Top SUNY School vs Honors SUNY 2nd Tier?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I got accepted to the most selective State University of New York:
Binghamton University as a regular freshman...
and
I got accepted to the second most selective SUNY,
Stony Brook University as a regular freshman...
and
I got accepted to the most competitive program at the not-so-selective State University of New York: University at Albany as a SUNY Honors Presidential Scholar.</p>

<p>As i understand it...the ranks of the SUNY and their respective honors programs go
1 Binghamton
2 Stony Brook tied with Buffalo
3 Albany </p>

<p>Going by the national rankings of usnews.com,
Binghamton University is ranked 70 something
Stony Brook is ranked 100 something
Buffalo and Albany are somewhere off the charts XD
-I dont think these rankings take into account the high-caliber students in the honors programs, but rather just the overall student body. I of course did not qualify for the super-selective Honors programs at either Bing or Stony.</p>

<p>So....do i go as just another student to Binghamton and do my best there...
or do I go to SUNY Albany as a Presidential Scholar, they offer me some attractive stuff like a $3500/year scholarship (a sizable amount of my tuition) so already my costs are lower and this is not including financial aid,
Private Honors Housing, Their Best Faculty as professors-mentors-and advisors, Priority class registration, Seperate Honors-only classes, and special guidance for Nation-wide scholarships/Fellowships.</p>

<p>Where do I draw the line when judging by the standards of prestige and ranking?</p>

<p>Both universities have great faculty-I'm sure, but im pretty sure Binghamton faculty are a bit better - then again the faculty at Albany'll be more enthusiastic about guiding a select group of Honors students amidst an environment of mediocre students (Albany is kinda famous for slackers and non-stop party-goers).</p>

<p>Im still waiting on acceptances from privates but I'd like to decide between my options inthe SUNY system while I can.
And then there's deciding between the value of going to a SUNY/SUNY Honors and a top private liberal arts college like Oberlin College(if i get in).</p>

<p>Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated - if you have any questions about either school , just ask Ill see what I can look up for you. Thanks for the help!</p>

2

<p>Congratulations on being accepted into the honors program at Albany. After patting yourself on the back, I suggest you consider the details of the honors program and decide if it fits your interests. My D looked at the program at SB and realized she had no interest. She had other academic interests and was not interested in the honors courses. Taking the honors courses would mean she did not have the time for the courses she was most interested in taking. She did not see much advantage to the honors dorm and priority registration is only of use if there is a registration/enrollment problem at that institution.</p>

3

<p>I agree with edad-see if you are interested in the honors program at Albany. Not all honors programs are the same. My S got into one that he does not want to attend. Assuming that you will be interested in the honors program, then I would choose btn. Albany and Binghampton. Albany I think will have more things to do in the area. Consider whether internships will be easier to get in Albany vs. Bing. If these are not of concern, and you reject the honors program, then you may want to choose Bing.</p>

4

<p>It sounds like you have been doing research and need to continue in order to decide which is the best fit for you, Have you visited? Spoken to students?
Compared and matched your academic interests with each school's offering?</p>

<p>Not that this is the gospel but have you seen the Princeton Review Survey List from Best 361 College Survey of students? Unfortunately there are no positives for the SUNYs:</p>

<p>Professors Get Low Marks</p>

<p>Stony Brook #8
Albany # 10</p>

<p>Their Students Almost Never Study</p>

<p>SUNY Albany #5</p>

<p>Professors Make Themselves Scarce</p>

<p>SUNY Albany #1
Stony Brook # 9
Binghamton # 15</p>

<p>Teaching Assistants Teach Too Many Upper Level Courses
Binghamton # 15</p>

<p>Long Lines and Red Tape</p>

<p>Albany # 10</p>

<p>Little Race/Class Interaction</p>

<p>Binghamton #16</p>

<p>Least Happy Students:
Stony Brook # 4
Albany # 9</p>

<p>Is it Food?
SUNY Albany # 5</p>

<p>Dorms Like Dungeons:
SUNY Albany #8</p>

<p>Campus Is Tiny, Unsightly or Both</p>

<p>SUNY Albany #1
SUNY Binghamton # 17</p>

<p>In conclusion, keep your options open, visit and see which school is the best fit for you.</p>

5

<p>lol wow - its frightening to see Albany's name pop up so many times on that list =/</p>

<p>Yes ive done research and Ive found that both Albany and Binghamton have promising programs in my field of interest - though I have yet to call Binghamton and find out if their faculty are involved in any Neuroscience Research - which is really what Im interested in. </p>

<p>I've gotten mixed opinions here and there about both schools but I do know that the SUNY Honors program provides alot of opportunities as it is the most respectful academic program the state can offer. But I guess ive got more sleuthing to do...</p>

<p>In terms of internships - both Binghamton and Albany are good options because each of them are located near a Medical Center of sorts - Thanks - ill have to look into that</p>

<p>Its hard to tell really because most students dont get the "honors" experience at Albany - hence the low ratings I think. Or maybe im just blowing the honors thing out of proportion lol</p>

6

<p>what about geneseo??? you gotta love the town</p>

7

<p>I guess alot depends upon your future goals, etc....
Honors porgrams vary greatly. Some just offer enhanced registrastration, dorm requests and an honors course. Others are integrated well within the college.</p>

<p>I know that Penn State and GWU have strong honors programs. At Michigan they have honors class sections and much smaller courses in general.</p>

<p>Some schools just offer honors as a way of rewarding, recognizng and recruiting top students. It is my understanding that grad schools do not place much value on honors programs. They are more interested in your curriculum and performance. In other words, there is little distinction between honors and non-honors students. If you are looking to attend a top research oriented or med school program go with the best school for you.</p>

