Stony Brook vs. Rutgers

<p>Hi! I've been contemplating for a long long time, and believe me, I've done enough thinking AND research on the internet to last me decades.
I have applied to a few schools, but basically it comes down to these two. I'm currently a NY resident and it seems like Stony Brook would be the best value school for me. Since I'm not getting any aid, the price of Stony would be around $15,000 a year while Rutgers would cost me $28,000 a year.
But aside from the cost of college, both of these are public schools. On U.S. News's rankings, Stony Brook is ranked 98 and Rutgers is ranked 60. Does ranking matter since they're both public schools? I'm most likely going to be majoring somewhere in the business field and a minor in the computer field. Rutgers is ranked number 32 on Business Week on "the top business schools in America", but it's pretty hard to get into. Stony Brook on the other hand, is not ranked at all but I have heard that their newly overhauled business program is gaining ground and accalim. I know that Stony Brook excels at science, so that might be a better school for my computer minor.
In addition to all of this, a MAJORITY of my friends are going to Stony Brook while NONE of my friends are going to Rutgers. This definitely does play a factor in my decision because I ultimately do not want to be lonely when I start my college experience. Please give me your take, your opinions, your advice, your experience or whatever you can do to help me choose. Thank You!</p>

<p>If money is a factor, go to stony. If not, go to rutgers. As simple as that. You can always transfer to the other school if you change your mind later, especially since their standards for admission are very lenient. I was in your situation: int'l student deciding between suny and a state school in another state. Couldn't go to a private because they go as high as 40k and I am not eligible for any aid; also, most require recs, which I did not have at the time. Decided to come to psu and pay a large/follow-up-remark-released-after-nod bill. After this year, I have realized it wasn't worth it for an undergraduate education and now have applied to suny for next year.</p>

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<p>what's psu?
I agree with frasi, an undergraduate degree these days is considered as a high school diploma these days... Atleast that what my dad says. I'm currently in a CUNY school,hopefully getting into Stony in the fall, and I'd rather not pay so much for my undergrad, then get into a higher ranked school for my master's. It's pretty simple. Just keep your GPA up no matter what school you're in and you'll do fine.</p>

<p>I think the deciding factor really is your choice of major. If you are really intent on a business major then Rutgers would be a better choice. I dont think Stony Brook is even close in this area. </p>

<p>That said, if you still want Stony then my recommendation is to major in Eco or even Appiled Match and just take some business electives. These are two excellent programs at Stony.</p>

<p>As far as friends go, you will make new friends. That's the fun part of college.</p>

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<p>if ur going into the med field like Nursing, Pre-med. bio.....I suggest stony. Why? Because my friend transfered to Rutgers and they told her she's at the wrong place for med, and she has to reapply back...gonna matriculate in Fall 07 again.</p>

<p>lol... who told her that? Rutgers is certainly not the wrong place for medicine... the life sciences are one of Rutgers' specialities.</p>

<p>one of the counselor, when she was picking class as a transfer. I'm not kidding.</p>

<p>Doesn't SB specialize in the sciences more than Rutgers?</p>

<p>^^ I would like to know this too^^</p>