<p>I got accepted at SUNY stonybrook for Mechanical Engineering. I have a couple questions:</p>
<p>1) How is the engineering department at SB? Would it be easy for me to transfer my credits to another school if I change my mind and wanted to do Aero. engg. which is not available at SB?</p>
<p>2) Before I ask this question I want you to know I'm Indian American (asian) myself. I am sort of confused by the diversity of this school. I mean I like diversity but I want to go to a school that looks somewhat like the real world. 32% white, 29% Asian, rest blacks, hispanics, etc. Whenever I get a job those would probably not be the stats of the company I work for. I think my main concern is I want to experience what everyone has to offer and I won't be getting that in SB especially in an engineering class which would probably consist of mostly Asian students. Thoughts?</p>
<p>That is a very sad remark of your part. Just say it straight out ,you want to attend a school where the majority of the people are white. For that matter I think that you should not even attempt to go to a school near NYC of NYS since this is a very diverse state. Such Sadness.</p>
<p>Confused by diversity?!? I thought diversity was a good thing -- if your concern is "experiencing what everyone has to offer," then I think we very much fit the bill. Have you visited campus?</p>
<p>I don't want to go as extreme as Dennis did in his response, but he's on the right track. (Keep in mind when you look at our diversity "stats" the enormous number -- 20% -- of "other/incomplete," which makes us a pretty mixed bag, and a wonderful place to learn about the world.)</p>
<p>Chris D'Orso
Assistant Director of Admissions
Stony Brook University</p>
<p>OP - so what would be your ideal diversity breakdown? What do you imagine to be the breakdown of the companies for which you see yourself working? What's SBU "missing" in terms of diversity?</p>
<p>I have a son (we are white) who attends SBU. He is set to graduate this spring. At first we appreciated the diversity of the campus but as the years went by we could see that although diverse, most groups stayed with their own kind very few mixed together. If any, the kids who were from India did mix with the white students but the Asian students stayed segregated. </p>
<p>When we visit this is also what we see: a diverse campus with little interaction among the diverse student bodies---literally.</p>
<p>I think the OP certainly did not intend to offend. I actually think he has a point - that going to a place that reflects the American population may better prepare one for a job across the country. I went to a high school that was similarly diverse as Stony Brook and although people did tend to stay with their race, they definitely was positive interaction among different classes and races. With that said, now that my friends and I are in college, several of my friends have said they've had a hard time adjusting to the lack of diversity in their respective schools. The rest of the country just isn't as diverse as the NY area and if one wants to alleviate the culture shock it's good preparation to go to a less diverse school although one ma initially less comfortable if they come from a diverse environment.</p>
<p>The problem is that if you decide to work in NYC, LA ,Miami, Chicago, etc you are going to see diversity , you will have to interact with non-whites. I think you are starting to forget that Stony Brook has white people. The only problem I would see is iif you went to a school like Howard , which is almost entirely African American, which in reality is not Corp America.</p>
<p>If you are from queens or any other borough in NY, these numbers are not shocking at all. I went to a high school in queens where 56% of the student body was hispanic, with only 16% white(these include europeans). However, I do understand your point of wanting to be in a more homogenous school since most racial ethnicities will self-segregate and only hang out with people from their own natinality. nevertheless, diversity can be a great thing and "international" students are, from what I have seen, much more focused than white students. I go to a huge state school where at least 90% of the people are white, and I think that the atmosphere at stony brook is much more welcoming, hence why I will be transferring there next year (if I get in, of course).</p>
<p>Ummm, how interesting--I just noticed that QNYegirl described my situation very accurately on that post.</p>
<p>frasifrasi, I'm also from Queens. I currently go to Northeastern but am looking to transfer (more because I want a specific major rather than being unhappy although I do not love my school that much). I'm really not used to feeling like a minority (I'm half White & half Asian) let alone in an environment that is dominated by one race, although I've been getting used to it ever since I got to college. I'm applying to some top schools but honestly I think I'd only go to Rice or NYU over Stony Brook and would pass up GWU & UMich. </p>
<p>Diversity is only good if you take the opportunity to open yourself to different cultures and those people are willing to welcome you as well. When you're part of a small minority group on campus, the divide between that group and the majority is sometimes so great that one may feel pressured to choose one or the other. It's not that there is overt racial/cultural tension, but since these groups are segregated they develop very different cultures and it would be hard to work your way into both simultaneously.</p>
<p>QNYer's got it. "Diversity" is one of those great buzzwords; every campus wants to be diverse, every job posting wants to have a diverse applicant pool, etc. Diversity is what you make of it. I was a white kid from the suburbs with parents who supported me; if I wanted a pack of baseball cards or a new pair of pants, I got it. I can't say I have any idea what it's like to grow up in another culture... but I owe myself the pleasure of finding out. And THAT's what you get when you get involved in diversity.</p>
<p>One of the best things I've done in the last few years was when I attended our Muslim student groups' Eid dinner; I opened myself up to foods and ideas and culture and entertainment completely unlike anything I'd ever known, and I really enjoyed it -- and the students and faculty members were more than happy to share their culture with me.</p>
<p>You can't be afraid of diversity, and you can't be afraid of people who are different from you.</p>
<p>haha yeah SB tends to look more "diverse", as you like to call it. I think it's a matter of finding who you're used to being with. I was surprised when I first came, but many people are from the city, which brings in diversity (not necessarily a bad thing though?)
hope that helps!</p>