Having Visited UB on Discovery Day, I'm In a Dilemma

sAxsKy · April 23, 2011, 8:49pm

I visited UB during their Discovery Day on April 20th. I was appalled. I already sent in my intent to enroll form because I thought people were exaggerating when they said UB’s campus is disheartening. When I visited, it wasn’t an exaggeration at all. Gray. That’s all I saw. All I felt were harsh winds and pounding rain. Is it truly that gray up there in Buffalo 75% of the year? I could never imagine to spend 4 (6 if I were to get into pharmacy) years in such a depressing place.

Not to mention south campus. Granted I didn’t visit the place during the tour but all I could hear around me from the other kids was that south campus is a dangerous, dangerous place. Crime is everywhere downtown. When my parents and I were going back home to Long Island, we stopped by Schenectady to visit Union College. I don’t know how many of you have been by Schenectady, but that place is a nightmare. Broken windows, abandoned houses were everywhere. Union College’s campus itself was beautiful though (esp. compared to Buffalo) but I probably could never attend that college because of its surrounding city.

Is that what south campus in downtown Buffalo is like?

Another thing were the dorms. The tour only showed the Governors complex. I have no words to describe it. Both my mom and I agreed it gave the impression that we were in a prison. A very high grade prison. The tour guide himself got lost searching for the dorm 208. The building is a maze to get around of. Not only that, but the dorm room itself, I don’t eve know how two people could breathe in there. The room was basically the size of my sisters single when she was a freshman at Columbia. It was fine for one person but for two? You’ve gotta be kidding me.

Unfortunately, with the 17 schools I applied to and the few that I was admitted in, going to UB is placing a lot of weight on me. My mother doesn’t want me to go, but my father, who is a pharmacist himself and has high hopes in me, wants me to go to UB. He says I should go to UB, ignore the weather/environment, and use it to my advantage to stay in my room and study. I know, my dad is pretty harsh, but that’s who he is.

I have one of two choices. I’m currently on the waitlist from St. John’s/Northeastern’s pharmacy program, and from what my friends told me, I’ll most likely find out if I get into St. John’s the first week of May. If I get into either one of the two schools, I’ll definitely go there over UB. No questions asked. But otherwise…go to UB and hope for the best.

My second choice is to go to Stony Brook. Earn a high enough GPA to hopefully qualify for myself at Columbia. Columbia’s the goal but necessarily someplace I would die to go to. University of Michigan ranks high on my list as somewhere I would be happy at if I got admission as a transfer. If I go with this choice, I’m basically gambling with the next 4 years here. If I do well at SBU, awesome. If I don’t do well. ■■■.

So assuming I don’t take my intent to roll and end up going to UB, I have a few questions.

I asked it before but I’ll ask it again, is it really that gray up there in UB most of the time?

The guy who was giving the tour told me UB allows kids to have cars as a freshman. While I think this is an awesome idea, I’m fortunate to drive a nice BMW. If I took that car over to south campus to go to a party or something, would I always have a sickening feeling in my mind because something might happen to the car? The car is a coupe with AWD, and because UB gets so much snow, would I have problems getting around the roads?

Also, if I parked my car outside Ellicott, would I have that much trouble getting a parking spot outside the buildings (don’t remember the name of the building) where most of my classes would be as a pre-pharm student?

Something I forgot to ask the tour guide was if there was a pool hall somewhere on campus? I know for a fact University of Michigan has a building that consists of a room with all billiard tables. Pool is a very important hobby to me, so I was wondering if there was such a building on the UB campus. Or pool tables in any of the dorm buildings at Ellicott for that matter.

Snowboarding too is a big hobby of mine. I remember during the power point presentation during the Discovery Day welcoming orientation that UB was close to a resort that’s ranked 10th or something for snow trails. I was wondering how far that snow trail is from UB?

Another important question I had was about the party scene. Unfortunately as a pre-major, I have to spend most of my time studying during the week except (hopefully, depending on how well I manage my time) on Friday’s and Saturdays. Because I’m going to be a pre-pharm major, I can’t join a frat other wise I’m saying bye bye to my gpa. Can non-frat kids usually get into the frat parties?

