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Stony Brook University

How this student rated the school
Educational QualityD Faculty AccessibilityC-
Useful SchoolworkB- Excess CompetitionB+
Academic SuccessF Creativity/ InnovationF
Individual ValueF University Resource UseC+
Campus Aesthetics/ BeautyD FriendlinessC+
Campus MaintenanceF Social LifeD-
Surrounding CityF Extra CurricularsC
SafetyD-
Describes the student body as:
Friendly, Afraid, Broken Spirit, Violent, Closeminded

Describes the faculty as:
Friendly, Helpful, Condescending, Unhelpful, Self Absorbed

Female
SAT1220
Quite Bright
Lowest Rating
Academic Success
F
Highest Rating
Excess Competition
B+
She cares more about Academic Success than the average student.
Date: Dec 05 2006
Major: Chemistry (This Major's Salary over time)
The worst experience of my life. There are many great science and liberal arts schools, use this site to find them (hint: Rice University)!

Me: I'm a bright person who is creative, always looking to learn new things and meet new people.

Looks: The Union, Harriman, JAVITS, Old Chem, Grad Chem, ESS, and Staller buildings look like crap from the outside and most are crappy, leaky and dark inside. Javits looks like a correctional facility. Dorms look worse. The newer buildings are really hot and the landscaping gets better each year. Last few weeks before summer vacation starts the lawn will not be mowed. The Mexican workers (illegally employed by the state) shovel snow in the early hours of snowy mornings which means where you walk for class will most likely still be slippery and white workers use motorized machines they sit on and don't show their faces until 2 classes have passed and the sun is shinning.

Dorms: People act like animals quite often after their Thursday night debauchery so there will be loud noise and vomit on the hall floor at least once a semester. At 3am a dorm can be either awakened by the loud thudding of drunk guys taking a 2x4 to the downstairs door or by a woman scorned and "getting over" her ex boyfriend. The bathrooms are NASTY and the cleaning crew threaten to go on strike quite often because of that. There was a black-out for a week and the school didn't think it was necessary for us to get clear information on that. All they said, "if you can't find a friend's room to sleep in, go home." So the international students and people who lived far who didn't feel comfortable doing that got screwed. Speaking of cold, no matter the weather the school won't turn on the heat before a certain date, period. Freshman are usually really disruptive. Lots of ganja smoking in rooms and outside and RAs look the other way or participate. If you have an RA who is your roommate's frat brother or sorority sister (I've lived with 3) don't expect the RA to care what that person does wrong, just speak to the RHD. Bad roommates are common, so the freshman room preference app. is useless. Housing dept. sucks but is getting better.

Getting around: Student drivers think The Loop is a race track and hate stop signs. Three people in one recent semester got hit, one student and one staff member died. The school buses are great and come often but sometimes are really crowded. Parking sucks.

Academics: I had 6 good professors maybe, 1 Chem, 1 Science & Tech, 2 Philosophy, and 2 English. Cheating is really common and there is always a midterm.

In an art class with mostly upper classmen the professor made 4 people cry. He yelled at a kid for getting his final stolen and then called him stupid, IN FRONT OF THE CLASS, on teacher evaluation day. Bananas! I was in shock. He was a bitter and hurtful man and the art department wasn't very responsive to me or other students with valid complaints…oh wait, once when this girl's mother cursed them out they "cared".

Chem. dept. does a horrible job of teaching how to think like a scientist and stresses regurgitation. While I took the last semester off, I started learning on my own. Intro classes: huge boring lectures which students walk out on often or miss altogether. Long multiple choice exams and students complain a lot about not getting it done and some challenge answers which when looked over by the dept. changes everyone's grades. Most recitation TAs are horrible with speaking English, so they give you dittos and say work with a group and expect you to know what the professor never taught so sometimes students ask for the TA to teach the class. TAs are usually at office hours but sometimes professors are no where to be found. The professors are sometimes actually good when in office hours. The sciences and math of course have a lot of work but many students know how to get around the readings and HWs with copying off of, paying, or using someone. Then for exams, buying a spot in a cram class, tutorial DVD or tutorial website subscription. I've never tried it but those people generally get high grades and say it taught them more than the teacher. All the work gets depressing so that's why folks do that.

I know no one who has not given up fun for at least two summer sessions and who still finished college in 4 years, no matter how bright or slow.

Most professors are not understanding, treat everyone like a number, are not encouraging, are angry, have research to do so don't have time, or are inadequate. I've been told or have seen people told that they can't do it by people who are supposed to be leading.

Safety: The guys and girls are sketchy. Everyone thinks you want to have sex with them. I was victimized by two people on campus and I didn't report the 2nd equally serious incident because the 1st time an administrator laughed and asked me if I'm sure my attacker didn't just like me (since we knew one another), he also told my dad to stop overreacting. The female officer told me not to press charges because she said it wouldn't be fruitful (I really regret listening). The policy during finals is that if you are loud you get kicked out but during finals if you are violent you don't get kicked out. I was severely depressed following this and of course I got no info from the RHD or police officer about counseling because no one cared…they just had the guy sit in a room with me and say he's sorry and I'm not 100% sure but I think they put HIM in counseling.

Social/Emotional: People hold doors open for one another which is cool…I guess. Everyone is depressed. Everyone. Their sadness and spacey conversation keep you down. Many drink, drop-out, transfer, smoke weed, take pills, betray, belittle, cry weekly to parents and friends or hook-up to feel slightly better. The self-esteem of students is really low and the women are obsessed with peer validation. As diverse as the place is, the races don't interact much. Asian students are especially exclusive. There are many clubs but people come in with their own set of friends and don't bother making new ones unless they think you're cute. Many cliques. A lot of sorority and fraternity action, most of it involves drinking. Intelligent conversation is only possible with die hard republicans and LGBT members, both of which I am not. Campus parties get broken up by the cops really quick. Campus is dead on weekends.

Food: It sucks, except most of Wang Center but they give you less points to eat there, so students have petitioned for more. SBU can't understand that not everyone wants to down something fried, fast-food, packaged, questionable or gross on a daily basis.

Other: SINC sites are awesome. Free food. Lots of events come to campus.

I wish I knew more in HS about colleges. Many transfer but some stay at SBU because they believe all schools are the same or that this is the best they can do, but that's all false, we can all do better for the money. Best of luck everyone!!

 
Responses
responseAs a chem major myself I'm somewhat surprised at your comments on the chemistry department especially in light of the high quality teachers, and high level research going. Who's to blame for students who aren't willing to pay attention or read the book? Because honestly those are the only ones stupid enough to pay for test prep classes. Btw for the record studying got me A's in both orgos and intro chems, no prep classes.
responseI wouldn't exactly call those people stupid because they didn't understand the professors.

There is a reason why SBU gets such horrible marks for professors on Princeton Review surveys year after year. Blaming that many students for their displeasure with such a horribly run school while they are trying to do whatever they can is actually the only thing stupid. If you think the professors are high quality, then you are selling yourself short.

And for the record no where does it say someone can't study and get an A.

Please think before you type. These are clearly not isolated opinions if you read through more reviews.

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