The State University of New York Binghamton

Date: Apr 19 2004
Major: English (This Major's Salary over time)
As a recent graduate of Binghamton University, I can look back and say with complete honesty that there are numerous positive and negative things about this institution. I can also honestly say that if I had to do it all over again, I probably would not have attended this university. Hopefully I can help some of you with your decision regarding this school.

Before I get into anything, I will say that the education you receive here is pretty good - the classes are challenging and interesting, and most instructors do know what they’re talking about. Particularly if you’re majoring in the liberal arts (Harpur College), you’ll find some good instruction. I don’t know much about the professional schools, so I can’t comment. My departments - English and Art History - were excellent, and were not “slack” departments. My instructors all received their doctoral degrees from top-shelf schools, and almost every single one of them was creative, engaging, caring and intelligent, and all took the time to work with me on projects and papers. The faculty - at least in those departments - were all quality and very concerned about the students, and had a lot of diverse, intense academic interests that they liked to share with students. I always felt like a person, not like a number, with my instructors. If you’re thinking of studying English or Art History, or any aspect of the liberal arts relating to these areas, and can’t afford a posh private institution, then Binghamton may be the place for you. You’ll definitely get a quality education in these areas with lots of preparation in research and writing, and the professors will assist you and encourage you no matter what career you are thinking of pursuing, from an academic one on down through law, writing, teaching, etc. I feel that the education I received there really prepared me for intense focus in graduate school and beyond. I don’t regret my educational experience there at all. And I will say that at Bing, I made a couple good friends whom I cherish, and as an active part of the school newspaper, I had the opportunity to do some wonderful things with good people I wouldn’t have met any other way. At the bottom of this review, I’ve recommended some of the instructors, as well as some local eateries/hangouts in Binghamton that are good and make this university worthwhile. But the academic experience aside, it's the other stuff about this college that bothered me, and by reading the reviews on this website, that stuff bothered a lot of other people too.

As most people probably realize, college isn’t all about studying, and this is where I think Binghamton falls woefully short for many of its students. It does provide a quality education, but there are many things about this university, particularly socially, that range from sucky to just plain awful. I consider myself to be a nice, friendly person, and I had trouble making friends here, and know of several people who suffered the same fate. I have about two or three really good friends from Binghamton, so if you’re coming to SUNY-B, please be aware that you may not graduate with a gang of lifelong friends like many college students do. This has to do not only with the university’s location but with the students it enrolls, the majority of whom do not want to be in Binghamton and will take pains to exclude you if you do not immediately fit a certain set of characteristics.

For starters, the university is in a horrible part of New York State, and yes, the weather is perpetually gloomy. (Early fall and late spring do bring bursts of beauty and sunshine to the campus, however.) If you’re coming here, you have to be willing to accept - and accept immediately - that this is not New York City. Most of the student body comes from NYC and Long Island, and my observation has been that it's these kids who have the most difficulty adjusting to Bing. Students from Upstate NY and suburban counties like Westchester and Rockland generally have an easier time of it, although if you aren't from "downstate", you can often feel overwhelmed by all of the Long Islanders - some of whom can get annoying - and all the kids from NYC. A lot of people come to Binghamton because they were not accepted somewhere else or could not afford another school, so if you fall into one of these categories, you won't be alone when you arrive at SUNY-B. Binghamton U. is made up of mainly NY state residents, and this kind of acts like a double-edged sword: it's nice to be around so many people from your state, with whom you may share common affinities, but if you're looking to meet people from California at college, it won't happen at Bing. Get thee to another university. During my entire four years, I met three out-of-state students, so if you're an out-of-stater, be prepared to be in the minority. The university doesn’t do much to recruit out-of-staters, and the administration is as well known for its emphasis on alumni contributions and Division I athletics as it is for its lack of concern for the student body. The graduation ceremony is a good example of this. The school-wide ceremony is a big production, but the more “personalized”, major-by-major graduation ceremonies the day before the big thing, which the administration intended to be personal and meaningful - and the only time your name is called and recognized - are unorganized and disgraceful.

Binghamton is an economically depressed and run-down city, with not much to do in the way of nightlife - downtown consists of maybe three or four bars, and the sloppy “hook-ups” you will encounter in these places and at the infamously bad frat parties will become trite and routine after awhile, although drinks are cheap and getting into the bars with a fake ID is relatively easy. However, don’t be fooled by what the university says - drinking is a big part of the social scene here, particularly for freshman and sophomore students, and if you don’t drink or don’t want to get wasted every weekend, then you might have a problem here. While drinking is a part of every college experience, at Binghamton it stems from the fact that there is little to do in the surrounding area, particularly when the weather is bad, which is basically every weekend from October until April. Also, if you are looking at college as that time when you will meet the love of your life, or at least a companionable boyfriend/girlfriend, don’t count on it happening while you’re at Bing. It can happen, it just doesn’t happen very often. Girls, beware: while there are some nice guys, most of the boys here are VERY weird and have some strange standards and obnoxious attitudes. Guys, unless you are a Brad Pitt clone or a Long Islander/Manhattanite with major attitude, kiss your girlfriend dreams goodbye. I’ve been told that if you’re from Long Island, your chances of finding a significant other are easier, as the Long Islanders usually only seriously date each other. Another drawback to the dating scene is that a lot of people have a significant other waiting back at home, usually someone from their high school days. What I found is that Binghamton people don't really date, they either hook up excessively or are involved in one serious relationship after another. Maybe it's like this at other colleges, I couldn't say. But these factors do make the social scene tough and lonely for lots of people at the school.

