<p>Calvin, I did not mean to slight SBU with the “ghost town” reference…it’s been posted over and over again as a frequent complaint among SB students on the Stony Brook forum here. I believe the school is trying to get more activities going on the weekends and I believe their admissions rep, Chris, has acknowledged that in her posts as well. So I was simply stating that, from a social standpoint, this is a very different climate than what one would find at UB. </p>
<p>Your experiences about vals/sals on LI are interesting, but I suspect that you actually know very little about UB and the student body and programs there. UB has a huge international appeal, especially among the Asian countries, in large part due to the strength of their engineering, math, and science programs. I believe they currently have the 12th largest international student population among US universities. There are a decent number of students who receive awards, fellowships, and national/international recognition at UB, and the same is probably true at SBU.</p>
<p>I believe both schools have similar weight in the sciences and engineering fields and both send large numbers of students to grad schools (both within the SUNY system and elsewhere). Neither one would likely have a significant advantage if the goal was to look for a job on the west coast, as SUNYs are not widely known. So, when it comes down to such closely matched and priced schools, I think it’s all about the fit for the particular student. The OP seems to prefer Buffalo and might find that living in WNY is a very different experience that life on LI…I know my D’s friends think it is anyway, and not in a bad way! If it’s affordable for him to do so, why not take advantage of the opportunity?</p>