<p>I'm from "upstate" of Syracuse, and I describe where I live (and Plattsburgh) as "Northern NY," and upstate is anything not in the city or Long Island.
Also, someone said Plattsburgh along with music, but I think they meant to say Potsdam. Just wanted to clear up the difference.</p>
<p>Clendenator- you're right. I meant the Crane School of Music at Potsdam. I must have Plattsburg on my mind as I have been spending a bit of time lately checking out their study abroad programs. They seem to have a pretty nice array of different programs. As my d is a SUNY student, I am trying to find a SUNY study abroad program which will meet her needs.</p>
<p>I, too, want to take issue with redcrimblue's characterization of SUNY at Plattsburgh (I went to grad school there). It may not be well-known outside of the New York/Vermont/Quebec area, but it is a fine institution. It has the feel of a LAC, and has strong programs in biology and Canadian Studies.<br>
Yes, it does get cold in the North Country (which is what locals call the region, not "upstate"), but the cold is tolerable and if you are into winter sports, Lake Placid is about an hour away.<br>
A personal anecdote that I will give you is that I was once in a remote part of Eastern Oregon and struck-up a conversation with a random stranger - you guessed it, he was a Plattsburgh alumnus.
BTW, I agree with the poster who said not to overlook SUNY ESF at Syracuse - a school that has an excellent reputation in environmental/forestry circles throughout the US.
Marny1, the Plattsburgh study abroad program at McGill in Montreal is very popular and I have heard some very good things about it.</p>
<p>I did research this past summer at Stony Brook, working in their graduate dept: I loved it. It was such a great environment; Stony Brook over the summer is great, because it's pretty much only the math and science nerds, mostly grad students, conducting their research. It was so much fun.</p>
<p>During the year, Stony Brook isn't so great. But if you get into something like their honors college, or WISE (Women in Sciences) program, it could be really cool.</p>
<p>I didn't apply because it's 15 minutes from my house... way too close to home.</p>
<p>Also, the Wang Centre is freaking awesome.</p>
<p>^ LOL, I live really close too, so I didn't apply either. I need to get away from here. :)</p>
<p>For all you masters of the universe who reside in metropolitan New York City (LOL), New York State's regions have for some time been popularly known as;</p>
<p>The North Country
The Southern Tier
Central New York a.k.a. The Leatherstocking region
The Finger Lakes
Western New York
Metropolitan New York City</p>
<p>Plattsburgh lies within the North Country</p>
<p>Thanks MSM for the info but I think d wants to spend a winter in a warm climate. One winter at Cortland and she is thinking beaches in Australia--</p>
<p>I know alot of LI kids won't even consider SB because it is way too close to home for them. But I have noticed in my district that it is getting a bit more popular. A few years back maybe only 2 to 3 kids would go there. Last year I think we had about 10. I think it is so perfect for our "upstate/northern ny" kids who want to take advantage of a great education and yet be able to take advantage of being near NYC with the security of a lovely residential campus about 1 1/2 hours away from "The City".</p>
<p>"That, dear Silver, is lunacy. Geneseo might be a nice little campus but to compare it to front level flagships is extraordinarily ridiculous."</p>
<p>IMO, I think Silver meant to compare it to a smaller LAC. </p>
<p>Geneseo offers good solid academics. It is the most selective among the satellite SUNY's. It is often a top-choice for top students. Many of these students do apply for financial reasons, especially when comparing the cost of a private.</p>
<p>D is particulary interested in their 3-2 Engineering program; three years at Gen and two years at a cooperative school: Columbia, RIT, Univ of Roch, Case Western, Syracuse among many. You earn a BS in math at Gen and a BS in Engineering at the other school. They also have a solid English dept that also offers a creative writing tract. Many of their students go on to grad school and do win fellowships. It is a very good school.</p>
<p>I went to New Paltz as an undergrad, and can attest to its great location. It's in an absolutely beautiful area that attracts a lot of tourists, but a mere 2 hour bus ride to NYC. Tons of stuff to do, and a lot of fun to be had in the area. </p>
<p>Years later, I was changing careers and took some education courses there. I found the coursework much tougher than it used to be! Good place for education, history, fine arts and music. It's always attracted a lot of white students from Long Island, and lot of black students from NYC. Unfortunately, back then the two groups did not interact much, except for us art/music types.</p>
<p>Janesmom, I was very impressed with Geneseo when we visited last fall. My son was just accepted there, and it is a very viable option. The fact that his best friend was also accepted is definitely a plus! </p>
<p>His biggest concern is the remote location. He really would like a more urban location, being a polysci major, and pre-law. But they do offer a Washington semester program (via Brockport), as well as internships in Albany legislature.
