Stony Brook University

Date: Mar 04 2016
Major: Economics (This Major's Salary over time)
I am sure things have changed since i graduated but this is my take on Stony Brook.

Stony Brook is actually a good school with a wide curriculum. I didn't appreciate this during my tenure there but it is. While there are obvious short term issues that every student has with the university, Stony Brook has massive potential due to its size (its getting bigger), growing budget, reasonable fees and massive student intake. There is a good amount of choice when it comes to majors and the course content is usually sufficiently challenging to separate those who are good at what they do from those who are not. When it comes to the teaching aspect, Stony Brook has some wonderful professors and I think that they should tap into this resource a bit more rather than using graduate students as substitutes. All in all, Stony Brook has some excellent programs, a select few of them up there with the best in America and it really is just getting started.

Main academic negative: Too many grad students teaching important classes. Days are long which can limit social activity. Very average business and finance programs.This is the real reason in my opinion why Stony Brook doesn't get more recognition for its excellence as an overall institution. Improve the business and finance programs. Expand the global outreach of the MBA and the MFIN programs if you want Stony Brook to enter the elite echelon of schools it probably is capable of being in.

Institutional cooking has never been considered fine cuisine,however, the food is really not that bad. I attended another institution prior to Stony Brook and can assure that the food was of a comparable level.Once again, the food could be more nutritious but you can certainly live on it. Don't be deterred by the food even though it could be better.

When it comes to extra curricular activities it can be be a challenge. However, I lived on campus during the regular semester, stayed for summer school and me and my friends regularly engaged in various activities, we found ways to stay occupied. Ways to stay occupied included playing sports, going to the mall, going to the movies,going out to eat and occasionally going to manhattan. You can do all of these things without a car.

The party scene can appear dead but it really isn't. Lets face it, its not college if you haven't been to a few parties and there is actually a vibrant party scene around Stony Brook. A few factors may make or break this side for you though. The first factor is you need to be 21, if you're under 21 this really limits what you can do and undeniably your social life may suffer for a couple of years at university. The second factor depends on how sociable you are and how much time you are willing to put in to expanding your circle of friends. I was an international student so I had no advantage of knowing people in the area or people that I went to high school with, at first I knew no one beyond the confines of my dormitory. I am a sociable person and after my first year I honestly felt as if I had grown up in the area. I had a lot of contacts and knew a lot of people beyond the confines of Stony Brook. The key is to go beyond the Stony Brook social circle. There are a lot of bars in Port Jeff, you have around six to choose from and if you want to go a little further you can go to places like Patchogue. Manhattan can be an expensive and lengthy option. Just surround yourself with like minded people who want to go out and if you can get to know some people who go to Stony Brook that grew up in the close vicinity then you are golden. If you do this you will have no problem going out and having some good nights.

Overall experience was a 7/10. Would I do it again? No chance but I wouldn't choose to go through any undergraduate education again at any school.