Yes – looked at VA and also NC, FL, CO, AZ, OR, WA, MN, WI, MI, OH, MA … might be leaving out a few. We do our research 
Honestly @lostaccount , You might consider moving out of New York if you are so unhappy. It seems you have brought up all your issues about New York public schools on more than one thread now (if I recall correctly? ). As others have noted, some people find some of the SUNY schools attractive and able to meet the needs of their children. I’m not sure what good it does anybody to concern themselves so much with what other states are up to . It seems it really rankles you to think of how much you think the New York schools pale in comparison. I’m in Virginia and I feel fortunate that we have good schools. But, there is much better money and merit in some states (Bright Futures,etc). But, you deal with what your own state offers or look elsewhere.
in reply to #184-- Tcnj is ranked the 63 best b program in the country vs Rutgers Brunswick at 124 . They are both ranked in terms of undergraduate studies by Bloomberg. That IS a wide margin
sevmom (post 221), I am not the least bit unhappy “in New York”. I view some issues from a historic prospective. They are not personal issues to me. I’m not rankled at all. I believe that NY can do better. I don’t think NY is serving its population well by strangling the SUNY system. But if the population believes SUNY is outstanding or is “good enough” while it is being strangled there is no incentive to support it or advocate for a better system.
Who will try to prevent future budget cuts if the system is “premier” already? The state legislators and/or governor (depending on time period) have shown little to no support for the system at various time. NYers with college aged children considering SUNY don’t have enough of a lobby force to advocate for the system, especially if most of the population buys the PR. It’s “premier”, “star” “best”. Adults whose kids have attended are motivated to view the system as the PR for the school’s promotional materials depict it- as being similar to private schools at a small proportion of the price. But that is far from true.
While students attend SUNY they are often challenged by SUNY’s lack of resources. Some campuses are busting at the seams. Administrators are paid remarkably well and there are probably 5 times the number then are needed. But adequate resources don’t go into critical aspects of the SUNY system, like teaching and classrooms and instruction labs-the resources needed to support the very heart of college education, which is educating college students. The dorms are swanky to attract 18 year olds but then the students are treated to a retro-college experience where they often can’t access resources that most schools have readily available. Students are often unhappy with the situation while in the school and they see the disconnect between how the school was described to them and what they ended up with. Naturally students have little motivation to try to change the system or even to admit the issues once they graduate.
But I am not a politician or a lobbyist. My posts are intended to provide accurate clear information. It’s not personal and it has nothing to do with whether I do or do not live in the state, something that you’ve assumed but that I have not claimed. The SUNY system has many positive attributes. It provides cheap and efficient education to a huge population. It moves students through at a fast clip. Students don’t languish for years with mounting debt and no degree. The schools typically have high retention rates, low drop out rates, relatively low student debt rates, and remarkably low tuitions. The student populations are extensive and diverse. These variables are critical to the students and their families. They are noteworthy and laudable factors. I’ve said that over and over again. On the other hand, I’ve also said that the system has withheld resources from critical activities and needs of the system and put funds into areas that I believe are misguided. The sheer size of the system which creates the need for replication is problematic. The way the system is administered and how the system is budgeted is problematic. The upshot is that the system is not what it could be and doesn’t compare favorably to other systems. That isn’t to say that a SUNY school isn’t a good fit for some, many or even most students. Obviously there are some very good programs.
There are pros and cons to any system and to all schools. Students who choose a SUNY weight the pros and cons and have decided that the SUNY’s pro/con ratio is more positive than other schools. That is a reasonable conclusion for many students to come to. If you choose a SUNY over, say Rochester, you have probably decided that Rochester does not have more of what you are looking for than a SUNY or you decided it is not worth paying more for school then you’d have to if you attend SUNY. I think that is a reasonable conclusion. But please don’t promote SUNY schools as being like Rochester, Colgate, Ann Arbor except for the price. They are not the same. But for many students, attending SUNY makes more sense. Students should attend schools with a good awareness of the pros and cons of each choice they have. If they choose a school on that basis they will be happier than if they feel mislead because they did not have accurate information.
