Hello! I’ve applied to dozens of colleges and I am having trouble deciding! I will list the colleges and add numbers from 1(my favorite) to 5(my least favorite) ;
I have been accepted to:
West Virginia University (2)
University of Pitt-Bradford (5)
Susquehanna University (4)
SUNY Geneseo State (3)
SUNY Stony Brook University (1)
I am trying to major in Molecular Biology/Microbiology, or as a last resort Biology. I also prefer schools larger than 2,000 but it won’t kill me :O)
Please tell me why I should go to a certain school. Or even better, on my favorite schools, prove my choices wrong. 
Why wouldn’t you pick your favorite school?
Have you looked at the cost of attendance after taking any aid or grants you received into account? How does that look for your family?
If all of the colleges are affordable then choose the school that is the best fit for you. Look at size, location, majors, internships, cost, and any other factors that can tip the scale one way or another.
@hayisforhorse my dad doesn’t like SBU, LOL!
@intparent All schools will cost me around 20k a year, so price isn’t a deciding factor atm :O)
Well, if it were me, I’d pick Geneseo or Susquehanna. I would want a school that was small, for individualized attention, but had an intellectual, down to earth student body. I loved both campuses. The bio major that took my daughter and I around Susquehanna exhibited a real passion for her major, which was infectious. She spoke highly of the professors. But you need to think about what things are important to you for the next four years. So we can all choose whichever school we want, but it’s really meaningless because it’s all about what you are looking for, not us.
@taverngirl
Thank you for the response!!
I’ve been lurking on the Niche website and the reviews for Geneseo and Susquehanna’s bio department, and they weren’t looking so great. I’m really glad I’m getting inside info from someone who’s been through the whole process! :x
I may cross Susquehanna off my list since they have 2,000 students (I know, silly) because I like being in a “hustle n’ bustle” environment .:O)
As of now, it’s Geneseo VS SBU however my dad doesn’t like SBU >:)
I hope your daughter is having a blast wherever she goes!!
I’d pick Geneseo and Susquehanna because they’re residential so you’ll form bonds with classmates, it’ll be easier to create study groups and get involved on campus, and you’ll get a lot of attention from the professors.
However, why biology? Currently it’s a very very low ROI major since there’s an oversupply of bio majors who wouldn’t make it into med school and they’ve flooded the job market.
SBU is the strongest academically BUT it’s a commuter/suitcase school, meaning the campus is not residential with all the relationships you can form there. You also need to make sure you’re competitive academically (3.85 uw/1250 SAT/28 ACT).
@MYOS1634 I originally wanted to major in microbiology. Also, just because you are a bio major it doesn’t mean you must go to med school? Grad school, maybe, starting out at the lower level of jobs, sure. But it isn’t a major that will doom me?
I know SBU is a commuter school however on weekends there are around 5,000-10,000 students on campus, so it may not be that bad…
My choices right now are Geneseo vs. SBU, both have their own share of positives and negatives, it’s a tough decision!
I think you should study what you enjoy. The main reason for college is the education and great experience, not to maximize ROI. If everyone did that, they’d all major in Engineering, CS or Business/Finance, and half (at least) would be miserable.
If you work hard and are diligent, you’ll find a job, regardless of your major. And it may be one you actually like.
Study what you enjoy but add something (a couple statistics/biostatistics classes for instance). Many students study biology as a default choice before med school, which doesn’t seem to be your case.
Will you be able to visit both SBU and Geneseo, and sit in on a freshman English class + a Biology class or lab? Those would be the easiest to compare.
This was true from 2008-2012 during the lost years for sure. Is this really true in 2018 with the lowest unemployment in a generation?