The State University of New York Binghamton

Date: Dec 31 1969
Major: Other (This Major's Salary over time)
I was a graduate student at Binghamton University, however I am not going to list the department as I don't feel the need to implicate it.

Frankly the purpose of my review is to warn students (or their parents reading these reviews) to not come here. This is a harsh statement, but this university and it's surrounding area are just terrible and I don't know how a student could spend four years here.

Let me just preface my review by saying that I enjoyed the time spent at my undergraduate institution. I always received individual attention and my needs were met both socially and academically. I had visited Binghamton prior to my arrival there and researched the department. At the time, everything looked great. However, the reality of the university is much different than what it appears.

Once I was enrolled as a student I felt like a number. This may happen temporarily in undergrad, but as a graduate student I felt completely dismissed and I could tell that I was gaining no ground in the program. I believe this was due to lack of professor enagement and encouragement, where their own research interests trumped that of the students. It left me feeling as though I was completely on my own. I saw no choice but to make a move and do what was best for me- cut my losses and leave.

I truly believe that

making the best of Binghamton

is a pretty tough feat in general. Once I really got to discover the city I realized just how bad it was. Bar life was limited (I don't even go out much but seriously), I never went to a restaurant that blew me away, and while the mall was pretty good, I would say it's pretty standard for what should be located in an area of this size.

As for the students? Well, I did meet a few great people in my program as well as outside of it. I will admit that there are definitely some gems here. On the whole however, most students looked sad and defeated. To be honest, this is kind of to be expected- gray skies and a very industrial looking campus. The new dorms do look very nice but beware because this doesn't reflect the rest of the campus. For many of my classes I was stuffed in an old room that was in desperate need of renovation. I couldn't believe that so many of my classes were being held in there and overall, it felt insulting. My high school had better looking classrooms for it's students.

There isn't much more I can really say. Yes, there are a few gem student and professors here, but the overall package of Binghamton simply didn't meet my expectations. I'm very serious about my education goals and I felt that if I had stayed on I would have left with a piece of paper. At the graduate level, that is unacceptable.