I wanted to wait a couple years before i posted a review of Alfred State on this site because i get easily annoyed and wanted to let some time go by so i would give Alfred a fair review. I transferred into the Network Administration
major from a Community College. I want to warn any transferring student to not ONLY rely on their counselor. She made a mistake and had me take a class i did not need. I enjoyed the class, but it was a waste of time and money. I may have been able to graduate a semester earlier if not for her (and my) careless mistake. Now onto the specifics.
1. Individual Value- The professors treat you like a student and not a number. They respect you and expect your
respect in turn. The greatest strength of Alfred were the professors and how they challenged me to perform. I did not
find anything very difficult though, probably because i am more skilled than the majority of the student body in our
department. The rest of the faculty, however, do treat you like a number. I remember several times where i was brushed
off whenever i needed help outside the classroom when it came to events, financial issues, scheduling issues, etc
2. Social Life- This is Alfred's weakest point. I now miss the college lifestyle, but i certainly do not miss Alfred
State in this regard. There were many weeknights where i did not have anything to do. I had friends, and we did some
things most nights, but whenever a comedian or some concert was happening, we were overly excited. The APB had some
nice distractions such as the SuperBowl party and wrestling PPVs, but if a fun college is your top priority, i certainly would not go to Alfred State.
3. Extracurricular Activities- Another weakpoint. I wanted to play in a hockey intramural, i needed to find 8 other
people. Lets say that did not work out as planned. The Fitness Center was pretty nice, but a little on the small side and too busy most nights. I never cared about our sports teams or clubs, just me personally, so i am unsure about their quality.
4. Surrounding City- this can go either way depending on your outlook on the college experience. I wanted more
development and more to do. There are only a few shops and bars in a very small town. But the things they do have
there i have some great memories in. I still go back to Hot Dog Day every year since i graduated (one town-wide party). If you prefer a quiet town conducive to studying, this is your place. Otherwise, look elsewhere.
5. Fellow students- I really struggle on this one. The Male to Female ratio has GREATLY improved since i began going
here. I saw many attractive ladies in my last semester, so i really can't complain about the ratio anymore. As far as
personalities, i had a small group of cool friends i interacted with, so i did not get to know as many people as i should have. There are indeed some "rednecks" here due to being located in a rural area. In my IT major though, i
really didn't come in contact with any mean people. I believe it really matters most who you find that you interact best with, and you will have a much better time at this school.
6. Annoyances- This is why i waited two years, if i wrote this back then this review would be riddled with anger. I
once came back from my weekend early (i went to my house in Buffalo every weekend). They had a firedrill at Peet hall,
which wasted an hour of my night and i missed Family Guy, but the worst part was that i stepped in a crack in the
steps outside and hurt my foot. I looked two years ago(during Hot Dog Day) and it was still there.
The power in Alfred went out several times during my two years there, and the Alfred University campus still had
power. One time a fire alarm went off for no reason at 3A.M. The wireless connection went out several times, which
made my life more difficult (since networking was my major). Another time a water mane burst and students who could not go home (three days early for spring break in '07) were forced to sleep in a gym at Alfred University. Luckily, i got a ride home.
But the overall most annoying thing in the 100 year history of Alfred State College was the 06-07 year. Alfred decided
they needed to build townhouses to house the increasing number of enrolled students and rebuild a new and improved CDH(since the old one burnt down). This is all great for you guys and the future, but it may have ruined many students experiences in that year.
Why? Well, they decided to block off half of the campus from the other half with construction fences. If you have been to Alfred, you know it is located on a large hill. If you live at the top (McKenzie) Your life was much more difficult. You had to walk ALL AROUND to get to a class on the other side of the fence. Wanted to go into town? You better not live in Peet hall, because you had to hike to get there. It made the campus ugly and still leaves a sour taste in my mouth.
7. Positives- I really liked many of the fellow students i met. The food, which others on this board have trashed, is
not bad at all. You can pick from 7 different places to eat and they have different specials all the time. But even
better is the food in the town (which you can use you spending account on your card to go to the Collegiate diner).
The town, even though it is small, has a few entertaining places. I like Alex's bar, the liquor store and the fore
mentioned collegiate to name a few (i heard the collegiate had a fire, probably up by now though).I hope my review helped you gain some insight. The place has its charm and positives, but If i had the choice of where to go to college all over again, i would not choose Alfred State.
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