SUNY at Binghamton Top Questions

What are the academics like at your school?

Kimberley

As a freshman most of my classes are big lectures. So professors don't know your name unless you make the effort. Going to office hours helps with that. Students study hard and are competitive. Everyone wants that 4.0 and to get it you have to work hard. A lot of the classes are challenging, but with tutoring and office hours you can pass. At Binghamton you get a liberal arts education. With that, after graduation, you can get a job based off of skills acquired over the 4 year period. It's difficult, but worth it. Binghamton has five different schools offered to undergrads. Harper College of Arts and Sciences, School of Management, Decker School of Nursing, Watson School of Engineering and College of Community and Public Affairs. Each one offers different skills and has different requirements for graduation. Many believe that Watson and Decker are the most difficult to be accepted to.

Emily

The professors will only remember you if you give them something to remember. Talk to them frequently, email them questions and concerns, and be active in class, or you'll just be a number in a huge lecture class. Whether the academics are overwhelming depends on the classes you take. The sciences are generally pretty tough, but some of the gen. ed.'s can be a piece of cake. Academics here also almost completely depend on how much effort you put into them. Your final grade WILL reflect how much time you spend studying. Professors are generally very concerned about their students however, so if you just ask for the extra help you need, you'll do fine.

Kimberley

As a freshman most of my classes are big lectures. So professors don't know your name unless you make the effort. Going to office hours helps with that. Students study hard and are competitive. Everyone wants that 4.0 and to get it you have to work hard. A lot of the classes are challenging, but with tutoring and office hours you can pass. At Binghamton you get a liberal arts education. With that, after graduation, you can get a job based off of skills acquired over the 4 year period. It's difficult, but worth it.

Danielle

Most of the classes are small and intimate, but even the big lecture halls are not taunting. if you make an effort, it is easy to establish a personal relationship with the professor and no matter what, it is clear that they want to help you do the best you can.

Jesse

Academics vary greatly based on the subject and type of course. For example, in my German class, I had a great relationship with my Professor and attended her office hours just to chat when she wasn't busy. However, with my Chemistry class of 250+ students, I never once came within 15ft of my professor without effort on my part. That's just how it works. Students at Binghamton study quite variably, but most spend their afternoons in the Library and return to the dorms at night. Class participation is a big factor in most of your smaller classes at Binghamton, and even in larger classes(like my chemistry class I mentioned) participation is still vital using the iClicker system to answer multiple choice questions. There are MANY intellectual conversations outside of class. In fact, I am one of the few students that created study groups via social networking for the sole purpose of intellectual activity outside our class time. Some students are highly competitive, others could care less. It's really a personal deal. I haven't had a chance to take a very unique course yet, but I know for sure Binghamton offers quite a few. I'm a Chemistry/Psychology major with a hopeful minor in a Language. Some professors I visit when convenient during their office hours; it's a great way to make yourself known and to put a face to the name of a paper they may have to grade. This school academic requirement is tough getting i, especially for School of Management students, but it's the opposite once you get there. The SoM students report the least amount of work per class hour when compared with the science and arts majors in Harpur College. This is where Education at Binghamton University shines. Not only do they help you with learning how to get into the job field with internships and the such, you actually LEARN in class as well. Everything is well rounded and meant to benefit your future as much as possible.

Catherine

Binghamton has five different schools. Harper College of Arts and Sciences: the largest school houses all the liberal arts and sciences majors School of Management: SOM hold the Accounting and Marketing major. It is the most competitive school to be accepted into, but is the easier in terms of coursework and harshness of professors. SOM offers many internships and job opportunities. Decker School of Nursing: Decker is extremely challenging but boasts a 100{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} job placement upon graduation. Each nursing student participate in clinical during their junior and senior year that more than prepare them for the real world. Watson School of Engineering: Watson's prestigious reputation is well deserved. IBM recruits heavily out of the school. College of Community and Public Affairs: Home of the HDev major. HDev is 'soft' psychology and is an ideal major for those interested education, counseling or human resources.