I got a good feeling from the place, and know he would be comfortable there. They have a ton of activities as well, and are very open to any new student activity groups.</p>
<p>Moonmaid, we are also concerned with the remote setting. But there is plenty to do within that area. D does love the outdoors and will surely take advantage of Letchworth State Park. Buffalo and Rochester are not that far away and she will have some friends who will be going to Buffalo. </p>
<p>The Washington semester sounds great. They also have a wonderful study abroad program and one can take advantage of any of the study abroad programs within the SUNY system. These opportunities will give them a chance to get off campus for a semester or two. </p>
<p>All and all, I believe we are quite fortunate.</p>
<p>Helllloooo, New York!</p>
<p>Buffalo is a great city for college students, including the sports teams, plus: downtown nightlife on Chippewa, Albright Knox Art Museum, Buffalo Symphony Orchestra, many live theaters (Sheas, Irish Repertory, Jewish Repertory, and more), Niagara Falls nearby, Toronto for weekends.</p>
<p>I don't think of NYC as "far away" because it's all about the cheap roundtrip fares (JetBlue, Continental, Delta, US Air) and nonstop flights. The miles don't matter if students fly home. It's easy and costs less than driving 7 hrs. each way to L.I. I hawk for $99 roundtrip flights, never more than $120 if you choose good days and times to fly, reserve weeks ahead, etc.
Aside from the parents' first trip out to campus to drop kids off, throw away the maps and just watch the plane fares. Flying in winter can be bad news sometimes, however, with delays.</p>
<p>I can rattle off a few factoids here:</p>
<pre><code>Purchase - "the creative SUNY" requiring auditions, portfolios etc for
acting, dramatic writing, dance (I think), feeds off NYC
for faculty in those areas
New Paltz - beautiful performing arts theater, strong theater program
Geneseo - the academic "honors" college
Oneonta - excellent specialty majors in Speech Language Pathology,
Art Education; beautiful views of the Great Lakes
Fredonia - music
</code></pre>
<p>That doesn't mean these things aren't to be found on every campus, just the first thought comes to mind.</p>
<p>I much prefer the NY approach to state schools (many decentralized campuses, each with a different flavor) to packing 45,000 students into one location. We're lucky to have choices.</p>
<p>What does everyone think of Cortland? My Gf is planning on attending</p>
<p>SUNY Maritime is a good as good a state maritime college as there is. The weather is better at Cal Maritime however.</p>
<p>I had a student teacher from Geneseo when I was a sophomore. She was incredibly stupid and ditzy. I've never been able to think much of Geneseo since that experience.</p>
<p>I know a girl who goes to Cortland and absolutely hates it with a passion, and is transferring. She, however, is an artsy music type, and says it's something of a jock school.</p>
<p>well my d goes to cortland and likes it alot. She is a sport management major and yeah- cortland is a bit more of a jock school than some of the other SUNY colleges so for her its a GOOD FIT. They also have a fine education program and a dual BA/MA program in environmental science with Duke U. Pretty campus- 45 minutes from Syracuse so it is really not that isolated. </p>
<p>The artsy/music type might find a better fit at New Paltz, Purchase, and Potsdam.<br>
Another (not well known ) Suny program is the College of Ceramics at Alfred U.</p>
<p>Okay, I'm obligated to jump in. And I won't even pimp Stony Brook, since everyone else seems to be doing that. (Thanks, everybody!)</p>
<p>I've been around the SUNY system for years, and I can say that all of you are pretty dead-on. The cool thing about SUNY is that if it's out there, one of our campuses has it. And in a lot of cases, multiple campuses have it.</p>
