Stony Brook vs Binghamton

Colleges and Universities A-Z Stony Brook University - SUNY
41

<p>Not only do I think it’s worse than Binghamton, but I think they should take a bulldozer and run it through the campus and shut the place down. Those people who want to conduct research and stay on boring LI should go to BNL and the rest should not exist or go somewhere else. </p>

<p>It’s rankings are higher outside the country because of it’s research and faculty output, not education. Binghamton’s acceptance rate is both lower and from a pool of higher quality applicants. Stony Brook is higher and from a pool of lower quality applicants. One is good, one is not. Stony Brook is not a good school by any means and to my very point about making it a flagship is to that very point. SUNY is not competitive in the greater university market in the country because they are designed badly so they are trying to ******** their way forward. Binghamton simply is/was lucky enough to have been founded and organized properly from the beginning, focusing on what it is and not what it’s not. I did a quick scan of it’s history and apparently it was initiated by a private university, Syracuse, which may explain it’s success. Even it’s campus embodies it’s sense of focus and order. Is it the greatest thing? No, not at all. There are other universities a hour or more north that have more to offer. An amazing bargain for NY residents (and out-of-state residents), yes.</p>

42

<p>noname
There is no point in arguing with you. All you are doing is ■■■■■■■■ at this point. You have nothing to back up your claims besides an obscure and profound bias. So your reasoning is that LI is boring, and that its bad because it is. Thus it should be bulldozed because of your backless claims. Some killer argument you have there. </p>

<p>they both are research universities. Just being a research university doesn’t get you high on the lists. There are multiple factors involved in ratings schools so I recommend you take a long. The education SB supplies gets them fairly high up on there, and hand and hand with Bing on most US rankings. Your claims are completely backless, and don’t hold up simply because you say so. Unless there is some mass conspiracy to make Stony Brook look good while in reality it should really be bulldozed :/</p>

43

<p>I think it’s a terrible place which is not backless, but backed up by years and years of unhappy students that attend there, evidenced above all else by the Princeton Review rating that has lasted for over a decade. People at other universities, including Binghamton, are more than welcome to work just as hard to express how miserable they are to Princeton Review. Students at SB seem, for some odd reasons, to want to work harder at that. Must be some conspiracy while in reality it’s a very happy place.</p>

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<p>nonname, I was wondering if you could please elaborate on your statement “I think it’s a terrible place” I friend of mine is going to be attending SB in the fall, and just wanted to hear more from you. My S considered SB, but ended up picking another university due to some concerns we had with SB.</p>

45

<p>@noname
That doesn’t change the fact that it consistently ranks and is acclaimed for the education it supplies. Regardless of if people polled think its boring there. You are denouncing the very consistent rankings and acclaim but then bring up a single ranking that says its boring(hardly to do with academics, facilities, campus, education, carrier opportunities, value, faculty, ect, ect, ect) and hold it up as your defacto evidence that the school is ‘no good at all’ , and should be bulldozed. I don’t know why anyone would advocate bulldozing the 78th best university in the world.</p>

46

<p>Check out other comments on this site about other people’s unhappy experiences at this place. Be redundant for me to repeat it. I will say though if you are ambitious and looking for an experience, not just an education, this ain’t it. If you’re looking for a degree and a job or grad school, maybe this is something to consider.</p>

<p>If the person wants to change and it’s too late, start planning the transfer process now. </p>

<p>Joeface, the problem is not the education, at least academic education, it’s everything else, including the actual campus.</p>

47

<p>From what I’ve seen they offer a lot of recreation on campus and have a lot of clubs to participate in. I checked out both Binghamton and Stony and they both have plenty of this. People have only themselves to blame if they chose to be hermits in their rooms. There are bars nearby and a train ride away, so there don’t seem to be a problem for anyone legally allowed to enter their facilities.</p>

<p>I’ve seen many comments on the matter as well. Many of them say that if you chose to go and do things then you will have a good time, while if you stay in your room all emo and anti social, of course you’ll hate it. Its a large campus, and people aren’t going to come knocking on your door asking if you want to be friendsy wensies. But that’s just the general consensus I got from reading comments online like you have. Its not like they don’t offer a buttload of things to do. The problem seems to be that they are optional and the less ambitious would need to be rounded up and forced to participate, or not do so at all. It also has a large commuter population. Of course they are not going to get the college experience. You drive to school, take your classes, spend your free time in the eatery, library, or car, and go home. I went to a local college right out of HS, and of course I wasn’t getting the college experience at all. </p>

<p>Yes, the set up at Binghamton helps deal with this, since its both in the middle of noware, and condensed giving inhabitants a more community like feel. But they still both offer the same optional recreation, and its still up to the student to participate or not. Another general consensus I see a lot is that college is what you make of it. Very much so for SB and what I see people who went there saying a lot.</p>

