Some Questions about SUNY at Buffalo

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Buffalo - SUNY
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<p>My ds applied rolling admissions. He wants to study pharmacy. We haven't visited this school yet- will at spring break and hopefully he will have an admission decision by then. Can anyone tell me what they like about UB? Anyone with input about the pharmacy program? Also, can you explain to me about the 2 campuses. Everyone who hears he applied there tells him he is nuts because of the awful winters in Buffalo. How do university students deal with the snow? We are from Ohio. DS has a 4.3 weighted gpa and a 3.85 unweighted. He scored a 32 on the ACT. Hopefully he has a chance to get in. Does he have any chance for scholarship money? Finally, anyone with input about the marching band?</p>

<p>Thanks in advance for any help. He also applied to Butler, Ohio Northern, U of Toledo, and Cincinnati.</p>

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<p>I would not rule out Buffalo because of the weather. Lots of places are much, much colder (Madison, Minneapolis, etc.). </p>

<p>With respect to snow, UB is located in the northern part of Buffalo; the southern suburbs get much more snow.</p>

<p>And Buffalo gets an A+ for snow removal.</p>

3

<p>The main campus is in Amherst, a northern suburb of Buffalo and, as rubygreta said, the very heavy snowfall that greater Buffalo is known for tends to happen further south. The airport is not far from North campus. Most, perhaps all, of the first and second year classes he would take will be on North campus. There are shuttle buses that run continuously around and between both campuses, which are about 15 minutes apart. The buses even stop at the dorms - there are two dorm complexes on North and a variety of dorms on South, where the new pharmacy school building and many of the other professional programs are based. There is also a subway entrance in front of South campus (one line only, goes downtown, can use to access Amtrak station) which is close to neighborhood shopping areas. Most of the academic buildings on North campus are arranged on a “spine”, rather than the traditional quad that South offers, and they are connected by walkways and tunnels. So, there are a variety of solutions to any potential weather issues…tell him that the students in Ithaca have it much worse and, for some reason, Buffalo is very sunny compared to much of the northeast! </p>

<p>The campuses are large, especially North, and may be a lot for your S to take in on one visit. I know my D was pretty overwhelmed on the first visit and reacted negatively. By the third visit (try to do accepted student days if possible as the tours/info are much better), it wasn’t nearly so intimidating and she was relaxed enough to ask question of the profs who were showing us the labs, etc…I think it really helped to view UB as a small city made up of various “neighborhoods”. Try to take some time to sit in the commons for lunch, or in the courtyard if weather permits and listen/talk to some of the current students. The staff and faculty at UB are generally very friendly and willing to chat too. </p>

<p>I think your son will have a good chance for merit scholarships, which are fairly generous for OOS kids, and may be invited to join the honors program too. The pharmacy program there is very good and nationally known, although it is difficult and competitive, but the other schools that you listed likely have similar course requirements. UB changed the pre-pharmacy requirements in the past year to allow for 3 years in which to complete pre-requisites and I think that’s a good thing. Honestly, it’s difficult for many freshmen to transition quickly into college life and having the pressure of taking so many time-intensive classes/labs at once along with maintaining a 3.5 can take a mental/emotional toll on them, even if they don’t realize it! Some people are in a rush to get through in 6 years and are perfectly fine, but many just burn out or decide it’s not worth the stress and switch majors. If you have the opportunity to talk with Cindy Konovitz or Jennifer Hess (both from the SOPPS) while you’re there I think that would be time well spent. Cindy is the advisor for the pre-pharmacy students and is a wealth of information. If he has a UB email account, he may want to sign up for the pre-pharmacy list-serv so he gets the news/events this spring.</p>

<p>Many of the intro-level classes will be in huge lecture halls, with separate recitations/labs which are small. Afaik, all courses are taught by professors but labs/recitations are usually led by graduate TAs. Students have to be proactive about going to the professor/TA or going to the chem dept study center, math center, etc. if they have questions or need additional help. There are also study centers in the dorms and there are academic advisors assigned to each floor. In other words, many academic resources and opportunities are there for them, the students just have to be willing to reach out to them.</p>

