SUNYs with a strong LGBT presence

State Forums
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I’m looking to add a second SUNY to my list as a financial safety. Quick overview of my stats:

1930 SAT (1260 M+CR)
89.25/100 GPA (if you omit 9th grade it’s 93.5 - strong upward trend)
Class rank: Top 25% (quartile scare)
ECs are OK - my most prominent EC is ~3500 hours of paid work experience
Strong essay and great recs
NYS resident, white female, home-schooled (sort of? I’d explain but that’s not really important)

I’m applying to New Paltz as a financial safety because it has a strong LGBT community, which is my main criteria when searching for colleges. I also love the town and I like that there’s not an obnoxious amount of Greek life or athletics. The reason I want to add another SUNY to the list, though, is because New Paltz is a bit too close to home for my liking (less than 45 minute drive) and I also am a little intimidated by their fluctuating 35-45% acceptance rate. I’d prefer not to call that a “safety,” even though my stats are above their 75th percentile.

Anyways, I’m hoping someone can suggest any other SUNY schools that might interest me. The most important factor is the LGBT presence on campus, but I also prefer some other criteria - I’d like for it to be in a nice town, not really in the middle of nowhere, not totally overwhelmed by Greeks and athletes, and a “safer” acceptance rate. I’d also like to find a strong psychology or biology department, and a more residential campus - I understand a lot of SUNY students in general are commuters, but I don’t want to be the only person on campus during the weekends.

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You can try binghamton which fits your ideal for being a residential school. There is a smaller but active LBGT community (Rainbow Pride union) there that’s available for you to get involved in. The psychology department isn’t bad and there are a lot of undergrad research opportunities. You’ll probably get in. Purchase is also an option but it’s a more arts oriented school and it might not have your major.

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@sprinkles12 Thanks for the suggestions! Unfortunately Binghamton did not make it to my list because the town is awful (like, literally so horrible) and that’s kind of a big deal for me. I’ve also heard that Greek plays a big part in the social scene; so much so that it’s hard to be socially involved if you’re not part of Greek life. Just not the school for me, unfortunately.

However, Purchase has become a very strong option… the town is nice and very close to NYC, the LGBT community is just what I’m looking for, and after looking into it, I found that they actually have strong psychology and biology departments, with the exact concentration I’m looking for (cognitive neuroscience). While the acceptance rate is still down there in the 35-45% range, I’m going to apply anyways because I’m still way above their stats and it makes for another great safety school.

Thanks so much!