Lastly, if anyone else was in the same position as me, as in hating the campus on first sight but eventually getting adjusted to it, can you please share your story? I’d appreciate it.

Sorry for the long post, but if I’m going to commit to a school for the next 2/6 years, I need to gather as much thoughts in my situation as possible. The reason I say 2 or 6 years is because if I don’t get into Buffalo’s PharmD program, I’ll be outta there and into a different pharmacy school. Because of Buffalo’s recognition as a leader in industrial pharmacy, obviously trying to get into their program would be my goal.

Sorry for the rant…lol.

user_007 · April 24, 2011, 1:17am

Eh, I’ve lived in Buffalo almost my whole life…yeah, it’s Buffalo. Summers rock, usually in the 80’s and sunny almost every day. Falls are beautiful. Winters suck. Springs are usually rainy. However, this is also the worst spring I can think of in the 17 years I’ve lived here. Weather is usually decent into November, but yeah, the winters aren’t exactly pleasant…but hey, we’re not known for nice winters either. Today was absolutely beautiful, in comparison (65 degrees, sunny, no wind).

South isn’t really that bad. It gets a bad rap sometimes, especially compared to the extremely safe north campus, but no, I wouldn’t call it dangerous. I have no qualms being on south campus at night. It is an urban campus, however, so naturally there is more crime than on north campus, but it’s not a very bad location. The northern end of south campus is a nice area, a few blocks south on the Bailey side starts to get not as good though.

Ah, Governors. Rumors are that it was once designed as a prison. I’ve lived there for two years, and I really have grown to like the layout. The common areas are very nice for studying, working, socializing, etc. And 208, haha, that’s always where the model rooms are. The rooms are small, but I’ve had no issues in it…and I have tons of stuff. I really have liked Governors.

However, if you want different news, it’s that Ellicott is almost an exact opposite of Governors. Hallways with rooms, more of a traditional dorm style. The rooms are also bigger. They have singles, doubles, triples, quads, and a bunch of other funky arrangements (extra large double…those are nice), double with attached single, and a few others. If you don’t like Governors, chances are you will like Ellicott. They are very different.

Hopefully answered that above. I’d say it’s probably not much different than the rest of the state though. I can look up the “Sunshine Derby” in the Buffalo News to see what our percentage of sun vs. other NY cities are though.

Yes, this is true. While I would hesitate to bring a nice car to any college, I have never had any issues with damage to my car or anything at UB. I wouldn’t drive it to a party for numerous reasons, especially since there is 24 hour busing to south. But to get around anywhere in the area, you should be fine.

UB doesn’t get as much snow as you might think. It’s really 20 miles or so south, in the Buffalo southtowns, where we get the snow that you might see on the Weather Channel. UB and Amherst do a good job, as all municipalities around here do, with clearing the roads. If you have AWD, you should be set. I have a coupe with front wheel drive, and haven’t had an issue yet.

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Yes. Parking is easy near the res halls, but difficult near the academic buildings. South isn’t as bad though. However, first year resident students cannot park in lots near the academic buildings during the hours of 7-3 on weekdays. But buses run from Ellicott to the spine every 3-5 minutes, most people take them or walk. I am a second year student this year and still would never think of driving to class.

Yeah, there are at least a few pool rooms in Ellicott. One is pretty new I believe, or at least recently renovated.

I’m not a snowboarder, but Kissing Bridge is about an hour from UB and Holiday Valley (I believe Holiday Valley is a lot better) is about an hour and a half. The Schussmeister’s Ski Club offers I believe unlimited use of both of these places for some ridiculously cheap price (under $150 for the year, includes both) and runs buses to each at least once a week. But you have to sign up early, as the spots fill really fast, as it seems everyone wants these passes.

I don’t party, but, yes. Usually a small charge to get in ($5 ish, I believe).

I was the same way at first…but I lived in Buffalo my whole life and as a result really didn’t think UB had anything to offer. It was always there…the campus isn’t the prettiest, etc. But after looking at 6 other high-profile schools for my major (engineering), I actually felt UB had the most to offer…professors seemed the most interesting, there were a comparatively large number of opportunities in all areas - research, clubs, etc. If I was given the chance to make the decision again, I’d choose UB right away.

Neonzeus · April 24, 2011, 7:34am

User007 gave a great response.

