which college to choose
Not enough information.
Is cost an issue?
where do you live, what do you want to study, what can your family afford, what was the appeal of both schools when you applied?
Strictly looking at the honors colleges, Temple 's has my preference because it has a lot of offerings both in special seminars and in general education sections plus it guarantees housing all four years in a very nice residential hall. However these criteria may be moot for you.
Can you afford to attend both schools? Are you instate for PA or NY?
Is cost a consideration?
Look at what you get with the honors programs.
Some give you special housing.
Some give you special opportunities.
Some give you an advantage in signing up for courses.
Find out what they both offer and then post it here on this thread.
I don’t know anything about either schools academic offerings, but I do know that Temple is in a terrible area of the city. Others may disagree, but look into the areas as well as what the schools are offering. It isn’t that I don’t like cities, I am in NYC and Philly all the time and both my kids went to schools in Philly. With that being said, I would not have been comfortable with them at Temple.
^^ This.
If you love Temple’s program, and/or the price is significantly less, I wouldn’t let Temple’s location throw you…but if it’s pretty equal? I love Philadelphia but Temple really is in a rough part of the city.
Temple is definitely in a rough part of the city, but (1) the university has done a lot and spends a lot mof money to make certain the campus is safe, and it is, and (2) it’s in the city, with easy (and also pretty safe) public transportation everywhere. Stony Brook is in the middle of Long Island. A whole different kettle of fish.
I completely understand people being uncomfortable with Temple’s location, but tens of thousands of students go there every day, and they are fine.
Specifically, Stonybrook is located in an upper-middle class suburban residential town which alums I’ve known complained doesn’t have much for college-aged students to do.
It also doesn’t help that such a large proportion of students go home on the college weekends that the campus tends to be a bit dead. It’s long been known by us NYC/LI area locals as a “suitcase school”.
I have a daughter who is a freshman in Temple’s Honors program. It is in a challenging area of Philly, but the area around campus is improving over time, and there is excellent public transportation to center city and historic areas. My D has had no issues, there are continuous security patrols which extend several blocks around campus, and students can call for an escort any time of day or night.
The honors courses she has taken so far have been awesome with great professors and discussion. The honors dorms are very nice, and centrally located, and the honors program hosts guest speakers and sponsors social events. Honors students get priority in class registration, too, a nice perk.
The first requirement for admission to the honors college is knowing how to spell Stony Brook.