A (Partial) Guide to Binghamton--to freshmen from alumnus
Written: Jan 27 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: very good value--great education for the money
Cons: Well, read my other reviews about Binghamton
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| AlexG's Full Review: Binghamton University (State University of New Yor... |
This review is mostly my advice to the prospective students of Binghamton University. However, many parts of this review can be applied to any school.
Welcome to Binghamton. I’m sure you will hear this phrase many times. I’m also pretty sure that you will be given much advice from your Orientation Advisors (OA’s) and members of the Binghamton University staff. I have to tell you in advance that some of the advice written in this review you would not get from either of the aforementioned people, and, in fact, some of the following words will probably contradict what you were or will be told.
Who should you believe? Good question. First of all, there are certain things you must know. Your Orientation Advisors spend the months of June and early July practicing for your arrival--on average 4 hours every day. The University Administration tells them what to tell you (and what NOT to tell you). OA’s practice in front of the video camera with microphone. They memorize many things they are required to tell you. Their version of the story many times contradicts the real world. Of course, not all OA’s are the same, and, if you get lucky, you may actually get some valuable information. But don’t bet your life on that.
Who am I? Well, I just graduated from Binghamton in 1997, and entered the real world. During my four years there I made many mistakes and I learned a lot. Unlike OA’s, I’m not trained or paid by the Administration to give you advice. Whatever I write comes from my heart and my experience.
This is not a Top 10 List. One can certainly argue whether these are the best things to tell freshmen, but these are the ones that just came to my mind. The only exception to this is my last advice which really should be the first.
And so... Ten Pearls of Wisdom to the incoming freshmen from the alumnus.
10. Be Prepared To Change Your Major.
I know many of you, just like myself not so long ago, have no clue what to major in. You are not certain about what you really want to do with your life. Not to worry. Your first semester try to take a wide variety of courses from different disciplines. You never know, you may find something that you like. Don’t worry about fulfilling the requirements at this point, although finding your path as early as possible will help you in the long run. Some of you may have already decided what to major in. That’s good, though statistics show that many of BU students change their major during their college years. In my opinion, this happens mostly because students put together their love for the major with the reality of obtaining a job with that major. For example, to be perfectly honest, I don’t know what people do after they get out of college with major in Women’s Studies, besides teaching Women’s Studies, perhaps.
9. Choose courses by professors, not by titles.
Choosing courses by title is one of the common mistakes freshmen make, especially for the first semester. I experienced that myself. Remember, any course, even one not necessarily appealing by title alone, can be made interesting if taught by a professor who successfully passes his interest and knowledge to the students. Sometimes you have no choice; the class may be a requirement (This often holds true in the School of Management). Yet, more often than not, you can choose your professor--something totally different from high school, isn’t it?
8. Don’t register for 8:30 classes unless you really have to
Think you can easily wake up for a 8:30 class, then think again. Some of you may think that it is not such a big deal; after all, high school classes started about the same time or even earlier, and lecture halls are closer to dorms than was high school to home. I thought this way too when I was a disoriented freshman. In reality, waking up for 8:30 is most of the time a living hell, especially when the weather gets cold. Even if you can consistently wake up with little problems in the beginning of a semester, you will most likely burn out eventually and start skipping your class. Trust me, attendance for 8:30 classes is by far the worst of all. In my opinion 8:30 classes should be illegal. :)
7. Do not overload your schedule
There is no reason whatsoever for you to take more than 16 (17 if you take gym) credits, especially in your first semester. All you need to graduate is 126 credits, which means that if you take 16 credits each semester you will have more than enough in the end. I know some people try to take as many classes as possible; they even go to summer school. There is no need for that unless you fail something. The only reasonable time to take overloads is when you change majors late, and have a risk of not fulfilling your requirements in four years. But don’t worry about that for now.
6. RA’s are not always your friends
Despite all the talk that RA’s (Residential Assistants) are here to help and make your life easier, this turns out not to be true on many occasions. RA is another University pawn who is supposed to follow the orders from the Administration. G-d forbid if your RA finds you with a beer in your suite; it is almost impossible to get off. Their duty is to write you up, and they follow their instructions even if they seem to be your friends. So, watch out. On a similar note, I should add that empirical evidence shows that RA’s are better in Newing than in any other community (Hillside excluded).
5. Learn your way around.
When you are a freshman in high school somehow everybody knows you are a freshman. It’s not the same in college. When you walk around the campus, nobody knows you are a freshman, besides people who personally know you. So, don’t be intimidated and don’t feel lost and out of place. Learn your way around, and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Pretty soon you’ll find yourself feeling like you have known this place for years, and be able to give advice to others.
4. Enjoy good weather while it lasts
It starts snowing in late October, and it doesn’t stop until April. Most of the time the weather in Binghamton is “shitty”. It does rain a lot, and a sunny warm day is a rarity. Enjoy the good weather; it does not last for too long. Oh, by the way, don’t expect classes to be canceled. That happens extremely rarely, no matter how bad the weather is. During my four years classes were canceled only once for the full day--Thursday, March 3, 1994. (How can I forget?!)
3. The weekend starts on Thursday
This is not the real world, and a weekend starts early. Many would argue that a weekend ends on Tuesday, but, personally, I would not go that far. Try not to schedule any classes on Friday, especially early in the morning. Otherwise you’ll most likely regret it. Many people like to keep Fridays free of classes. It is not easy, but if you have a chance, it is better to overload any day of the week in order to have a three day weekend. Scheduling an 8:30 class on Friday for no legitimate reason, in my opinion, is the dumbest thing you can do. If you do that, I advise you to see your psychiatrist immediately.
2. Enjoy your life--you are in college now
Some say that college years are the best years of your life. Take advantage of that. I don’t mean party all day and all night, and wasting money on your education. Don’t study all day and all night either. There should be a balance of work and leisure. Four years seem like a long time, but it is not. So, enjoy yourself. Fraternity parties is an alternative to going to downtown bars. They attract younger crowd, and many freshmen and sophomores go there to meet people and enjoy themselves. There used to be a campus pub, the only place on campus where you could buy alcohol, which provided warm atmosphere and great environment for anyone who needed a rest after a busy day. But, the pub closed two years ago. Sorry, I really feel for some of you.
1. Join Binghamton Review
Ok, this is where I get biased. (I used to write for this magazine). If you want to get involved in campus activities, there is no better place to start than this magazine. This was the best decision I made in college. Binghamton Review will provide you with an opportunity to express yourself, share your thoughts with campus community, and be heard. The Review recognizes all different points of view and provides forum for discussion. Yes, it is somewhat controversial. Some people find it offensive. Some people love it, and some people genuinely hate it. However, nobody is indifferent towards it. This is what distinguishes the Review from other campus publications.
On a personal note, although Binghamton wasn’t my first choice, now, I realize that it was a good choice. I can hardly imagine spending my college years better anywhere but there. I’m in no position to judge whether your college years are the best years of your life. But if that’s true, all I have to say is that my college years were great, and I would not take them back.
AlexG ( class of ‘97).
Recommended:
Yes
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AlexG
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Location: New York, NY
Reviews written: 130
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About Me:
Alex has a voracious appetite for travel. Travel hasn't satisfied an appetite. It's created one.
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