How to choose the right SUNY college

The price is right. The program is right. But is everything quite right?

That’s a critical question New York’s high schoolers should ask themselves, their families and their guidance counselors before they determine which of the 64 State University of New York (SUNY) campuses is right for them. Prospective SUNY students should explore what type of environment on and off campus might suit them best, what transportation is available to get them home and whether they can find a sense of home in their new surroundings.

While students can easily change their major, and many do, multiple times, they cannot change a campus’ "vibe and culture," which is more often why will abandon a college, said Carla Stillwell, assistant principal and head of guidance at Farmingdale High School. Finding the "right fit," she added, "is super, super important."

"These kids are COVID babies who have missed out on some very important developmental social skills," Stillwell said. "A lot of them now look to college to find their tribe and their people."

Campus visits, self-reflection and perhaps the following advice from counselors for SUNY and Long Island high schools can help make the decision easier, or at least a bit more informed.

Choose the right classroom size

If a student is looking at a large SUNY, like University at Buffalo or Stony Brook University, they must "have the very real conversation that most of the classes their first two years are going to be lecture-style," said Jessica Kane, a college and career counselor at Uniondale High School. Smaller classrooms are better suited for students prone to distractions and who need one-on-one connection to fully participate.

"The reality is there are no lecture-style high schools, so a lot of students don't know if that's a place that they're going to thrive in," Kane said. "I think it's kind of a make or break because if a student is struggling, but no one knows that they came to class or not, the chances of somebody actually picking up on the fact that a student is struggling is very slim."

Kane and other counselors recommend that students with learning disabilities or those who need accommodations for testing attend smaller schools. Any student hoping to build a rapport with their professor should also consider similar settings.

"A lot of first-generation students kind of need to develop those relationships on campus," Kane said. "Their connections with their professors are more than just a connection with your professor. It's a guide, it's somebody who's going to help you through college life when things are difficult."

City or country?

SUNY campuses in out-of-the-way, rural areas can be ideal for outdoor experiences like hiking, as well as eliminating off-campus distractions.

"You would think that students from urban or suburban areas would naturally want to be in those areas, but there's something really peaceful about being in an area where you're not overstimulated or there's not tons of opportunities to get distracted," Kane said.

Other students want to live on a campus near a metropolitan area for nightlife, access to major transportation hubs, or job or internship opportunities. But students should visit different campuses to understand what an urban environment means in different parts of the state.

"What I always explain to my students is that 'city' doesn't necessarily mean Manhattan," said Christopher Nyberg, director of guidance at the Wantagh School District. "An urban environment could be a lot more similar to where we live than it would be a major city like New York or Chicago. I think it's a big draw for them to be in a more suburban or urban environment because of the opportunity to leave campus and get involved in different things."

Solve for distance

When college conversations begin, Sandra Auguste, a school counselor for the Westbury School District, said she asks her students two key questions: “‘How far do you want to go?’ and ‘How far do your parents want you to go?’ "

"We do individual meetings with the students and parents to get an idea of how far is really realistic for both," Auguste said. "Sometimes the students want to go really far away, 10 hours away, and parents want them to stay close."

When Bart Grachan, the senior associate vice chancellor for enrollment management for SUNY, began applying to colleges, he said, "My first criteria was someplace else to make sure that I got a little bit away from home." But for students prioritizing proximity to home, they will find a SUNY campus "certainly no more than 45 minutes to an hour away," he said.

Each student must figure out how far they want to venture from home, as this will determine how often they can visit.

"There’s pros and cons to distance," Stillwell said. "I think sometimes when kids have the ability, when they are let's say an hour away, they might come home more often and then not connect as much at the school. Sometimes, the distance is a good thing, in that the students are kind of held captive in a way. It forces these social situations. It forces them to get outside their comfort zone."

'Test drive' there and back

While some students can handle a long drive back home for weekend visits, holidays or breaks, students without their own rides must rely on public transportation. While some SUNYs are near major hubs for Amtrak or airports, students at other campuses might have to rely on multiple buses or trains to get home. Some counselors have had students choose their right fit based on the ease of getting back to Long Island.

"I'll actually ask students or encourage them to go online and book something, whether booking a flight, a train, or however you plan on getting back and forth," said Jason Miller, assistant principal for school counseling at Syosset High School. During this process, which he encourages between applying and choosing a final school, he wants students to do this "test drive" to consider the cost, time and effort of booking a ride home and grasp how many options are available.

Consider campus culture

A buzzy phrase that will surely come up in the college conversation, campus culture can impact any student. Some students from homogenous schools might head to a campuswith a similar environment, while others might seek more diversity. Familiarity and cultural touchstones that could be more easily accessible in more populated or diverse metro areas are important for many students living away from home for the first time.

"My population of students are students of color, and when you have city areas, naturally, what's going to come with that are things like places to get your hair done, different food options, different opportunities for it to be more diverse, to see more people of color," Kane said. "That's what ultimately will make certain students feel less homesick and more at home."

To some, campus culture could mean what life is like on the weekends. Students should research if a school they are considering is a "backpack" or "suitcase" school, where a large portion of students live locally, pack their bags and head home on the weekends, according to Stillwell.

"You don't want to go to a school five hours away, and then everybody leaves, you can't come home and now you’re here by yourself on the weekends," she said.

Students can traditionally get a sense of campus culture by visiting during the semester. In the digital age, they should also turn to social media and scour both official college accounts and student accounts to learn what life is really like.

"Kids now can really dive in online and get a student’s sense, but obviously take everything with a grain of salt," Stillwell said. "But if you're not a party kid, and you see a certain school, every post is about a party and that's not your vibe, you kind of start getting a sense of it."

When visiting campuses, prospective students should also explore the areas around campus, or even towns and cities an hour away, Grachan said.

"We've got places like SUNY Morrisville that run transportation to Syracuse on a regular basis," he said. "That's like an hour away, where they may have access to cultural touchpoints in another city that may not be available to them directly at the campus. It's a good opportunity for them to get out and explore."

Braving the cold

Upstate winters are notoriously cold and snowy, but that doesn’t mean campus life up north is bleak. Counselors said schools in areas prone to heavy snow often have tunnels for students to avoid the drifts while walking to classes. While high schoolers who are "always coming in, freezing and complaining about the weather" might want to avoid "some of the snowbelts that we have in our state," Miller said. But for most students, the winter weather is not a major deterrent.

"Classes are indoors, and most of the time, I think the students have it better," Miller said. "They are not shoveling their driveway. Someone's doing that for them when they're in college. Generally speaking, New York is a cold place.

But the cold can also bring an unexpected warmth.

"There's so many community events that get pulled onto campus because of [the winter weather], so it creates a stronger sense of community because people aren't out and about, they want to stay in," Kane said. "They want to stay on campus."