I went to Binghamton, though some years ago, and had a great experience. I can’t speak to the other two SUNYs but my overall experience with the school system broadly, and my professors and classmates at Binghamton specifically, was positive. Like some PPs have said, many of my peers at Binghamton got into to top privates and other excellent publics but opted for Binghamton because of cost and, for some, being closer to family in NY.

Will say that at least at the time I went, an overwhelming majority of students were from NY and as an out-of-stater it was sometimes hard to break in socially (though I ultimately did make some dear friends). Many kids knew each other from home and were long-time friends. Also, Binghamton, though in a very pretty part of NY, could be cold, overcast, and snowy/rainy, which I didn’t love.

Binghamton is a good college, but the town is a real dump.

Anonymous wrote:op here, thank you!! Great info. We will go visit to see what he thinks. He is a nerdy jewish kid. Into model un, band, theater, tennis and track. He is thinking biology, genetics maybe, maybe premed. I am going to guess he will not be a big party kid but who knows. He wants access to a big city and research/intern opportunities. He is very laid back and is a good student but nothing amazing. 3.7 UW. Looking for a serious school but not cut throat.

PP with MA/PhD from Binghamton.

Nerdy jewish kid describes about 30-40% of Binghamton University's population. I was a nerdy jewish kid with a BS from Va Tech, and was thinking it might be a good place to meet a nice jewish girl. The only problem with that is nearly 100% of the jewish population is from NYC and suburbs. Binghamton fits what he is looking for: there are always people going to NYC.

Anonymous wrote:op here, thank you!! Great info. We will go visit to see what he thinks. He is a nerdy jewish kid. Into model un, band, theater, tennis and track. He is thinking biology, genetics maybe, maybe premed. I am going to guess he will not be a big party kid but who knows. He wants access to a big city and research/intern opportunities. He is very laid back and is a good student but nothing amazing. 3.7 UW. Looking for a serious school but not cut throat.

How about Purchase?

I went to high school in Eastern LI and recently, I’ve seen a lot of the top 15 graduates choosing Stony Brook, including the valedictorian a few years ago. Almost always, they want to study science or engineering. Also, Stony Brook U has a significant Jewish population.

IS SB similar to Hofstra?

I went to high school in NY and a lot of the academically strong middle class students wound up at Geneseo. So much so that I would visit and all my high school friends that went there lived together and stayed together and didn’t really branch out making other friends. The suites were basically different high school clusters. I think the social scene is strongly influenced by how many kids coming in already know each other.

op here, thank you!! Great info. We will go visit to see what he thinks. He is a nerdy jewish kid. Into model un, band, theater, tennis and track. He is thinking biology, genetics maybe, maybe premed. I am going to guess he will not be a big party kid but who knows. He wants access to a big city and research/intern opportunities. He is very laid back and is a good student but nothing amazing. 3.7 UW. Looking for a serious school but not cut throat.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Stonybrook is very, very far from the city, and getting there and back will take longer than you think.

There's a train station at the edge of campus. Getting to the city is pretty straightforward.

Signed,

Stony Brook grad.

Yes. About a two hour train ride.
I am a PP who got their masters there. It is not a fun school. Binghamton will give you more of a typical college life. SB may have a better science program, but no one is going to turn their nose up at a Binghamton grad with a science degree. It's not worth it to me for undergrad.

An hour and fifty minutes by train, just over an hour by car. Still a lot closer than Binghamton. Stony Brook also has some cute north shore towns nearby (Port Jeffereon, for one, as well as the village of Stony Brook itself, and East Setauket).

Both campuses are ugly. If you want solid academics, go to Stony Brook. If you want more of a college town go to Binghamton, altough it falls pretty short in that area, too.

Anonymous wrote:I got my MA/PhD in the sciences from Binghamton. It is a good school, particularly for undergrad.

The town is awful, having been in decline for nearly 100 years. But, it works as a college town.

+1. Plus- mug night at Uncle Tony's!