SUNY and its different campuses

Parents Forum
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<p>csdad
I think the shocker for more urbanized kids going to the SUNY campuses comes after the "campus glow" period wears off.Its not the school itself,or its facilities or activities,its where the school happens to be.Plus they are there w/o cars,plus it gets cold (first winter away).Plus the logistics of those first trips home for holidays.Some adjust and love their campus,some don't.
Marny
S looked at Cortland when considering Sports Management programs.Very nice campus,nice size,well kept and charming.Pretty vibrant program in his major .Hope your D will be happy there.</p>

<p>Update on the Geneseo girl we know...two visits to ER's for alcohol poisoning..both this semester... and they discovered she's a cutter.But of course, thats all personal stuff not a reflection on what school shes attending.</p>

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<p>I must admit to being surprised to hear that SUNY Albany has such a reputation as a party school. Waaaaaay back in the day (late 70's) we thought we had the rep of being a bit of a nerd school. How did I miss all those parties?</p>

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<p>Thanks cathymee- my d is going into the Sports Management program at Cortland and it did seem pretty good. My initial main concern was a lack of internship possibilities for the program, but when checking placements, they seem to do a pretty good job.<br>
I liked your description of the campus as being charming. I felt that way too. Alot of the SUNY campuses that I visited over the past 4 years (have older d who is college soph) were really charming and a lot nicer than I expected. Recent visits also included New Paltz, Brockport, Bing, U of Buff. and Albany. Buffalo has become the SUNY of choice in our neck of the woods as many of our LI kids do want to be in a more urban area. And to any of you upstate and OOS guys, please look at Stony Brook. It is supposed to be a very nice campus and "commutable" to NYC by LIRR so a week-end jaunt into NYC is doable. Our LI kids want to get away from home, so they shlep up to Buffalo --so I think SB is the perfect school for those upstaters who also want to get a little bit away from home.<br>
I gotta admit- I am a Happy camper- I got one kid in Cornell-ILR and one going to a SUNY. Basically we'll be paying for both kids roughly what I could be paying for 1 kid at a private U like Duke or Boston U. Maybe I can retire before I am 70.</p>

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<p>My insights on SUNY's go a bit back...but, my experience at SUNY - Oneonta remains a VERY positive one...why? great campus.... really beautiful trees, and all of the "classroom" type facilities centered around the quad... we got a new library back then and it radically changed our study and hanging out habits... it became the new place to hang our hats.....nice dorms, clean, reasonable size rooms.... yes the kids were all from NY state....but they were from all over NY state so I met a lot of new folks... I was on a sports team, we went to the nationals...(none of our friends now, including several Ivy grads and Top 10 grads can say that!!) We had champion soccer and baseball teams when there... we had great opps to be TA's if we wanted..... close relationships with our professors..... the friends that I made are friends for life... I still see my college roomates, our families remain very close... the bigger group, including the guys and their families also still get together, for our 40th birthday year we all went to a Dude ranch...all the roomies and spouses came for my surprise 50th. We got together in Cooperstown when one of the guys took a big job out west... we have all had a lot of professional success.... in our immediate circle there are several PHD's, university professors now, along with a CFO for a major airline, several IBM execs... school superintendent..... and my "favorite" statistic (which is never cited on any important school rating) is that NONE of us are divorced... we are all still married to our first spouse. I am thinking of at least 12 of us, all still with our families... I am not saying that is because of Oneonta, rather that middle America actually is a reasonable place to be if you want happiness, stability, challenges and values. </p>

<p>It is my understanding that when I went there, Oneonta was the top State College, after the 4 State Universities.... yes we did party, but my view on that is that it was okay to "grow up" in a college environment and our friendships were important safeguards in providing boundaries. We watched out for one another, my most frightening experience was waiting to get into a Joni Mitchell concert at Cornell, we were at the front of the crowd, when the doors opened, one of the gals (who was short) got pushed to the side almost behind the door as it was pushed open.....THAT was scary....... </p>

<p>I have heard that Geneseo is the "hot" school.... I cannot speak from current posturing on which ones are the best....but I can testify that I got out of school (as did my brothers, who also did SUNY's) without any loans. That was very liberating...... my view was that I was not yet ready to choose my course of study as a HS senior..... so a 4 yr SUNY school would give me a strong foundation and I would spend bigger $$$ later on graduate school.... I ended up at a big corporation and they paid for my graduate study so, it all worked out just fine. </p>

