The SUNY schools are a great value for NYers. If I were you, I’d want my child to focus on the SUNYs. Albany and New Paltz are great options. What about Plattsburgh, Buffalo (University), Oneonta, Geneseo, and even Binghamton?
In general I think the state schools will give you the best options. The smaller private colleges have very limited course offerings, and are generally not that flexible in allowing students to take summer courses for credit elsewhere.
The private schools also tend be less diverse, so you either fit in to the general population or you don’t.
UMass is known in the state as “Zoo Mass” for a reason.
Umass has been called zoo mass for decades. Having attended Umass in the 80s, (also having 2 kids who are inrecent college grads and a college junior in my family), there is a wide variety of students at most Unis/colleges. If you want to party, you can find that, but if you don’t, you can find plenty of other like minded students and other activities.
Large public Unis are often described as “party” schools, but I think it is an unfair, overly broad assertion.
@JOANE8 “The private schools also tend be less diverse, so you either fit in to the general population or you don’t.”
That is a huge generalization.
My D graduated from UDel. She is not and was not a partier. Loved her experience so much she stayed for graduate school. There are parties, but there are also plenty of people who don’t party at all. It’s a beautiful campus with a terrific Main Street. Every option you could want and incredible mentoring. If you have specific questions, feel free to ask or PM me.
Sacred Heart. My son two years ago came within inches of going there, and it still stings a little that we took it off the list. There was a lot to love about Sacred Heart for him.
But. The deal breakers for us as a family (ok, fine, mostly me) were the lack of on campus housing for upperclass students coupled with the utterly wretched area surrounding the college. There is a lot of crime in the area and I couldn’t live with my son being forced into off campus housing in that area. We loved the school, and they kept coming back to my son offering more money (he has a special something that they wanted) to the point that the cost was better by a lot than instate schools and they showed him so much love that he felt incredibly special. But I couldn’t live with my son ever walking around or driving around that area at night. So I ultimately ruled it out. I still have regrets about that, but we are middle class NYC residents whose kids went to very diverse inner city public schools without ever having a concern, so I think I have a good handle on what is an acceptable risk level. The area around Sacred Heart was well outside my comfort zone.
Son was also accepted to New Paltz and Albany. Didn’t like either of them for different reasons. Albany struck him as too big and impersonal and not an attractive campus. He thought New Paltz was fine but nothing special, although his perception was that it was a hippy school and those are not his people. There is a significant drug culture there.
Siena is very popular in my son’s high school and we know a bunch of kids who have gone there and been very happy. Same with Marist. Marist is GORGEOUS.
I personally know several kids who started at UMass Amherst and transferred out because they felt they were a number not a name. However kids in the honors program seem to really like it. They all say it has a huge party scene.
Hartford is a nice self contained campus. It was a big party school unless that has changed.
Eastern CT State was a school we drove through. I thought the campus was really pretty. It also gives discounts to New England residents so may be a very low cost option. It was too rural for my daughter’s liking but my youngest liked that we saw a big barn nearby. Since your looking in New England what about UMass Lowell?
I’m from CT. A lot of instate students are choosing Eastetn over UConn if they want a smaller college in the same neck of the woods.
I am near both Marist and SUNY New Paltz. Marist is a beautiful campus with several brand new buildings and spectacular river views. I do like the town of New Paltz better, it reminds more of a typical college town. The small town has a funky/quirky vibe with great eateries, cafes, boutique stores. If your into outdoor activities, Wallkill Rail Trail is right near the college with 23 miles of trails for bikers, hikers, walkers and equestrians to use. Mohonk Preserve and Minnewaska State Park are within short driving distances. Both colleges are about 2 hours from NYC. In New Paltz you can get there using Trailways bus with depot right in town. The Metro North train station is a short drive from Marist.
If your daughter is interested in social work both SUNY Albany and University of Buffalo have excellent undergraduate and master degree programs. My son attends Buffalo and loves it.(he doesn’t care about the esthetics of a campus, which helps when attending Buffalo;). The academics are excellent and you can’t beat the price tag. He spent most of this past summer there and I have to say I really loved the area in the summer, winter well that’s a whole different story.
I think you have a good list. We visited Marist and Siena with my S and liked both although he ended up elsewhere. University of Scranton may be another school that could work well if she gets sufficient aid. Adding some other SUNYs may make sense as well.
5 years ago, our oldest daughter had comparable scores. She applied and was accepted at Scranton (compact campus with a warm vibe), Marist (beautiful campus - Hudson views not hard on the eyes; access to NYC), SUNY New Paltz (funky town), Siena (friendly to a New England kid - opened doors and several complimented her on her outfit). All solid options that offered modest merit aid or affordable OOS price tag (SUNY). Good luck!
When I attended UMASS in the early 80’s, it was known as a party school. That doesn’t mean there weren’t many hard working students. I was one of them. I worked quite hard (but also partied pretty hard).
Today UMASS has a competitive Honors College and is held in higher acclaim. I know many who send their kids there because it’s a good school and very affordable relative to smaller privates.