<p>My parents always tell me that SUNY Stony Brook is only thirty minutes away, and that I'd only pay 8K/year to go there, since I won't be dorm, rather than paying 45K and attending a great private university like GWU or BU. (Infortunately, I'm not prepared enough to try Harvard.) I've told them private colleges are way better than public colleges (in NY) because of the quality of the academics. Most private colleges like the ones mentioned above are far better than SUNY SB. What does this exactly mean? Many things, some of which I emphasize to my parents. On campus tours to private colleges, I noticed that the overall "smart" rating of those students were far greater than that of SUNY SB. The students had better overall academic records, and far better experience in the world (EC's). The quality of the education private colleges offer is also better than that of SUNY. The neuroscience major at U of R, and Bucknell (not in NY, but who cares), and many other great schools is putting more students into med school than that of neuroscience at SUNY. (Proportionally, of course. The student body at SUNY SB is way bigger than U of R, but if you look at it in a ratio, U of R prepares you far better than SUNY SB.) I've had multiple students tell me that the quality of teachers at Stony Brook is less than what they want. I started this thread so that all of you can add onto it and give your opinions on why private is better (in general), or maybe you have enough evidence to disprove me. I'm eager to see what your responses are.</p>
<p>errr....bump?</p>
<p>Firstly, you've got to determine if they're "preference" is really a polite way to say they're scared to take on so much debt to get you through college.</p>
<p>Yesterday, IndyMac bank failed. About a week ago, our country officially entered a recession, when the stock market reached a 20% drop from last October.</p>
<p>This is a very delicate time to be taking on educational loans.</p>
<p>
[quote]
you've got to determine if they're "preference" is really a polite way to say they're scared to take on so much debt to get you through college.
[/quote]
especially if you have plans for medical school afterwards.</p>
<p>"The quality of the education private colleges offer is also better than that of SUNY."</p>
<p>If you're going to throw a line like that around, you're going to want to back it up. You can NOT, under any circumstances, throw a blanket on the entire public educational sector and say it's not as good as the private sector. You just can't. Fact is, Stony Brook's the most academically competitive school on Long Island (if you throw out the Merchant Marine Academy and the Webb Institute, both of which serve extremely specialized populations). SUNY Albany's School of Criminal Justice is one of the best known programs in the country. (And if you want to talk CUNY, you can talk about John Jay.) Both public. Geneseo, Binghamton, and Stony Brook have all spent time on worldwide ranking lists -- take your choice: US News, London Times, Kiplinger's, Fiske's, the Wall Street Journal; how can you say there's no academic quality in the SUNY system? That's disturbing.</p>
<p>Just because you're charged $40,000 a year for something doesn't mean it's better than something you're "only" paying $8,000 a year for. That's a rash generalization.</p>
<p>Chris</p>
<p>All three of you brought up exactly what I was hoping. Private and public schools both offer dozens of majors. Now, some schools offer a major of better "quality" than that of others. SUNY SB is renowned in science. The best SUNY for science and mathematics. So why is it that thousands of students in NY choose to apply to private colleges instead of simply attending Stony Brook? This is what I don't understand. If SB offers a fantastic biology major, why do thousands pay an extra 30K/year to go to U of R? Or Union, where premed is a great course of study? I really want to figure this out. There's alot of missing details. Is it worth 30K a year to pick a priv vs pub university because of personal preferences like size, location, etc.?</p>
<p>P.S. the price differential would be $8k + commuting cost = $10k, vs. just about any Private + R&B of $50k. So you're talking about a $160k difference over four years (assuming you can graduate from public in 4 years... getting tougher to do that these days).</p>
<p>Cost is not proportionate to quality in higher education. Obviously, there are many virtually unknown, unranked private schools that cannot begin to compare with many publics, let alone the top publics. The justification for paying for these "expensive but relatively unknown" schools usually comes down to arguments of "fit for the student"...."getting lost at a large state school" or "small class size and personalized attention". Now, many of these arguments are not necessarily true, but those are the reasons you often hear.</p>
<p>BTW...to DunninLa...a 20% drop in the market is simply a "bear market"...it is not a recession.</p>
<p>For what it's worth, I transferred out of BU after the first semester, because it was an utter waste of money. I transferred to one of my state schools, and am getting an equal (if not better) education for significantly less money (I can almost complete my undergraduate education for less than a year at BU). Outside of a few schools, private colleges are a complete waste of money. You'd be much better served going to Stony Brook.</p>
<p>Okay, so why do private universities cost more than public universities? I know how the funding process works, but it also obviously has nothing to do with academic quality.</p>
<p>Hi Behnam. Long Island Mom here and a SUNY grad.<br>
Some things never change in NYS. The same discussions BU or Syracuse vs. SUNY were hot topics of conversation 30+ years ago, and my guess is that these discussions will continue.
