Cortland, NY
SUNY Cortland

sports

Selecting a college to attend is a major decision, which requires a great amount of research and thought. For a high school student who is unfamiliar with the college lifestyle this task may be quite difficult and stressful. As a college student, who has been through this process I like to consider myself experienced in this area. The most useful and important advice I have gathered throughout my experience is that you should not base your decision on a college's reputation or name. Although a school may be very highly regarded for overall academics, it may not be as highly regarded for a certain field in which you wish to study or for extracurricular activities. Be sure to consider all factors or there is a great possibility that you will not be happy with your decision. Also, make sure that is YOUR decision and not anyone else?s. Of course your parent?s thoughts and concerns do matter, but you are the one that will be growing and developing there during the most important years of your life. With effort and time the process of selecting the right college to attend can be an enjoyable and successful experience.

friendly, at the same level academically as myself which is nice

I dont know if I could choose one thing, but I guess it would be the people. Because Cortland seems to attract people from Orange County area, Long Island and Rochester if you are from these areas your always guarenteed to have a friend somewhere close nearby. The party life is GREAT! WE party hard, there's always something to do, but everyone is still very aware of their grades and academics.

My advice, give the school your attending the best chance even if it isnt the one your originally wanted to go to. Get Involved and youll see a whole new side to the campus. And parents remember most college students do drink and attend parties but the most important thing is to remember to juggle your school work as well because after all if your grades drop you might just be asked to leave and then you lose the best of both worlds. !

The worst thing about Cortland is that alot of people come from very populated areas and it is basically only a college town. So if you dont want the college town then you dont want Cortland!

Classmates are fun, active, knowledgable and supportive of different beliefs and ideas

This is a desicion the will effect the rest of your life. Try not to get caught up in money or exspenses. The right place will be worth the extra bit of money and time no matter what. Also, make sure the social activities available are things you are interested in. You do not want the only activity you are doing to be work. Also, be friendly with everyone, it is much easier to make friends this way!

Any one who is uptight about life and not willing to put themselves out there. If you are only going to sit in your room and play your computer, do not bother attending.

find a college that helps the student to become what they want to be. picking the wrong school can be a costly mistake. take time and figure out what the student may want to do with their life and pick a college from there

the focus on physical education majors is the worst thing about the school, it takes away from the other courses

A person that is trying to gain new experience and leave home

Go on unoffical tours to meet and intereact with current students not just tour guides and school staff

I was pleased with the amount I learned while attending

It is located in a small town where there isn't much to do so some students turn to drinking as a social alternative. It is not too well known yet on a national level.

Everyone in cortland is friendly and supportive of one another

Dont pick your first choice all the time

someone looking for a small to medium college. Most like the snow. ANyone looking to be come an education teacher

Cortland is a middle sized school in a rural community that has allows students to make life long friends while getting to know everyone.

To find the right college you need to really evaluate what you want out of it. You have to think about the size, the closeness to home, if you know people that are going there, what kind of activities you want to be involved in, how much it costs, and what degrees they offer. You also need to visit many campuses and go with your gut. To make the most out of your college experience you need to get involved and not be shy or avoid taking chances. People are so much more open and accepting, and being shy will just mean you seclude yourself. Also, prioritize and get your work done so you can have fun whenever you want.

I wish I had known what the towns around it had to offer so I could have taken advantage of that more.

Fun, exciting, sometimes too small but a great school.

The advice I would give to parents and or/students about finding the right college would be to visit all campuses you apply to, pay attention during tours, ask many questions of current students and try to envision yourself there. If you simply can't see yourself there, It's not for you. The advice I would give to make the most of the experience is to get involved in anything that interests, get out of your shell, makes lots of friends and always focus on your academics! That is why you are there in the first place!

People who like to be anonymous, private people.

To parents, do not try to make your child's decison for them. It is their life and future and they should be making thier own decision about where they want to be instead of where you think they should be. You can give them an idea of what you think about thier choices but remember it is ultimately your child's decision. To students, your first semester at college is daunting and scary, I won't lie. I am an extroverted person who could not wait to go to college and leave home but I was the most homesick freshman I knew. I wanted to transfer and everything but now, I am so glad I didn't act on those feelings because I love my college and the experiences and friends I've made don't compare to anything else. It'll be tough, but stick through it.

One that is not self-motivated. Professors remind you about things but if you do not complete the assignments, you are SOL.

Getting the classes that you want for each semester if you are a freshman or sophomore. I personally do not have this problem because I am an honors student so I get first dibs on all classes

Many different programs, very friendly atmosphere

I find a lot of students and parents choose a school based athletics. It isn't about that. What matters is the academics behind the athlete because when your four years are over, it won't be about how many touchdowns or points you scored. What you need is a career and if you spent most of your college years focusing on athletic events instead of your academics, you will not get the career or your choice and in the end, you won't have anything to show for it. I think parents and potential students should look at the athletic program of a school as a bonus after you have decided the academic part of the school is for you.

Parking...there isn't enough of it available