<p>Hey Everyone,</p>
<p>Got accepted? Thinking about UB? What better way to ask a current UB student a question. So, feel free to post whatever questions, concerns, issues or clarifications that you want on this thread.</p>
<p>Thanks,
MPM</p>
<p>What would you say you like most about UB?</p>
<p>And, odd question, but what do you think of UB’s marching band, if you notice it at all. Honestly please. No bias D:</p>
<p>I am not a student, I am a parent/fan. Ive been to events like football and basketball games, and think the Marching Band is superb. Talented, spirited, under great directorship. They perform with the UB Dazzlers dance squad who are terrific. They put a lot into it and it shows.</p>
<p>The thing that I like MOST about UB is that it is a big school. When looking at colleges I ALWAYS wanted a school with a large student population. Why? Simply because in my opinion, there are so many more opportunities. I am not sure of your major, but I am confident that, if you try, you will find an activity that you love. And that is another thing: noone forces a student to do anything. Everything is “out there,” you just need to find it yourself. If you are a go-getter, someone who is interested in research (especially why things happen the way they do), an individual who has many interests, loves/is able to value diversity and doesn’t mind the size, UB should be considered a serious option for you. I am not going to lie-there are times when I get annoyed at the size of the lectures halls, but it is all a part of the experience. UB is a Research 1 University- it is a part of the American Association of Universities (AAU- a big deal)… AAU is a member of 62 leading research universities in the US and Canada who are at the top of their game for research. Another thing: once you get passed the pesky general education requirements, most majors tend to SPECIFICALLY “train” you for your career (through classes, etc…). I have found that it is difficult for undecided majors due to the large size. Side note: the faculty and staff are very well accomplished. They did not go to school for “teaching;” you will be able to learn a lot from them, just realize that ‘some’ of them will never be able to win a teacher of the year award. UB is a great place and it is not for everyone. Since it is so big, it is difficult to get lost in the crowd, but if you are able to always remember WHAT AND WHY you are here [at college], you will ultimately have a better experience. My first year is 75% over with and I have had the most interesting, rewarding and enriching year of my life. If from what I have described to you sounds like something you are still interested in (I am brutally honest), sign up for an open house or tour as soon as possible— also make sure to take a seperate tour of the Ellicott complex. </p>
<p>Marching band? They seem alright, I know a few people who participate [in the band]. From the football games I went to this year, they were good but they played boring incredibly boring songs (just my personal opinion). I am not an expert by any means. If your question is geared towards wanting to be a part of the Marching Band next year, I would say go for it. The two people I know who are in it absolutely love it. They seem pretty good and I think (as in the paragraph above), finding an activity that actually means something to a student is one of the best things to do to successfully transition into the University.</p>
<p>Good luck with your search. I hope this helps and let me know if you have any future question.</p>
<p>I do have a couple questions for you:</p>
<p>So what would you say the general school enviroment is like? Is the sports-frat scene very big over there? What about in terms of diversity of mindeset (as in, the general type of goals a student wants)? Would you recommend it for science?</p>
<p>Thanks for your answers.</p>
<p>Thanks for being proactive and helping everyone…</p>
<p>Do students embrace the football and basketball programs and is there a sense of school pride?
Do you know any engineering majors and if so is the workload extraordinary or do they all have time to enjoy extra activities?
Do you know of any charter buses to NYC or Philadelphia for holiday and winter breaks?
If you don’t have a car is it easy to go onto the city of Buffalo by bus?</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>rtsheerin-</p>
<p>Hope I can help you out. My son is freshman, majoring in engineering.</p>
<p>He always has lots of homework but has yet to complain. He seems to manage fun and work. His class schedule is full to say the least. I think the kids tend to socialize in the dorms rather than head out so he is not missing much. He’s had time to ski.</p>
<p>I believe the school hires buses to NYC for breaks. You can also fly (Buffalo-Niagara airport is very close) to JFK, LGA and Long Island, which is waht my son does.</p>
<p>Seems like enough kids have cars that you can go places if you want to. On South Campus there is Buffalo public transportation which my son has used to get to the “city” of Buffalo, and has also taken it to the airport.</p>
<p>By the way, my son likes UB a lot and has no regrets with his choice (and he had many privates and OOS publics and SUNYs to pick from).</p>
<p>Hello, </p>
<p>I was accepted in mid February and I have a couple of questions about the residence halls. Personally, which hall has the most going on? such as activites, parties, events, etc.</p>
<p>^ Anomalous</p>
<p>As for the general school life, we have two (technically 3, but for undergrads 2) campuses. One is in Amherst which is referred to as North Campus; the other is on Main Street which we refer to as South Campus. It will depend on your major as you progress through the school, but the majority of your first year classes will be on North Campus. At North, all of the lecture halls, classrooms, etc are connected by tunnels and passageways. It is quite nice (especially in the winter) and I have come to navigate my way through the halls very efficiently. As for the residence halls, there are quite a few to pick from. Crazed is correct in that the students do a lot of socializing in the residence halls (it is the easiest way to get to know people and is a lot of fun). I absolutely love the residence halls. The frat scene is on South Campus (there is a street- Main Street and off of Main are at least 6-12 sidestreets of frat houses). If you attend UB, you will get to know the main frat houses that are always having parties. The party scene is the absolute best in the beginning of the year as in most schools- people are practically begging you to drink at their house. As the year goes on, the amount of open parties, IMO seems to have decreased BUT you will always be able to find something if you look. The intercampus bussing system runs 24/7 and goes from North to South and the dorms on Ellicott to the Student Union so if you are on South you will never be stuck alone with no place to go. Sports are a big thing if you are an athlete. From what I have seen, it monopolizes a lot of your time and you gain life-long friends. I am an average NCAA basketball fan and I have only been to one basketball game. Basketball games are fun but attendance is really low. A lot of people are into the football thing- I have attended 3games and have had a mediocre. time. I think I would jump on the bandwagon if we got really good, but as for now I am not too big into the sports thing (But if you are there is an excellent fan club that you can join). Tons of diversity. I have made TONS of friends from Long Island, but I interact on a day to day basis with all types of races and religions. We have a lot of foreign students as well. They mostly stick together, but if you get to know them, the majority of them are very nice. And yeah, I would absolutely recommend UB for a science major. Hope this helps.</p>
<p>Anomalous, I’m the parent of a science/health major. UB is very science focused and there are quite a few research ops for science undergrads and a number of work study jobs in the labs. The intro bio and chem courses are a lot of work - many would term them “weeder” courses - and you’ll need to put in the time it takes to do well. My D has found the ratemyprofessor website helpful for planning her courses although it’s common for kids who don’t care for their chem prof to attend lectures with another prof since the chem tests are the same for all sections.</p>
<p>How is the wheather?
