Stony Brook University

Date: Dec 31 1969
Major: Electrical Engineering (This Major's Salary over time)
I received my undergraduate education at the Cooper Union in 2001 with a BS in electrical engineering. I went to SUNYSB for a MS degree in the spring of 2004 because it was only one of two schools to have accepted me, the other one being Case Western Reserve, which was too expensive for my budget. SUNYSB is actually quite good as far as a university is concerned. There are many recreational facilities such as many tennis courts, a swimming pool and two gyms as well as a dance studio (where you can take free lessons) and an indoor racquet ball court and many indoor basketball courts; and these are generally not crowded because people don't go to them or don't know about them. There is also a multitude of clubs, everything from crew and equestrain to Tau Beta Pi and Eta Kappa Nu (if you have the grades to get in). Almost all the grad students are foreign students, most of whom are from mainland China (Electrical Engineering, PhD) or Taiwan (EE-MS). The computer science dept is dominated by Indians. There are about only three Americans in the electrical Eng. dept. There are three dormitories on campus. Chapin is cheap ($450 for single room) and is quite dirty. Trash is often left out on the roads for cars to run over. Schomburg is clean but expensive ($650, single room only) and West Apt is very expensive but brand new ($750/month). Safety is not an issue and we often slept with our dormroom doors wide open(university police is quite effective actually). The cafeterias here are very expensive and the quality of food is generally poor. Every graduate dorm has a stove and you can cook - almost everyone does. You will also need a car to get around LI. The professors are okay, although the best ones are young, and I know one who got fired but is one of the best I've ever had in all my years as a student. The dept. is quite small, but the grad division isn't too bureaucratic. With all factors being considered, SUNUSB is not bad compared to many other schools. The town of Stony Brook is a harbor town and is pretty wealthy. If you like a seaside environment, this is a pretty good place to be as the beaches and estuaries are abundant here and fishing has been a way of life for centuries.