Why SUNY Stony Brook?

<p>Hello, it's the time of year where people are hearing word from the colleges of their choices at my school. Unfortunately Stony Brook doesn't have an Early Action program, I would have loved to take advantage of it. I would like to know a little bit more about Stony Brook from the people on CC:
I was just wondering why are you applying to Stony Brook?
*For current students: What do you like/dislike about Stony Brook?</p>

<p>Also, can someone be kind enough to chance me.
GPA: 3.9
SAT: 1750 (1130 CR+M)
ECs: A myriad, including leadership roles
Recommendations: GREAT
Essay: Probably the strongest part of my application!</p>

<p>When should we be expecting to hear from Stony? I am very eager to start my college experience.</p>

<p>You stats look pretty good. What major are you applying for? College is what you make of it and it really depends on what you are looking for in a particular college before we can describe likes/dislike. I’m in the Honors College so I have really enjoyed the individual attention I have received. I have also really liked the dorm life.</p>

<p>I intend to major in Biology, with Pre-Med advisory.
I don’t think my SAT qualified me for Honors.</p>

<p>I live in Long Island, not too far from Stony Brook; and A LOT of people from my school goes/applies to Stony Brook. I don’t know how I feel about that, in addition I just want a balance of academic rigor and fun social experiences. I plan to live on campus, and meet NEW people; not be involved with the same people of my current high school.</p>

<p>All of your stats look fine, I don’t see why you wouldn’t get accepted. And trust me, I know how you feel. Waiting for a decision has been exceptionally hard for me (especially since I didn’t apply to any schools with early action, a very stupid move on my part). If it makes you feel better, if you go to the beginning of this forum (the last page) you can see that kids who applied in 2012 for 2013 got their results starting on January 15th. If we’re lucky, we might start getting acceptances this week!</p>

<p>@Awesome
I agree, I only applied EA to Binghamton and I realized late that it’s not enough; I am super anxious. Hopefully we are part of the bunch. Are you planning to go to SBU as well? What do you find enticing about it? I don’t really know what to expect, since I have yet taken a tour for the school.</p>

<p>I did take a tour and even though some say that the buildings look old and crappy, I liked the campus. The reason I want to go to sb is because it’s affordable, near my house but not to near, and it has a great cs program. I have also read tons of reviews saying that the school has no social atmosphere and it’s hard to make friends. But I think that if one is outgoing enough, making friends shouldn’t be that hard. It’s my first choice so I hope I get in. :)</p>

<p>@Awesome
That’s awesome, I hear like mixed reviews - I guess I have to be the judge for myself. I wish you the best of luck. I’m sure they’d be lucky to have you, you appear to have a nice and positive aura that you can bring to the campus.</p>

<p>That’s interesting that people say you can’t make friends here, I have the same philosophy with one being out-going enough. Who knows, maybe we’ll cross paths on the SBU campus :). Best of luck.</p>

<p>Good luck to you as well. :)</p>

<p>Stony Brook is my son’s first choice. I wish they offered EA. I think they used to but they don’t anymore.</p>

<p>I wonder why they would take EA off as an option. Well, all we can do now is wait.</p>

<p>They guaranteed that everyone who applied by 1/15 would receive equal consideration.</p>

<p>@lil
Really, that’s your son’s first choice. I think it’s my third choice (Bing 1; Geneseo 2; Stony 3). If you don’t mind, can you tell me why your son chose SBU? I really want to learn as much as I can about it. It’s been the topic of discussion lately in my school and I can’t think of any other reason why I want to go there except for it’s top tier pre-med program. I’m a strong advocate of social balance, and it seems to me that this is a problem when it comes to SBU (via AwsomeSauce); can you attest otherwise?</p>

<p>He is very familiar with the school. We live very close to it. We took a campus tour and he loved the school. It jumped in the rankings last year and now is even higher than Bing. I take it you’re also from Suffolk County?</p>

<p>It really depends on what you are looking for. Social balance means different things to different people. If you want to party, go to Bing because they have one of the so-called “best” party scenes in the SUNY system. Stony Brook has parties if you are looking for them but they do not constitute the main social scene of the school. If you are looking to be isolated and go to college in a very quiet place, go to Geneseo, but I honestly don’t understand why so many people go there because they have consistently been lower in the rankings than both Bing and SBU (their public ivy pitch is total crap). </p>

<p>It also really depends on what major you are planning on. SBU undoubtedly has the best premed support of all three, along with the best Science, Engineering, and Math programs. Go to Bing for Business and Marketing, go to Geneseo for the humanities, and go to Stony Brook for Comp Sci, Engineering, and the Sciences.</p>

<p>@lil
No, I’m actually from Nassau County - I don’t live too far from SBU; probably a little bit under an hour by car. I’m hoping that there is a lot to do on campus. I would really like to get involve in wherever I plan to go. Do you have any news on this?</p>

<p>@TheBombing
Ahh that’s very interesting. Well my friend who attends SBU now, chose SBU over Bing because of it’s premed program - I may do the same, considering how I feel once I visit the campus. In terms of social balance, I don’t consider parties as one of them (I believe that with any college, you can find a party if you look hard enough). Social balance in my terms would be a bit more of a relief, are there things to do on campus. I take my education seriously, however I still know when to have fun. I plan to do things that normal freshmen do; I plan to adventure, meet new people, kick back sometimes - I don’t want to seclude myself studying ALL day, however there will be times where I am hitting the books more often than most.
May I ask, why did you choose SBU? Out of different colleges, why SBU ultimately?</p>

<p>I’m in the Engineering Scholars for Medicine program and the Honors College so it was an easy choice. I have definitely met people from all over campus and all over the world in my experiences so far and no, you will not be studying all the time. Stony Brook is ranked the way it is because it is respected as a challenging yet fulfilling education at an affordable rate. Although there will be a lot of work wherever you go, there are definitely plenty of social activities to keep you busy. It is much easier to meet people if you dorm but there are always way to get in with a good group of friends that you can both relax and study with.</p>

<p>Sounds enticing already! I do plan to dorm, to me that is the essence of a college experience. What is the criteria for the Honors College? I know I didn’t apply, I just hope it wasn’t a mistake. :/</p>

<p>Stony has many clubs and activities as well as a brand-new gym and a phenomenal library. Take the tour. The only thing I didn’t like was the dorm room we were shown. It reminded me of a prison cell but we took the tour over the summer and we were shown an older, empty residence hall.</p>

<p>@lil
My friend actually told me something similar to that, not a prison cell - but that the dorm room wasn’t that appealing. This actually plays a substantial amount of importance when it comes to my college selection - since I plan to live there, I don’t want to be in an area that can be referenced to a prison cell, something warm and comforting is preferred.</p>