I have never been overly impressed with the academic quality of schools like BU, GWU and a bunch of other high priced schools. I honestly feel you can get an equal education at many of our SUNY's. Now U of Rochester I would put into a higher academic category than BU, so I can see paying the extra bucks but that is only my opinion.</p>
<p>Public U's often take a very bad rap on these boards. Some people just automatically equate a public U as a second class education- but that is far from the truth.
If you are interested in the sciences and money is a factor, you may want to check out the SUNY ESF program which is housed at Syracuse U. It's been noted on these boards that ESF students may not feel fully integrated into Syracuse U student life, but if the program works for you and you only pay SUNY tuition, it may fit your bill.
IMO "pre-med" at Stony Brook or Buffalo (if you want campus life) would be as good as going to BU or GWU. Cornell also has some lower cost options for NYS kids which include their Ag. College (CALS) or Human Ec. D# 1 just graduated Cornell ILR so I am familiar with the programs as well as d # 2 who is currently a SUNY student.<br>
and you can imagine that funding is way different for public vs. private as our NY taxes do help to pay higher education costs.</p>
<p>Behnam91 -- public schools do NOT cost less than private. It's just that the state government doesn't charge full price. It costs the same, but you don't PAY the same.</p>
<p>And private schools may not necessarily be more expensive than public schools in most cases. I know that in California the UCs cost ~$25k per year and they are known for mediocre financial aid. By contrast, private schools are generally more generous with merit aid (if offered) and financial aid (as are the top, need-blind schools). So I wouldn't write off private schools based on sticker price alone. Obviously, public schools have their advantages as posters have mentioned above. My point is that the argument of public vs. private is not so black and white, at least in terms of finances.</p>
<p>SeniorSlacker, that's an interesting point you brought up. I didn't know that, so thank you for the information. Dunnin, that's also another point I did not realize, and I really don't know if it'll matter to me, but it's interesting to know. I've realized that the college admissions process is becoming harder and harder, when I put so many factors into play. Cost is the most important. I really don't want to owe 100+K after getting my BA, and then attending med school to add another 100K to it. (AFTER I've paid what I can.) It's interesting how mere "word of mouth" can turn a college into something it's not, or give it a reputation it doesn't deserve. What my bro-in-law mentioned was that I could attend SUNY SB for the first year, and then tranfer to a much better university (Being homeschooled has kept me from alot of things I could've done had I attended public HS, such as EC's and AP's) after I get top scores. I'm a great student, but I don't have enough proof to show prestigious private universities. Opinions about his idea? I'd save 40K for a year, and I'd definitely qualify for scholarships if I work as hard as I do now.</p>
<p>Behnam91 -- Have your seriously looked at Stony Brook? I toured SUNY Stony Brook with my younger daughter last month. I was very impressed! It is an excellent school for the sciences and they have a BA/MD program that is especially selective and you would be very fortunate if you could get accepted into the Scholars for Medicine Program. </p>
<p>I'm hoping that my younger daughter keeps Stony Brook on her short list. I think she will seriously consider Stony Brook if she could get into the WISE program. She has perfect (straight A) grades, solid SAT and SAT subject tests, 4 APs already. We're looking at everything and we'll just see what happens. Don't assume that any public university is not as good because it cost less money. Major National Science Foundation grants for scientific research go to large public universities. You will really short change yourself if you don't keep Stony Brook on your list....and hopefully you'll get accepted. I think that the acceptance rate is in the low 40% range and that the average SAT is in the mid 1200s (CR and Math). </p>
<p>I think the "prestige" factor is very important to many students and, of course, finances are a large part of the equation. I know in my older daughter's class a few kids that were much less qualified then my daughter chose the most prestigious school they could. People choose different schools for very specific reasons. My daughter chose our in-state public university because it had the best program in her major and it just felt like the right choice to her. She's participated in research for a NSF project and has already had a paid corporate internship for a very large international company. Since the school took so many AP credits she will be able -- and wants to -- graduate after only 3 years even with the 6 month internship. We have encouraged her to slow down and enjoy the college experience for her 4th year.....but she is her own person and has so loved her internship that she really hopes to work for the company.</p>
<p>Keep an open mind regarding the public vs. private choice. It would be foolish of you to underestimate Stony Brook.....especially since you plan to continue your education. I assume you know that they also have a Medical School and I think a Dental School.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>"Public U's often take a very bad rap on these boards. Some people just automatically equate a public U as a second class education- but that is far from the truth."</p>
<p>Sing it, sista. Wanting to attend a public school is nothing to be ashamed of. If you think that the academics might not be strenuous enough, most public schools have an honors college for their more ambitious students. Also, public schools have a range of humanity that private schools simply lack (based on the logic that students a) are well-off enough to pay full private tuition, or b) achieve enough that the school fills in the money gap). You gotta meet some slackers and stoners, and figure out that they have something to offer humanity too. Some of my friends have no intention of even going to college but that doesn't mean their lives are worthless; likewise, the diversity at a public school is likely to broaden your horizons just as much as the competitiveness of an LAC would.</p>
<p>:P I'm a devil's advocate.</p>