<p>There are SO many SUNY schools. Which would you folks recommend for an undeclared "B" student with a couple of AP's and Honors courses. MY S probably would shy away from urban. He would prefer something with a private school feel to it ...in what could be termed a "college town" He would also like to avoid a "suitcase school" as S is from New England and would prefer to stay on campus on weekends. I don't think he could get into the SUNY Honors College.. is it Geneseo... unsure.</p>
<p>How about Oneonta?</p>
<p>I agree absolutely, Oneonta. It has a private college feel and town. It most definitely is not a suit case college. </p>
<p>It has been ranked by USNews for academics and stated on CC as one of the best looking SUNY campuses.</p>
<p>It has become very selective however. </p>
<p>I think your S would have a shot. Visit and see if it feels like a fit.</p>
<p>I'm gonna agree with Oneonta. I think it is one of the nicer SUNY campuses. Some of the SUNY's have a bit of a "specialization" like Cortland for phys ed. or sport management (my kid goes there) or Purchase for theatre or creative writing- but I think Oneonta is a great choice with more of a liberal arts feel.
I've heard it may be a bit easier for OOS kids to get into SUNY schools, as NY would love to increase the # of OOS kids attending. So do not overlook Geneseo or even Binghamton.<br>
I've always thought SUNY colleges are one of the best bargains going even for OOS kids. Also most kids stay on campus on the weekends. Most SUNY colleges are not known as suitcase schools.</p>
<p>Just to clarify, there's no one "SUNY Honors College". Several have that kind of reputation, and many SUNY universities and colleges have an Honors College, but we don't really have a flagship or anything like that.</p>
<p>As for which campus, what is your son interested in and what's his SAT like?</p>
<p>Geneseo isn't an honors college, but it has been called a public ivy. None of the SUNYs are actually urban (Buffalo State is an exception). UAlbany and UBuffalo (not the same as Buffalo State) are technically in cities, but are located on the outskirts. Neither have a urban feel. </p>
<p>Oneonta has a nice small college/town vibe, as do Fredonia, Oswego, Potsdam, Cortland, and New Paltz. They would all be good for an undecided student, although as Marny points out, they are all known for their specializations. </p>
<p>I'm a teacher in upstate New York, and many of my students are go to the schools I listed above and are very happy. New Paltz and Fredonia are especially popular.</p>
<p>Here's what the Geneseo website says:
[quote]
The most selective of the State University of New York's comprehensive colleges, and considered to be SUNY's Honors College, ...
[/quote]
Although there are Honors programs within several of the other SUNYs, large and small. Confusing!</p>
<p>I know that my youngest d received a brochure from Geneseo last year with the headline "NY's Public Honors College" or something to that effect. Lots of very bright kids from our area go there - and a number of very bright kids from our hs last year didn't get in. Mid-50th percentiles for M/CR SATs: 1260-1390 (admitted students).</p>
<p>Well, there's brochure copy and there's reality :) I think the Geneseo website falls into the former; it's certainly a great school, but calling it the "SUNY Honors College" is misleading.</p>
<p>Geneseo does have an honors program, a small one but it still has one. </p>
<p>
[quote]
Selection to the Honors Program
The program admits first year students and a small number of second year students. Application to the program is by invitation. Students are invited to apply based on superior grades, S.A.T. scores, and evidence of scholarly excellence. Incoming freshmen must have a high school average of at least 95 and minimum SAT scores of 1350 (English and Math) to be considered for invitation to the program. Students already in attendance at Geneseo must have earned a grade point average of at least 3.5 and present a minimum of 24 credit hours earned at Geneseo. Students are chosen for the Honors Program from the invited applicants based on a competitive essay and further evidence of academic potential.</p>
<p>Geneseo:</a> Geneseo Honors Program
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Attached please see SUNYHonors Programs InformationSummary – 2008</p>
<p>I (the OP) suspect my son's SAT will top out around 1200.</p>
<p>I think it's important to find out what interests your Son while picking a SUNY. Some SUNYs have stronger programs than others in particular fields. I have a kid at SUNY Buffalo who loves it -- but there was no choice for him anyway, since it's the only SUNY with pharmacy, architecture, and a few other programs. If he chose teaching, he would have discovered that SUNY Buffalo only offers a Masters and not an undergrad degree in education. While SUNY says you can apply to transfer between campuses, once they start to make friends and are familiar with their campuses, transfers might be less attractive.</p>
<p>Over here in Western NY, Fredonia is popular for students who prefer the cozier campus feeling, especially in comparison to UBuffalo (in the suburb of Amherst, NY) with its large numbers and many departments. </p>
<p>Some students at any SUNY will go home on weekends, so perhaps the question is how many are left on campus? In that sense, I'm wondering if UB has more students remaining in town than Fredonia, but I don't know the answer. UB students come from all over the state, country and world, so many stay put and weekends are lively, even if some of the more local/regional kids do go home. Plenty remain on campus.</p>
<p>Fredonia is small/cozy with some sparkle, too, in the form of music and musical theater programs. Even if he's not a musician himself, it's good entertainment to go to concerts and shows when friends are the performers. Another strength area there is in Teacher Training.</p>
