jmcomicÂþ»­

Overall, I think SUNY Binghamton was a good education, especially for the price, but was lacking in others areas. The biology program was rigorous and challenging, even with entry-level courses. I also got to still take some prerequisites outside of my science classes and they were unique and fun. It did feel difficult to connect with professors and other teaching faculty due to how large class sizes in science courses were, but I was still able to become a TA for a few courses. However, being at... Read More Binghamton sometimes felt isolating as there were many students but still retained some clique-like features, and clubs were not well advertised while I was there. I ended up joining a club my junior year which was a great experience before quarantine happened, but I wish I had known about it earlier on. The city of Binghamton also did not have much to do, and there were many areas that felt unsafe.

SUNY Binghamton was an incredible experience from start to finish. It is a medium sized school with about 17,000 students but most of the time you wouldn't even be able to tell. Though lectures can become large, especially in the STEM field that is incredible popular at Binghamton, I never felt like I was lost in the crowd. The professors at Binghamton are incredibly talented and always there to help--most of them just ask you to swing by their office and your problems are solved in an instant. I... Read More can't speak for other departments but for the most part I found the Biology and English departments to be incredibly insightful, passionate, and receptive to curiosity. The social scene was arguably even better. I found myself making friends the very first night and keeping most of them throughout my four years at Binghamton. There are almost endless possibilities for clubs, fraternities, social events, sports, etc. Almost anything you can think of, Binghamton had it. I found myself trying so many different things; I joined the fencing team for a semester, wrote for the school newspaper, played in an intramural dodge ball league, and settled into a pre-health fraternity that truly sparked my intense passion for science and health care. In my opinion if you're complaining that there's nothing to do at Binghamton you simply aren't looking hard enough because I never found it difficult to get involved with anything I set my mind to. The only negative I can think of for Binghamton is the on-campus general advising office, specifically for the liberal arts school. It is by far the largest college on campus and the advisors are ill-equipped to take general questions especially around registration periods. I think they are simply understaffed--you are better off going to the head of your major departments or seeing the freshman advisors in the Discovery Program. All in all, Binghamton is an academically challenging but rewarding and fun school. I don't regret my time their one bit and has opened up many opportunities for me!

The biology major was divided into two focuses: biochemical, cell and molecular biology (BCMB) or ecology, evolution and behavior (EEB). The classwork was very different in their approach, BCMB classes tended to be more rote memorization while EEB classes were more discussion based and focused on current issues as well. Class diversity leaned towards more whites in EEB and more racial diversity (especially Asian and Indian) in the BCMB classes. Overall, the experiences in both were great and academically... Read More rigorous without being unnecessary.

To some, Binghamton University is know as the "public Ivy" but to me-- my home, the place where I lived for 4 years and experienced countless unforgettable memories and made lifelong friendships . BU presented me with endless opportunities to achieve new things both academically and personally and I would not change my experience for anything. However, as cliche as it may sound, I truly believe that the school is what you make of it and every year I will admit that I felt like a different. I went... Read More through both ups and downs but learned how to always bounce back, with a little support from those around me. If I were to give anyone some advice about starting at BU it would be to use ALL the resources available to you and take advantage of everything. Use the teachers, use the studying services, use your connections and network; don't take your time their for granted and promise that you will leave a better more successful person because of it.