<p>I can speak to Geneseo, as I'm an alum (Class of '97!) -- and I can tell you it's the greatest place in the whole world. There's a thriving student activities program, with a million things to do on campus, no matter what your interest. Yeah, it's the "middle of nowhere," but the town of Geneseo has everything you need, including a few big-box stores and all of your standard fast food places. And both the town and the campus are growing very quickly; I'm up there a lot, and every time I go up, there's something new. The alumni network is very strong -- don't believe the "unknown outside of NY" stuff, because we're all over the place.</p>
<p>I can just about guarantee that anyone can find a spot in the SUNY system where they'll be successful. The snowier places have adapted; they have tunnels and things, and students obviously make it work. Sometimes it snowed like the bejeezus at Geneseo, and we worked our way around it. (Slowly.) Admittedly, though, it didn't snow as much there, because it's in the valley. Buffalo would get blasted, but we'd just get a lot of wind.</p>
<p>A lot of campuses have good transportation programs, so don't even worry so much about the travel; we always had a couple of LI/NYC buses for school breaks.</p>
<p>And p3t is right; we're lucky to have choices. When you apply to a SUNY campus, you apply to that campus. Unlike some other nearby state systems, we're not going to farm you out to a satellite campus somewhere just because the school you applied to is full. You know exactly what you're getting when you apply. If you want big, or small, or rural, or mortuary science, you're getting what you want.</p>
<p>Feel free to ask any questions you may have... like I said, I've been around the system since '93, working at a couple different campuses. I've been to just about every campus except Potsdam (although one of my colleagues here is an alumnus of the Crane School of Music and is finishing up a PhD in Musicology) and a few of the community colleges.</p>
<p>Chris D'Orso
Assistant Director of Admissions
Stony Brook University</p>
<p>P.S. Growing up on LI, everything north of Yonkers was "upstate." Even though I'm back on LI, I consider "Western New York" home; and now, it's only everything north of Albany that's "upstate." But the "upstate/downstate" argument is an entirely different discussion. :)</p>
<p>Chris, thanks for that very informative post.</p>
<p>I read with interest an ad in the NYTime magazine a couple weeks back about the new SUNY Stonybrook campus at Southampton - they took over the old Southhampton College. It sounds like an incredible opportunity for students interested in Marine Sciences, and they are still admitting students. Do you know much about the program? A friend's son might be interested.</p>
<p>It's going to be an Environmental Science focus, not just Marine Science. There will be a Marine Science concentration, but if a student is specifically interested in Marine Science, that program will be largely housed in Stony Brook. They will use the marine station on Shinnecock Bay for classes and labs, but they'll live and take most of their classes here on campus and bus out there a day or two a week.</p>
<p>The Southampton campus is going to be an interesting place over the next few years; it's going to be designed for students who are excited about really building a campus from scratch -- activities, housing, life, everything. The Web site is here: <a href="http://www.stonybrook.edu/southampton%5B/url%5D">http://www.stonybrook.edu/southampton</a> if they want more info. They have their own admissions office out there now; the student would apply directly to them. They're looking for an incoming class of about 200 this September.</p>
<p>Yes, they are still admitting for the fall, but we're not.</p>
<p>-Chris</p>
<p>I forgot to follow up on what "janesmom" said in the top post on this page. YES, take advantage of study abroad. Any SUNY student can enroll in any study abroad program across the system. The site, searchable by country, is here: <a href="http://www.studyabroad.com/suny%5B/url%5D">http://www.studyabroad.com/suny</a>. It's a very cool feature, I think.</p>
<p>And Letchworth State Park is a great place to go; we went hiking a lot, both there and at a few other somewhat more illicit places. Even if you're not into hiking -- which I wasn't, as a suburban math-team-star type of kid -- it was actually a lot of fun.</p>
<p>-Chris</p>