48

<p>"Binghamton clearly is a better school than Stony Brook. Binghamton is higher ranked in most if not all college rankings, it has a much lower acceptance rate, and slightly higher retention rate, much higher SAT scores and a better campus/campus life. If anyone would like, I can provide sources for all these facts.</p>

<p>The only thing that Stony Brook has on Binghamton is research dollars, though I suspect in the next few years, this might change quite drastically. "</p>

<p>This is the biggest pile of hyperbole I have ever read…</p>

<p>Just to note, I was never a student at Stony Brook or Binghamton undergrad and don’t have any friends who have attended either. (I am attending Stony Med, and just ran across this forum in a google search, but had to reply to this). </p>

<p>I have heard about both stony and bing though and know both to be very good, reputable state schools in the state and if not the best state schools in NY with different specialties. Among just the vibe I have gotten thus far since graduating from college in NY and being from NY…: </p>

<p>Stony Brook is known for Science, Research, Graduate programs, and the Health Professional/pre-health prof. fields. </p>

<p>Binghamton is known better for its liberal arts, better well rounded undergraduate education, and a “college experience” for cheaper. </p>

<p>I don’t think either can really be compared and to say that Stony Brook (aimed at noname) should be bulldozed is the stupidest, most bias thing I have ever heard someone say about a university. </p>

<p>Here are just some facts you can find by just doing a quick search that demystify the bias posted above:</p>

<p>Binghamton:</p>

<p>Percent applicants admitted: 40%
Percent of students who return for sophomore year: 91%
98% of first-year students live in college housing
59% of all undergraduates live in college housing</p>

<p>SAT Critical Reading: 580 - 670 94%
SAT Math: 620 - 700 94%
SAT Writing: 570 - 660 94%
ACT Composite: 26 - 30 29%</p>

<p>Average HS GPA via Princeton Review: 3.6</p>

<pre><code>58% had h.s. GPA of 3.75 and higher
18% had h.s. GPA between 3.5 and 3.74
14% had h.s. GPA between 3.25 and 3.49
6% had h.s. GPA between 3.0 and 3.24
4% had h.s. GPA between 2.5 and 2.99
</code></pre>

<p>(main data from collegeboard.com)</p>

<p>Stony Brook:</p>

<p>Percent applicants admitted: 41%
Percent of students who return for sophomore year: 89%
82% of first-year students live in college housing
59% of all undergraduates live in college housing</p>

<p>SAT Critical Reading: 530 - 630 93%
SAT Math: 580 - 680 93%
SAT Writing: 520 - 630 93%
ACT Composite: 25 - 29 25%</p>

<p>Average HS GPA via Princeton Review: 3.6</p>

<pre><code>41% had h.s. GPA of 3.75 and higher
24% had h.s. GPA between 3.5 and 3.74
18% had h.s. GPA between 3.25 and 3.49
14% had h.s. GPA between 3.0 and 3.24
3% had h.s. GPA between 2.5 and 2.99
</code></pre>

<p>(main data from collegeboard.com)</p>

<p>From the above data you could see that Stony Brook and Binghamton are quite similar in many aspects of college admission, with Binghamton having an overall slightly higher GPA bell curve and 20-50pts higher per section in SAT scores insignificant…). Both have almost equal admission/retention rates. Also, when judging “campus life” Stony brook has the added benefit of being 1-2hrs~ away from NYC, which may deter from life ON campus but a much better experience when you venture off campus. I’d like to see all the fun to be had if you venture outside binghamton…upstate NY…what a hoot! </p>

<p>Also, Stony is commonly known to have a better ranking worldwide and in the US both Bing and Stony have about equal undergraduate rankings via Usnews. I think they are only 13 spots apart from each other? For graduate programs Stony Brook really can’t be compared with binghamton as it ranks much higher in more graduate programs (also since it has a more varied set of graduate programs).</p>

<p>The way nonname is interpreting these rankings…it would be like saying that Rice is a much better institution than say Tufts (which are about 12 spots away from each other in USnews rankings) and that they can’t even be compared because Rice is clearly the superior university. As such, TUFTS SHOULD BE BULLDOZED! (really?!).
Not like these silly rankings matter anyway…</p>

<p>In terms of PURE UNDERGRADUATE education and overall “college experience” (whatever that is…) Binghamton may provide you with the better option. But in terms of UNIVERSITY I can see why Stony Brook may be a better institution…and to say it should be bulldozed is complete ludicrous. </p>

<p>My 2 cents. Sorry for the long post.</p>

49

<p>There are things that are designed well and there are things that are not designed well. Binghamton is designed well. Sb is not. They cannot fully be compared beyond that because they are different in content. If something is bad though, that is the provider’s fault/responsibility. Outside of certain situations and goals, SB is a bad service. This is simple economics. You provide a service. In exchange for that service, I give you goods. Bad service, no goods. The set up doesn’t help Binghamton. That is college, the set up. College is what you make of it, but that doesn’t involve enduring bad services. That involves taking advantage of services. There’s a difference. You’re just wrong. Sorry.</p>

