NYT article: New York is the place to be

<p>CHocolate, my daughter is in the same range too. She is also looking at some privates: Moravian, Castleton State, Monmouth and Rider seem to be the top choices. May I ask where your daughter is looking?</p>

<p>My middle daughter is a super-achiever, also and she is coming into her freshman year and already preping the SAT so she can be on the path to run the world someday. Seriously. That's her goal. Gotta love it!</p>

<p>zoosermom, d is looking at Iona, Mt. St. Mary's, Towson, and Sacred Heart (we are Catholic). Her gc has indicated that kids with similar stats have gotten into those schools. For the suny's, she will apply to buffalo, albany, new paltz (has suddenly become very interested in np), cortland and oneonta.
Initally, she wanted to look at more southern schools, but recently her interest has cooled in this regard. </p>

<p>Iona is a "commuter school" that is making a great effort to become more residential. We have a close personal friend whose son goes there and he absolutely loves it (and says there is lots to do on the weekends), so she has insisted we look. I will reserve judgement until I hear what they have to say. They are having an open house tomorrow. If you want, I can pm you with my impressions.</p>

<p>I wonder if anyone has experience with high SAT kids with high GPA , many AP /IB courses going to Crane Music School at Potsdam . . I am worried about the laid back Potsdam aspect of the school where he would take his other non-music courses or is the music school very separate from the rest of the SUNY there ?? </p>

<p>They also seem to have a ton of scholarships there for a State school which would make it very affordable with a student who needs $$ for graduate school. I hear the campus is another moonscape but located in "collegetown area" that also houses SUNY Canton , St. Lawrence U. & Clarkson . Lots of trips to bars in Canada where the drinking age is lower and lots of skiing .</p>

<p>Son is now at NY Maritime - transferred to complete his engineering degree and prefers small school. Students seem smart, professors better than last school and the facilities are better as well. No complaints. SUNY Maritime is tops in its field - so if you are interested in the marine business, only the Federal academies are competitive and they are in their own class. OK, so being on a peninsula in the SE Bronx isn't the greatest, but the bus and subway can take you into the city. For an engineering degree, it is a great deal.</p>

<p>New York's report card grades in the national "Measuring Up" study may not be stellar but does show that the higher ed. situation in NYS is in pretty good shape. New York has a high percentage of adults with college degrees and this does strengthen the state economy. On this score, the A- in Preparation and the high B in Benefits are encouraging evaluations. Less encouraging is the "F" in affordability - (this shouldn't be much of a surprise even to those who advocate a raise in public tuition rates). So New York is both popular and expensive - according to this study, NY still leads the pack when it comes to those states that do not offer "low-priced college opportunities". Will a flunking grade in "Affordability" spur efforts to do better when it comes to providing lower cost higher education options?</p>

<p><a href="http://measuringup.highereducation.org/reports/stateProfileNet.cfm?myYear=2006&statename=New%20York&cat=10yr%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://measuringup.highereducation.org/reports/stateProfileNet.cfm?myYear=2006&statename=New%20York&cat=10yr&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>If you look at the stats for other States you will quickly notice that this organization gave "F" grades to almost every State for affordability.</p>

<p>edad, I notice that. I would love to know how NY, and a state like Va. received an "F", and how New Jersey received a "D". How is New Jersey somewhat more affordable to the average NJ kid?</p>

<p>good point, northeastmom. Interesting too, that California got a C- and that (at least from what I gather from reading this thread) many California people find New York to be a good higher ed deal. Actually, I did notice that NY is not alone with the "F" - 43 other states got the same abysmal grade and there were no A's or B's - seems that this organization started out by giving every state an "F" in this category and is looking for, and hoping for, improvement in this area - according to a related article in Inside Higher ed, the states that did the worst, and still rank among the worst, in affordability are those states that have rising tuition rates and rely on aid that is "increasingly focused on merit". </p>

<p><a href="http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2006/09/07/reportcard%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2006/09/07/reportcard&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>According to the National Center for Educational Satistics, last year the COA at Rutgers-NB was $21,185 instate. How is that a D for being affordable? Suny Binghamton's COA according to NCES is 15,990 and NY is getting an F. COA at UVA, according to NCES, was 16,907 for an instate student. VA. also received an F.</p>

