<p>I agree with tax guy. As a grad of Binhamton, as is my husband and many friends, I have to say that we had a great experience there. And I know of several really accomplished kids who are there now. I agree that there 's plenty of room for improvement, but from what I hear, the quality of the education is pretty strong. Even way back when, my husband got into 4 American med schools coming out of there, and I got into my first choice grad school. I also hear that Genesceo (sp?) has really come up in terms of educational quality. However, I do agree that with NY's resources, we should be able to tout our schools as being on a par with U Mich and UVa, Berkely, etc.</p>
<p>The problem with picking a safety is that some people get it confused with picking a series of match schools (I have to get accepted by at least one) The OP doesn't live in NY or CA so his state school Rutgers should be compared to the other schools he would like to have on his list. I suspect finances, location and familiarity are behind the parents thinking.</p>
<p>I moved my family to California a few years ago with the intention of having the University system available to my kids. My D applied to some top notch schools in the east and a decent school in the midwest, but always expected to get accepted into a California University. So it was her decision to pick which schools to apply to and where to go...I am grateful that California in its wisdom created a fairly decent UC system. Berkeley, UCLA, UCSD, and UCD all are ranked fairly high but I also know that ranking is not the only factor in choosing a college. </p>
<p>New York should pump up its Universities...as a former resident of NY I am annoyed whenever I see SUNY Albany listed as the top party school. It should be the premier Public University for studying American History and Political science...siting in the meeting point of the Hudson and the Mohawk and a few miles from the state capitol. New Yorkers do have something the rest of the nation doesn't. Cornell is an Ivy with several public colleges, and it may be that the top in state students choose these schools for their public tuition. The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences has been a path for many into the top med, law, and graduate business school.</p>
<p>School is what you make of it...good luck</p>
<p>Donemom, your comment about Geneseo is right on -- matter of fact, many now consider Geneseo to be the top SUNY and not Binghamton. Also, your comment about Binghamton grads getting into top grad schools is, regretably, no longer the case. Yes, it was true as recently as 7-10 years ago, but with the increase in quality in so many other schools, especially smaller private universities and LACs, Binghamton has lost some of its luster and cachet. With vastly improving state publics such as UConn, Delaware, Indiana, Maryland and UMass sending out students into the post-grad market, Binghamton is no longer considered a reliable feeder into the better grad schools. However, it does remain a great deal economically since you'll get a reasonably solid education at a relatively minimal cost -- but then again, you get what you pay for. Which is why a couple of other posters on this thread have commented that they're willing to make the economic sacrifice and pay whatever is necessary to get the best education at the most reputable school. As the New York Times just recently noted in an article, colleges are now name brands -- and people will pay for the "labels" that'll be on their resumes rather than opting for another, less well-regarded school which won't get them where they want to go -- or at least, it'll take longer to get there.</p>