Back to Binghamton, the city. Most "townies", or local residents, do not like the students and do not take pains to hide this. (Beware when moving off campus, as most of the affordable student housing exists in crap neighborhoods and those areas of Binghamton that seem to be populated by the loudest, crassest and messiest local neighbors.) The surrounding area is not much better, although Vestal, the town right outside the university, is clean and not as shabby, and it is convenient in that it sports numerous shopping centers, a small shopping mall (hardcore shoppers will flock on weekends to the Carousel Mall in Syracuse, an hour’s drive away) and there are strands of familiar chain restaurants, which can help alleviate the "I-am-in-the-middle-of-nowhere" feeling. The university also provides free bus service to various locations in Vestal and Binghamton, including stops at supermarkets, Wal-Mart, movie theatres and shopping malls, and the buses are a godsend for those students without cars or driver’s licenses. Going out to dinner is a popular pastime at Bing and the restaurants are always crowded on weekends, as are the movie theatres, cafes and bars. There are times when you will have to make your own fun at Binghamton, and it can be done - you just have to be willing to search. There are numerous good university-sponsored activities and local hangouts, there are always good movies in the local theatres, the college’s Anderson Center brings in good ballets and shows for those who like that sort of thing, and the campus always has tons of activities, ranging from a variety of extracurricular club meetings, student government forums, student media activities and club sporting events. This is the one great thing about Bing - there is always something to get involved in, and although some students can seem apathetic, there are people who want to be active and involved. Above all, if you plan to stay at Binghamton and want to be happy there, you have to be willing to search for the people and friends whom you will click with, and this is one of the distinct challenges of Binghamton.

Binghamton is one of the larger state schools, and when I graduated, it had four distinct residential communities (I'm not counting Hillside and Susquehanna, which are apartment communities generally inhabited by upperclassmen.) These communities are Hinman, Dickinson, College-in-the-Woods (CIW) and Newing, and each has its own unique characteristics and unique people. I lived in Hinman, an all-suite community, for two years and found it to be a generally positive experience. I had the good fortune of being paired with nice roommates and amiable, outgoing suitemates during my freshman year, which made the experience worthwhile and memorable. Hinman is nice in that the suites offer a common room with furniture and a full bathroom, which alleviates the necessity of having to share hall bathrooms with 40 or so other people. Also, a cleaning lady comes in once a week to clean the bathroom, so you don't have to do it yourself. The rumor that people in Hinman never interact with others outside of their suite is simply untrue. Hinman is a pretty moderate community - it can get loud and boisterous, but it generally has a pretty good mix of craziness and normalcy. It also hosts a lot of dorm events, such as co-rec football, which is popular in the fall.

The Hinman dining hall, at least when I was a student there, was very disgusting - the food at Bing is generally overpriced and almost always gross, hence the "going out to dinner" pastime - but they have since remodeled it and I've no idea what the new one is like.

Dickinson Community is one of the older communities on campus - the buildings don't look so bad from the outside, but are kind of run down on the inside. The community hosts standard dorm rooms and regular hall bathrooms. Dickinson tends to be very quiet and is home to students who are bent on their studies and not much else. Dickinson has one of the better dining halls on campus and is the one with the most edible food and some of the nicest staff.

CIW is the one community that everyone in Bing wants to be in. It houses a mixture of standard dorm rooms and suites, and recently added Mohawk, an enormous, all-suite, air-conditioned dorm complex that sits right on the main drive of the campus. Many people feel that CIW houses the friendliest, happiest students. It's home to its fair share of creativity and craziness. The CIW dining hall can be okay, but it depends what day - or even what time of the day - you hit it. The food can be as disgusting as Hinman's, and the dining facility is too small for the number of students who eat there.