<p>Northeastmom, it seems that the data generated from this study does not distinguish between public and private institutions but looks at the overall comparative picture state-wide in order to compose a national snapshot. The basic question they ask for affordability is "how difficult is it to pay for college in each state when family income, the cost of attending college, and student financial assistance are taken into account". To do this, they looked at the % of family income needed to pay for college minus financial aid, state investment in need-based financial aid as compared to the federal investment, also what part of income that poorest families need to pay for tuition at the lowest priced higher ed institutions, as well as the average loan amount that undergraduate students borrow each year. According to the 2006 report, New Yorkers take out larger than average loans and struggle to pay for college compared to the rest of the country. </p>

<p><a href="http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=514752&category=STATE&newsdate=9/7/2006%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=514752&category=STATE&newsdate=9/7/2006&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Basically, the major thrust of the study seems to focus on the fact that, on the whole, the nation's colleges and universities have become less affordable for students since 1990 and not much has been done to reverse this disturbing trend.</p>

<p>While the New Jersey higher ed system gets good grades compared with other states such as New York, the study reveals glaring inequities in terms of access that puts it among the worst in the nation. </p>

<p><a href="http://publicbroadcasting.net/thenight/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=964521&sectionID=1%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://publicbroadcasting.net/thenight/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=964521&sectionID=1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>I did not realize that private college costs were being considered as well. Thank you for explaining this to me. It is about 5,000 cheaper/year to go to Bing (instate) than to attend Rutgers-NB (instate).</p>

<p>Can this be constued to be a move into a postion to try to grab the coveted "flagship U" banner in NYS? </p>

<p>
[quote]
The president of the State University of New York at Buffalo has set an ambitious goal of making the school one of the top research universities in the nation, by recruiting more students, hiring new faculty and expanding the campus.</p>

<p>University President John B. Simpson announced the expansion plan on Sept. 28 during a speech to the faculty Senate.</p>

<p>The university’s master plan is to increase its size by 40 percent over the next 15 years, attracting 10,000 new students and 750 new faculty members, with a campus large enough to accommodate them all. The plan will include the three locations of UB; the North, South, and downtown Buffalo campuses.</p>

<p>“This is an undertaking of historic proportions,” Simpson said. “It is the first time since the construction of the North Campus in the 1970s that UB has undertaken such an ambitious plan.”

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<p>While quite a few critics might agree that this plan is "seemless", more likely the aim is to create an integrated campus and facilities to attract faculty and students alike - build it and they will come.</p>

<p>
[quote]
“The vision for making UB a bigger and stronger institution is also a vision for how UB and Western New York can strengthen the vital partnership that binds them together,” Simpson said.</p>

<p>Robert Schibley, a professor at UB’s School of Architecture and Planning has been asked by Simpson to devote his time to the master planning process.</p>

<p>Schibley’s message is that “an excellent university attracts” and that “the core of your ability to attract is from you faculty.”</p>

<p>“If we’re going to grow 40 percent we have the chance to improve the physical quality through that expansion and growth,” he said.</p>

<p>Schibley said that the physical changes to the campus will promote a “seemless campus” between all three of the UB campuses and the surrounding areas. What Schibley wants to see UB turn into is “one campus with three centers.”</p>

<p>“A lot of this is about connecting to our region, and the economy of our region,” Schibley said.</p>

<p>In economic impact alone, the University contributes $1.5 billion each year to the economy of Western New York. Schibley said if UB grows by 40 percent, the economic impact will grow as well.</p>

<p>“Having a major research university located here is a real asset for the people of Western New York,” Simpson said...</p>

<p>“There are no great cities without a great hometown university,” he said.

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<p>UB also intends to continue to intensively recruit foreign and OOS students. It may be of interest that:</p>

<p>
[quote]
UB is ranked 11th out of 3,000 U.S. universities in the number of foreign students attending. Half of the foreign students at UB are from Asian countries; 500 of those are Chinese students.</p>

<p>Page said Chinese students are important to UB because it was the first U.S. university to establish an exchange relationship with China after the normalization of relations between the two countries. They have had a strong working relationship for 25 years.

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<p><a href="http://www.legislativegazette.com/read_more.php?story=1693%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.legislativegazette.com/read_more.php?story=1693&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Those new recruits should see Buffalo this morning! 14 inches of snow, a travel ban in effect, 100,000 going to be without power until at least early next week, trees and powerlines down all over the area, miles and miles of cars stuck on the Thruway since last night while the snow continues to fall, and all on October 13! Yikes! :)</p>

<p>Alwaysamom, talk about the snowbelt - yikes is right! Hope you are alright under all that snow! and don't forget it's Friday 13th ... for all you triscadecaphobics out there.</p>

