So I wanted to make this post for all prospective students for the University at Albany.
Background: I am a commuter student and I originally did not want to attend this University. I wanted the “normal college experience;” i.e. going away to an unfamiliar place and meeting a ton of new people, unforgettable experiences, etc. I did not even consider the fact that this can be done as a commuter student (minus the going away from home part). My first semester was bad because I did not take advantage of the many opportunities that UAlbany has to offer, so you may notice some previous negatives posts from me (HOW DO I DELETE THESE??)
Anyway, I wanted to address some topics about UAlbany to help people better understand the University. I wanted to bring up some general conceptions of the schools.
- UAlbany is a party school.
WRONG! Yes, UAlbany students party, but I am not really sure what university doesn’t have this “problem” besides Brigham Young University (which probably still has students that party.) However, UAlbany is nothing like it used to be. No more kegs 'n eggs, or fountain day, or any types of celebrations that lead to drinking. No longer can you walk down quail street, or hamilton, or hudson, or wherever in the college neighborhood and find countless parties like before. Sure, you will occasionally see a house having a party which is likely to get shut down quick because the police no longer tolerate it.
For those of you who are into the partying lifestyle: there is always greek life that you can take advantage of but BE CAREFUL; don’t be stupid and overdue the drinking cause it can happen if you’re irresponsible. Seriously though, why would you want to stand in a small, cramped apartment drinking with a bunch of people you don’t know anyway? Lol.
- UAlbany is not a good university academically.
FALSE! I consider myself a averagely smart guy, and UAlbany has been nothing but challenging since I have arrived here. Sure, you’re going to get those silly classes that are easy A’s (if you do the work; they can easily trip you up if you slack off), but what college doesn’t have these classes? Usually, they are a general education requirement; the classes you take for a particular major will be challening. I am an accounting major and let me tell you, those classes are HARDDDDD. I actually took an intro class to biological anthropology, thinking it was going to be an easy A… NOPE! Crazy hard class. Take all of your courses seriously.
- Employers do not value a degree from this University.
Where does that even come from? UAlbany is a great University. We are ranked in the top 100 for many different majors, we built the college of nanoscale science and engineering into what it is today (the best at what it does); for the business school, the big 4 firms are constantly recruiting our graduates. I am not bragging about this University, but its bad reputation is a false one.
- UAlbany is not safe.
UAlbany is plenty safe. The main campus is not dangerous at all. It’s not like you have to watch your back when you’re walking through campus at night. Same with downtown campus; it’s really not dangerous. The college neighborhood (also downtown) is mostly filled with… you guessed it, college students. The townees that live around these areas are not gang-banging druggies who are out to get you… Seriously, where did this rep come from? I can seriously vouch for this subject matter considering I’ve lived here my whole life. I’ve never experienced any dangerous situations.
I love my University so much. I think it is a wonderful place to learn and grow as a person because there is so much this University has to offer. PLEASE ignore all the negative stuff said about this place; it’s really a great university which I chose over Syracuse Uni, SUNY Geneseo, Binghamton and Rutgers. I would choose UAlbany again and again.