SUNY schools — why aren’t they as popular as other OOS schools

[Anonymous]

SUNY specifically didn’t want a flagship when founded by the state. They already had Cornell, Columbia, NYU etc.

People do recognize the better SUNYs in the workplace, even in NYC and students are accepted to top-notch grad schools. Geneseo, SUNY Binghamton, etc.

The reality is that SUNY schools are well-managed, affordable, and provide a great education. They don’t spend huge sums of money on buildings or football, for example. It’s a different model. If your student wants to go to Alabama to go to football games, that’s great. Other students go to SUNYs. It is what it is. If you are looking for value, SUNY might be for you.

[Anonymous]

Um what? I live in NYC and in my highly educated circle (doctors, lawyers, etc), many people send their kids to Binghamton (and went their themselves!). It's often a back up school, but it costs 25k/ year and the education is good. Maybe it's different in the finance crowd, but my dc went to private school in NYC and applied to Bing as a safety.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:SUNYs sound depressing from this thread.
And who wants to spend the winter in Buffalo. No thanks.
They are good options for NY people especially folks with limited income.
NYC professionals never talk about sending their kids to SUNY

Oh yeah, and that’s the best reason to choose a college for your kids, and the best use of your family resources: so that you can talk about it with other professionals.

That makes perfect sense, and sounds very logical and reasonable.

[Anonymous]

University at Albany grad here. Why perhaps biased I think Albany would be a good destination for kids from this area---located in a state capital so lots of government-related internship opportunities. They also have a unique College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity. Easy to get to by plane or amtrak.

Winters are rough and I agree with many posters about the lack of top-notch sports. Albany, Binghamton, and Stony Brook are in leagues with schools like Vermont, New Hamphire, Rhode Island, W&M, Richmond and Towson.

[Anonymous]

Much as I respect the above schools, they do not compare to W&M

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Seems incredibly short-sighted of NY state not to have a more appealing university system. Insane.

Well, appealing to you probably isn't their top priority.

NY has long had a huge network of private and religious-affiliated universities and colleges. It didn't formally establish the SUNY state university system until 1948, and it was clear that from the start, SUNY - like many other state universities in the northeast -- wasn't intended to rival or supplant long-established in-state private universities (like Columbia or Cornell or Rochester).

New York was the largest state in the country when SUNY was founded, and SUNY was (and is) the nation's largest comprehensive public university system, so establishing a single "flagship" as in most states (save California) wasn't a feasible option. So resources weren't funneled into one flagship showcase but spread around four university campuses (now winnowed down to two "flagship" campuses -- Stony Brook and Buffalo) and about 20 other colleges (plus community colleges). A lot of expansion occurred in the 1960s, which of course is problematic for DCUM commenters who are convinced that the caliber of educational experience correlates directly to how closely a campus resembles either Harvard or Downton Abbey.

The SUNY system offers a solid, often excellent, education, in a range of different settings. For NYers the cost is an incredible value; for OOS students, SUNY tuitions are still a very good value. It's certainly provides a better education than many of the other schools that DCUM commenters talk about for their non-HYPSM kids, but apparently some DCUM families care more about climate or architecture (or some other subjective "vibe" metric) than they do about educational quality, so their loss.

I suspect for the state of NY, funding a university system that's largely going to provide an affordable college education for in-state residents who are likely to remain in state, and boost the state's skill and income levels, rather than serve as a pit stop for OOS students to absorb four years of education before they leave the state for elsewhere - is probably a good rather than bad outcome. Thanks in large part to SUNY, NY has the highest college graduation rate of any of the ten largest US states. Compared to that accomplishment, there's a strong case to be made that investing limited resources to generate "appeal" for out of state kids and their parents actually shouldn't be a top priority for a state university system.

Amen to this, too.

I live in PA and our in-state options are nowhere near as inexpensive. New York does a lot of things wrong, but I like and respect SUNY for all the reasons you explained.

+1. My nephew is applying to a couple SUNY schools as an OOS student and I was surprised how relatively affordable they still are. I think as an OOS student it was something like $33k per year? Instate at UMD CP is close to $30k per year at this point!

