StudentsReview :: Stony Brook University - Extra Detail about the Comment
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Stony Brook University

How this student rated the school
Educational QualityA Faculty AccessibilityA
Useful SchoolworkA Excess CompetitionC
Academic SuccessA Creativity/ InnovationA
Individual ValueD University Resource UseA+
Campus Aesthetics/ BeautyB FriendlinessA
Campus MaintenanceC Social LifeC
Surrounding CityC Extra CurricularsA-
SafetyA+
Describes the student body as:
Approachable, Broken Spirit

Describes the faculty as:
Friendly, Arrogant

Male
ACT:27
id='quarter' class='snapshot' style='color: #977500; line-height:80px';float:left;
SAT1860
Bright
Lowest Rating
Individual Value
D
Highest Rating
University Resource Use
A+
He cares more about Individual Value than the average student.
Date: Aug 26 2011
Major: Psychology (This Major's Salary over time)
Ok, after reading several pages of comments I want to try to give as unbiased of an opinion of this school as possible.

Relevant Stats about me: I am a sophomore, I am 19, I live in NY (about 45 min north of NYC), I have a car but its not on campus, and I am a white jewish male.

I had the naive perspective of College before I came here, expecting to find the perfect group of friends and to party and to essential sever my ties with home (I have a great relationship with my parents, thought that may be important also). Upon my arrival, like so many other kids, i was thrown through a loop. I spent the better part of September and October in a quasi-depressed state. I ended up going to the counseling center to get help, which turned out to be the best thing I ever did. As I went through this pretty rough patch, I really tried to analyse if it was me or the school that was causing me to feel this way (there is the psych major in me). I ended up deciding that it was an even split.

Why is it the schools fault:

Its size, no matter how you can argue it, is not conducive to a great learning environment. Sitting in a lecture hall with 450 kids where all you are is just a clicker tends to be a bit de-motivational.

Its inclusiveness; This one is tricky, because so many can argue that this is more on the person than anything else, but here is where I disagree. I came to this school knowing 3 kids, and was not friends with any of them. I really came to find that unless I shared to previous bond (same highschool, same major, etc) or was similiar because of my nationality it was very hard to feel that connection with the other kids because they didn't seem very interested in including everyone.

The night life/weekend life: Here was (and still really is) the biggest hitter in my book, and it goes hand in hand with the inclusiveness. Unless you are a very extroverted person, you are going to have trouble finding a party on a thursday, friday, etc.. The parties tend to either be small dorm parties where only if you basically know the people hosting it you go, or the massive frat parties. These parties are off campus and you have to take a cab home, another thing that im not a fan of. As for the weekends, it really does die here. 50% commute every day, so at full capacity, stony only has 50% of its students on campus during the weekend. Then (this is a guess btw) i would say about 1/4 of the residents go home on any given weekend. I personally averaged about 2 times a month mainly because of how boring it got.

Why its my fault

Im an introvert. I have always been a shy kid, not to the point where I have no friends here, but to the point where im not presenting myself in a way that would be appealing to others. I have a few friends who are extroverts here and I truly believe they are really happy here because they are just to capable of socializing with anyone

I am still a big fan of home. I wouldn't call my relationship with my parents un normal, but I dont love both of them greatly.That, mixing with the limited friends I had (especially first semester) almost was like a magnet that drew me away from this place.

Ok, now we get to the better stuff. Now, I did apply to transfer during my second semester. I applied to a school with the same academics about 5 hours away from where I live and one about an hour way with slightly poorer academics. The big component of why I applied was becasue they were about 1/5 the size of Stony. I got into both, but I decided to stay. Below is why I decided to stay

I befriended some of the faculty. I established a very strong relationship with my academic advisor very early in the year and they helped me get through the worst part of my depression first semester. Once you have an in at a school like this, the school almost seems to shrink a little

I got help when I needed it. A lot of the comments here are from people who just appeared to be unhappy and left. I was so scared of how unhappy I was that I immediately went to the counseling center and got myself some help. Through there i felt like I really was able to pull myself together and turn my attitude from making it through school to enjoying it. I was also able to secure an internship through that center

Clubs are really great. Every kid needs to feel like people care about them. Since that is not happening in the 500 seat lecture halls, its great to look for places where it will.Clubs are great for meeting people and feeling involved. A big thing with why I was so upset in the beginning was because I had the time to be upset. I would just sit in my room. That changed 2nd semester when I joined a few clubs and has help me (the introvert) make a bunch of more friends.

The academics are great. Plain and simple.. Stony brook is 26 in the nation for its undergraduate psychology cirriculum (both ba and bs). i realized that for me to pass up on that would be a grave mistake.

It is in a great location, despite what people think. Yes it SUCKS not to have a car out here yet (1 more semester!!!) but the LIRR is the most convenient mode of transportation that I have seen at a a school that is not in the city.

As for me now, I just got back for my second year yesterday and Im not feeling so hot, but i know that because of what I went through last year, this year will be a lot better

Finally, just some general advice:

Go home if you want to! You and only you know how to feel your best. If you know that Staying at Stony Brook this weekend is going to make you feel miserable, go home. People who go home a lot (not every weekend) have a similiar social life to those who stay for 4-5 weeks at a time.

Get involved, being busy means being distracted from bad thoughts

Get to know some faculty, in my opinion, if you are feeling lonely, its always good to have someone on campus who knows your name and waves to you

So I guess im going to say what everyone on here says, It is a school where you are the sculptor who sculpts the masterpiece. The difference is that some people are given an easy substance such as mud, while others are stuck with diamonds, a much more daunting task

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