Nicole

Academics at Binghamton are pretty rigorous, but professors are usually very upfront with the workload. Everything you need to know is outlined on the syllabus- from homework assignments to grading. Freshman level classes are pretty big for the most part but as you start taking higher level classes, they become much smaller. I'm a junior year management major and I'm very involved in the classes I'm taking. Professors try to make an effort to learn your name and are always available should you need help. At the moment, my organizational behavior class is my favorite. There's a strong link between the material and its application to the real world, and that speaks to me. Students here study every day, and the library is where most people go to do so. The library has plenty of space for both group work and silence, and it's hard not to be productive there. School of Management students are very competitive- PriceWaterhouseCoopers is our scholars program and it's an extreme advantage in the job search. We have our own career services center and it's an asset that can't be replaced. We get constant emails about job and internship opportunities. You can have your resume critiqued as often as you want and there's always someone to help you. Binghamton really uses all of it's assets to help you find a job.

Nicole

Academics at Binghamton are pretty rigorous, but professors are usually very upfront with the workload. Everything you need to know is outlined on the syllabus- from homework assignments to grading. Freshman level classes are pretty big for the most part but as you start taking higher level classes, they become much smaller. I'm a junior year management major and I'm very involved in the classes I'm taking. Professors try to make an effort to learn your name and are always available should you need help. At the moment, my organizational behavior class is my favorite. There's a strong link between the material and its application to the real world, and that speaks to me. Students here study every day, and the library is where most people go to do so. The library has plenty of space for both group work and silence, and it's hard not to be productive there. School of Management students are very competitive- PriceWaterhouseCoopers is our scholars program and it's an extreme advantage in the job search. We have our own career services center and it's an asset that can't be replaced. We get constant emails about job and internship opportunities. You can have your resume critiqued as often as you want and there's always someone to help you. Binghamton really uses all of it's assets to help you find a job.

Nicole

Academics at Binghamton are pretty rigorous, but professors are usually very upfront with the workload. Everything you need to know is outlined on the syllabus- from homework assignments to grading. Freshman level classes are pretty big for the most part but as you start taking higher level classes, they become much smaller. I'm a junior year management major and I'm very involved in the classes I'm taking. Professors try to make an effort to learn your name and are always available should you need help. At the moment, my organizational behavior class is my favorite. There's a strong link between the material and its application to the real world, and that speaks to me. Students here study every day, and the library is where most people go to do so. The library has plenty of space for both group work and silence, and it's hard not to be productive there. School of Management students are very competitive- PriceWaterhouseCoopers is our scholars program and it's an extreme advantage in the job search. We have our own career services center and it's an asset that can't be replaced. We get constant emails about job and internship opportunities. You can have your resume critiqued as often as you want and there's always someone to help you. Binghamton really uses all of it's assets to help you find a job.

Nicole

Academics at Binghamton are pretty rigorous, but professors are usually very upfront with the workload. Everything you need to know is outlined on the syllabus- from homework assignments to grading. Freshman level classes are pretty big for the most part but as you start taking higher level classes, they become much smaller. I'm a junior year management major and I'm very involved in the classes I'm taking. Professors try to make an effort to learn your name and are always available should you need help. At the moment, my organizational behavior class is my favorite. There's a strong link between the material and its application to the real world, and that speaks to me. Students here study every day, and the library is where most people go to do so. The library has plenty of space for both group work and silence, and it's hard not to be productive there. School of Management students are very competitive- PriceWaterhouseCoopers is our scholars program and it's an extreme advantage in the job search. We have our own career services center and it's an asset that can't be replaced. We get constant emails about job and internship opportunities. You can have your resume critiqued as often as you want and there's always someone to help you. Binghamton really uses all of it's assets to help you find a job.

Geneal

Binghamton is proud of its academics and wants its students to do well. We have a great collection of able faculty that would work with you during class and office hours to help you understand the material. Speaking of myself, I am a biochemistry and Studio Arts double major and both departments at my school are fantastic. Anytime I am in need of extra help or advice I can always email my professors and they get back to me in an efficient manner. Also, there are academic advisors and peer advisors that offer advice on classes and professors everyday during the week and they are always happy to help.