<p>My hesitation about Fredonia is the winter weather is really rough at times, with lake effect snow and white-outs. I'm sure the weather there is rougher than Buffalo, because some of the storms pass south of Buffalo but sock in Fredonia, Jamestown, and Erie PA.</p>
<p>If he likes to stay put, however, there's nothing wrong with living on the campus through a snow event. The college plows pathways and schools rarely shut down classes. Everyone's geared up for snow. It's more a nuisance to homeowners than college students. </p>
<p>I think that Binghamton, Oswego also have some tough weather, but if he's from New England it shouldn't bother him much. My D worked a summer in Oswego and we both thought it was a charming place, in terms of the size and style of town, location on the lake. But we saw it in summertime with easy weather. </p>
<p>Weather would be milder closer to NYC, for example at Purchase or StonyBrook. I haven't been to the Albany campus. I think Binghamton is in a beautiful part of the state, although it gets socked in during winter. Binghamton isn't a charm town, from where I saw, but the SUNY campus itself is set beautifully in the hills.</p>
<p>A specialty place is for Forestry and WIldlife Management; a SUNY but located right in the midst of Syracuse University neighborhood. But you say he's not declared an interest yet.</p>
<p>Purchase is very much the arts magnet, located in a suburb of NYC. On weekends, I've heard two opposite things about Purchase. One report is: students run into NYC on weekends because they are artistic and want to do and see what's going on there, naturally. The other report is: students end up getting busy with schoolwork and don't get into NYC as much as they'd like to, but Purchase itself has no town-type appeal for them, so they're in dorms and more dorms. I'm sure it's individual, and at least they have that choice. I've read here is that Purchase suffers from just being tall buildings on parking lots; however, some of their arts programs are amazing. To be a liberal arts student in that very creative setting might, or might not, be appealing to your S. I recall a thread questioning just that a while ago; perhaps use Search function on SUNY Purchase, to see if it was discussed by others. Interesting question, certainly. </p>
<p>While there's no official Flagship, there has been lots of talk about UBuffalo and StonyBrook moving in that direction. I believe they'd put the political science, social science emphasis at UB and the biology/science at StonyBrook but I could be wrong on that.</p>
<p>My steady advice for all parents of students in upstate NY is to become very flexible about winter travel dates regarding your kids coming home, if they do drive. Teach them to leave a day or two "window" for their departures homeward, rather than insist on a specific date. Or if they leave and find they hit a blizzard, teach them to go into a motel for the night and give them emergency funds so they do not just push onward into blizzards. Other than that, I love upstate NY including the crazy snow.</p>
<p>I've always heard of Geneseo as more competitive in admissions re: academics;
Binghamton very strong in foreign languages and getting harder for admissions than the other schools; Purchase is magnetic for art/theater/writing/film students plus the liberal arts; Fredonia good for music; UB and Stoneybrook big (30,000ish) with fine offerings but for confident undergrads who know how to work hard as they will more likely seek out their professors (not so cozy and nurturing as the other places).</p>
<p>New Paltz might be a good one for your S. I lived near there for 8 years and it was a very good blend: good acting/theater offering; very much a college town with lots of cafes and art galleries; close enough by bus to NYC (90 minutes) to enjoy a day there with friends and return same-day; and the weather is more manageable than further upstate.</p>
<p>I've never been to Cortland, Oneonta or the other places. I'm glad to read other posters about the merits of each campus. My understanding is that SUNY really decided to decentralize and give each place a different emphasis, so no wonder it's a confusing array.</p>
<p>I hope you find what you seek. My suggestion is, if you swing over to see Fredonia, detour up an hour and check out UB as it might satisfy. Certainly UB, Albany and StoneyBroook have the largest menus of departments if he's undecided, but I had 3 kids who preferred small/medium size to huge when they were l8 years old. They flourished where there was more personal attention.</p>
<p>paying3tuitions - your post was wonderful - and you made a great point about the weather and needing a window to pick up your kid, or to let them drive home (I let my kid bring a car back at Thanksgiving so he could drive home for the Christmas break, and then worried about the weather until he pulled into the driveway). </p>
<p>With the new med school campus plans for dowtown Buffalo, new pharmacy school on South Campus and the new engineering complex under construction, I'm guessing that the plans are for UB to be the flagship for many sciences with Stonybrook a focus for sciences for its part of the state. </p>
<p>I do wish they'd plant more trees on the barren Buffalo Amherst campus, although I guess the poor things can't survive the winters! </p>
<p>My S's BF at college is from Albany, and said that the Albany campus was really ugly and utilitarian. When my kid went to visit this summer, his friend showed him that campus. My kid said Albany looked nice to him (which might be true, or is proof that my kid doesn't notice what a campus looks like).</p>
<p>Albany's campus looks better in the summer...they have a large pool/fountain in the center of the campus and the trees balance the stark look of the buildings. Now in the winter, everything looks gray and brown and the place is a wind tunnel. Very cold and depressing. At least they have tunnels to use in those months. The coming of spring is glorious though - they have a fountain opening ceremony and everyone goes there to soak up the sun - mid 40s or 50s seems warm!
