<p>Muffy, NP just started a pick up with the public bus service from campus to the mall and train station in Poughkeepsie free with student ID. Plus there are so many cool things to do there besides the mall IMO :)</p>
<p>I got in touch with a kid who goes to NP that I played ball with freshman year and he gave me some unbiased info so I just thought I would share it with everyone. Most of it has already been touched upon but I'll write it anyways.</p>
<p>-The "hippy" rep is exaggerated. As someone else pointed out earlier, he said its more the rep of the town and not the kids.
-I was worried about the whole drug scene but he said it is the same as any other college so there is no escaping it. He doesn't drink or use any kind of drug and says he gets a long just fine. Also, it doesn't bother him. In other words, it is not as excessive as one implies it to be.
-The students are "cool" and has a great time.
-"Although NP is a small town, there are plenty of fun places to hang out"
-It is becoming more and more academically challenging</p>
<p>Muffy- IMO, Albany is awful. All SUNYs are party schools but Albany tops the list. The freshman dorms are like living in a shoe box and most people that go there don't have academics in mind. My english teacher who is very bright (also teaches a graduate class at a local college) started out at Albany and said it was the worst experience she ever had. I asked her why and she said the learning environment is terrible. She also said that the student body is not accepting at all. She transfered after one year.</p>
<p>Muffy: while I would never advise another parent about what they should do about their own child, I highly advise you to reconsider your decision about Albany; the school is not what it used to be....socially or academically....it is such a shame and, no, I can't even explain why the school has gone so downhill, but IMO, I would send my child to a local community college for two years before I sent them there.......</p>
<p>Such great, caring, successful adults that came out of Albany from the 70's and 80's........</p>
<p>Ditto rodney. My aunt asked me why I wasn't considering Albany and I didn't know what to say because she kept giving it praise and said it was a great school. It has gone down hill and nothing against kids that choose to attend because I am sure there are some really great kids that go there, but most of the kids that went from my school last year were pure burn outs.</p>
<p>"All SUNYs are party schools but Albany tops the list.."</p>
<p>I think D sees that as a good thing...</p>
<p>the thing is, though, that is not the biggest problem (although heroin is the apparent drug of choice....).....it's the academic downfall that is the biggest shame; it is just not respected as a top notch state school anymore.....</p>
<p>My D is a Sr at New Paltz and loves it. Hippie factor not an issue at all..</p>
<p>really? not a top notch state school?</p>
<p>in my mind i've always had this mindset about the SUNYs
1. Geneseo
2. Binghamton
3. Stony Brook
4. New Paltz/Albany, depending on the kind of person you are.</p>
<h1>48 I think the general admissions statistics (av SAT score) reflect your list but lately NP is rising and SUNY Buffalo should probably be in there somewhere.</h1>
<p>BTW, Muffy, there are two big malls in Poughkeepsie. It's about a 20 minute drive from campus. There are almost any chain store and restaurant you can think of in Poughkeepsie as well...believe me I checked! I was concerned about sending S off to the middle of nowhere. LOL</p>