<p>No input on marching band…though I’ve heard them and thought they were very good! Good luck with your son’s visits and decision and feel free to send me a PM if you need hotel recommendations!</p>

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<p>Sk8rmom, thank you so much for all of the information. This college decision is so tough. A few of his school choices are similar to Buffalo- if you get a 3.5 you can continue in the program. Ohio Northern is different because you only need a 3.0 to continue in the program- but the price is 2X that of Buffalo- at least until we find out if he will receive scholarship money. My DS did great in high school but who kows how he will do in college. </p>

<p>Your information was very helpful though, so we will definitely look at Buffalo if he is accepted.</p>

5

<p>Both Sk8rmom’s daughter and my son are sophomores that are thriving at Buffalo. </p>

<p>We are from Long Island and my son never complains about the snow. Like many schools, winter is cold and cloudy. It is what it is. (My other son is in Miami and we hear how stifling hot it is form Aug through Oct and then April and May.)!!!</p>

<p>My sons only visit was accepted students day (engineering open house) and loved the school and the program. Unlike sk8rsmom, my son was not overwhelmed by the size. In acreage, the campus is large, but the dorms are clustered together as are the academic buildings. </p>

<p>My son’s housing deposit went in close to the May 1 deadline, so he knew he’d be on South campus, which he was. All his classes were on North so he took the bus. No problem ever. He made lots of great friends in his dorm and they moved to North this year. The dorms on South are fine, decent sized doubles with bathrms between. North dorms are very, very nice. </p>

<p>Son is working very hard as an engineering major. Many hours of classes, labs a day. Studies daily. Doing really well. He also found the time to mentor a student and is in engineering clubs and doing research in the engineering dept. </p>

<p>We give UB two thumbs up. Very happy with the school and program.</p>

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<p>Like the other posters have mentioned, the winter climate in Buffalo is what it is. Buy a nice jacket, some sweatshirts, boots, and your son will be fine. The roads get bad sometimes, but usually they are cleared quickly. </p>

<p>With regards to the Pharmacy program, like others have said, it is very competitive, but also highly renowned. With your son’s high school GPA, it shouldn’t be too hard for him. But it is also necessary to consider that college can bring about all kinds of changes. I originally wanted to major in Pharmacy. I quickly changed my mind after considering how difficult Pharmacy would be. Luckily, there are so many healthcare-related programs at UB (and, of course, tons of other science and non-science majors) that you can change to a major that is better suited to you.</p>

<p>The marching band is a really great program at UB. I was in it for a year and had a blast. It was a great activity to be involved in. However, it requires a lot of time, so I would recommend any student to do it the first few years of school, before coursework really piles up.</p>

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<p>Another thumbs-up vote for UB. D is a junior and still very sastified with her choice. Your son’s stats suggest he might be competitive for a scholarship and/or invitation to the Honors College, which offers some nice perks. My D was not overwhelmed by the size (physical or population) of the university, even though she graduated from a small HS (graduating class 45). She realized there are lots of ways to make a large school smaller, but it’s hard to do the reverse. She was prepared for the Buffalo winters (we live in upstate NY) and isn’t bothered by the snow and cold. But she HAS felt the effects of sun deprivation in the middle of the winter, and that can be a drag.</p>

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<p>Another thumbs up for SUNY Buffalo. My OOS kid is currently in the School of Pharmacy. It definitely has a small school within a big school feel, since there aren’t that many pharmacy students and they’re in classes with each other for years. Unfortunately, the pharmacy program requires complete dedication (19 credits per semester, required extra lectures and other activities, etc.) so the pharmacy students do not take classes with other students once they’re accepted into the program. If the extra year of undergraduate work is affordable, it could be a chance to explore other subjects and enjoy college life more.</p>