<p>''This is an extremely rare event for this early in the season,'' Niziol said.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/nyregion/AP-Buffalo-Snow.html?hp&ex=1160798400&en=a8d60ae0b1688bb5&ei=5094&partner=homepage%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/nyregion/AP-Buffalo-Snow.html?hp&ex=1160798400&en=a8d60ae0b1688bb5&ei=5094&partner=homepage&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>All the climatologists looking for jobs and research grants to study global warming are probably disappointed. Oops, I forgot: they have decided that even cold weather, or indeed any other unusual weather condition, can be attributed to global warming.</p>

<p>katonahmom, no worries, I'm in Toronto, not Buffalo. We have a beautiful sunny day with blue skies here and nary a snowflake. :) We get the Buffalo tv stations here so I was watching it on tv this morning and talked to a friend who lives there by phone. </p>

<p>edad, I don't know how, or if, it's related to global warming but lake effect snow in Buffalo is a common occurrence, just not usually this early in the season. However, they're predicting temps up in the 60's by early in the week so then it will be flooding that's the problem</p>

<p>No wonder that snow and snow-related weather are hot topics in Buffalo. Anyway, I have to admit that this is far too cold for me for October - global warming or no global warming (I think even edad can agree on this one).
Granted, it does take an awful lot of snow to paralyze Buffalo!</p>

<p>
[quote]
While cities like Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia are regularly paralyzed by "unexpected" snowfalls of a mere four to six inches, the Buffalo area is very well equipped for snow removal, and the university rarely has a snow closing. People moving to Buffalo should not be unduly concerned by its snowy reputation; instead they should be happy that they are choosing an area which enjoys a delightful quality of life.

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<p><a href="http://www.cas.buffalo.edu/commentary/buffalo-weather.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.cas.buffalo.edu/commentary/buffalo-weather.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Btw, my keyboard was sticking and the words "construed" and "position" got mangled in previous post.</p>

<p>
[quote]
Numerous colleges locally are on a housing construction spree. State University College at Brockport is building 200 beds worth of townhouse-style housing on campus; it is scheduled to be open in the fall 2007, as is a complex of 366 beds being built at Monroe Community College. Nazareth College will start construction in May on a 150-bed residence hall, the same month SUNY Geneseo plans to start construction on an 80-bed connector between two residence halls.</p>

<p>Hobart and William Smith Colleges, having recently finished $21 million worth of residence hall renovations over five years, is already talking about other housing options.</p>

<p>Behind all this activity are a variety of factors, said James Baumann, director of communications for the Ohio-based Association of College and University Housing Officers International: growing enrollment; many college dorms date back 35 years or so, necessitating replacement; and students interested in staying on campus longer.</p>

<p>Nazareth's new building — 150 beds in suite-style — should solve a housing overcrowding problem, said Mike Lawrence, vice president for student development. This fall, 183 of the school's 481 freshmen were tripled up in rooms intended for two people, he said. The college also will be renting a number of apartments from a French Road complex next fall to accommodate its students, Lawrence said.</p>

<p>In some cases, the housing is intended for students who otherwise would be living off campus. The percentage of Brockport students living on campus has gone up a percentage point or two each year for the past several years, said Director of Residential Life Joseph Franek: "Adding the townhomes will certainly be a great step in that direction."</p>

<p>SUNY Geneseo townhouses opened in fall 2001 in response to upperclassmen demand for on-campus housing, said Vice President for Student and Campus Life Robert A. Bonfiglio. And once the 80-bed addition linking Genesee and Ontario halls is done in fall 2009, he said, the college will make plans for the buildings on its central residential quad that likely will include a combination of renovations, demolition and construction, Bonfiglio said.</p>

<p>At Rochester Institute of Technology, about 68 percent of undergraduates live on campus, up several percentage points from four to five years ago as student demand for housing has grown, said Howard Ward, assistant vice president of housing operations.</p>

<p>"We're kind of like an island," he said. "We're surrounded by Jefferson Road, the (Genesee) river, by Henrietta. Students like the convenience of being close to campus. It's a commute thing." While community colleges have traditionally been schools of commuters, all three of the Rochester-area community colleges are getting into the housing game...</p>

<p>"It's problematic for students to come here who don't live nearby," said Wes Comstock, 25, of Penn Yan, Yates County, the student representative on the FLCC board of trustees. And community college students, he said, are looking for much the same experience students at four-year colleges have long enjoyed: "first time out of the home, independence, the whole social scene — that'll be new."

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<p><a href="http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061202/NEWS01/612020326/1002/NEWS%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061202/NEWS01/612020326/1002/NEWS&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>I'm wondering why RIT was quoted in the article. Their student housing is not the best, but I've never heard of any plans to build more.</p>