Thank you, @lostaccount . Yes, I did assume you were in New York . I do think all states have their own issues, not just New York. Virginia has cut back funding as well. UVa , W & M and Virginia Tech Engineering are all not easy to get admittance to for instate kids. All have about 30% OOS students and many instate families think that figure is too high. Some states are better with giving merit to their very top students. UVa, for example, has honors programs but there is no money attached to them. Aid is need based so if families are full pay, they may consider going OOS. That free money at places like Alabama can start looking good in comparison. No system is perfect and the grass often seems greener elsewhere. I’m glad you’re not the least bit unhappy in New York. I was actually going to delete what I said about moving out of New York but ran out of time !
So long as the SUNY system continues to hamper itself by “spreading the wealth” thin across 4 university centers (Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo, and Stony Brook), none of them will be able to rise as a true flagship campus.
Along with what @lostaccount has been saying, I have always felt that the SUNY school I applied to last year (Binghamton) was missing something. And it wasn’t just a quarter-decent basketball team or school spirit or decent food, either. Felt that Bing was missing something important. Very important. Therefore, even if I had gained admission, I would have certainly turned them down. Never really seriously considered attending anyways.
Honestly, the SUNY system does not hold a single candle to the UNC system. I’d say that none of them are better than my school - Bing and Stony Brook are on par at best, with Buffalo, Geneseo, and Albany just behind.
@LBad96 - there are differences between National Universities like Binghamton and Regional Universities like UNCW.
Binghamton does present itself as a “Public Ivy,” but I have never heard any SUNY state that they are similar to Michigan, Rochester, or Colgate. My guess is that Geneseo would be the one to compare itself to Colgate.
@ClarinetDad16 well, yes, of course there are differences. That certainly doesn’t mean Binghamton is any better. Would you really rate Kentucky or Ole Miss or Hofstra better than UNCW just because they’re “national” while UNCW is “regional”? The differences are marginal. And, FWIW, UNCW provides a more traditional college experience than Binghamton or any of the other SUNYs (not knocking them).
goldenbear2020, I don’t think they want a flagship. The system pits one against the other to compete but since they are administered in similar ways and given the impact of the Research Foundation, along with poor/in explicable choices in terms of administrators, they are handicapped.
@LBad96 - if one was to compare two OOS college options like UNCW and SUNY Binghamton, how would you objectively measure each school?
There is no one way to rate schools. The weighing of variables in terms of importance will vary by student. Schools can be ordered on the individual variables (like price, % on financial aid, average financial aid amount, # students eventually getting PhD’s, entry average scores, etc) but then the weighing of the variable would result in very different lists depending upon your values and which you weigh more. My values for college students would result in a list that favors most great LACs over the great universities, for example.
@lostaccount - it sounds like you have a rating system in mind that you are starting with if you deem some colleges “Great Universities”?
I’ve found that to be not so much the case. Most of the variables (the ones plausibly connected to academic quality, anyway) tend to point to a similar set of “top” schools (though in somewhat different order). They tend to be mutually corroborating. For example, USNWR’s ~T30 national universities and Forbes ~T30 universities (after removing the LACs) comprise two rather similar sets (despite using two rather different methodologies).
@ClarinetDad16 objectively, I can say that the only area where Binghamton has an advantage over UNCW is acceptance rate - Bing’s is lower for whatever reason. Bing may also be cheaper, but anyone who applies to both OOS can see that UNCW has far superior weather, a much more aesthetically pleasing surrounding area, nicer locals, better campus food, better sports teams, and a more vibrant campus life than Binghamton. The Cameron School of Business is also very much comparable to, if not better than, Bing’s SOM; the biology programs are similar (with an edge to UNCW); UNCW pre-nursing is better than Bing in the same department. Therefore, UNCW would have a greater bang-for-your-buck value no matter which way you look at it.
@LBad96:
What about this http://www.binghamton.edu/inside/index.php/inside/story/2398/binghamton-university-named-fourth-best-value-among-u.s.-public-colleges/
@ClarinetDad16 that’s from 2012. To be blunt, while Binghamton is certainly a solid school, only those on the Northern prestige train would consider it to be out-and-out better. But those who value a real college experience would prefer UNCW by a mile.
@LBad96 It’s great you like your school so much but Binghamton is also a good school and considered a national university. UNCW is considered a southern regional school . It is a good school in a nice city. I like Wilmington and that general area and I agree it would be a great place to go to school. It is number 16 on US News in terms of regional schools in the south. The schools ranked ahead of it include Elon, Rollins, JMU, Appalachian State, College of Charleston, Christopher Newport, and Mary Washington. Binghamton vs. UNCW seems kind of apples and oranges, at least to me.