Stony Brook University

Date: Apr 22 2004
Major: Political Science (This Major's Salary over time)
First off I should say that Stony Brook has some really good academic programs, and not just in the sciences, which it is best known for. The Political Science program, for example, is among the best in the country. There are a lot of professors who are only here for the research, but I've also had just as many professors who genuinely care about what they teach and their students. Word of mouth is key when choosing a professor. Stony is a state school, and it's been suffering from budget cuts, which means that a lot of classes taht should be offered aren't being offered, and that makes it difficult to take your first choice classes or sometimes, for students to graduate on time.

Socially is where this school lacks the most. In a vast see of 20,000+ undergrad/grad students, there are certainly some great people. But all too many people are self-absorbed, antisocial, and unfriendly. There are also many commuter students, who really are only here to go to class, with few of them getting involved in anything else on campus. The way the campus is spread out, with residential quads far from each other, the fact that people leave on weekends, and large classes (especially introductory-level courses) all contribute to making it difficult to meet people, especially if you're coming to Stony without knowing many people here already. If you're looking for parties, there's not too many, but at the same time, it seems that a lot of people are either the type that looks for parties anyway (and finds them off campus or in the city on weekends), or are just absorbed in their studying all day. Very little middle ground.

There are a lot of things to do in campus, though, if you go out and look for things to get involved with, and that's usually one of the best ways to meet people and make friends.

The administration is awful, the food is what you'd expect from a college campus, and there's not much to do immediately off campus. It really helps to have a car on campus, to be able to drive to Port Jefferson or other nearby towns, or even avoid the train and get into the city.