<p>Hey guys</p>
<p>Which one of these universities is best for computer science major, and overall campus life etc? I also wanna know which one out of these is the best one overall and valued highest.</p>
<p>BUMP? Anyone?</p>
<p>UAlbany is a really nice school and I’ve decided to go there next year. I’m not sure about computer science there because I’m going for something else, but it is a nice campus. There are over 200 clubs you can join so there is something for everyone. When I visited there were signs all over for a ton of different events going on.</p>
<p>It’s a big school (not as big as Buffalo) so there are a lot of different people to meet to. There is a free bus that takes you back and forth from campus that goes to the local mall where there is every store you could think of.</p>
<p>The campus is a little depressing in the winter but hey it’s in upstate NY what do you expect? I visited 2 times over the summer and it was beautiful. The fountain in the middle of campus is just amazing.</p>
<p>Thanx for your input redrocket, always nice to get some first hand experience :). If someone could give some thoughts to the other 2, I could make a choice. :)</p>
<p>Binghamton is by far superior in every aspect.</p>
<p>Yeah but I hear it’s pretty quiet and boring there, being in the middle of nowhere. Anyone know about Albany?</p>
<p>I live in Albany, and drive by SUNY almost every day. The campus is pretty big, with lots of fields and athletic facilities, great library, just very nice all around. In winter, yes it is depressing, but in spring and summer it is one of my favorite places because it’s so nice looking. You’re right across the street from restaurants, a smoke shop, coffee place, cvs, and whatever else you might need. The bus can take you a short hop to the mall, where there are tons of stores. According to some friends who go there, they really are enjoying themselves. one thing about the parties, according to them, is that you have to go all the way downtown on the UALB shuttle. Then again, dorms aren’t on campus so it’s not that far of a ride. I don’t know much about the academics, this info is just the stuff my friends who go there have told me.</p>
<p>Thanx for all the input guys, appreciate it :)</p>
<p>FYI, at Albany, there ARE dorms on campus.
4 identical quads (Dutch, Colonial, Indian and State).
Decent school but I’m not a fan of the campus.
[Living</a> on Campus - University at Albany - SUNY](<a href=“http://www.albany.edu/housing/living.shtml]Living”>Residential Life | University at Albany)</p>
<p>That being said, Binghamton is the better school by a bunch.</p>
<p>Best of luck.</p>
<p>While Binghamton is the highest ranked, in overall rankings… Buffalo is known for math and sciences. (Buffalo is ranked in engineering and Binghamton is not on the list at all. Don’t remember how comp. sci falls.)</p>
<p>My son applied to and was accepted at both schools.</p>
<p>My son is now a sophomore majoring in dual engineering programs at Buffalo. He absolutely loved Bing when he visited but was not impressed with their engineering program. Investigated with current students from our area who attend(ed) Bing and they said the engin dept was not great and math was not great either. They loved their programs (I remember one was a business major). That was the end of Bing for us. His second love was Buffalo. Engineering open house won him over. Great, great program. Son is also a computerphile and wanted a good program in case he switched majors.</p>
<p>He is very, very happy with his choice. Met great kids. Is involved on campus in his major in many ways. They just finished constructing a new computer science building (I don’t think it was engineering, but it may have both. ) Also, a brand new dorm for sophomores is opening in Fall 2011. </p>
<p>Personally, I’m not so keen on Albany. Son applied to Bing, Buff, Geneseo (he hated it) and about a dozen more schools, out of state publics and a bunch of privates. Applied comp. sci and engin. Accepted at all. Like I said, liked BU and UB the best. </p>
<p>Do not discount UB based on overall ranking. It is highly well known in all the sciences. So many people from my area, adults, (Long Island) attended and know what a great program they have. Keep that in mind.</p>
<p>Travel- BING- at least from LI- most local kids drive or take the bus to get home for holidays/breaks. BUFF- my son flies. Southwest to Islip or Jet Blue to JFK.</p>
<p>Things to do. All 3 state schools may be similar. None are in “College towns” but the kids all make friends and hang out and find things to do together. I don’t think any set of students from any of the 3 schools you mentioned are happier or more unhappy than the rest. The only kids I’ve heard of that was unhappy was homesick, but still loved the school and made friends.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>You can post on the individual SUNY threads or SUNY general for more info.</p>
<p>Thought this may help you. Search around for specifics and the new building:
[UB</a> Computer Science and Engineering](<a href=“http://www.cse.buffalo.edu/]UB”>http://www.cse.buffalo.edu/)</p>
<p>Better info on the new engineering and computer science building, slated for completion in Sept 2011. UB is big on research. Son, a soph volunteered in the Fall and now has a paid research position in engineering!!