Alicia

Binghamton is known for its strong academics, and in my opinion it lives up to that reputation -- the students here are smart, and everyone knows you need to work really hard to get good grades. Most people study more or less every day, and the library can get pretty crowded. For me personally, I probably study or do schoolwork outside of class for maybe five or six hours on an average weekday. I honestly think the fear of big classes is overblown; some of the intro classes get to 100 or more, but I'm a second-semester freshman and only two of the ten classes I'm taking here have been that large (one other class had around 95; two have had 40ish; and the other five have had 20 or fewer). And for each of those two classes, the professor knows who I am because I went to office hours; it really is that simple. There are also plenty of opportunities to meet profs outside the classroom, like faculty lunches, where professors all get lunch in the dining hall and wait for undergrads to come start conversations with them, and on-campus events relevant to the professor's field (e.g. my Italian professor was at the Italian club's Christmas celebration, my friend's Greek professor came to the screening of a movie related to the classics). Sometimes I feel like these opportunities are underutilized by the students, but it really depends -- there's always a line of students waiting to see my (awesome!) sociology professor. The thing that makes the biggest difference in your academic life at Binghamton is what you do outside of class. If you go to class, do your homework, and stop there, then you'll learn a lot and get a good education, but it won't be as awesome as it could be. Forming relationships with your professors makes a huge difference, no matter how you're doing in the class. For example, I was struggling with some of the concepts in my logic class, so I went to the professor's office hours. Getting this one-on-one attention cleared everything up completely -- it was so, so helpful. On the other hand, I understood what we were learning in my women's history class, but I was curious as to how it related to some material not covered by the course, so I went to talk to the professor, and she really enriched my understanding of the history. I also talked to her whenever I happened to read something in a newspaper or magazine that related to what we were studying in class, and when I came up with a new perspective on one of the course's major concepts -- it was great to be able to have this intellectual dialogue, not for points on my transcript, but just to learn. (For what it's worth, by the way, my logic class has about 150 students and women's history had about 95; the size of the class really won't get in your way.) Also, Binghamton has a ton of films and presentations (on everything from medieval art to Midwestern archaeology to the association between mammals and parasites) going on all the time, and they're well-advertised around campus. If you're interested, there are tons of opportunities to learn.

Cameron

So far, I've had pretty bad teachers. For my Calculus I class, I had an incompetent TA who confused herself when she'd teaching. A biology professor whose notes are really confusing. I don't think Bing lives up to its reputation academically.

John

Inspiring teachers

Ryan

There are 300 person classes and 15 person classes here, it all depends what you want to take and if its upper or lower level. Students here mostly seem pretty serious about studying, you have to stay on top of your classes to do well.

Jessie

the good things about binghamton is that eventhough it is a large school and you might have large classes sometimes you get to know your prossefor and they get to know you as well.participation in class is one of the basic requriement for all the class at binghamton.therefore students do participate alot on their classes, being part of the bighamton family is a graet experience that a student can have. beside that you get alot from binghamton.

Casey

The professors are good or bad depending on the department but it is definitely a good idea to take classes with professors that you know are good even if you have to wait If you want to take small classes you can but its mostly larger ones, at least for gen eds

Maria

Classes vary from 15 students in one class to a lecture hall with 200-300 students (depends on major and class). Im majoring in Comparative Literature so the classes are small and the professors know you by name. My favorite class was freshmen year, Same Sex Desire in Latin America with Pedro DiPietro, who then introduced me to my next favorite professor, feminist activist Maria Lugones. It really depends on the professor and the departments. I have had professors never know who I am and I have had the pleasure of havong dinner in professor's houses. *BIGGESTS SUGGESTION- understand your requirements and get those done asap, talk to a counselor and always follow your DARS*

Kim

Classes range at Binghamton from 400 student introductory science courses to 12 person English classes, both of which I have taken. I personally do not have a preference for class size, I believe its all up to the student to get the alloted attention they want from the professor. Every professor has office hours if you want to make yourself known. For smaller classes, class participation is extremely encouraged, so if you're not talkative, don't take a small class, you're grade will most likely suffer. I also see a range in how much students study at Binghamton. I see people studying for hours on end, and I see others bang out an essay in the last 5 minutes before its due, also, two things I know much about. I think it depends upon the interest level of the particular class, and how intelligent one is to begin with. As for the workload, it's up to the student. I've never had a class thats given me busy work, only readings. If you want to understand the material, you have to read. If you want to pass the test without going to class, (or sometimes even when going!) you have to read. That's your choice. I actually enjoy going to class because I have never had a bad professor. I've had some bad classes, but never a bad professor. Out of respect for them I try to make it to their class no matter how much I am unintersted in the material. Personally, the academics at Binghamton are perfect. Some days I feel extremely confident in my academic abilities, while other days I need to push myself that extra hour to do some work. I've never felt bored, like I have multiple times in my life, such as in high school. I also think the major requirements are exactly where they need to be, even though I don't have that much knowledge about things like that. Outside of class, students engage in intelligent conversations. That is probably my favorite part hands down about the entire campus. I love the students here. During high school, and even and home with my closest friends sometimes I feel way to mature for my atmosphere, because my ideals and opinions are too advanced. At school, I am able to free my thoughts and have feedback from interesting and other intelligent peple. It's an awesome feeling.

