Stony Brook University

Date: Jan 17 2017
Major: Chemistry (This Major's Salary over time)
oh, where do I begin. in 1 1/2 years here so far, i've had almost the complete opposite of what many call the \

college experience.\

but let me start off with the pros, since there are a few.

there's no denying stony brook's academic prestige, especially for pre-med and engineering students. its research reputation continues to grow, and its education value, considering it's relatively cheap, is very good. the professors, for the most part, also seem to be friendly and willing to help you individually. well, that's about it. now for the cons.

addressing academics again, although it's quality education, some exams are just so painfully hard and can take up countless hours of studying that is totally not worth it. but if that's all you care about then you'd have a blast here. but unfortunately there are many more problems.

probably my biggest disappointment about this school is the dorm life. i came in expecting to meet a lot of people on my floor and hang in the lounge, party, watch television, etc. i have never spent any time with the people outside my suite in my entire time here, and no one goes in the lounge except to study. i've heard that the corridor styles are more social, but they have no AC and can be unbearably hot. so for on-campus housing you have a choice of a nice cool dorm with no friends or a scorching one with possibly some friends. quite the decision. but if i could do it again i'd probably go with the corridor style. that's how bad the dorm life is here.

next we have social life and school spirit. i never would have thought this was even possible, but the overall mood here is even more depressing than my high school. there is absolutely no school spirit, which is one of the things i was really hoping would change coming to college. of the insane amount of asians here, most of them hang with their own kind and refuse to interact with anyone else. and everyone else seems like they already know each other or just spend all their time in their room playing video games. also this is mostly a commuter school and a lot of people who dorm go home on the weekends for some reason, leaving nothing to do but stay in your dorm. the weekends are so dead that whenever i go outside it feels like the apocalypse. parties are also pretty much nonexistent, unless you literally go out hunting for them. almost all of them are off campus and not within walking distance, which means you have to either call a cab or hitch a ride from a complete stranger. other than that, parties here happen as often as Halley's comet. i don't know why but i thought that college,

the best years of your life

would be more exciting.

as for extracurricular activities, i'm sure its possible for you to find a club you enjoy and make friends and have a good time. but boy, do they make it hard. they do a terrible job at promoting clubs or activities on campus and for the few clubs i have joined, they aren't very well run.

the food on campus is mediocre at best, and overpriced. it also gets very repetitive. there are a couple of good places but of course they are the most expensive. so the food is edible, but don't ever expect a gourmet meal.

stony brook wasn't my first choice. but considering the money situation and my academic interests, i decided this school made the most sense. following the pretense of every college being fun and full of parties, i came with a lot of hope, spirit and optimism, and have been drained of almost all of it. i'm gonna use whatever i have left to get through this spring semester, and when it's over, barring a miracle turnaround in my mood, i'm getting the hell out of here. i wish i knew all of the things i know now before i came here. if i got to do it all over again, i would've avoided this school at all costs. and unless you're a total nerd who hates social interaction, having friends, and going to parties, i suggest you do the same.