Which dorm is closer to the English and Humanities classes, but far(like 20-30 minutes away) from the Science classes? I like walking, but for stuff like Chem I’d like to get there early(if I’m close I’ll definitely procrastinate).
Which dorm has the most Diversity?</p>
<p>Weather is beautiful - right now. Can’t say that about last week. Typical northeast weather during the winter (cold, wind, snow), beautiful fall and summer.</p>
<p>You’re not going to find a dorm that’s close to English classes and far from Science classes. All the classes are held “on the spine” which is the linear layout of the academic buildings. Most science classes are in the Natural Sciences Complex, which is right next to the Governor’s Residence halls. English and Humanities classes are held all over.</p>
<p>There’s basically two dorm options on North - Ellicott and Governors. Ellicott is where most people live - it’s an absolutely huge complex with a lot of buildings. Most freshman live in Wilkeson or Spaulding I believe. Governors is a much smaller complex right at the end of the spine. It’s a quieter building. Many honors students choose to live in Governors (one of the halls, Roosevelt, is open only to freshman honors students). Honors students get first priority in Governors, so it may be difficult to get into Governors if you’re not in honors - although certainly not impossible (I know non-honors freshman in Governors).</p>
<p>Being biased, I would personally choose to live in Ellicott. There is a lot going on and it is incredibly easy to meet people. From what I remember last year when I was filling out the Res Hall application last year, all you have to do is choose an area/complex aka Ellicott, Governors or South (technically Main Street). Thera are three freshman halls in Ellicott: Wilkeson, Spaulding and Richmond. Wilkeson and Spaulding are where most of the action is but Richmond (houses undergraduate academies, transfers and the rest freshman) is in a great location. It is where one of the dining halls is, is close to the ellicott food court, close to the bus stop and is where the fitness room is. IMO you can’t go wrong with ellicott, but others (those in governors and on south) seem to enjoy where they live as well. It is personal preference but my advice is to get started on the housing app as soon as possible if you plan on attending since north fills up quickly</p>
<p>-Richmond or governors probably has the most diversity.
-Governors is closest to the academic complex.
-Weather is pretty bad during the winter. However it doesn’t seem terrible since every one of the academic buildings are connected and once you learn to navigate the tunnels there is little need to walk outside except to run to the bus, etc. First two months the weather is great and I expect once we return from spring break the weather will be great as well. So half of the year the weather is terrible, half is great. Like one of the other CC’ers said, “typical northeastern weather.”</p>
<p>Yeah, there are charter busses to Rochester, Syracuse, New York and Albany. There is no bus to Philly. It is a coach bus (not the school busses thank god). I have never been on them, but I know a lot of people who do and it seems to have worked well for them as a cost saving measure.Try this link for more information:
[Weekend/Holiday</a> “Express Bus Home” - Parking and Transportation, UB](<a href=“http://www.student-affairs.buffalo.edu/parking/holidayexpress.php]Weekend/Holiday”>http://www.student-affairs.buffalo.edu/parking/holidayexpress.php)</p>
<p>Thanks for the great info…we are deciding between SUNY B, WVU, UMASS and Purdue.
With scholarships SUNY is a bargain and we are going back to visit to check out the dorms and facillities again. </p>
<p>How are the advisors in the engineering program? Some of the other schools offer special freshman mentors so they don’t get lost.</p>
<p>Advising for son has been fine.
For engineering, the curriculum is pretty straight forward, so not many questions in regard to what to take.</p>
<p>First semester freshman year you are placed into all the classes you need. You do not have so, although my son did not like an elective he was given so he dropped it and added another, online, from home, before he even got up to school.</p>
<p>Does UB offer good finacial aid?
Do you know anything about the aerospace program? Med school? Philosophy program?
How would you apply for a three person room?</p>
<p>When do they send their acceptance or rejection letters?</p>
<p>UB does offer quite a few scholarships. The cost of attending UB is much lower for most people than most other schools.</p>
<p>I can’t vouch for the medical school (although they have a good reputation) or philosophy program, but in my experience so far the aerospace engineering program is excellent.</p>
<p>Applying for a triple would be when you go to reserve a room, after you submit your housing deposit.</p>