[UB</a> Engineering Building to be Named for Jack and Barbara Davis - UB NewsCenter](<a href=“http://www.buffalo.edu/news/fast-execute.cgi/article-page.html?article=121530009]UB”>UB Engineering Building to be Named for Jack and Barbara Davis - University at Buffalo)</p>
<p>“Binghamton is by far superior in every aspect.” Really? UAlbany has a $6 Billion Nano Tech college that was ranked number 1 in the WORLD. There are 2500 scientists working in this one college. Does Binghamton have anything like this? Georgia Tech doesn’t even have these facilities. UAlbany’s criminal justice, accounting and education are among more than a dozen programs ranked in the top 10 nationally.</p>
<p>Do your own research. Don’t be lazy and rely on others or a magazine.</p>
<p>Someones angry they got denied from binghamton and trying to justify how albany is better when in reality its not, if you get into binghamton go there much more respected.</p>
<p>^^. It’s true that Albany is known for nanotechnology but Binghamton is by FAR the better school in general. If the OP said they were looking for the most opportunities to foster their love of nanotechnology then okay maybe Albany would be the better fit for them, but it’s silly to say that Albany is a ‘better’ school than Bing.</p>
<p>So I had to choose between the three when I was going to college. I wanted to stay in-state, as I knew I was going to graduate school afterwards. My advice - go to Binghamton. Putting the rankings aside, as a graduate student in Computer Engineering who’s interacted with a lot of students and professors from several schools, people respect Binghamton’s Computer Science program a lot. Buffalo’s program is OK, but is not thought of as highly, and Albany’s program in CS is looked down upon a lot.</p>
<p>Despite having an uber scholarship to Buffalo, I chose to go to Binghamton. While the Computer Engineering program was not amazingly strong, the Computer Science program was. I learned a lot from each of the CS courses, and found myself much better prepared for research and grad school as a result. The CS courses were very practically rooted, and expected a lot from the students.</p>
<p>Campus life definitely isn’t great at Binghamton, but my friends who went to Buffalo thought the same of their campus. There’s enough to do to keep you plenty occupied, though. Lots of activities on campus, a good run of concerts and comedians, and an active late-night weekend schedule at school should you choose not to go out. For an area the size of Binghamton, there’s also a very large selection of places to shop and eat, and there’s also minor league baseball and hockey, if you find that interesting. For what it’s worth, most people I knew who hated Binghamton and the atmosphere their first few months grew to really love it by graduation. I can’t comment on Albany, though I’ve read they’re a big party school. That said, I’m personally not a fan of Albany’s campus. Not like Binghamton’s is much prettier, but I like it a little bit more than Albany.</p>
<p>Academics-wise, you’d be making a mistake not going to Binghamton for CS. For the campus life, Binghamton isn’t any kind of stand out, but I don’t think it’s much worse than the other two. Hope this helps, smq115. Feel free to ask me any questions about CS specifics if you’d like.</p>
<p>Just another note. Accreditation is something important to look for when a program isn’t in the top 10 in the country. Binghamton’s CS program is the only one of the three that is accredited. Buffalo has its engineering programs accredited, but its CS department is not. Albany does not have a single department with accreditation. Just some more food for thought. If you’re interested, you can see the list here: [Accredited</a> Programs Search](<a href=“http://www.abet.org/AccredProgramSearch/AccreditationSearch.aspx]Accredited”>http://www.abet.org/AccredProgramSearch/AccreditationSearch.aspx)</p>
<p>Another vote for UB being the best choice of the three for math and science.</p>
<p>ABET accreditation is important for engineering, but not so much for comp sci.</p>
<p>You should check this website:</p>
<p>[SUNY:</a> What Others Say About SUNY](<a href=“http://www.suny.edu/student/university_others_say_about_suny.cfm]SUNY:”>http://www.suny.edu/student/university_others_say_about_suny.cfm)</p>
<p>Is binghamtons computer science really better than albany and buffalos? I just want to make sure because I was having second thoughts on choosing Binghamton. what about sciences(bio/health) because I could possibly switch majors?</p>