<p>My S, during his Ivy interview, was asked what he hoped to get out of 4 years of college, his response still warms my heart.... "from my dad (graduate of said Ivy) I have seen that I will get the best education, top professors; from my mom, I have learned that I will make life long friends." Not too shabby, no?? Very few choices in life are ends in themselves.... the key is to take advantage of what is available where you are..... keep the BIG picture in mind.... stay open, active, honest and kind and life will be good...</p>

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<p>Another plug for SUNY. There are many "hidden gem" programs in the SUNY system that often get overlooked especially-- in combo BA/Masters programs. Recently a mom asked on these boards about the upstate SUNY Environ Science program. I checked Cortland as I thought there was some combo program with them too, but I also came across the combo Cortland/Duke environmental science program (yeah- I said Duke U). It was a 5 year program- 3 at Cortland and a Masters in Environmental Science /Forestry at Duke U. I cannot tell you how many times I have been on the Cortland website, and yet this program was never on my radar as my kid was not going to major in the sciences. But for the right kid- what a program. 3 years undergrad at SUNY tuition and a Masters from Duke. Not too shabby!! So Please DO NOT OVERLOOK SUNY. There are some wonderful programs out there.
Mainparent- not too many divorces in my SUNY group of friends either--The one divorced couple in our group was a mixed marriage- she was a non-SUNY wife.</p>

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<p>For math, science, pre-med, and engineering check out SUNY Stony Brook. They have definately raised the bar there recently. Offering D1 scholarships for athletes starting next year. A lot of new building. Many beautification projects. Adding a number of academic programs. Ranked in the top 20th percent of all schools in the nation for science and math. My daughter just finished her freshman year there and she has enjoyed it very much.</p>

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<p>To the person looking at Purchase : We have a freind whose daughter is at SUNY Purchase ( she is from City of Rochester ) and she is trying to transfer to NYU. Although she has met a nice little group of freinds , they say that the campus is 75 percent commuters . </p>

<p>I went to Manhattanville College in Purchase many moons ago . It was very lovely situated in nice suburbia but also populated by a large ( wealthier than SUNY Purchase ) commuter group of kids - AND TEACHERS . The teachers at both Purchase campuses are not very accessible .</p>

<p>My weekends were spent in NYC because I had family there . Otherwise , I would have gone bonkers but the White Plains train station was safe , accessible by a cab from campus and easy .</p>

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<p>Thanks for posting - I know both schools but have not attended either - except for a summer course years ago. (If 75% of Purchase students are commuters I wonder why their dorms are so over crowded?) </p>

<p>Appreciate your taking the time to post. It's good to hear different opinions. I'm sure much has to do with individual students and their majors, etc. when it comes to liking different colleges.</p>

<p>Ultimately, we shall have to visit a 3 or 4 SUNY schools and see what's what. Contrary to another poster on another thread, I believe that several of the SUNY schools are really quite good and that we're fortunate to live in NY state because of this because without substantial merit aid or a scholarship the Bards, Sarah Lawrences, Fordhams, etc., are beyond our financial reach. One never knows, or so it seems, until one actually applies to these non state schools as to what the $$ possibilities are but having just read that 16 page thread "The Death of the Dream School", state universities are seeming much more available. ;)</p>

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<p>Please don't forget that I am speaking of 20 years ago , at least , when I lived at Purchase. </p>

<p>The SUNY is a popular one among arts majors - therefore , probably is more inhabited these days on weekends , I hope (-:</p>

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<p>Thanks for the "20 years ago" comment. :D</p>

<p>In reading different threads, it's alway so interesting to find such a variety of opinions... No doubt your friend's daughter has her own valid reasons for wanting to transfer to NYU, while another student finds her or his experience to be great - with teachers who do care and relate...</p>

<p>That's what I think everyone of us needs to remember - every person will have their own experiences and we must never assume that just because what one reads on any discussion board is pro or con that it will hold true for the next person...or the vast majority who don't frequent these cyber halls.</p>

<p>Interestingly, I received a PM from a more recent grad from Purchase who was not an arts major but who loved her experience and found the professors very accessible. So you never know!</p>

<p>Either way, easydoesitmom - thanks for posting. :)</p>

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<p>Good post, BLUMINI! Not everyone is looking for the same thing and, thank goodness, colleges come in all shapes and sizes - hence the often used metaphor of "fit". For some people the location is of utmost importance. SUNY Purchase is in Westchester and Westchester is not NYC! Judged on its merits as an academic institution, SUNY Purchase qualifies as another hidden gem in the SUNY system. All in all, the SUNY system offers New Yorkers and OOS students a tremendously affordable and valuable academic resource.</p>

