SUNY at Purchase College Top Questions

The actual layout of the campus can be sort of alienating. It is a bubble, both ideologically and geographically - which can be one of the best things about it as well.

The worst thing would probably have to be the buildings/architecture on campus. Granted, they are doing renovations and making the campus a bit better. But the buildings, including dorms, are so old and out of date. It was built by a prison architect. It definitely is not the most beautiful of new looking campus around.

The campus architectural design is very unattractive and during the winter it is depressing at times. The school is currently undergoing a landscaping project to make the "academic mall" look more attractive and improve the water draining system, which does add a little.

The worst thing could be that the social life gets dull. There are no houses, frats or sorority houses and the cops crack down hard on parties every saturday and sunday. Not much goes on during the week (another downer) so the weekend is really the only time that everyone hangs out, so it can get frustrating. This doesnt quite apply to freshman year because everything is so new but by junior year it becomes a little suffocating.

The worst thing about SUNY Purchase is the location. This school is located in upstate New York which means very cold winters and as a Florida native I think this will be the toughest thing to get used to. The school is also quite isolated but for me this is a plus because I need to be in an evronment in which I can stay focused.

Resident Life policies are the most negative aspect of being a member of the Purchase College community. To be allowed housing you must give Residents Life the right to bill you for any vandalism that occurs in your dormitory, kick you out of your dorm when they so choose, and check your dorm to see if your way of living fufills their definition of what a healthy and safe life is. When coming to college, I expected a certain independance that I have yet to experience solely because of residents life's, "big brother," attitude.

If you aren't a big partier, be prepared for a lot of quiet nights. A lot of students go home on the weekends. I've found that too many students want to get wasted before they can say they're having a good time, so people will wander the campus for hours looking for a party. Since our campus is wide open, it's really easy for people who don't go here to come onto campus and make trouble for us--and since there aren't enough cameras, its the students who have to pay for the damages.

The community. The majority of students are unmotivated and uninterested in their coursework. The community is active politically, but the opinions they argue seem uniform across the campus population. Many students are incredibly rude to teachers, laughing during lectures and even arguing or making fun of professors. But if upper- middle class suburban kids who have the hipster look and mentality down to a science are your kind of people you will love it there.

I think the worst thing about my school is probably the drug use. I, personally, am not a drug user or drinker and so I don't like it so much. The majority of students use drugs and I have trouble finding people who don't. It is frustrating having to walk to and from class while dodging clouds of cigarette smoke.

It's not academically rigorous. It's too easy to do well numerically without doing challenging work.

Not enough science courses the main attraction here is basically the Arts program.

The fact that it was in the middle of nowhere even though there was a town nearby unless you had a car you would have to use the not so relieable shuttle bus.

Poor advising. Red tape. Under-par facilities.

Apply for housing and register for classes as soon as you can, or you won't get them.

The red tape can be a bit much to deal with, especially when you need to clear up a flag that you may not even understand. Some of the staff seem to not care for the students, but don't forget that a good portion care too much.

The fact that it is far away from grocery stores, malls, etc. and the only way to get there is by using the unreliable bus system or a car of your own.