Now onto Newing - this is the most notorious community at Binghamton. Let me start by saying that if one of your college goals is to join a frat or a sorority, then you should sign up for Newing. ALL of the frat brothers and sorority sisters who reside on campus live in Newing, and this can make for a strange and scary combination, and certainly one that can scare a freshman half to death. The population of Newing is extremely loud, very dramatic, somewhat obnoxious, completely Greek, and 100% Long Island. If you want to feel as though you've never left Wantagh or Syosset, then Newing is the place to be. Newing is never "off" - it is continually on the go, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and if you're into constant partying, you will fit in well here. Rules concerning study hours during exam weeks are usually ignored, and the oddest, weirdest things are always happening in this community. It's been said that people in Newing tend to be very "Long Island", and can be materialistic, self-centered and somewhat unkind, and this often proves true. If you're a shy person, someone who is going to college to learn, are a student who likes to party in moderation, or are someone who is even slightly normal, then you will probably feel like an outsider in Newing and may have trouble making friends. I knew a few people like this who lived in Newing, and they had a terrible time of it. Once you've been at Binghamton awhile, you'll be able to tell who lives in Newing and who doesn't - most of the girls in Newing dress, look and act alike, and the same goes for a majority of the guys. As for the dining hall - I heard it was recently closed, but am not sure. When it was open, the dining hall was divided by the cash registers and the salad bar, and the Greeks sat on one side, and everyone else sat on the other. However, most frat members eat their meals in the mini-mall cafeteria at the student union, so there usually isn’t much competition for tables at the Newing dining hall.

Each community is different from the other, and they are the basic elements of social circle formation at Bing, so if you don’t like the people you live with, you must seek out good friends. They won't always find you. It’s hard to do in the beginning and that’s what a lot of people dislike about Binghamton. Initially, it may seem like a lot of the people don't want to be there - and in the beginning of freshman year, most don't - but students shouldn’t give up, at least not right away. Granted, there are a number of over-the-top, self-centered Long Islanders at SUNY-B, and many of them think “Strong I” is the center of the known universe. You’ve basically got to ignore them and search for others like yourself, and there are friendly, normal people at Bing - from all parts of the state, L.I. included - who won’t drag you down and will make your time there fun. Talk to people in classes, in the dining halls, at the gym, even on a different floor of your dorm - there is always at least one person just like yourself, with whom you may share a common interest or two. Check out the sporting teams/extracurricular clubs and find an activity you like with people who seem nice. If you’re even vaguely religious, check out the spiritual activity on campus. There are a lot of Jewish students at SUNY-B, so Chabad House and Hillel-related activities have a visible presence, and the Kosher Kitchen is open for each and every meal, providing Kosher-keeping students with a distinct and edible alternative to the dining hall. Catholic students can hear Mass with Fr. Bob at Newman House, which sits down behind Newing, next to Chabad House, and provides students with the opportunity to take Confirmation classes, go on retreats and participate in charitable and social activities and discussion. I believe Muslim students also have a similar organization. The bottom line is, don’t hide in your room - you won’t know if Binghamton is the place for you until you give it a go. I’ll be the first to admit, it can be hard as hell to do that at SUNY-B, and can get really frustrating, because you don’t want college to be all work and no play, and you certainly don’t want it to be a sad, perpetually friend-finding time. So when - if - you come to Bing, at least go out there and try, and if you really have trouble and can’t handle the somewhat cliquish atmosphere that can prevail at Bing, then I would recommend transferring. I gave it a go and then had the opportunity to transfer after freshman year but didn’t because I didn’t want too many student loans, and now I regret it. (I'll let you in on a little secret: A fair amount of people escape to Cornell.)

Anyway, the loans won’t matter in the end if transferring is what you want to do - you’ll pay them off. What does matter is finding your niche and a university that will provide you with an excellent education as well as an opportunity to grow as a person, both academically and socially, and give you the tools to develop into a fine, contributing adult, and not just another graduate with a diploma and a hangover. If Bing does it for you, then that's wonderful. College isn’t perfect, but the ride should be a good, memorable one.

Excellent Instructors in the Department of English:

Donette Francis

Mary Haupt

Nancy Henry (not too bad)

Robert Micklus

Francis Newman

Philip Rogers

Susan Strehle

Al Vos

Avoid: William Spanos

Excellent Instructors in the Department of Art History:

Barbara Abou-el-Haj

Nancy Um

Never had them, but heard they're decent: Karen-edis Barzman, Anthony King, Andrew Walkling

University Art Museum is also worthwhile. You’d be surprised at what’s in there.

Excellent Theatre/Dance Instructors:

Rhae Ann Busch (good for beginning ballet students)

Fred Weiss

Avoid: Rhae Ann (if you’re an advanced dance student. Take class with Fred - you won’t regret it.)

Good Theatres/Bars/Restaurants in Binghamton:

Art Theatre

Loewe’s in the City of Binghamton

Sports Bar or Tony's

Flashbacks (semi-decent music, cleaner than most, although too many townies)

Number 5 Steakhouse

Kampai Japanese Steakhouse

Anthony’s

Cyber Caf

Lost Dog Caf

Whole in the Wall Caf

Midnight Moonlite Caf

Avoid: The movie theatre in the Oakdale Mall, The Rat on certain nights, Arby’s, Adriano’s if you are sober, and any Giant supermarket - they are disgustingly dirty. Cheap, but dirty, and always surrounded by yelling townies. Go to Wal-Mart or Wegman’s for your food. Hope this helps!