mantori.suzuki

I can't believe there isn't more information here about Alfred University. It sounds like a nice location, if a bit isolated, and for such a small school to have a highly respected engineering program is unique. The financial aid also looks good, from what I read on their website.

I would like to encourage my son to apply to Alfred, but it's kind of scary that no one is posting anything here at all. Could a current or former student please give me something to go on?

Thanks in advance!

kayf

My D will be going there. Yes it is isolated, but the school has lots of great activities, of the type parents want. No fraternities, but lots of clubs, theatre groups, etc. Alfred is one of the two private schools in NY that recieves substantial state aid (Cornell being the other). Fiske rates it as one of the 44 best buys in the US. Most classes are taught by profs, not TAs. I think the isolation is a plus for my D, I dont want her near the big city.

mantori.suzuki

Thanks, kayf. Anyone else? Please?

Westchestermom

We toured Alfred, and my D seriously considered going there, but ended up choosing a college closer to home. However, the daughter of a friend will be attending there in the fall and is looking forward to the experience.

Alfred has a beautiful campus, and we loved the friendly feeling. True there's not much of a town, but frankly most college students end up being pretty busy with their studies, and there are plenty of interesting activities connected to the campus. It wouldn't, however, be a good school for a kid who wants the urban life.

They are generous with merit scholarships. The NYS subsidized tuition only applies to art and engineering I believe, but even the cost for the private side (Liberal Arts and Sciences) is reasonable (around 35K total I believe) compared to many private LACS.

Westchestermom

I should add, that when my D joined Alfred's social networking site for accepted students, I noticed a surprisingly diverse and interesting group of kids from a number of geographic areas and overseas who were considering attending.

SLUMOM

My D is also attending, we were most impressed, you can check out my Visit Report if you like. Alfred is listed in Princeton Review's "Best 368" and is also a USNWR's "Great Schools Great Prices". The rural location didn't really bother our daughter & she seems very happy about the dormitory she was assigned to. It is worth checking out!

momofthreeboys

We toured and I liked it alot, I thought the student population was very diverse. Lots of arty types with wild hair, piercings and clothing choices and the engineering types and a hanful of everything in between. I liked the engineering profs and engineering students we met and thought it was a finanical "bargain" to boot. We stayed at the Saxon Inn on campus and everyone in Admissions and at the hotel were so welcoming. I thought the campus was plenty big for the number of students and the campus is lovely but narrow and very, very long. The town is very small and we live in a small town - it's feels like it's all students and profs. I thought the smallness was neat, but my son wondered how he'd feel after the first couple months and he's looking for a rural campus, but maybe not a town that only has 2 blocks, 4 restaurants, a bar and not much else. I wondered how the kids like it in the dead of winter if they have to go the length of the campus! My son is uncertain about going into engineering and didn't feel like he "fit in" with the campus as well as some of the other schools he has visited and I don't think I can "talk him into" this one but I loved it. It is so funny what "gets" kids, there were alot of beer cans and trash in the creek and that disturbed my son greatly - not that they were beer cans as an issue, but that the kids didn't care enough to "clean up" and either threw or let them blow into the creek. He thought that was low class. Everytime we'd cross the creek he'd stop and look at the trash and just kind of shake his head. I think that was the deal breaker for him. I've been "talking it up" as a place to look at with friends who have kids that are art and engineering directed. They also have a conventional course of study for those that aren't engineering and aren't art and we did meet a couple of those students, too. One little known fact we learned is that they have a wonderful horse barn and this would be an interesting school for someone who wanted to bring their horse. There was a school that I was alittle sad didn't excite my older son and this will be the school I will be alittle sad didn't excite my #2.

spiffyiscool

My DD will be a freshman in the fall. We first heard about AU from an art teacher in her Jr. year of HS. We visited the first time that spring. We were there about an hour when DD said "yes, this is my college." She loved the campus, the faculty the students, and most of all for her, Harder Hall, the Art building.
AU was her first choice, and happily for us, came out to be the best financially for our family. I truly believe AU is a hidden gem.

potter1

My DD fell in LOVE with AU! She felt that AU was her place to be, and loved Harder Hall as well, she is an art major. She was accepted as a Presidential Scholar and accepted into the Honors Program. We are out of state and finances came into play...she was also accepted into the Art & Design school at the University of Michigan with an almost full scholarship (tuition, R&B)! We (mom,dad, D) visited last spring at a Purple & Gold day, also stayed at the Saxon Inn. We were also very impressed with the staff and students. It was a very difficult decision to choose between two well respected art programs, in the end, we chose UM.

mantori.suzuki

Wow, it's cool to see so many people coming out of the woodwork in support of Alfred, since the Alfred forum is pretty quiet most of the time.

The presence of the New York State College of Ceramics on campus is one of the things that intrigues me. My son is more than likely going to major in the physical sciences and is currently doing materials research and likes it. The combination of strong science and engineering programs with small-college intimacy appears to be unique; I don't know of any similar schools.

On paper and from what I've heard, Alfred seems like a really good fit for my son in every way except one: It's rural, and my son has a strong affinity for colleges in big cities or bustling college towns. Nevertheless, I'm thinking that he should apply to Alfred and, if the financial package is good, visit and consider it a serious contender.

Is there anything about the surrounding area to satisfy someone who tends to prefer a bigger town/city? Or is Alfred just plain rural and small no matter how you slice it?

nmlcfp

We used to take road trips to Geneseo state Park, Rochester and Buffalo. If yiu have a car you can go when you please. It was tough my freshman year with no car. The bus ride to NYC was long!!!! Alfred is a very safe place to be. No crime at all.