50

<p>If you knew anything about Stony Brook…you would know it was designed to become a major research university, a “Berkeley for the east” (or something like that). By that sense, it was designed well because in a span of only 50 years the university has accomplished quite a lot. In addition to being a research university it is now (in my opinion) transitioning into becoming a unified university in all its educational sectors (other graduate programs, the arts, undergraduate education) and from my outsider perspective of it I think it is doing rather well just by talking to current SB undergrads and finding more about the university. Sure it may not be at the level of an amazing undergraduate experience like Uchicago or an ivy league school but at least it is trying to get there. </p>

<p>Binghamton on the other hand provides a good undergraduate experience as that was its main focus from the start and has succeeded in what it was designed to do. HOWEVER, Binghamton (in my opinion again) has stayed at just that, without expanding much into graduate/research sectors…which i have also heard are getting there too…but isn’t quite there yet (just in the sense of SB’s undergrad education isn’t the best yet either but at least it is getting better from what I’ve heard, if a current SB undergrad student could back me on this). </p>

<p>So really, the are two universities aimed at two different types of people, and for the types of people they are aiming for they have both succeeded. You want to go to college with no idea what you are majoring in, have awesome frat parties, study hard and get a pretty good education? Binghamton may be the better choice. You want to go to college with a great vision for what you want to do (most likely science or premed), study hard and network amongst varied research opportunities, and take advantage of many aspects a major research university somewhat close to NYC? Stony Brook may be a better choice. Moreover, there will be parties at SB and research opportunities at binghamton and vice versa…</p>

<p>This is how I see it, from my unbiased opinion. </p>

<p>Also if you can enlighten everyone how Stony brook is providing bad services and is not designed well? Seeing as it was designed as a RESEARCH UNIVERSITY.</p>

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<p>Rixmix2k5: “(just in the sense of SB’s undergrad education isn’t the best yet either but at least it is getting better from what I’ve heard, if a current SB undergrad student could back me on this).”…</p>

<p>As a four year undergraduate student of Computer Science I can tell you that Stony Brook turned out to be a great experience. I had a great time here. The Computer Science faculty has been great and I have no regrets on coming here. In general, the SB student population has noticed the change and the improvements the University is putting forward in undergraduate education. Everyone knows this place is going to be huge in the near future (… even better than now that is) because the administration has put a lot of effort to enhance the undergraduate experience with renovations (i.e: Old Chemistry, Track field, Joe Nathan Field) expansion of current facilties (i.e Sac Food Court, Kelly Food court), and construction of new future facilities like the recreation center and the future Student Union. Recently a large residential complex was built almost entirely eliminating the “triples” among the undergraduate residents. I came in the Fall of 2007 when stony brook was heavily overcrowded in the residences and a lot of that has positively changed. I have noticed that the administration is putting hard work on unifying the community. A lot of things have changed here. </p>

<p>I will miss Stony Brook. I have had a lot of fun here, and my other friends have expressed satisfaction also. However, there is also significant minority who dislikes the campus due to the lack of activities in the weekends, the lack of turnout to campus events, lack of bars along Route 25A, and the lack of the collegetown feel.However, I have a feeling this is slowly changing. </p>

<p>You can see that the Athletics department is doing a better job and gathering more people every year to the sports games to unify the students. I myself have become a Seawolves fanatic and attend all the football games and most BB games.</p>

<p>Stony Brook is a great place, you just have to search for what you like, it has a lot of options. And ITS ONLY GETTING BETTER. </p>

<p>Our first 50 years established us as a leading research institution, the next 50 years should even be more promising.</p>

52

<p>Anyone who refers to SBU as “Stony”, hasn’t got a clue. ALL alumni call it “The Brook”</p>

53

<p>Seriously people need to read into the history of the schools before posting on here. Look at the wiki. Look at the awards and accomplishments. Stony dominates in science accomplishments and in overall rankings as it pertains to the world. While bing was inducted as a public ivy, stony brook has won many awards as well, most notably being part of the American Association of Universities. Stony Brook has more of a name as it pertains to the world as a whole. Bing is an up and coming school (ranked 11 on us news for it). It has not yet been noticed by times higher education.
They are in two different categories only institutions name as a whole can really be compared.</p>

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<p>Both are great great schools.</p>

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<p>I honestly don’t think binghamton is THAT much more amazing than stony brook academic wise (especially for sciences), but bing overall is probably better especially b/c of the community (aka it’s not dead on the weekends because everyone goes home) and the higher reputation it has to fulfill - I feel like it’s trying to become an even stronger public school, and therefore is always improving.</p>