<p>Binghamton vs. Stony Brook for Pre-Med
I know that there have been many posts addressing this issue. However, I'm still undecided about which college to attend and the deadline for deposits is approaching. People say that Stony is known more for its sciences and mathematics, but Bing is known more for its humanities, social sciences and business. There are others who say that Bing's science programs aren't so terrible that one wouldn't be prepared as a pre-medical student. Which school has the environment? People say that Stony Brook is pretty dead on weekends and doesn't have that great of a social life. People claim that Bing is more fun and has a stronger sense of community. However, is Stony Brook's living conditions truly that bad, or can one still be happy at Stony Brook and if so, how easily? Although Bing is apparently more fun, it is located in an isolated town. Does that mean fewer opportunities for research and internships? Also are the professors, especially the science professors, better at Stony or Bing? I hear that Bing's professors rely on TAs a lot. Is that true? Also which school offers better volunteer/researach opportunities?
As a student, yes, I want to go to a school that will prepare me well for what I want to do. However, I also want to enjoy myself. If I don't feel enthusiastic about the school, I feel that my grades will suffer, especially if the program is competitive. At a fun school, despite the competition, I feel that I'll have the motivation to do better, but who knows until then? Binghamton offers a crew and swimming club, both sports of which I am interested in. However, Stony only offers a crew club and I prefer swimming to crew.
Also, I can't help thinking about the possibility of being weeded out from the pre-med track. If so, wouldn't going to a school that is known for its excellent academics overall, not just science (Binghamton) would that be a better fit for me? Is not going to Stony disadvantageous? Any feedback is appreciated. :)</p>
<p>Hi! My name is Rob and I’m a Binghamton University Student Ambassador.</p>
<p>We have a very strong pre-med program at Binghamton, with hundreds of students on that track. Out of the students who apply to medical school from Binghamton, our acceptance rate beats the national average by nearly 20 percentage points. Our pre-med students are paired with a pre-med adviser in addition to their other advisers to ensure that they have all the information necessary on what they should be doing to make themselves marketable to medical schools and to ensure they are completing all the courses necessary to be accepted into one.</p>
<p>We try to get our students involved in research as soon as possible. My friend, Sam, is a freshman on the pre-med track. By the start of her second semester, she was involved in Parkinson’s research on campus. She wasn’t doing menial tasks like data entry as “research” either; she actually got to perform brain surgery on a rat herself a few weeks ago. As long as you reach out to our professors and you have enough knowledge and skills to be able to be useful to them, they will be sure to get you involved in their labs and with their research. We do have undergraduate research available in all of our majors.</p>
<p>We also have some very distinguished faculty. One of our chemistry professors, Professor Wittingham, is the inventor of the lithium-ion battery used in all modern mobile devices today, such as iPods and cell phones. The best part about our faculty, in my opinion, is that they ALL teach undergraduates. Some schools separate faculty into junior and full faculty members, where junior faculty teach undergrad students and full faculty teach graduate students. This results in the best faculty being “hidden away” from the undergraduate students, making it difficult to network with them or get involved in their research. We’ve taken the opposite strategy at Binghamton and have all of our faculty teach both undergraduate and graduate courses.</p>
<p>Let me know if you have any other specific questions.</p>
<p>~Rob</p>
<p>If you are from Long Island or from NYC, I think you have a better chance of liking Stony Brook if you don’t mind being close to home.</p>
<p>Did you visit either or both schools?</p>
<p>BingUStudent: So for the sciences, the professors NEVER rely on TAs? They always teach? Are you a science major? If so, what did you think of the professors? How is the pre-med advising (how available are the staff)?</p>
<p>I visited Stony, but didn’t get much of a feel because it was an Accepted Student Day. It was basically a fair with people talking about course offerings. Do you go to Stony Brook? If so, what do you think of the professors in general and if you’re a science major, what do you think of the science professors? How is the advising? I honestly don’t care if I’m close to home or not. Maybe being away might be a good experience, if the school is worth going away for.</p>
<p>jzhu214: I go to Binghamton and am not a science major. Professors will ALWAYS teach lecture courses. Discussion sections and labs, however, are typically led by an undergraduate or graduate TA. These discussion sections do not cover any new material. They often go over homework or review things already taught in class by the professor. They’re there as an extra resource for our students and to ensure that all large classes are also meeting in smaller groups so students have extra time to ask any questions that they didn’t get answered in lecture.</p>
<p>~Rob</p>
<p>Read my thread on this
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/suny-binghamton/1492157-persuade-me-go-bing.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/suny-binghamton/1492157-persuade-me-go-bing.html</a></p>
<p>Wake up! </p>
<p>You are on the internet looking for someone to convince you to go to either school without visiting one of the schools yourself and giving the other the casual look on admitted day? </p>
<p>That’s crazy.</p>
<p>We are talking about the next four years of your life not to mention the money involved.</p>
<p>Go visit both!</p>
<p>Stony Brook is a Science school, whereas Binghamton is a Liberal Arts school. Stony Brook has nobel prize winners, discoveries and inventions in the Science field, including and not limited to, the research behind the MRI, and other famous diseases. With the help of Brookhaven National Lab, our Medical School, our Hospital, and our specific focus on the Sciences(we are on a whole different tier when compared to Bing) You will receive a far better quality education, with faculty members who are experts in their field. About the competition? It will be rough. Stony Brook has just admitted their best class ever, with the highest incoming grades of all SUNY schools, so you will be a tad bit depressed, but the end result will be magnificent, especially when compared to a Liberal Arts school. Make sure you interact with faculty members, try to get involved in pre-med related clubs; and try to conduct research in:</p>
<p>A)Medical school[We have a medical school, whose faculty doesn’t mind training undergrads, a great plus for SBU, vs other Liberal Arts schools.</p>
<p>A)Our hospital.</p>
<p>If you were into Business, or other liberal arts(even though we are catching up, just today Stony Brook’s music program was ranked the 24th best in the Nation, better than any SUNY school), Bing would’ve been a better choice. Since you are a Science guy, it would be an insult to not go with SBU.</p>
<p>“An insult not to go to SB?”</p>
<p>Save the hogwash, Q.</p>
<p>Dude, he’s sold already. He’s coming your way.
Trust me. He’s already picked out his suitcases.</p>
<p>That’s great; I’d feel bad for him to select a Liberal Arts school like Bing vs a Science-oriented school, it would be a grave insult to choose Bing over Stony Brook, when your major is in the Sciences, this is not my opinion; it’s backed by FACTS!</p>
<p>Whatever, Q. </p>
<p>You think duffel bags or wheeled luggage would be better for him?</p>