<p>At my kid’s white coat ceremony, they advised there were more than 10candidates for each spot in the class. Getting the 3.5 GPA is definitely not easy. The students with guarantees take a big chunk of the class. I don’t know if UB discloses how many students who declare themselves as prepharm actually make it to admission into the program. Those big chemistry and biology classes are graded on curves. First semester tends to be easy, since students across the university are getting their science prereqs out of the way and the classes include students who really aren’t science majors. Second semester classes are often a wake-up call, when the students continuing are engineering, premed and other science majors (still being graded on a curve!). Organic chem is often the biggest hurdle for a 3.5 after that, although some students find that the college-calculus class defeats them. Even if a kid doesn’t get that 3.5, they are still able to take the PCAT and apply to SUNY without the guarantee. Another benefit to the third year of undergrad work is that it permits students to work towards the prereqs for other schools, just in case it becomes necessary to take the PCAT and a student wants to apply to other schools to increase his/her chances of admission to a pharmacy program.</p>

<p>I’m not sure when the new School of Pharmacy building will actually be completed, but it should offer even better facilities for the new classes in the future. </p>

<p>My kid has found that living in an apt does make the snow more of an issue (apt heat can be too much or too little and you’re dependant on the landlord for snow removal). Buffalo itself is pretty flat and windy. Warm clothes and good boots help to make it bearable. Buffalo is expert at keeping the roads clear, although this past winter there were some storms that resulted in turnpike closure. </p>

<p>I’ve been very impressed with the activities, such as concerts and lectures, offered to UB students. They aren’t a big sports school though. You might enjoy reading the Spectrum, their school newspaper, on-line.</p>

<p>Some of the negatives for Ohio Northern (aside from cost) are (1) very small, and if your kid decides pharmacy is not for him he’s stuck at a small school with limited alternatives; (2) when it’s time to do rotations or to have clinical experiences, there are not a lot of hospitals or pharmacies to work with - and Ohio has winter weather too, so your kid may still spend a lot of time driving in snow.</p>

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<p>I should probably clarify what I meant about DD reacting negatively…we live in a small village so she was just not used to being surrounded by so many people and felt like she was being “herded”! UB tends to draw very large crowds for open house days and the same is true for accepted student days but they handle it better then, I think, by breaking into manageable sized groups after the welcome gathering. It was wearing on her nerves a bit though, so we chose do see North and her program info one day and South and the city on another visit.</p>

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<p>Thank you so much for all the great insight into UB. I have another question. Can your student understand their professor? This has been a complaint I have heard from the older children of my friends. Their prof has limited english skills and the kid can’t understand them. Seems to be the kids taking a lot of science and math course who are complaining. </p>

<p>I really hope ds gets in so we can schedule his visit!</p>

<p>I also wanted to add that we are from the Cleveland area so we are use to winter weather, that is why I was surprised when people mentioned the weather in Buffalo. Can it be that much worse?</p>

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<p>UB is a big school and the two campuses can turn people off. I would definitely recommend your child do an overnight to get a good feel of it. I have a neighbor who is a junior pysch major and will be graduating next December - a semester early. She loves it there. I also have a nephew who is currently a freshman in the pharmacy program. He’s doing quite well (3.75) but has already sent out his applications to transfer next fall. He came from a small private school and the size combined with the large presence of drugs has turned him off.</p>

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<p>Nah, weather really isn’t that bad…I mean by the end of the winter I’m ready for it to be over, but I’ve lived here my whole life and it’s nothing terrible.</p>

<p>UB also gets far less snow than the southtowns. It’s areas south of the city that usually get dumped with it…back in November I had 3+ feet of snow at my house, about 25 minutes away, while the campus had less than 2 inches.</p>

<p>I don’t have too many issues with professors’ English skills. Most foreign professors have been teaching long enough that they have decent English and are easily understood. There’s a fair amount of foreign professors, maybe a bit under a half of mine so far have been, but they’ve all been easy to understand and communicate with.</p>

