<p>At UAlbany and Stony Brook, I’d be eligible for at least 1 year worth of ap/college credits. Is it better to go to a school like that for 3 years, or say, Cornell, or a school on that level, for 4 years?</p>
<p>It depends. See, the thing is, you can be successful no matter where you go. It’s all a matter of working hard, getting experience and putting yourself out there.</p>
<p>If money is an issue, then I think going to a state school for 3 years would be a really good idea. Saving money on undergrad could also leave you more money to spend on grad school.</p>
<p>If money is not an issue, and you don’t mind spending a lot of money on your education, going to a great school like Cornell would be a no-brainer.</p>
<p>I had a very similar conflict, and overall a very similar situation. I’m from NYC, as I assume you are w/ the SUNY discussion. My high school offers two years of college credit (in the form of an A.A degree from Bard College). I was choosing between two years at the top SUNYs (Binghamton or Geneseo) or something on the Cornell level (top 15). I ended up choosing UChicago. </p>
<p>My rational for this choice was two fold. Firstly, college is usually looked back upon as the best years of a person’s life. Why cut that peak period of your life in half (or by a quarter in your case)? Secondly, I wanted a superior education. I don’t feel that I could get nearly enough from half the time at a worse school. </p>
<p>I’d speculate that the two major deal breakers to a choice like mine are money and pre-professional ambitions. If you want to be a doctor, go to SB. When you have to pass through 7 more years of training, it would make sense to cut your undergrad a bit to minimize the whole time drain. Money, obviously always an issue. I would have paid as much for my entire education at Binghamton as the list price for a single year at Chicago. However, keep in mind that aid at the top 15 schools is the best sort of aid. Very often you can get tuition lowered to about the same level, if not less, than a SUNY. Mine was reduced to that level. But even still, I’m paying twice for a 4-year Chicago education than I would be paying for a 2-year Binghamton education.</p>
<p>If you can get into a school on the level of Cornell, go there. The difference in cost may not be as great as you think. SUNY Binghamton is the best SUNY university but none of them are great. It is well worth paying the extra money.</p>
<p>“SUNY Binghamton is the best SUNY university but none of them are great.”</p>
<p>Do you want to take this outside? Both are fantastic. Not prestigious, but fantastic all the same.</p>
<p>The SUNY School system isnt very good in comparison to the rest of the United States school system (I’m a NYer by the way). California’s State system is better than most Ivies, that should be the idea public school system every state should be aiming for. I personally like SUNY Binghamton and SUNY Buffalo, but the rest like SUNY Plattsburgh just are sad</p>
<p>I’d say go with the Ivy if you are able to. People always say “oh ill go to a better one for my masters / ill transfer out at the last year”…but its notoriously difficult to, as most ivie transfer-acceptance rates are below 3%…making even Harvards 9% undergraduate acceptance rate look amazingly high.</p>
<p>Well I don’t like Ualbany or stonybrook but even if you listed a couple schools that I did like, I’d say to go with Ivy. </p>
<p>Most people who have been through or are currently in colleges say that they have had some of the best years of their lives there. So you don’t want to jip the experience. And I mean, it’s Ivy. There are sooo many people who would die for a shot at an Ivy school. Take it. </p>
<p>Of course there are always factors as family and money problems, so even if you don’t end up at Ivy for some reason I’m sure you will still be happy and successful.</p>
<p>oh and if it helps, cornell is a great school
My sister goes there and she absolutely loves it
and some of her AP credits did go through.</p>
<p>A lot of this decision hinges on your academic, social, and career goals or lack thereof. If you have a very focused idea of what you want to study, whom you want to study with, etc., etc., you might be happier at a school where those resources are promised to you (even if it is a state school) than you would at an Ivy.</p>
<p>Some might argue, though, that the Ivy diploma opens more doors upon graduation, and should you want to enter a competitive job field in which your ivyness may be considered, perhaps doing the four-year route might serve you better.</p>