<p>I'm the mother of a HS senior with a 3.36 GPA and 1260 combined on math & cr reading SAT (1820 total). He is interested in Sociology, Political Science, Psychology and is good at Math (so maybe economics?) As far as SUNY schools he has just applied (regular decision) to New Paltz, Oneonta, Binghamton and Geneseo. I'd consider the last 2 as reaches and the first two as possible. </p>
<p>Starting this thread because I cannot find information on the web about which less competitive SUNY could be a good SAFETY school given his stats and interests.<br>
Not interested SUNY Albany or SUNY Buffalo because of the large class size (I'm thinking not good for a kid w ADD who thrives on class discussions). </p>
<p>I am hoping to learn more about Brockport, Cortlandt, Plattsburgh, etc....as possible safeties. Can't figure out which is best especially for social sciences, liberal arts type..</p>
<p>Thanks again but I’ve actually researched quite a bit, that’s why I’m so frustrated… just looked up Oswego, it does not mention the social sciences in it’s majors (altho it does have psychology)… it has a 38% percent 4 yr graduation rate and only 80% retention rate. Kinda dismal…</p>
<p>Many State schools are like that. Graduation rate being low. Not sure why retention rate is abit low though. Many people do take advantage of their first year and then transfer to a private school or something because they save money… As far as graduation rate, I think it’s that they take in alot of people but they don’t have enough classes for everyone so its hard for everyone to take their required classes on time; that’s many times for CUNY. Use collegeboard. put in your son’s choice of major etc and they will give you some schools to consider.</p>
<p>Cortland would be a safety and they are liberal arts oriented (many a teacher and fitness type majors) However, I don’t know what “large” is to you- when I toured I saw lecture halls consisting of 75-150 people. Are CUNY schools out of the question? There are a few of those which would be safeties and are strong in liberal arts.</p>
<p>thanks, Jazzii. I am starting to think Cortlandt might be a potential safety. My son has applied to CUNY, but he would like to get away from home (we live in Brooklyn) so I was hoping for a “Suny safety” as well. I thought Cortlandt might be too much of a “jock” school but I think I was hasty, that’s my own prejudice anyhow, not my son’s - he’s an avid basketball player and fan. </p>
<p>Just will have to check if they have psychology as well. Did you get a positive impression on the tour? I keep wondering why these SUNY’s have such a low graduation rate.</p>
<p>I can’t talk much about the graduation rate- I’m sorry and I’ll try to be objective about the tour </p>
<ul>
<li>The students were friendly and they acknowledge our presence- like they said hello and stuff</li>
<li>The campus was mostly white (but most SUNY schools are) I saw more black people here then O have at any other campus (except for new paltz)
-The campus is HUGE- there is a shuttle service to go from one side of the campus to the other, the campus is bigger than the city it’s in.
-It is a Jock school- but if your son is athletic, as you mentioned he will probably LOVE it
-AND there is this giant vending machine- it’s super cool, it’s like a convenience store!</li>
</ul>
<p>Overall the campus gave a good vibe, there was nothing I could pinpoint about it that I was like WOAH I HATE that, my issue was the size of the campus, It didn’t feel like a campus, it felt like a city to me. </p>
<p>They definitely do have psychology (I was looking at that major when I was doing my tours and such)
If you go on Youniversitytv dot com you may be able to find a virtual tour. </p>
<p>I was going to recommend CUNY Lehman if he hadn’t looked there yet.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for the feedback Jazzii. My son is more of an indie rocker from Brooklyn, but also likes sports, hope he could feel at home there…I will definitely steer him towards a virtual tour.</p>
<p>Hope other people will jump in on the thread w their own issues as well.</p>
<p>I have a friend who teaches political science at Cortland. Although she acknowledges that the students are not as high achievers as at Binghamton and Geneseo, they are brought up to speed and get a fine education there. She and her department mentor students interested in law school and they have been very successful getting them admitted to good schools.</p>
<p>One more thing. My daughter goes to a high school in NYC that admits students via an exam. I am a Binghamton alumna and I have volunteered to help out at college fairs and such. My daughter, a junior, is very interested in Binghamton. When I talked to the admissions people at a college fair, mentioning that my daughter’s average didn’t fall within the 50-percent range on the chart that I linked above, they said, Your daughter goes to ____ h.s., right? We <em>know</em> about ____!</p>
<p>They know a lot about all the high schools in NY state at least, grading practices at these schools, how the schools weight AP and honors classes, etc. and they told me that they use this knowledge in evaluating students from various schools. I am sure that most schools do this nation-wide but certainly the SUNYs have experience with all the high schools in NY state.</p>
<p>Thanks again, oldmom4896, my son is at Murrow which definitely has a quirky grading system all it’s own. But I’ve been assured that they send information to all colleges explaining their system which was a relief.</p>