<p>I'm a junior in high school and even though i would love to go to a school in a warmer state, my parents are seriously convincing me to stay in-state so I can get the in-state tuition.
I want to major in psychology and I want to make sure the school that I choose has a good psych program. The three schools I've been looking at were Albany, University of Buffalo and Oneonta. I've heard some pretty bad things about Albany, but I'm kind of hooked on it because of the big sports scene. I was wondering if anyone knew anything about any of these schools? Any information- dorms, sports, social life, school spirit, etc. is fine. Thank you! :)</p>
<p>if you have high stats, you can apply out of state and get some scholarships and be in a warmer area. tulane, for example, gives out really good scholarships if you apply early.</p>
<p>if you need to stay though, then it would be 1) buff, 2) albany, 3) oneonta. i only know anything about albany from visiting. albany looks like a concentration camp and telling you how much concrete was used to build the school is part of the tour if you go visit. the dorm rooms are really small. even if you’re in a suite, you share a room with someone and there’s about a foot in between your beds. it’s really cramped. social life is good; albany’s known as a party school.</p>
<p>I visited Albany. The concrete just depressed me. From what I know about Oneonta (which is not much), I’ve heard it’s not one of the greatest SUNY schools. Of the three, Buffalo is the most prestigous, and not impossible to get into if you have decent grades. I visited Buffalo the other day, and it’s not bad. There’s a common joke about the winter weather, but Buffalo has an excellent system that gets rid of the snow quickly. I think Psychology is good at Buffalo as well.</p>
<p>I’s suggest visiting all three as they are quite different. Each school has its advantages and only you can determine where you are content. Forget the all the horror stories about Albany, it’s fine…all schools are party schools. If you can get into UAlbany honors college, or any other for that matter, the benefits are nice and can make a larger school feel smaller. As far as sports, UB has a great stadium and the city is known for its fans! Call each school and see if you can speak with someone about your concerns and interests in psych. Sit in on a class. In any case, I don’t think you can go wrong with any choice among the three. Good luck!</p>
<p>My D, a health sciences major, has taken some psych classes at UB - they do a lot of interesting psych research there, so every psych course seems to have some research component. PSY101 kids are required to participate in a certain number of studys which is kind of interesting, or a pain, depending on your pov! Overall, I think the opportunities are definitely available for undergrads who want to get involved with their department.</p>
<p>The dorms and facilities at UB are, I would say, nicer than the average SUNY. Freshmen are housed together on North campus (if you get your housing deposit/preferences in by March!) and there are several LLC’s to choose from. The room are a decent size, from what I’ve seen, the dorms have kitchens, study centers, dining halls, shops, etc. and they do have the winter weather figured out! There’s a tunnel under the Ellicott complex where students can catch the shuttle buses and most of the academic buildings, library, union are connected by walkways/tunnels. Buses run continuously between North and South campuses and, from South, you can easily take the subway or city buses elsewhere. </p>
<p>UB is a D1 school and football games are hugely popular. They have a nice athletic complex, stadium, etc. but, oddly given that Buff is a hockey town, only have club hockey (the Pepsi arena is across the highway). Not sure of the other sports, as those are the only ones my kid is interested in. Social life in general is what you make it…lots of parties available if that’s your thing, but lots of other things to do as well. There are some clubs around South Campus that students frequent.</p>
<p>Thank you, everyone for the input. I think I’ve crossed Albany off the list for a few reasons. Number one, the concrete would completely depress me. I like colors and trees and whatnot, so I don’t think the ugly structure of Albany would do me any good.
I’ve also read that Albany has a very high crime rate. (can anyone second that?) If so, then I’m not going there. As a little white girl from suburban Long Island (lol), that’s the last thing I need.
