<p>Hi, as a HS Junior attending HS near Chicago I have a concept of large cities. However, I've never been to NY before, and I think I want to apply to a couple SUNY schools (Buffalo and Binghamton). What is the area surrounding both campuses like? Are they commuter campuses? Thanks for any help</p>
<p>Why SUNY schools? They are over-rated NY State schools for those in-state students who cannot afford a private or more prestigious university. Try the universities right in the Chicago area - the schools you mentioned are cold, in the middle of nowhere, no town to speak of and completely overrated due to the economic crisis inflating the amount of applicants to such schools. Chicago could offer better choices - University of Chicago?!?!?</p>
<p>“They are over-rated NY State schools for those in-state students who cannot afford a private or more prestigious university”.</p>
<p>Or you are SMART and want quality education at a low price.</p>
<p>Don’t be so obtuse.</p>
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<p>OP- I live in NY and have visited both campuses.</p>
<p>Buffalo is academically a great school but it is a fairly ugly campus. There is a decent amount to do in the city though.</p>
<p>Binghamton is an academically superb school and the campus is nicer than Buffalo. Its not really nice aka ivy and brick buildings, but its laid out nicely. The city of Binghamton is a complete ghost town.</p>
<p>Neither are commuter campuses.</p>
<p>Both are cold but so is Illinois so who cares? Springisintheair should grow a pair-the cold is not going to kill you.</p>
<p>It depends what you are looking for in a college. Big university or small college? Prefered surroundings…idea of major.</p>
<p>If you need more info, let me know. Good luck.</p>
<p>^^ what sean256 said.</p>
<p>My D is a rising sophomore at Buffalo and had a great freshman year. It was her safety, and she actually chose it over ALL of her acceptances, including UPenn and Brown. We could financially swing the other schools, and were fully prepared to do so, but it turns out UB had more of what she wanted and was actually a better fit – FOR HER. </p>
<p>YMMV. It all depends on your goals and your personal situation. </p>
<p>The SUNYs often get dismissed for a variety of reasons: no formal flagship school, no rah-rah nationally known sports, a challenging NY state economy that often underfunds education, some unattractive campuses, cold and often remote locations. </p>
<p>HOWEVER…for students willing to look beyond those issues, and ready to dig a little deeper for information, and depending on your academic interests and personal objectives related to “fit”, there are some great opportunities, wonderful programs, and talented faculty available in the SUNY system.</p>
<p>Agree with others that neither are commuter campuses but students just seem happier at Buffalo. That may be because there’s more to do, or just more school spirit, but even the UB alums I know remain involved. The student body seems quite diverse. Although there’s certainly a high percentage of New Yorkers it doesn’t mean much as NY is such a true “melting pot” state!</p>
<p>UB is actually divided into 2 main campuses - North and South. Most of the dorms and classrooms are on North which is actually in Amherst, a fairly affluent suburb of Buffalo. There is shopping and much more nearby, with no real safety issues. North is a very large campus, with a couple of small lakes. I don’t agree that it’s ugly, but has very clean lines, more modern architecture (I.M. Pei designed dorm complex) than traditional campuses. Guess it depends on what you like. You can see pics on UB’s website and there’s a campus tour thing somewhere on the web. It’s literally a small city onto itself, complete with numerous restaurants, an insurance agency, CVS, computer store, mini-markets, pizzeria, etc. It has 2 large dorm complexes and several townhouse style apartment complexes for upperclassmen. It has a huge athletic complex, the main classroom buildings are connected by second-floor glass walkways, and the lab facilites are clean and modern (UB is a major research university). There are a variety of dorm options, both on North and South, and shuttle buses run continuosly between and around both campuses, including the dorm complexes, so you don’t really have to hike around that much in the winter unless you want to.</p>
<p>South campus is about a 10 minute shuttle ride away and is much more integrated into the community. It has a more traditional college look and houses the medical, architecture, nursing and pharmacy schools as well as smaller dorms. The neighborhood is lower income, but not ghetto, although I wouldn’t want my D walking around alone after dark. There is a subway stop in front which leads to downtown Buffalo, etc. - one line only, not a big city system - but nice to get around and maybe see a Sabres game. There is some shopping right across the street and a variety of neighborhoods to explore.</p>
<p>Like orchestramom, my D initally applied to UB as a safety. It wasn’t really even on her radar until we visited and were very pleasantly surprised with the people, programs, and facilities. The great price really made it a no-brainer for us and I’ve since talked with several OOS families who felt the same way so I feel okay about recommending it. YMMV, but worth a look.</p>
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<p>sk8rmom
