SUNY New Paltz

jingle1
Sun, 30 Dec 2007 17:10:11 +0000

Hey! I haven’t really posted on this forum much, but I was wondering if those familiar with SUNY New Paltz could recommend if it is a good fit for me. I am currently a freshmen in the honors program at a large out of state University, and I am very unhappy here, particularly because it seems to be a huge commuter school. Since nobody is here on the weekends, I find the university disturbingly quiet, plus everyone is very clicky with their high school group. I am looking at school to transfer to for fall 2008, but unfortunately, as a transfer student, there are little to no scholarships available and money is a huge factor in my decision.

Based on other posts I have seen and my own research, SUNY New Paltz seems perfect for me–it seems to foster a creative and accepting environment, where students are motivated yet fun-loving. I am also a huge nature enthusiast, and it seems to have the perfect surroundings. Plus, the tuition is affordable! However, I have a couple concerns. First, although I am very liberal, I am not an overly artsy or hippy type, but most of my high school friends were. I love working out and am somewhat of a down-to-earth jock, so I don’t know how well I will fit in. Secondly, I have a pretty strong academic record, and i am looking for a school that will challenge me. I graduated 5/200 in my class with a 4.0 gpa on a 4.0 scale (plus many AP classes), a 30 ACT, and i have a long list of extracurriculars, including 3 varisty sports. (Last year, I did apply and get into many highly selective schools, but I had to turn them down because of the high tuitions.) New Paltz didn’t really fit within the academic range I hoped for, but after my first semester at my current university, I found that the social environment and the student body is more important to me. However, I also want to be able to get into a good graduate or medical school after my undergraduate graduation. I want to be around student who are motivated to learn for the sake of learning and who are friendly witty, and accepting. I definitely do not want a commuter school, but I saw that NEw Paltz’s student population is 95 percent in-state (I’m from ohio), which makes me nervous.

shhoot, well i’m really sorry that this is a really long rant kinda thing, so my main questions are:

1.) Will an out-of-state feel out of place and “out of the circle” at SUNY New Paltz
2.) Will an academically-strong student be challenged at such an unranked university?

Any opinions or suggestions would be very much appreciated!