[Anonymous]

CUNY too, particularly Baruch. Amazing value

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:SUNY specifically didn’t want a flagship when founded by the state. They already had Cornell, Columbia, NYU etc.

People do recognize the better SUNYs in the workplace, even in NYC and students are accepted to top-notch grad schools. Geneseo, SUNY Binghamton, etc.

The reality is that SUNY schools are well-managed, affordable, and provide a great education. They don’t spend huge sums of money on buildings or football, for example. It’s a different model. If your student wants to go to Alabama to go to football games, that’s great. Other students go to SUNYs. It is what it is. If you are looking for value, SUNY might be for you.

I think this is a huge part of it. I'm from NY and remember touring SUNY campuses and thinking how boring and ugly they were. I still almost went to one but got financial aid at a private university in an area with less gloomy winters and went there instead. But I do wish I could go back and slap my 17yo self sometimes, SUNY would have been a more sensible option and now as an adult I appreciate how they are keeping costs reasonable when so many universities have not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:SUNY specifically didn’t want a flagship when founded by the state. They already had Cornell, Columbia, NYU etc.

People do recognize the better SUNYs in the workplace, even in NYC and students are accepted to top-notch grad schools. Geneseo, SUNY Binghamton, etc.

The reality is that SUNY schools are well-managed, affordable, and provide a great education. They don’t spend huge sums of money on buildings or football, for example. It’s a different model. If your student wants to go to Alabama to go to football games, that’s great. Other students go to SUNYs. It is what it is. If you are looking for value, SUNY might be for you.

I think this is a huge part of it. I'm from NY and remember touring SUNY campuses and thinking how boring and ugly they were. I still almost went to one but got financial aid at a private university in an area with less gloomy winters and went there instead. But I do wish I could go back and slap my 17yo self sometimes, SUNY would have been a more sensible option and now as an adult I appreciate how they are keeping costs reasonable when so many universities have not.

I am so grateful I went to a SUNY. I wanted to take out loans to go to a higher end school but my parents wouldn’t let me. So thankful for that although I wasn’t really happy about it at the time.

If they start tearing down and building, costs will go up. Is it worth it?

[Anonymous]

We seriously considered Buffalo. Because it had big time sports. Other SUNYs aren't as appealing. Certainly good but you give up something.

[Anonymous]

What is it you give up?

[Anonymous]

I went to SUNY Buffalo as an out-of-state student in Computer Science in the late 1990s. I was one of 348 undergrads from out of state. I absolutely loved it. Buffalo is a great place to go to school and being close to Canada is awesome when you’re 19. Plus, I got a great education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:CUNY too, particularly Baruch. Amazing value

CUNY doesn’t have campus life and housing but it’s a great school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:SUNY specifically didn’t want a flagship when founded by the state. They already had Cornell, Columbia, NYU etc.

People do recognize the better SUNYs in the workplace, even in NYC and students are accepted to top-notch grad schools. Geneseo, SUNY Binghamton, etc.

The reality is that SUNY schools are well-managed, affordable, and provide a great education. They don’t spend huge sums of money on buildings or football, for example. It’s a different model. If your student wants to go to Alabama to go to football games, that’s great. Other students go to SUNYs. It is what it is. If you are looking for value, SUNY might be for you.

I think this is a huge part of it. I'm from NY and remember touring SUNY campuses and thinking how boring and ugly they were. I still almost went to one but got financial aid at a private university in an area with less gloomy winters and went there instead. But I do wish I could go back and slap my 17yo self sometimes, SUNY would have been a more sensible option and now as an adult I appreciate how they are keeping costs reasonable when so many universities have not.

I am so grateful I went to a SUNY. I wanted to take out loans to go to a higher end school but my parents wouldn’t let me. So thankful for that although I wasn’t really happy about it at the time.

If they start tearing down and building, costs will go up. Is it worth it?

Ha ha, true. They are not pretty, but they're great schools.

[Anonymous]

Will draw an analogy to real estate where it is location, location, location.

For SUNY's its, winter, winter, its New York.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Will draw an analogy to real estate where it is location, location, location.

For SUNY's its, winter, winter, its New York.

The weather is no better in Madison or Ann Arbor than most SUNY schools. And Stony Brook is pretty temperate--not much different than College Park or Charlottesville.