<p>Use RateMyProfessors when signing up for classes though and choose the good ones.</p>

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<p>bkbmom, your comment about the large presence of drugs concerns me. Do you care to elaborate? It sure is tough choosing a college. </p>

<p>I have heard that you get the best scholarship offers going into your freshman year and if you transfer after that year, the schools won’t offer you money. That makes me want to find the right fit for my son now.</p>

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<p>linnylu - drugs are at all colleges and it’s to be expected. But the volume and type of drugs varies by schools. I can only go by the two current students I know well and that might very easily not be a true representation of the school - which is why I think overnight visits are so important to get a good feel for the school. </p>

<p>My neighbor - who is now an RA - saw drugs all the time her freshman year. In fact her parents told us stories of visiting her during her freshman year and students openly smoking marijuana in front of them the first time they met them … and the students didn’t think it was a big deal or that they should even try to hide it. She continues to see drugs now and has had to write students up for a variety of drugs (mainly marijuana) but probably sees less of them now since students know not to do it in front of her. My nephew - who, again, came from a small private school - was overwhelmed by the amount of drugs. He doesn’t feel he can go anywhere - even in his dorm - without being surrounded by them.</p>

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<p>^ so much depends on one’s frame of reference. My D also graduated from a small private high school, but reports that from her perspective, drugs at UB are far less prevalent that the culture that pervaded her rather over-privileged HS…</p>

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<p>When living in the dorms, my policy regarding drugs was to live and let live. Kids who want to try drugs will try drugs. Some will like it, others won’t. Kids who don’t want to try drugs won’t. At UB it is entirely possible to find a group of friends that share (or simply respect) your values. Since drugs are prevalent everywhere in the US, it will be hard trying to find a college where they truly aren’t an issue.</p>

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<p>redxevenings: well stated and very mature attitude. good for you! that has been my D’s experience as well.</p>

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<p>Specify that your D’s roommate(s) be a non-smoker.</p>

<p>I think in most colleges you will find large groups of students who don’t use drugs at all, and large groups who are occasional users. The occasional users mooch off the small percentage of kids who always seem to have a supply available (typically marijuana).</p>

<p>Heavy marijuana users are a mixed bunch. For every “burnout” there is the kid who manages to go to class and get great grades.</p>

<p>I also think alcohol abuse is a bigger problem on most campuses than drug abuse. Excessive drinking causes more physical problems than marijuana smoking.</p>

<p>The only way to avoid this, I think, is to attend a Christian “bible belt” college.</p>

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<p>UB is supposedly completely smoke free now…idk if everyone complies (unlikely) but there is no smoking allowed in any building on campus. There is one room on D’s floor this year that emanates a weed smell…other than that she hasn’t had a hard time finding other non-druggers or avoiding being in the vicinity non-voluntarily (neither of her roommies participate, so that helps!). Some of her friends drink on weekends, although she doesn’t like the taste of alcohol and refuses to drink anything someone else has mixed up anyway. She goes out on the weekends and it doesn’t bother her unless people are really getting drunk or the bus back to North campus smells bad.</p>

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<p>There’s drugs at every college…I’d say UB is probably no better or worse than most. Mainly seems to be marijuana. I can say I definitely hear about it, but don’t really see it. In contrast to another college I went on a trip to earlier this year (U of Illinois), where I saw paraphernalia in quite a few places.</p>

<p>“UBreatheFree” - or the nonsmoking rule, is completely awful and stupid. People still smoke cigarettes. Nobody stops them. The police don’t care and don’t enforce it. But, they took away all the ashtrays - so those who smoke just throw them on the ground. I’ve noticed a definite increase in the amount of cigarette butts on the ground compared to last year, when they still had ashtrays.</p>

<p>I’d say it’s not really a problem though. I don’t know many people who smoke or drink. And I haven’t ever felt pressured to do it.</p>