My kids didn’t like the campus either, such as the lack of trees, the windiness, flatness, etc. It felt desolate to them, compared to other campuses. Buffalo overall felt somewhat depressed to them.

My kids did like the fact that UB is very unpretentious. Some kids wear pjs to classes, kids don’t shave, etc. They did like the large numbers of international students, and that the students are intellectually challenging. “Slutty LI Girl Profile (UGGS, Coach purses etc)” is a very old, standing joke at UB. If you choose UB, try to avoid being the male version of the LI Girl there. They do like being near Canada, the Falls, and have learned to like watching hockey. They really liked the lecture series and available entertainment at UB.

The atmosphere at UB is very different from some of the other schools where my kids did visits. D chose a school, for example, where kids dress-up for classes and Greek is huge.
Keep in mind that the new school of pharmacy building on South Campus will be open by the time you’re admitted. If you’re serious about pharmacy, those facilities should be fantastic.

Yes. It’s gray. There’s a reason why Buffalo’s Spring festival is oozefest. Yes, the dorms are strange looking and some of the rooms are tiny. Moving furniture wasn’t much of an option of S’s double in Governer’s, due to lack of space. On the other hand, UB has free laundry, free parking and lets freshmen bring cars.

Another weird thing is that the food plans don’t include lunches. You’re on your own for lunches, although the dining dollars can be used at various places around the academic spine. My kids didn’t complain about this, but I think it’s odd.

I think it’s interesting that you think that you’ll be able to get into another pharmacy program if you don’t make it into UB’s School of Pharmacy. Trust me, if you don’t qualify for UB’s School of Pharmacy, your GPA will be lower and your odds of getting accepted anywhere else will also be substantially reduced. If you’re looking at 2+4 programs or 4+2/3 programs, you should pay careful attention to the pre-pharm prereqs. Every school is different, and you won’t have many electives to try to prepare for other schools’ requirements.

Another caution for any prepharm program…keep in mind that many/most of the prereqs are graded on a curve. First semester is relatively easy, since you’ll be in classes with non-science majors who are getting their science requirement out of the way. Don’t be overconfident as a result of first semester grades. It starts getting harder to keep up that GPA when you’re being graded on a curve in a room with the engineering, chemistry, premed and other science majors.

One of my kids is in the School of Pharmacy. Still not crazy about Buffalo or UB’s campus, but is happy with the professional training he’s receiving. He says he’d probably choose UB again, solely because of its pharmacy program. Overall, he thinks its a great value for a great education.

If you contact the School of Pharmacy, they’ll put you in touch with existing pharmacy students (“Student Ambassadors”) who will answer questions about UB and the pharmacy program.

Neonzeus · April 24, 2011, 9:00am

My kid is home for Easter and corrected my posting. First, lunches are now available in the meal plans. Second, he says that by the time you’re admitted into the pharmacy program there’s a chance it will be a 3+4 program not a 2+4 because of additional prereqs. Third, he says that if you didn’t get into UB Pharmacy you could still have a chance to get into St. John Fischer or D’Youville’s Schools of Pharmacy, since both have significantly lower admissions standards. He knows at least one prepharm student who went that route.

South Campus itself is the original UB campus, and it therefore has more of a traditional college feel to it. Big trees, older traditional buildings, etc. There is a mini mall next to the campus with a drugstore, grocery, the med school bookstore (where they sell pharmacy t-shirts and stickers too) and small movie theatre - all catering to the college kids. There is a subway stop at one side of the campus for going to downtown Buffalo. The campus is surrounded by houses that have been turned into apts, and there’s a VA hospital across the street on one side. South Campus has the med school library, med school, school of nursing and school of architecture. I don’t know what the status is of the move of the med school to the downtown campus, which is part of the 2020 plan. There are some dorms, but I think that they are scheduled to eventually be phased out. The campus itself is definitely not bad. If you’re from an urban area, you would probably chuckle at anyone’s perception that South Campus is dangerous. On the other hand, there are occasional muggings, etc. since it’s nearer to lower-income housing, apts, frat houses, etc. and you definitely need to use caution for yourself & your car accordingly. Since the new school of pharmacy is being built on South Campus, you should go and look at it for yourself.

user_007 · April 24, 2011, 2:02pm

The old “original” dorms on south (MacDonald, Pritchard, etc) are being phased out, but Goodyear and Clement (the huge ones on Main/Bailey) aren’t going anywhere. They’re not bad dorms either.

crazed · April 24, 2011, 5:00pm

Hi saxsky!

