The State University of New York Purchase College

Date: May 31 2006
Major: Economics (This Major's Salary over time)
You're probably reading this because you may be interested in attending one of Purchase's many conservatory programs. If you're interested in one of the liberal arts programs, it's probably because you decided to apply to college late in the year and all the other application deadlines have passed. Whatever your situation may be, it doesn't matter because this school is awful and you should avoid it at all costs!

Every Fall, the entering freshman are bombarded with stories and comments from the seasoned students about how the school is awful and about all the different tactics the school uses to try and screw over their students. Unscathed, the freshman ignore the claims and put them to rest, but as the year progresses, they see the error of their ways and realize how horrible the bureaucracy really is.

While I must confess that the quality of education is rather good, it is the unmotivated students and lack of truly challenging assignments that damper the whole educational experience. Sometimes, if you're a very bright student who stands out (which is not a difficult thing to do), other colleagues will ask why you haven't yet transferred to a better school. If you're in one of the arts programs, class time will feel like a waste, and the more important time will be spent either memorizing lines, practicing in your chamber ensemble, or staying up until 3am to finish your artwork or photographs. No doubt, the conservatory programs are actually quite good, but if you want a nice college, then go to a different school.

If you're the type of person who is affected by his or her surroundings, then this isn't the place for you. Prison brick, construction and flooded walkways really hinder the school's personality. They do plan on renovating the entire thing, but that won't be done until after 2010 anyway. The current construction has been going on for over 2 years and much more is on the way. Purchase even tried to hang paintings and hammocks up at various parts of the campus, but the other students thought it might be a good idea to vandalize and steal them, which can mean only one thing - Purchase is not allowed to have nice things!

Don’t be fooled by the website, which has been newly designed to attract more applicants. The school is still really ugly and the administration is still relentlessly unwilling to help the students. This brings me to the financial aid office, which basically told me that unless I was from a broken home or if I had a family with a drug problem, then there’s very very little aid that they can give me. Even worse than the financial aid office is the Registrars, where everyone must go at least once in their life. Whatever the request may be, you will get the same response: a roll of the eyes and grunt of despair as they type away at their computer to “help” you.

If you’re interested in finding a job after college, this is NOT the place to be either. Career Services is very unhelpful and they give you unrealistic goals to achieve after you graduate. If you tell them you’re interested in Finance, they tell you that you can be an investment banker or a financial analyst. Trust me! JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs DO NOT recruit from SUNY Purchase. Many of my friends who graduated are scared about finding jobs and have no idea where to start. Several of them could not find one and have decided to go directly to grad school (which means paying for it out-of-pocket). I hate to say it, but Purchase students are not terribly competitive in the job market.

If you decide to attend Purchase, plan on transferring right away. Use the school as a stepping-stone towards your ultimate destination, as I have done. Take out student loans if you have to, just to go somewhere better. It’ll be well worth it in the long run. And to those graduates of SUNY Purchase…may God have mercy on your souls.