Naomi

I work as a teaching assistant in the geography department. I am very happy with the faculty members and the staff in my department. Professors are always ready to help and take the time to talk with you on any issue. As a department, we do meet socially outside the department. The courses I have taken are balanced and provide a good foundation in learning, while training students in important job skills, such as writing, organizing, and time management. In terms of BU's academic requirements, international students are often required to re-take US history courses and writing courses, even though their TOEFL and SAT scores may be high. I believe this policy should be revised.

lex

Smaller classes the teacher knows ur name, big lectures, no shot unless ur a suck up who goes to all the office hours. fav class is a lot of my eng ones cuz they are interesting. hated math. studyin really depends on the student. class participation is more common in small classes and from the suck ups in big ones. minorly competitive. i love english classes cuz they allow you to read interesting books and just do cool things. some of the gen eds suck but i understand y they have them. education is about learning.

James

Binghamton is that size where if you don't want to be noticed you won't be, but if you want to get to know a professor you still have to do a little leg work. Most of the academic staff is nice, fair, and willing to help. But be it that alot of money comes from faculty research there are a few that do not care for teaching or students. The number of courses offered is limited in some areas but thrives in others. Science elective tend to be limited but phys-ed and out doors classes are available, covering several subject areas beneficial to students.

Justin

Professors in most classes don't know your name unless you make a real effort to get to know them. My favorite class was a 40-level history seminar, with about 12 people, by far my smallest class ever - a lot of individual attention, but it only met once a week for 3 hrs, like most seminars do - I would prefer 3 hour-long sessions a week like in other classes. My least favorite classes were numerous - a lot of them are overcrowded, with uninspired reading lists (all from one textbook, ect), and grading schemes tilted heavily toward performances on dubiously written tests. In larger classes, class participation is generally taboo amongst students. Amount of study time varies among students - I would say about 25{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} study a lot, 25{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} barely do, and another 50{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} are somewhere in between. Most people however, buckle down during finals. Intellectual conversations outside of class is mostly limited to a fairly small strata of elite students. The history department has some really great professors, who give inspired reading, good lectures, and are willing to help students, but due to class sizes, often feel overwhelmed, and end up delegation student interaction to TAs. I try to spend time with professors outside of class, but they're generally short on time. Binghamton's academic requirements are generally easy to get around - after transferring from another university after my freshmen year, and taking APs in high school, the only Gen Ed requirement I had left was a wellness class. The education and Binghamton is generally geared toward employment.

Ed

Good, not too competitive, Bio classes are sometimes hard and designed for most people to get C's or B-'s.

Greg

Students are not super competitive, professor to student ratio is a little too high, class participation is mandatory after intro classes, accounting is where most of the business school is concentrated on, education is geared towards getting you a job

nicole

Binghamton is definitely know for its academics. The science departments are very prestigious The high academic expectation translate into the students out-of-school life through sharing the knowledge they learn. I can honestly say I never go a day without hearing something new and interesting from other students. The students are competitive and generally strive to do well. The one exception is that in the introductory courses where the classes are so large ( like 500 people) a lot of students loose interest in class and skip often because the lectures are difficult to get through in this situation. The biology department has a very nice advising department which is great for getting guidance. Advising as a whole for the university is pretty terrible make sure that you seek a major or at the very least a school advisor early on.

Devin

Favorite class was physics. Least favorite class was English class.

Dylan

Many intellectual conversations outside of class, big hippie culture mostly in CIW and off campus.

Jody

Binghamton Academics tend to range with department. For instance, intro science courses are usually 400+ student classes, and split into various sections. You tend to know your lab TAs (and might even go drinking with them) but not your professor (usually). Math classes are hard and entirely Theory based, the instructors are wicked smart but usually horrible teachers . Suggestions-if you plan to take only a few math credits, do them over the summer, most credits will transfer over if you fill out the forms in advance and get the correct approvals needed. Engineering is a hard four years, but its consistent per semester and is on par with many other top notch schools. English classes are practically easy, if you can read and write well. History classes are massive amounts of memorization (as are sciences) but you tend to learn everything you will need to know for the test. Cinema, philosophy, art, and other classes deemed "easy A's" can be very difficult, they are not considered "easy A's in Binghamton. The overall requirements for Majors and SUNY students are not difficult to finish in four years (even if you only take a reduced course load of 12 credits once or twice) and they seem to "round" students more, giving an education that is very competitive outside of the academic field.