Another Long Island parent here…
LI was rainy, snowy and gray most of the winter and spring. According to my son, there wasn’t a great deal of snow in Buffalo this year and he never complains about the weather up there.

Unlike you (diff program though) my son was accepted everywhere he applied (15 or so schools) and choose UB. Great, great sciences.

He made his decision late, and was put on South campus. He was not upset as he expected this (and knew his classes would be on North campus). It was never an issue for him. He was in Goodyear which has nice size rooms, with dining on first floor and easy access to shopping (across the street). Taking the bus to North was not an issue either. He had a busy engineering schedule so he stayed at the academic spine, ate lunch in the union(?), did school work, etc. until the end of his class day and then would head back to South. He made great friends in Goodyear and found activities on and off campus to keep busy when not studying. (He studies a lot and parties little with his major.) By the way, if the weather is bad/cold students tend to stay in the dorms so that makes for more socializing in the dorm and getting to hang out together. Never was an issue for my son.

Ellicot has nice rooms (I think so anyway) and with the new sophomore dorm opening for this Fall, I would think most freshman that ask for Ellicot will get it.

My son was in the ski club his freshmen year and you should be able to snowboard all you want!!!

You will learn quickly which areas near South Campus are not to be ventured alone. The kids would never leave one to walk home alone if at a party. That said, just be wise about it, as if you were in many areas of NYC. He never felt he had a problem at the shopping center across from campus. He and his friends have taken day and overnight trips to Toronto too.

Convenience to the airport is great. Son got rides or took the local transportation from South. Cab back to dorm upon return. As a sophomore, he doesn’t have this issue as lots of kids now have cars up there and will drive him both ways.

Yes, not as nice a looking campus as privates, but really not so bad, and I think, no worse than some SUNYs (and nice than some SUNYs too!). Seems like you went up to visit at the wrong time. There is lots of open land, water, sports arena, academic spine and residential areas. Really nicer than you first saw. The convenience of the spine is awesome. (I went to a big ten school and y classes were from 10 min (rarely) to 15-20 walk (mostly) to one class that was 45 minutes from my dorm (and we walked and never took the campus bus and this was in a snowy, cold midwest state!!) Because of the wind, I think most kids take the bus from Ellicot to the spine. Once there, you are inside when changing classes.

I think you will be pleasantly surprised at how great UB is. School is school. Once you make friends and are happy socially, you should be fine. Start to think positively and you will do fine. You are at a great SUNY for pharmacy (with lots of great sciences up there), will get a great education for relatively lower cost than most other schools, can network well on LI, and there is no reason you won’t succeed and be very happy at the same time.

There’s great shopping in the Amherst area (and buses that take you there). Every chain store and restaurant we have on LI can be found up there. When up for orientation, take a drive with you parents and investigate. You’ll need to find the Target and Bed/Bath Beyond on Niagara Blvd for move-in anyway.

Hong214 · April 25, 2011, 12:04am

Having visited Stony Brook, I can say the students there look extremely depressed. During the tour, many students wandering actually said “The tour guides are lying.” Furthermore, the campus did not seem too clean, and I just didn’t like the feel of it much.

The dorms are just as cramped, and the one I visited smelled. I’ve actually heard much better things about Buffalo from many graduates.

Neonzeus · April 25, 2011, 5:00am

If you think your Dad is harsh, you haven’t talked to my kids. Your Dad’s comment was realistic, especially for prepharm. To get into pharmacy, you’re going to have to study harder than you can imagine. At S’s white coat ceremony, they mentioned that there were more than 10 applications for each spot.

You should be sure that pharmacy is your dream and that you really are committed to doing what it takes, even if it means staying in your room for the first two years to study. Pick up an organic chem book in your local bookstore and see if it interests you. If it looks like Greek, then you might also want to check out backup majors at all of your schools too in case you change your mind about pharmacy.

Having Visited UB on Discovery Day, I'm In a Dilemma

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