<p>Hi, I'm an undergraduate international transfer student from Pakistan, Computer Science major. I applied to the following schools for the fall 2007 semester and I got acceptance letters from all of them;</p>
<p>SUNY Brockport
SUNY New Paltz
SUNY Oneonta
SUNY Plattsburgh
SUNY Oswego
Hofstra
St. John Fisher</p>
<p>and I just cannot decide which one to chose :(.
Ok I received financial aid of about $7500 from Plattsburgh which has made the total payble fee per year about $13500.
On the other hand I received resident scholarship from Oswego in the amount of almost $16000, over three years time, about $5700 a year making the total amount payble about $17500.
I did not get any Aid or Scholarship from the others in the list.
Now I have no idea which one to chose. I really prefer Hofstra because it is very near to NYC. The fee is double the fee offered by Plattsburgh but still, Hofstra is in the rankings and near NYC. I just dont know what to do :(. help anyone?....</p>
<p>My daughter was accepted to Plattsburgh and Oneonta and came very close to going to Plattsburgh. A couple of unexpected personal events changed her mind at the last minute. We're from NYC. Answer a few questions for me and I'll see what I can do to help you: Have you visited any? Where are you transferring from? As a non-resident, I respectfully submit that there are some private schools closer to the city where you could have done pretty well.</p>
<p>I'm transferring from one of the best schools of Pakistan and have never visited US before. This is one of the reasons I really dont know what to do. It is like making a blind decision. I wish I could go check out the campuses before I have to make this decision but unfortunately I can't. The schools are asking for a portion of the funds to be submitted "to reserve my place", and once I do that I wont be able to change my mind about the choice. I have received I-20s (required document sent to International students for US Visa) from all these institutes. But dont know which one to use to apply for visa. I really appreciate any help any advice you can give me.</p>
<p>How do you feel about cold weather? My gut reaction would be either New Paltz or Hofstra, possibly Oneonta. If you've never been to the US before, I would be a little concerned about the weather and isolation of some of the other schools. I can say, however, that Plattsburgh is a lovely campus in a gorgeous area run by gracious, kind and smart professionals. Feel free to ask if you have any more questions. (I just asked a great friend who came to the US from Pakistan as a student and will let you know his opinion.)</p>
<p>I'm not a big fan of cold weather and snow, but this is probably the least of my worries. I'm more concerned about the quality of education and the future prospects of the institue I chose. From what I've seen online, the rankings, the discussions and the ratings and all, Hofstra tops the rest. Although most of the students at Hofstra dont seem too happy about the place. I understand there is a lot of snow at Plattsburgh almost all round the year but if Plattsburgh is the better institute I'd definitely want to go there. Although the real factor is yet to come in. As I'm a transfer student, I'm transferring six semesters from Pakistan, 5 of them completed and one under way. I'd actually go for the university which transfers the most credits. I won't know about my credit evaluation for another month or so, so thats another problem. Thanks for asking your friend, do let me know what he says. I'm actually biased towards Hofstra, there is just so much about it that appeals to me. The bigger campus, the rankings, future prospects, near NYC you know?. Can you tell me why your daughter did not go to any school near the city, especially when you are from nyc? if I'm not intruding by asking. Also how does she like it at Oneonta?. You are right about Plattsburgh, the administration has been very responsive, and I've checked up on the area almost everyone has nice stuff to say about the people there.
On a totally separate note, about the virginia tech tragedy. It is such a heart wrenching loss. I think instances like these are not going to stop unless they put a complete ban on guns. My parents aren't exactly thrilled about sending me away to US now. My mother actually tried to talk me out of it after hearing the news.</p>
<p>You seem like you've got a great head on your shoulders. Have you looked at the Collegeboard and other statistics about the individual schools to see how they stack up? Except for mainly Binghamton and Stonybrook (and that's relative) SUNY schools don't have great national reputations. In fact, I'm sorry to say that many of the SUNY schools are looked down upon. You could search here and see that. My daughter didn't end up at Plattsburgh because of an unexpected death in our immediate family a few weeks ago that rocked our world in various ways but her decision is in no way a reflection of the school and it was a very difficult and sad one. She has decided on a private school about 1 1/2 hours away in large part because of the distance. She didn't choose Oneonta because nothing was particularly striking about it to her, it was fine but nothing special. May I ask YOU what make you stick with so many SUNYs? There are many great schools in the area that you might have considered. My friend from Pakistan told me that one should go to the best school to which he is admitted and worry about location when vacationing. There are plenty of people here much more knowledgeable than I about your field of study and perhaps you could frame a question in the Parents Forum about which of those schools is most highly-regarded for your field. I understand your mother's concern. All parents getting ready to send our precious babies off into the world have had our hearts torn out. I wish you well and hope you come back to let me know where you decided to attend.</p>
<p>I actually did not even consider any other state besides New York. I have a lot of friends in NY, mostly in NYC. Some family friends, some distant relatives. I really know nyc, I mean you'd be surprised at how much I know the city even when I've never been there. I can even tell you the best gyro stands :). So ny was the obvious choice, and as I'm an International Student from Pakistan, SUNYs were the only schools I could afford. That is the major reason for all the SUNYs. Hofstra was the only school in city not in CUNY or in SUNY, not in a mjor league, not extremely famous but also quite well known, so I decided to throw it in the list. I'm 3.72 transfer GPA, 1410 SAT, 112/120 TOEFL so I knew I can be accepted at Hofstra too. Anyways, thank you so much for your time and help, I really appreciate it. I'm really sorry to hear about the death in your family. If I can be of any assistance at any time let me know. I'll definitely get back to you with my final decision. Take care.</p>
<p>You may want to look at St. John's University in Jamaica, NY. Closer to NYC than Hofstra (actually in NYC techincally) and about on par. Better known too. A bit bigger. May even get some merit aid w/ your #s.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>I attended SUNY Plattsburgh many, many years ago and loved it. I also majored in computer science. We were still punching cards... so I can't speak to the program!! I'm sure it's wonderful.</p>
<p>My daughter and I recently visited Oneonta. Pure aesthetcs-Oneonta is in a beautiful area, as is Plattsburgh. Oneonta's campus is contained while Plattsburgh's is spread out and there are many, many stores, shops and restaurants within walking distance. The town of Oneonta is a good hike (three miles) from the campus? Plattsburgh is a small city while Oneonta is a small town. There is a river running through the "back" of P'burgh's campus which is beautiful and you are a short distance from Lake Champlain. We actually used to go to the beach! I think Oneonta actually gets more snow-I don't remember a lot of snow-although the cold in Plattsburgh was sometimes overwhelming. Plattsburgh is much easier (all highway) to get to from NY airports, although Oneonta is closer.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>My advice is to review the faculty at all the SUNY schools and decide which department/research is better for you.</p>
<p>SUNY Oswego seemed quite good. I was not impressed with Platts or Brock.</p>
<p>Hofstra does not have a strong CS reputation. Hofstra does have a good business program. </p>
<p>SUNY Stony Brook is very strong in CS, did you apply there?</p>