<p>Our visit schedule might coincide with the SUNY New Paltz and Purchase Open House weekends as possible visit dates. However, I know some schools show well on Open House dates and some other schools don't (such as overcrowded and unorganized Open Houses.) </p>
<p>We did attend an open house at a private school farther away which was very nice with a luncheon, orchestra playing, extra staff available for questions, etc, and it became a top choice for my son, but we haven't yet done any SUNY school open houses and hoping they would also be a positive experience.</p>
<p>Have any of you gone to an Open House at one of these schools? Was it a positive experience or a turn-off? Did they have any special events or presentations that were worth seeing? Were they extremely crowded? Would you recommend a large event like this or rather just a regular daily tour to get the best view of these SUNY schools?</p>
<p>Generally, the overall presentations on Open House days are grander than the typical information session/tour days. I have visited both campuses. Our first visit to Purchase was an Open House day–very well organized, multiple information sessions, tours, access to speak informally with admissions counselors. Have also been to New Paltz several times, but not on Open House day. I think that’s where we may be headed November 6th. We have visited many campuses–it seems many of the private universities go all-out in terms of hospitality–from tee shirt gifts, lunch, water bottles, etc. The SUNYs don’t extend themselves to that degree. I guess they have enough applicants in this economic climate and certainly don’t need ‘to sell’ their college experience.</p>
<p>We’ve done a few visits to SUNY’s since last year, Albany, Geneseo, Binghamton, Stony Brook & Oneonta, but no Open Houses as of yet. New Paltz on Nov. 6th will be our first, so it will be interesting to see how it compares. But visiting really added to our impression of these schools, really getting a feel for the towns and the campuses. As opposed to so many people here on CC, we’re not looking at the selective privates, but looking at our own state schools. My daughter is planning on grad/med school so she wants to try to do undergrad without loans. After her visits, she told me that she loved them all except for Stony Brook (too close to home!) and she could picture herself living and learning at all of them. Frankly, I can’t wait til it’s done and she’s there, I know I should savor this last year but I’ve just about had it with the teenage act. Just saying.</p>
<p>Hey bella–How was the November 6th New Paltz open house visit? We didn’t end up going. My daughter crossed Geneseo off her list because she feels it’s way too isolated. Stony Brook isn’t even on the list!</p>
<p>Actually, we had a great weekend. Very positive. We drove to Syracuse on Thursday night (we live on the eastern end of LI) and the supposedly 6 hour drive took more like 8 with dinner and rain and traffic, but we didn’t have the Open House at SUNY-ESF until 1 PM. We drove around the city to get a feel for it, but later decided we should have taken a tour of Syracuse University itself as others we met later did. And they all did get reusable orange tote bags! The SUNY students use the recreational facilities and eat at the dining halls at Syracuse as well as take some courses. We were very impressed by the program and people we met at SUNY-ESF, though it did not feel any different than a regular info session and tour.</p>
<p>The next day we went to the New Paltz Open House and that was different. My sister lives just outside of town and she joined us (having gone there 34 years ago!). They had all of the departments set up in the gym with tables and some exhibits and we met with the Biology head and another professor. We were given an extensive tour of the Biology dept by the head, just one other family and us. This is something we hadn’t done in any other school. The general tour we took was good, though the first dorm we saw was rather depressing, no decorations and rather messy. The second, newer dorms were more inviting. The school grounds were clean and everyone we met was friendly. We ended up eating on campus and a student who was leaving for the semester ended up treating us to lunch (I worried about that student, why leaving in November?) and my D liked the experience of being in the dining hall, watching the students. There is a more urban feel to the school than the more upstate ones we had seen, we live on LI, but not near a mall and I felt like I was upisland or in the city from the way kids were dressed and how they acted. I don’t know how my D felt about that.</p>
<p>I know seeing the anatomy lab with the 20+ cats on their trays was a bit of a shock to her. She’s done rabbits and pigs but the cats made her stop and think. The other girl on the tour was a potential transfer student who had done her anatomy class already and she was reassuring her that it wasn’t as horrible as she expected. While my D liked New Paltz, I think SUNY-ESF and Binghamton are her top 2 at this point. My H liked that New Paltz was closer to home though.</p>
<p>So, to recap, the Open House at New Paltz was more of a to do than SUNY-ESF, we did not attend the info sessions on Admissions and EOP, we were on the campus from 11 to 3 and saw everything.</p>
<p>Thanks, Lilymoon, it does sound like your son has had a great experience there. What is he majoring in, if I may ask? We were impressed by much there, I think my D would be a good fit, but it’s all very overwhelming. Like that my sister would be just over the mountain, too.</p>
<p>bella - my son is majoring in graphic design, but he has taken classes in many other departments as well. It’s such a great school…my son has met lots of really nice people. He loves the small class sizes and how accessable the professors are. Mostly he calls them by their first names. It’s an easy walk into town and so many eating options to choose from! I just love visiting him up there.</p>
<p>It’s funny, on our first visit we thought the student body seemed very urban too (esp. in the dining hall), but when my son actually started attending he never met any urban kids. Most of his friends are from either upstate NY, Long Island or out of state…all very low key.</p>
<p>LilyMoon - what kind of dorm experience has your son had? A couple of the previous postings have commented on depressing/ disgusting dorms. Your thoughts? Thanks</p>
<p>Summerwood - My son had to get off campus housing as a transfer, but I have seen pictures of some of the dorms. They vary a lot from building to building, so it’s a good idea to view more than one. Lenape and Esopus are the newer dorms and I have heard they are quite nice. There are suite style dorms and corridor style available. My son lived in the dorms at his previous school and the rooms were really small and ugly - very institutional looking. So, I think at most schools the dorms are small and unappealing. However, the students seem to enjoy dorm life and meet a lot of other students since they are living in close quarters. It’s a good experience for them overall. It’s amazing what those girls do to the dorm rooms to make them look pretty!</p>
<p>Anyone attending accepted student days at SUNY New Paltz or Albany in April? Any other insights what a prospective student should make sure to check out at either school?</p>
<p>my daughter and i will be at the accepted student program in april at NP - having been at Rochester Institute the day before for the same thing.</p>
<p>Yeah- I am thinking that D will be happier at New Paltz and more likely find “her people” but right now she is leaning towards SUNY Albany if she goes to a state school. We have two more privates we are waiting on- one is a huge long shot and the other furthest away of the colleges to which she applied, so neither really likely. I really wish she’d like NP more as there are some great advantages over Albany to my mind- but I am not pushing her other than strongly supporting going to accepted students day.</p>
<p>One aspect of New Paltz that I am impressed with is their freshman orientation. I don’t know what Albany’s is like, but NP has an entire weekend planned with the students divided into groups. From everything I hear, they become very bonded during this time and make some great connections. My son was a transfer, so never got to experience it first hand but I wish he had. His first school had a full day orientation but it wasn’t anything like NP. </p>
<p>Kinderny - is your daughter more of a mainstream type or more unconventional? Albany will give her a more mainstream environment and NP is more quirky, but very accepting of all types of students. Lots of students from my son’s H.S. went to Albany but only a couple to NP. He felt the ones that went to Albany were more the average joe types.</p>