>Great question, I’ve always wondered about it especially after spending time at U of Michigan and visiting U of Virginia. And now that D is in high school I’m looking at the SUNYs and CUNYs and wondering if any of them would be a good fit and wishing that she had in-state options like U of Virginia or William and Mary.</p>
<p>I was intrigued by SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry especially since D may be interested in Environmental Science and there are a couple of positive college visit reports on the boards here. But I also saw some very negative reviews and a 54% “would not return” rating on another site–it was a shock considering the very positive USNWR ranking and description.</p>
<p>You’re asking about public universities but apparently are not looking at the rankings for public schools. Those are separate from the overall university rankings.</p>
<p>Friends very bright son (over 4.0 GPA UG) is at SUNY ESF now. He is very happy there and likes that he can take classes at Syracuse as well. </p>
<p>Depending on the major, there are some great SUNYs they just don’t have the “Excitement” so to speak, of other schools (with big time sports,etc. ) Kids can do very well at the SUNYs and for a fraction of the price.</p>
<p>For a general liberal arts degree, Binghamton and Geneseo are the places to go. Stony Brook is excellent for the sciences. ESF is great for that specialized degree.</p>
<p>I think a lot of people forget that the SUNY system is relatively young compared to these “better” public schools/systems. UVA is (if I remember correctly) extremely old and the UC system is much older than New York’s. We just don’t have as much development as other systems and that (plus a lack of big sports programs) makes recognition lower.</p>
<p>I go to Binghamton and I love it. It is a fantastic school.</p>
<p>It is a shame that the SUNY system is not up to par with that of other states. I’m in a situation where none of the SUNY schools really appeal to me and I’m left in a situation where I have to attend(and pay for)a private school in order to get the college experience I desire. The fact of the matter is that the State of New York doesn’t put enough money into the schools that they have. SUNY Geneso and Binghamton, the most selective SUNY schools have a student to faculty ration of 20:1 and 21:1 respectively. . To put that into perspective 21:1 is the average student to faculty ratio of public colleges in the United States and the students who enroll in Geneseo and Binghamton are not average by any means, these are incredible students and they deserve better access to professors. Even the University of Wyoming has a student faculty ratio of 14:1, and there taxes and state revenues are much much much lower that of New York !</p>
<p>There was once a time when SUNY Albany was regareded as a very prestigious institution; now its simply regarded as a party school with decent academics; why because New York did not give enough funding to SUNY Albany to maintain its academic quality. The State of New York really did not to a good job in ensuring acadmic quality in its public universities.</p>
<p>To answer the OP’s question, IMHO SUNY ESF is the best SUNY school if you are dead set on environmental science(or any of there other specialized majors). You get the benefits of a Small School and the benefits of being on a large campus(Syracuse). Plus I’m sure you’ll enjoy being an Orange fan, come basketball season! I also really like New Paltz since its a nice funky school fairly close to NYC.</p>