I am an undecided student and I live about 5 minutes away from the Stony Brook campus. By undecided, though, I mean VERY UNDECIDED. I have no idea what I want to pursue in college, let alone what area of academic study I want to try. I was accepted SBU, Binghamton, and Geneseo but I’m really unsure about which university I should be choosing. I like the idea of living at home and going to SBU because I would get a car and home meals but knowing their specialty is engineering and science scares me because I don’t think I am interested in choosing those majors. Would it be a bad decision to go there if I want to major in something other than science and engineering? I also like the idea of going away to Binghamton and Geneseo, Geneseo being the more aesthetically pleasing of the two, but money is an issue and, again, I don’t know what I want to study. I’ve been to both SBU’s campus and Binghamton’s campus but not Geneseo’s. If anyone could enlighten me or give me some advice that would be much appreciated.
I’d go with Geneseo. Their focus on undergraduate education means you won’t “fall through the cracks” and their liberal arts focus ensures that all students get to taste a little bit of many subjects so they can decide what they like best; They’re also AACSB accredited if you’re thinking of business and you’d have peers as strong as at SB or Bing, but you’d actually interact with them more since you’d be in discussion classes 
How much does each cost?
ps: home meals and staying home is fine, but… by the time you’re 22, living like you used to when you were in high school is going to feel really old and you’ll regret not going away since you had the opportunity. In addition, research shows that students who live on campus get better grades, are more involved, and have an overall better college experience than students who commute.
Thank you, that’s very helpful! The price issue is actually something I should have mentioned in my original post. Binghamton and Geneseo would cost about the same, but SB would be the cheaper option for obvious reasons. I’m not getting much help from my parents in the money department either so that’s why I am still seriously considering it. I have a lot to think about!
In your case, I’d suggest sitting down and doing a cost / benefit sheet between Geneseo vs. Stony Brook. This is something you have to decide for yourself: would the costs at Geneseo be worth the additional outlay if you don’t know what your major / career / etc. will be down the line? Binghamton will offer deeper strengths in the humanities, but as you don’t know what you want to do, you’d probably benefit more from Geneseo’s more intimate campus / LAC-type structure.
I wouldn’t discount Stony Brook either; while it is known for STEM fields, some of its humanities disciplines are also strong. You might consider doing your first couple of semesters at Stony Brook until you get a better handle on what you want to pursue; once you have clarity re: academics, then you could either stay, or transfer into the strongest program in your respective discipline that you can reasonably afford. Good luck-
If money is an issue, SB is cheaper, and you would be Ok with the idea of commuting then that may be the best option. Best not to take on debt for undergraduate (or at least minimize it). If you could graduate from Geneseo or Binghamton debt-free they are both great options.
I wouldn’t be as radical as “debt-free”, as this is almost impossible these days, but I would not go above the federal loan limit ($5,500 for freshman year, $6,500 for sophomore year, $7,500 for junior and senior year).
Typically, dorming is better - better grades, more involvement, better experience - but if your costs are too high, you can “make do” as many students do, especially at SB, and commute. You won’t be alone in that, and while the experience is less fulfilling, it’s still college, and a degree is a degree even if the conditions you got it weren’t optimal.
SUNYs cost $20k+/year. If parents can’t help much (or at all), the way lower income NYS students can afford to dorm is if they get a Pell grant (max ~$5k), NYS TAP grant (max $5k), take the federal student loan ($5500), work (maybe $3-4k), and ask their parents to kick in a couple thousand to make ends meet.
Another way is to attend a less expensive school (cc or commute to a 4-year SUNY) and work so they can save enough to commute the last two years. If you commute to your local SUNY for 2 years and take the federal student loan each year, bank it, and work during breaks then you may be able to afford to transfer for your last 2 years. You should be able to raise $8k-9k/year between the loans & work, and your 3rd and 4th year you can get $7500 student loan, so if your parents can contribute $5-6k, that would be doable. Your student loans wouldn’t be more than the federal student loan amount ($27k over 4 years).
Dorming is nice, but many students don’t have that opportunity. If you have to spend all your free time working to pay for it, it’s not as fulfilling as living at home where you have the time and money to socialize. I did all 3: cc, dormed at a private college (and worked a lot), and commuted to a 4-year SUNY. The most fulfilling experience was commuting because I had more time to study, socialize, take internships, and get involved in campus activities.
What are your parents suggesting?
Close to 50% of Stony Brook Students are Commuters. The fact that you are only 15-minutes from Campus will give you the feel that you live on Campus. You can drive home for Dinner and go back to Campus to Study at the Library if you so choose. You can approximate the entire “College Experience” that some College students yearn for, while saving approximately $10K per year in Room & Board. Living so close to campus will allow you to stay late on campus and participate in clubs and/or other student activities. The time it takes you to get to and from campus would be less than what the typical SB student takes to walk from their dorm to some of their classes.
Given your financial situation, Stony Brook would be your best option. Hopefully you can nail down your major over the next 3-4 months. You want to avoid changing your major while attending Stony Brook, as this will more than likely, prolong your undergraduate education and increase your overall cost.
In my opinion Geneseo is the best of the three. I have been to the Geneseo campus and it is really amazing. Its set up on a hill overlooking a huge valley. The town it is in, is very small but quaint. On the other hand, I really did not like Binghamton. Binghamton has a decent reputation but the campus was really boring and the area it was in was also boring. Decide between Geneseo and Stony Brook. Geneseo may be your best bet since you get to go away, and really experience college.