Cody

Some very intelligent professors. Gen-eds are a good mix and different from major. Some major classes seem like BS. Students really are not overly competitive with each other overtly. High standards. Professors sometimes make an effort to know your name. If you want a cozy 10 person class you will not find it unless you have a somewhat different major or become focused in a certain study.

Alli

Binghamton boasts excellent academics. The teachers, for the most part, are intellegent and knowledgable, and they are willing to help you if you need it. I feel that overall if you are willing to learn the teachers and the TAs are willing to doing anything possible to help you do so. I feel Binghamton is challenging and competitive without being viscious. The teachers expect a lot, but are not unfair.

Harper

- academics are tough, Bing is a great school academically, teachers in most upper levels will know your name, and if you make even a slight effort they will in large 100 level classes. Media across the Culture was by far the most interesting class I took, it consisted of watching modern day amazing tv in class all day

Alex

I was a studio art major (graphic design). The art department is very small, and is in need of some serious revamping due to internal art department issues. However, because of its size, I got to know my professors on an extremely personal first name basis, which was AMAZING since they are such great people! Im not sure if Bing has the greatest understanding of the art deparments requirements ( we are forced to take liberal arts classes the first 2 years - math, science, english??? I dont need that crap Im an art major!!) Students study all the time. Like all the time. But we know when to have fun so theres never anything lacking in that department.

Reese

the physics department at binghamton is horrible and the dean of harpur isnt very nice either. if you want to go to bing and do well your goingt o have to do alot of work. it seems like because they are trying to make themselves more prestigious and competitive that getting an A is twice as hard as a regular university or private school. the business school seems like its really hard to get into but once your in it seems much easier than a science or engineering major

Charlie

Most classes at Binghamton are lecture style and huge. The professors won't know your name unless you're "that kid" who attends every office hour. However, most lectures have a discussion where a TA (typically an undergrad or grad student depending on the professor) goes over what was learned in the lectures, answers questions, collects homework, grades papers, and sometimes help you cheat. The key at Binghamton is to get a good TA, they are the ones who grade. Most students are intelligent and are able to contribute knowledgeable quips any conversation or even in-class discussions. However, frequently there is at least one student who believes themselves to be intelligent and feels the need to express their beliefs to the entire class, then the entire class is forced to listen to a rant, typically involving philosophy, ethics, or interpretation, that is completely invaluable and keeps the lesson from preceding.

Stewart

As a graduate student, my opinion might be unique. I think that Binghamton students are intelligent, as entrance is becoming increasingly competitive. But I don't think that the intellectual atmosphere has caught up to the ability of the student body. Most entry level classes for undergraduates are lecture/discussion format, so you are not likely to know your professors personally.

Alexis

I have loved all of the math professors I had except one. Some of my professors new my name. Students study pretty often I think. The library is usually packed by the 3rd or 4th week until the end of finals. The only time I spend time with professors outside of class is when I have questions and I go to their office hours. It sucks that I have to take so many writing/composition classes. The Harpur requirement is quite a lot. I'm math major, obviously I don't like to write.

Cody

Professors generally know my name. The small classes provide an intimate learning experience that enables students to develop relationships with their teachers, whereas it is more of an exception when professors of large lectures know a student's name. My favorite class is Pop Rock and Soul, which offers an interesting, detailed breakdown of pop music from the early 20th century until now. I don't know which would be my least favorite. Students generally study pretty frequently. Intellectual conversations are abound, but you have to find the right people. The frat brothers and sorority sisters do not seem to be as fond of them. Students are not overly competitive. The most unique class I took was a small Scholars class in which we learned how to think like Leonardo Da Vinci in various respects. The Harpur School of Arts and Sciences provides a broad range of majors, and Pre-med, as always, is a challenge. I do not spend time with professors outside of class. Education at Binghamton is geared towards learning for its own sake.

Devin

You'll learn. You will learn, and without regard, you will be consumed. This vehicle leads to nothing. If you are rare, and without remorse, you will learn, and perhaps even escape, but be far from better for it.