I keep hearing great things about Buffalo, but my only issue is that it’s so far. Since I live on Long Island, it’s close to 9 hours away… and apparently it’s colder than the other schools I’ve mentioned? Not cool. :(</p>
<p>I still haven’t heard much about Oneonta, except that it has a reallly fun greek life.</p>
<p>And recently, I’ve talked to many people who go to Cortland, and haven’t heard any bad things about the school. Everyone raves about every aspect of the school (except the weather, obviously), so that has definitely kept me curious. I know that it has a great sports scene and a lot of school spirit, (which is really important to me) so i’ve been looking into it. Does anyone know anything about Cortland?
Thanks!</p>
<p>I’ve been to Cortland several times and know kids there now. They seem happy enough although Cortland is certainly a much smaller school/city than Albany or Buffalo. They have been pretty crowded the past few years…lots of forced triples for freshmen, but that may be something they’ve figured out by now. Idk about psych there but transportation is likely to be a bigger hassle - Cortland is about 40 minutes south of Syracuse, which I think is the closest major airport and is probably the snowfall capital of the northeast!</p>
<p>My D’s roomie at UB is from Long Island and there’s a huge NYC/LI population there. The Buffalo airport is about 10 minutes from campus and there’s an Amtrak station downtown…both easily accessible. I seem to remember that UB had negotiated rates for various taxi services, but there’s usually someone with a car around who will just drive. UB also offered a service called Express Bus Home about 6 times last year, including breaks, where they rented coach buses and students could pay a single price for a round trip with pick up at the dorms. One was specifically for the NYC area, so no stops and a central drop off/pick up point. There should be info on all that on UB’s transportation website.</p>
<p>I don’t know if Buff is colder than other areas, but they probably get more snowfall than you’re used to and it does get windy! My kid hates the cold but surprisingly didn’t complain once last winter…the dorms were kept well heated, the shuttles run constantly and pick students up in a tunnel under the Ellicott complex or very close to the other buildings, and the buildings on the academic spine are all connected by tunnels and enclosed walkways. D felt the sidewalks and roads were kept very clean during the winter and was happy to find that Buffalo has a lot more sunny days than our area. YMMV</p>
<p>thank you! that was a huge help. i’m visiting cortland, oneonta and buffalo all next month, so i guess i’ll just have to see it all for myself 
thanks again</p>
<p>We visited Oneonta and I must say the town and school give off a very nice upbeat feel. Of course it is smaller than Albany or Buffalo, (about 6,000 students)) but that also made it more intimate and inviting. More of a fun enjoyable place to be. The school and town reminded me a bit of a cross between SUNY New Paltz and UDel.I can’t say where it ranks academically vs. Buffalo or Albany, obviously just given the size I would imagine it would be “lower” than those two, but I think higher than Cortland. I got the feeling that for some students, the size and congenial town might make it a better fit.</p>
<p>Distance wise it is less than an hour away from Albany by car, about four hours instead of three and nearby to Cooperstown in some very pretty country. The town is one of those 19th Century brick buildings sort so common in Pennsylvania and New York, but they’ve made an effort to make it look arty and upbeat rather than depressed. Lots of places to grab a bite or have coffee in Town. Hartwick College, a small liberal arts school of about 1400 is there in Oneonta too and while we didn’t visit, I’d think that having two schools would enhance the overall effect.</p>
<p>I’d like to get more solid info about where it ranks academically because I think it could be a good choice for my daughter.</p>
<p>I applied to all three of these as well and got into them. I chose Albany. I liked the atmosphere and the social scene. Plus Albany is best known out of the three and when it comes to looking for jobs after you graduate, that’s very important. As far as prestige, I’d say Albany and Buffalo are about the same. Oneonta after.</p>
<p>thanks so much, everyone! well right before i applied to all of my schools, i decided to switch my major from psychology to speech pathology, so that eliminates oneonta and albany immediately. i applied to both buffalo and cortland and i got accepted to both, and choosing between the two schools was beyond difficult. in the end, i chose cortland because i am absolutely in love with the school, the atmosphere, and everything about it. so thank you all so much for all of your help!
and @Cody0893, two of my best friends are going to Albany. just thought i’d let you know haha</p>
<p>Haha thanks Maybe I’ll see them around haha</p>
<p>I know im like three years late, but what were your stats for Buffalo?</p>