<p>Last year I reviewed the law school placement and success rates of Binghamton. They had a decent percentage of acceptances however, the # of students accepted into top 14 law schools was surprisingly low compared to other state universities. On the flip side, I imagine the honors students are probably the high achievers and do well overall.</p>

<p>For neuroscience, I would imagine that Stony Brook and Buffalo probably have solid offerings. Just make sure that undergrads benefit from the research opportunities.</p>

8

<p>Buffalo is affiliated with a medical school and hospital. I think Buffalo is the best SUNY. But, I know an Albany grad who is now a PhD student at Caltech and two Geneseo grads in Wisconsin PhD programs.</p>

<p>Don't pick a school because of the honors program. I have a low opinion of honors programs. They are mostly a gimmick.</p>

<p>Oberlin trumps all the SUNYs. U Rochester is very good for neuroscience.</p>

<p>Where else did you apply?</p>

9

<p>Good point collegehelp! Honors can be gimmicky and I agree that U of Rochester is an excellent school. If one can be selected for honors at Albany there is a good chance of accpetance into U of Rochester which has smaller classes and an excellent reputation in the sciences. However, unless one receives merit aid, U of R is much more costly. Personally, I would choose U of R over any of the SUNYs mentioned. The academic experience varies significantly from anyof the SUNYs.</p>

<p>Several LACs are known to be quite strong in the sciences too.</p>

<p>Unfortunately, the old phrase, " you get what you pay for" applies to the SUNYs. This is not the case for public universities in VA, PA, NC, MI, FL, CA and several other states.</p>

10

<p>I'd defintiely look into SUNY Geneseo....the vast majority of our students who've gone there have been much happier than those who've gone to Albany!</p>

11

<p>Visit visit visit! Visiting is what made me make up my mind so quickly. You are looking at a city school vs. a TINY town school, so it shouldn't be too hard to pick which fits you better.</p>

12

<p>I would say for you to go to Binghampton</p>

13

<p>SUNY Albany is supposed to be a terrible college experience from what I have heard...go with Binghampton</p>

14

<p>Alright, the SHORT version of my reply:</p>

<p>Wow guys thanks - i thought about it and it makes sense that the honors program could really be just a gimmick to attract better students so Ill stay away from that...</p>

<p>And as for Bing vs Stony Vs Albany,
It guess Albany is just what u make of it - some manage to make the best of it but the school itself i think is gonna be a disappointment
Bing - will be bing, but I guess Buffalo and Stony are better for science, and Geneseo is best for that LAC feeling. Cool, hope this helps other ppl comparing SUNYs too.</p>

15

<p>The LONG version:</p>

<p>wow this forum kicks some serious ass o.o</p>

<p>Um...wow howd u guess U Rochester? I DID apply there lol !
and yah I did hear that the other states have such great state university programs, its just NY's that sucks...sigh* lol</p>

<p>I will definitely visit my colleges =P but at the end of this post ill tell u about my visit to Bing and Albany lol (Ive already visited Swarthmore for comparsion just to see how awesome a college can get, at least asthetically lol)</p>

<p>My apps went to:
*Cornell University (ugh my school record isnt good enuf for a school like cornell and strangely I dont know what to say about the school really - its ivy, its big, its competitive and its hard - I think ill leave the ivys alone till grad school)</p>

<p>*Oberlin College (Top UNDERGRAD Neuroscience LAC, Top PhD producer, I love love it - praying for acceptance , Location in OHio s questionable - but I heard the town of Oberlin is really sumthin (fancy and collegecentered) , will DEFINITELY visit to be sure)</p>

<p>*University of Rochester (Another top choice of mine, great GRAD neuroscience program but I heard more geared towards Engineering - I also heard its got the interesting quality of being a huge university while still keeping that small LAC feeling)</p>

<p>*Case Western Reserve University - Also a top choice of mine , Great Medical Resources, Great Financial Aid, Great school overall. Location is questionable - will visit.</p>

<p>*Brandeis University - eh...I applied because the Part 2 Application was basically non existent, heard a few good things but its one of those weird schools that people dont really have much to say about - good or bad, but still near the top of the charts. Not to be racist but maybe its cuz it used to be a Jewish institution (and still is mostly jewish)</p>

<p>*Closed my applications to U Chicago and Boston U, Im not good enuf for U Chicago and I think i deserve better than Boston U =P (i hate how its so huge)</p>

<p>*The Three SUNYS - Bing, Stony, Albany - the ones in question lol.
You're absolutely right, I think the honors thing at Albany is really just a gimmick to attract better students - Strangely I chose not to apply to either Geneseo or Buffalo so those arent gonna be options =( . I guess I may not like it at either Bing or Albany afterall...I admit that I have really high expectations of the college and of myself for these next 4 years so I guess I should invest in a much better private university/college huh?</p>

<p>To tell you the truth I think im ready to disregard all three that I applied to- Ive visited both Albany and Binghamton and both depressed the hell outa me. (I bash only the campus, not the academics) Binghamton smelled of manure cuz of the fertilizer, and the slabs of brick, ugly ugly dorms, n basic looking interiors really does give a feeling that I cant really be described - someone called it a "sterile" feeling. Heck even Albany was better with its whole concrete/cement campus (everything has the appearence of being made of cement and stone basically)</p>

<p>So I guess this means, I wont be considering the SUNYs much and more so the privates. Cool-</p>

<p>Wow this was long - thanks to all who sat there and read it, really. I ramble alot lol. Thanks everyone for your suggestions and advice, I really really appreciate it - I almost fell for the Honors gimmick, deciding to disregard the privates =P</p>