<p>A positive attitude and an open mind are keys to making the college experience -- as well as the admissions process - a success. </p>

<p>Good luck to you and your daughter!</p>

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<p>We visited SUNY Environmental Science a few weeks ago. The programs were excellent but the campus is awful and the school is the unwanted, teased stepchild of Syracuse U.</p>

<p>Hunter has very, very limited housing and its admissions are a crapshoot, even at the high end of their rather ordinary scale.</p>

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<p>zoosermom- my d will be going to Cortland for their Sports Management program. But I noticed that Cortland has some great combo programs in the Environmental Sciences. One is with SUNY Environmental and another is a BA/MA combo with Duke University. You do 3 years at Cortland (at SUNY tuition) and then can do the last 2 years at Duke to get a Masters in Environ Science. I think you should check the program out on the Cortland website. -- check their biological science program for info.</p>

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<p>You do 3 years at Cortland (at SUNY tuition) and then can do the last 2 years at Duke to get a Masters in Environ Science. I think you should check the program out on the Cortland website. -- check their biological science program for info</p>

<p>Definitely going to do that. Thank you!</p>

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<p>I wanted my d. to consider Binghamton; Binghamton wanted my d. to consider them; My d. agreed to visit..... The tour guide at Binghamton did not stress academics and was not very positive about the social life either. Compared to our hometown of Burlington, Vermont, Binghamton looked very uncultural and provincial. Finally, my d. had visited McGill the week before and comparing Montreal to Binghamton was not a fair comparison. I do think that Binghamton is a great value in education and sometimes trade-offs have to be made and a focus kept on the big picture of why they are going to college in the first place.</p>

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<p>Just wanted to bump this up- and to remind everyone that Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) is a Suny school in midtown Manhattan. (with dorms if you live a certain distance away from campus). So for those interested in Fashion/design etc. It's a school to check out. Also get a copy of the SUNY Viewbook. It's a really good way to check out the different campuses and get basic info. Much easier to understand than the Suny website.</p>

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<p>What can anyone tell me about SUNY Albany--social life, academics, etc., especially for an out of state student? My son is interested in the public policy program.</p>

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<p>I think SUNY Albany is a very solid choice - especially for public policy. There is a very strong relationship between NYS Government and SUNY Albany- which means lots of internships and experience. SUNY Albany does not have a reputation of being a commuter school- which means the campus should be lively on week-ends. It is listed as a big party school but from the kids who go there (or at least what their parents say) there's drinking and drugs but that probably exists EVERYWHERE and people are a bit surprised it has that party reputation. You gotta see the campus. It is not for everyone. I hear it was designed by the guy that did Lincoln Center in NYC. I believe it, as SUNY Albany is "one big marble plaza." It is not a typical campus with grassy areas and lots of buildings scattered throughout. My kid was ok with it and almost decided to go to Albany but as she is interested in sports, she decided to go to Cortland. NY seems to want OOS kids, as we get so few of them in SUNY schools so I don't think it would be a problem. Lots of kids from NYC/LI go there. I don't know if that is a good or bad thing. (I'm from Long Island.) I think Albany is a good school and for Public Policy I think it would be a particularly fine school to consider. We looked at OOS public's for my d too. For public policy you may want to check out George Mason in Va. That still has a bit of a reputation of being a commuter school, so that was the main reason we took it out of contention. But I can tell you that 3 of my d's classmates are going there so I think their commuter reputation will be changing soon.</p>

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<p>Marny knows her stuff regarding the suny's, and I second everything she said regarding Albany. I had two friends there when I was in college in the early 80's, and from what I've heard, the physical campus hasn't changed all that much. My son's friend is there now and is very happy. It still has a good academic reputation. There are lots of internship opportunities no matter what your major due to the size of the city.</p>

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<p>We visited SUNY Albany over my son's spring break and couldn't get a handle on how we felt about it. We couldn't decide if it was really easy to do everything because it was all so interconnected ( a big plus) or if the interconnectedness was claustrophobic ( a minus).</p>

<p>This is why I'm asking for input.</p>

<p>My son also liked and was equally put off by the fact that most of the public policy classes seem to be at the downtown Albany campus-- a plus because it made the campus less claustrophobic, but maybe somewhat inconvenient?</p>

<p>He is thinking of applying there this fall.</p>