Janna

I'm in two small classes and two large classes. In the two small classes, the professors know me by name and so does everyone in the class. It allows me to get close with my classmates since there can be discussions and group projects. Studying is very much the norm. The library is always full of students studying. I would say that the coursework is challenging, but very fair. I feel like it's competitive, but not visibly. People here are focused on the schoolwork, but they're in no way stuck-up about it. I get along with a lot of students here and can have intellectual conversations without getting into angry, overheated debates.

Mike

The course selection here stinks. Yes we have a lot of courses but it still feels like there arent very many interesting ones. I wish that the university added a few more subject departments. The few interesting classes that exist, are actually very interesting. The professors are great for those classes and it is also hard to get into them as a freshman. All discussion courses here are taught but grad student TAs however i liked all the TAs i;ve had so far. Some of them i've liked even more than the professor and found i understood the class more after discussion with them.

Vick

Yes, most professors will take the time to learn your name. My favorite class was an english class I took called Evolution in Literature and Cinema. It was taught with two teachers. It was the first class of its kind in the United States. It was awesome. The teachers were great, and they applied evolution to studying differnt aspects of literature and cinema. We watch awesome movies, too. It was very unique. Yes the students are competitive. They want to do well. It's not competition against one another, its more trying to improve yourself. People have study groups a lot, too.

Elena

Binghamton students are made up of about two groups - those who got into an ivy-league school but couldn't afford it, and those who came here because it was the best school they got into. You have your overachievers but there are plenty of kids who procrastinate like it's their job, but cram everything into the last minute.

Andy

professors generally dont know your name unless you talk to them quite often my favorite class so far has been anthropology

Lauren

Class sizes at Binghamton are very small. Even for Freshman classes they usually adverage between 20-40 students. Unless you take big lectures, you are likely to be in small discussion classes which means that your teacher will know you name and get to know you personally. The students that go here are hard workers and the class averages are generally high, so don't count on curves. Being a Human Development major I'm in a major that's is greatly changing. The HDEV classes are small and requirements are changing so definitely keep ontop of what your major requirements are.

Brian

Some professors know my name. My favorite class is Philosophy of Law. My least favorite is Constitutional Law. Students study every other night during the week. Class participation is definitely common. We do have intellectual conversations. Students are definitely competitive. The most unique class I've taken is Coaching Basketball. I am a philosophy/english double major.

Christina

The classes vary from 15 to 250+ students. My favorite class was an Environmental English class. The professor was very knowledgable and enthusiastic about the suject. Student do have a lot of intellectual conversation outside of class, they may be jokingly, but theyre still pretty smart. The most unique class I've taken is a Forensic Science class. It's interesting. Sometimes I go to office hours. I find the History TA's to be particularly unhelpful. One would not talk to me, even if i went to her office hours, she just stared at me. It was odd. Another one was not fluent in English which made 90{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the class uncomprehendable.

Sean

Very impersonal Very competitive Certain professors and departments are good

Mickey

professors are cool if you look them up beforehand on ratemyprofessors.com to see if they are cool, students are not exactly the brightest people and yet they take pride in being smart

Richie

Only a few professors know my name. My favorite class is a humor studies class, where we present our opinions after viewing a media of humor. The teacher is great and hilarious. He memorized over 200 students names after just 1 weekend, so everyone feels close to him. My least favorite class was a geology class I had to take to fufill one of my general requirements. I don't enjoy science much. Students study often. Everyone knows that to pass any class, you'll need to read over the material for exams and papers. So students are putting in at the very least 5 hours a week in studying. Class participation is common and it sparks other people to raise points and add to discussions. Students do have intellecutal conversations outside of class, whether it be about class material, or politics, or student groups and their goals. It's normal to see everyday in conversation. There are competitive students who can make the class a bit more challenging, but it helps push the other students to do well, which is never a bad thing. Not all students are competitive though. Most unique class I've taken was creative writing. It had me explore different emotions and thoughts in my mind and helped put it into writing. The teacher was a little wacky, but all the more fun because of it. We shared and read our writing aloud and a lot of students had some interesting topics and styles. I'm an English major and it's mostly reading and writing. It can get a little overwhelming at times, but you get used to it. It's a great major, because you can explore all these different and interesting classes that help you fufill the major. I spend little time with professors outside of class, it's something I need to work on, but a lot of other people do it. The academic requirements are standard. Not too much to complain about. I think it's about the same for every SUNY school. Education here is geared toward learning for it's own sake. Some majors are more geared toward the job, but for the most part is all just learning.