so glad you mentioned the diversity; it was one of the major points of interest for my D. And I mean diversity of all kinds: ethnic, socio-economic, and intellectual. She especially wanted NOT to be in a bubble, but to be in an environment that more reflected the larger world. And she has found that at UB. And I also agree that from all I have heard UB kids are very happy with their choice.</p>
<p>I just want to further the excellent responses in this thread-very informative.</p>
<p>The SUNY system has its drawbacks, but in my opninion, they can be avoided with a little research (as a previous poster mentioned).</p>
<p>In fact, the majority of the SUNY schools are superb. There are some that are iffy, but if you take the time to read a little bit about each campus, you will most definitely be able to separate the good from the bad.</p>
<p>I was impressed by UB. The student body seemed friendly and diverse. The academics were great, and the research opportunities were even better. The athletic center is amazing for a SUNY-and their athletic program is growing by leaps and bounds. How can I give it so much praise but not attend? It wasn’t what I was looking for ON A PERSONAL LEVEL. I am more of a brick building, small classes, college town type of guy. (No surprise I chose Geneseo).</p>
<p>Just do some reasearch, and you can find a SUNY for you.</p>
<p>sk8rmom,
I’m happy to know that it is easy to get to Sabres games because I’m a devoted hockey fan. As far as UB goes, is there an honors college? Also, is it fairly easy to travel into Canada from Buffalo? Pardon my ignorance, but do the Mountees make it hard to travel into Toronto for instance? Do you need a visa to travel into Canada for a weekend and do UB students do this fairly often?</p>
<p>stuck – my D is in the honors college; here is more information:
[UB</a> Honors College](<a href=“University Honors College - University at Buffalo”>http://honors.buffalo.edu/)</p>
<p>Toronto is about 90 min drive from Buffalo; you will need a passport but not a visa. Many UB students take advantage of that, but transportation (i.e. a car or a friend with wheels!) is key.</p>
<p>The new regs for travel took effect on Monday - you can use a passport, passport card, Enhanced Driver’s License (not sure if IL offers these, but NY does) or trusted traveler card to cross the border. I can’t imagine the RCMP hassling Americans for no reason - Canada is generally very tourist friendly (except maybe Quebec, but that’s another story!). But if you give them cause to be suspicious, you’re probably asking for trouble! As always, a lttle common sense goes a long way.</p>
<p>You can also take Amtrak, Greyhound, Mega-bus or hire a car (which is not terribly expensive if you have a group). There are links and more info about UB and public transportation here:
[UB</a> Stampede - Campus busing - Parking and Transportation Services - University at Buffalo](<a href=“http://www.student-affairs.buffalo.edu/parking/stampedesched.php]UB”>http://www.student-affairs.buffalo.edu/parking/stampedesched.php)</p>
<p>Nothing is wrong with the SUNY’s, just more choices and less expensive than OOS publics and privates, even with lots of merit aid available.</p>
<p>My son applied to 15 schools, accepted at all and choose to attend Buffalo which has a highly ranked engineering department. </p>
<p>SUNY’s are similar to most OOS schools, some more prestigious and some less. Education can be great at many, many schools. Remember, USNWR is based not just on academics but many other categories. Research facilities may be top notch at some schools, but that doesn’t mean an undergrad will have any or much time with them anyway. </p>
<p>My only disappointment in the SUNY’s is the lack of great sports teams and the rah, rah atmosphere, however, you will not miss what you don’t have.</p>
<p>The kids at UB and BU seem very, very happy. I want my children to fit in and be happy where they attend school. (Most people forget that you are likely using the same texts at school A, B, and C, and are learning the same material at most of the schools.)</p>
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<p>Yes UB is very diverse not as diverse as other schools but you see your share of everything;</p>
<p>however whats the point if most of the students (not all) stay to “their own kind” there is alot of turmoil between races lying underneath; (dorm situations) especially freshman year when someone gets paired up with someone that is not like them.</p>
<p>ive been victim to a couple of racial slurrs among other things; however all in all Buffalo is a great school academically, especially if your in the Honors program because they place you w other honors students who come from all walks of life; (my friend is in the honors program and they are a close knit group of all kinds of races)</p>
<p>best bet; if you go to UB with an open mind; you will make a whole bunch of friends from different walks of life with different experiences you can learn from.</p>
<p>*UB soph from NYC</p>
<p>What’s the regular price for an airplane ticket from UB to NYC?</p>
<p>Blee-</p>
<p>Plane fare from NYC(JFK/LGA and Islip) are all under $100 one way. We are booking to bring my son up to school in August, and I believe the fares are aobut $75-85. </p>
<p>Look up flight by going on line to Southwest (Isp-BUF), Jet Blue (JFK-BUF) and I believe USAir. Some are small planes (you can see the seating on line without booking) so we are gong with the airlines with the bigger planes. </p>
<p>Non-stops out of JFK and LGA. A stop in Baltimore if going Southwest from Long Island.</p>