Albany has a strong business school. A party reputation. Bad food. Lots of kids from NY and Long Island. Most kids do stay around on weekends. That said, it's really what you make of it. Since it's a large school, you have to be assertive to get the best out of it. Not a bad choice for the money if you're in state.</p>
<p>My D is at Fredonia and she is loving it. The first thing that we noticed when we went for her audition (she is at the music school and prior to visiting Fredonia had been at the bottom of her list) was that the staff does not take themselves too seriously but that they take the business of education very seriously. All of the events we have attended during open house and orientation have been filled with humor and a sense that the staff and faculty at Fredonia genuinely love the students and care for them.</p>
<p>The school has such a warm atmosphere, right away you are struck by all of the student art all over the campus (including a larger than life paper mache sculpture of the university President in the library, a must see on any tour). The campus is wonderful mix of old and new architecture and improvements are constantly being made. Just this year they have embarked on a campaign to exponentially increase their scholarship funds.</p>
<p>As far as whether or not there are still students left on campus on the weekends, yes there are many that come from Long Island and southern tier NY. A large portion of the school population is from that area w/ Suffolk County being the 4th largest represented county at the school. Most of my D's new friends and her roomate are from that area, as well as many from Western and Central NY (ofc the majority of the students are from in-state as you would guess). Even the kids from the Buffalo/Rochester area tend to stay at school on the weekends. There are always tons of things going on from what she says.</p>
<p>I would highly suggest a visit to Fredonia, as I said we had no inkling that D would remotely like it there when we went for the audition (almost skipped it) and we left basically KNOWING this was the place for her. It has a real private school feel with a public school price. This is a good example of how you really can never know until you have visited a school if it is a good fit for you. </p>
<p>And FYI, I believe that SUNY Fredonia has the 7th highest 4-year graduation rate in the country.</p>
<p>You might take a look at Plattsburgh as well; sometimes gets forgotten it's so far north, but I know several alumni of different generations (80s, 90s and 00s) who all had wonderful experiences there.</p>
<p>Wow! So many great responses! I did note a lack of OOS students at many of the SUNY Schools. OOS tuition is hefty and I'm wondering if that is the reason. I know Oneonta has 98% in state students. I'm wondering if an OOS kid might feel out of place. Also, does anyone know if OOS get a break on that OOS tuition be it via scholarships or otherwise? I would think they might just for the sake of diversity.</p>
<p>Here's a vote for SUNY Oswego ... the lake effect weather makes for a fun evironment (it sure didn't hurt Al Roker's career any!) and the beauty of the campus and sunsets on Lake Ontario can't be beat.</p>
<p>Nightingale - My kid is OOS at SUNY Buffalo. He got a very generous merit scholarship, which dropped the net cost much lower than Penn State in-state. From my perspective, OOS at SUNY was much cheaper than in-state. My kid is very happy with his choice of SUNY, and I'm clearly happy with the OOS cost. </p>
<p>He says there are lots of OOS students and he definitely doesn't feel out-of-place (he's met others from PA, OH and MI). Since the state is so big, it's too far for so many students to go home on weekends anyway. There are lots of kids from the eastern side of the state, including lots of Long Island kids.</p>