Can you say more about how UMaine offers more varied experiences than some SUNYs? Like what kind of experiences, compared to which SUNYs? Really interested in both UMaine & SUNYs as great financial options for S’25 (who will almost definitely be NMSF).
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Someone may already have made this point upthread, but if not, I would point out that there is a big middle ground in between Dartmouth/Williams-type no merit scholarship schools where you and your parents would be full-pay and big schools like Alabama that offer special NMF scholarships. If you continue to find smaller schools attractive, you should look at some of the strong LACs outside the Northeast that do offer merit money based on academic strength rather than financial need. For example, Macalaster and St. Olaf in Minnesota, Kenyon and Denison in Ohio, etc. offer significant merit scholarships to strong students (not a full-ride but very substantial) There are many others, and these are just off the top of my head based on my son’s search a couple of years ago. All of these schools would be just fine for law school purposes.
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Sure! As a SUNY grad myself, I can speak to a few things that come to mind.
–At SUNY campuses, Almost EVERYONE is from NY- especially undergrads. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but isn’t it awesome to meet people from all over? Large flagships like UMaine draw from the whole country and beyond.
–Sports- a place like UMaine has D1 sports, and there is just no comparison to SUNY when it comes to sports- both as an athlete and a spectator. The facilities are AMAZING and there is so much school spirit.
–Research: UMaine, like many other flagships, is an R1 research institution. MOST SUNY campuses are not. That distinction and standard of excellence is a huge draw, academically speaking.
In general, UMaine is very pretty and has all the feels of a classic New England university. It’s just the right size - not too big, not too small. It’s location has the off-the-beaten-track feeling but it’s very close to Bangor, which has everything you can need.
Best of luck!!
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Really helpful, thank you!
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UMaine is in the America East conference with SUNY Albany. SUNY Stony Brook is in the stronger Coastal Conference and SUNY Buffalo is in the still stronger Mid-American conference. SUNY Buffalo in particular has far better facilities and competition relative to UMaine.
All four SUNY Universities (Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo and Stony Brook) are R1 research institutions.
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Hmm… sooo… I dispute none of what you shared!
I was answering the OP’s question. The tone of your reply suggests I was spewing negativity or lies about SUNY. I certainly was not.
I happen to love the SUNY system; I was answering the OP’s question.
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