I am currently considering SUNY New Paltz, but I heard that it’s a hippie school. I’m pretty artsy, I love to draw, play the piano, and I’m a big film person but I don’t want to be in school where they are trapped in the 1960’s. I’m hoping to have a little more diversity to meet all kinds of people. Anyone that has went there, or goes there, or has knowledge about the diversity of the students can you tell me a little about what it’s like?
Hey! I live right by SUNY New Paltz so I can give you some info about it and if you have any more questions just shoot me a message! 
So basically NP is kind of a hippie school in the sense that the students are big into art, culture, diversity, and for the most part are pretty liberal. With that being said, that is more of an internal mindset and culture than it is a way of life. Plenty of students go to New Paltz ignoring this atmosphere or simply excluding it as a factor of their day-to-day life.
Since you’re involved in art, music, and film I’d say it wouldn’t be hard for you to find your niche at New Paltz. It is very laid back, but the academics are still pretty strong and since they are one of the smaller SUNY colleges rather than a university, you’ll probably feel very comfortable with the size and wouldn’t be overwhelmed by it.
The campus is gorgeous albeit some construction that’s been going on recently but all of the facilities are in great shape, the students are involved in any number of cultural, political, or artistic student organizations, and the downtown area is really quaint but still great to spend a day in. It’s nowhere near as big or close to a city as SUNY Albany or Buffalo would be, but if you’re more into the whole green-grass campus with ponds and trees and lots of places to be outside at, New Paltz will be a great fit for you.
Let me know if you need any more info about it! Good luck to you as well!
Did you go to New Paltz? Do you like it?
New Paltz does have the reputation of being a hippie school but a lot of that comes from the area and the faculty, not necessarily from the students. All sorts of students go there but it does have a reputation for being laid back. New Paltz is one of the better sunys for liberal arts and has an undergraduate focus. You shouldn’t write it off just because you think its full of hippies.