After reading through almost all of the Epinions on my old Alma Matta I decided it was time to write. Most of the comments were written by people with a poor experience in one class, with one professor or with simply one part of campus life. I read a lot of valid points and I say now this Epinion will run long simply because there is so much to cover.

The State University of New York At Albany, also known as Albany State, SUNY Albany and SUNYA is a school full of learning. Naturally there is the course curriculum pertaining to the education that students are actually there for, however, this is a place to learn about life.

College is the best time to learn about being on your own and being responsible for yourself as it is still a controlled environment yet the outcome is up to the student.  SUNYA is an excellent place for this owing to the diversity of the student body, the variety of the curriculum and the myriad professional and social opportunities that come from being in a city that is a college town and a state capital.

Let's start with Freshman. These students must live on campus and can often be crowded into their rooms as the University will double up in many cases. I was one such case, but like most others, within a month I was moved into another room and was no longer crowded. The dorms are not an example of high society living. When I was there we had a problem with mice several times and there is no controlling the temperature of your room. I'm not a person that can sleep in heat and had many arguments with roommates over my wanting a window open in November when it was 30 degrees at night.

College students can be immature so there is always a vandalism problem and the school tends to make the bulk of the students pay for the damage the few bad apples cause. The dorms are on quads of which there are four main ones. State Quad, Dutch Quad, Indian Quad and Colonial Quad are all built along the same lines. They all have a 22 story tower with four suites to a floor (except the first and 22nd) and four buildings surrounding it in a square shape, each of which has two dormitory halls. (A Hall is the name of your dormitory.) All in all, each of these quads has nine halls including the tower. There is also Alumni Quad which is in downtown Albany and means getting bused to main campus for class. Freedom Quad is across the street from the main campus but is mostly for Graduate Students.

Room styles vary. Some Quads have community bathrooms on each floor and some have a bathroom for each suite. In these dorms a suite contains two or three bedrooms off of a small common room plus a bathroom with shower. Halls with community bathrooms simply have bedrooms right off the hallway. For the most part the buildings are decades old and just getting worse with age. If the most important thing about college is your living conditions this school is not for you. However, if the people you live with mean something then the diversity of the student population will ensure you fit in somewhere. You can easily make friends for life and I know I still have three very good friends that I met my Freshman year at SUNYA over 25 years ago.

Related to this subject is the cafeteria and I've seen a plethora of SUNYA Epinions based solely on this. Institutional food is terrible. This is an unrefutable fact of life. Whether it is a hospital, prison, retirement home or school, cooking for hundreds or thousands at once will cause the quality to be poor. Yes, the food at SUNYA leaves a lot to be desired but it was never completely inedible no matter how many jokes we told. At the time I was there the food service company made numerous attempts at special nights that were never perfect but certainly had better food. And if it simply doesn't work for you than the simple fact that Albany, NY has more restaurants per capita than any other US city should comfort you somewhat.

The architecture of the main campus is certainly interesting and sets records for the amount of concrete used. Frankly, almost all students will eventually learn that then NY State Governor Rockerfeller saved money on the plans because they were meant for a school in Arizona. What this means is it is designed to allow wind to billow, freezing students in winter and causing huge snow drifts. (If cold winters is a problem then forget about the wrong school, you're looking in the wrong state; try Florida.)

Then you start going to class. This is when students start learning what they want to major in. Introductory classes tend to be very large (200-500 students) because so many take them. At this level the classes are actually easier as multiple choice, computer graded tests are used because of the student load. In later years class size dwindles regardless of the major as courses are far less generalized and as you move on learning improves as well. The hardest part is always getting the course you want when you want it.

SUNYA tries to pride itself on being a state school at the level of Ivy League schools. The result of this is a large degree of commercialization most of which really has no effect on your four years there. However, it does result in a more serious education than most state schools will offer. Unfortunately, in some cases, students can be discouraged early by the large classes and lack of personal direction by professors and advisors. Those that remain see the change as time goes on.

Most classes are on the main campus and these academic building are on a large concrete edifice called the Podium. (By the way, if you are allergic to concrete this is not the place for you.) This contains the bulk of the buildings containing classrooms, the Student Center and the lecture center. In the center of the podium is The Fountain which includes a HUGE water tower. Students relax in the sun there every year but frankly my fondest memory was a snow couch made one winter that over looked the ice covering it.

One important opportunity I cannot omit is that most universities are not in a state capital. At SUNYA students can do internships for credit in the State Legislature working for State Senators or State Congressman which is not only a valuable learning experience but also a chane to make contacts that can help you throughout your life.

There exists something for everyone to do. On the off chance there isn't a club that interests you then you can easily start one by approaching the Student Association. All full time students pay a student activity fee (around $100.00 per semester in 1990) and this funds Sports and student activities. The student government (Student Association or SA) is responsible for 50% of that money and the rest goes to the sports program. When I was a student there the sports money was wasted. The largest budget went to the football program which perpetually lost and the women's sports tended to win more titles despite a lack of support. Then there's the groups.

SA each year budgets their half of the money to fund various groups and organizations (numbering in the hundreds). Many of the better "sports" teams were actually clubs funded this way that competed against other schools. In fact, while I was there the racquetball club went to the NCAA finals twice. This format actually provided excellent real world experience as the students in SA learned about leadership (and politics) and budgeting and the students running the clubs learned about budgeting and funding each year when the presented a budget for the following year. Athletics, hobbies, culture and professional are just some of the types of groups, but there are way too many to go further into it.

The social life is something else and almost out of this world. There are Fraternities and Sororities for students to join. They also sponsor parties throughout the year. Albany is a college town and has a large supply of bars, pubs, taverns and clubs to go to. Many from my time are gone but I'm fairly sure The Lamp Post is still there and I know The Across Street Pub (best buffalo wings in Albany) is still there. If WT's is still around they are probably still giving away a free bottle of champagne for anyone celebrating thier 21st birthday. Frankly parents shouldn't read this paragraph. Students do not have to drink but for many it is a large part of the college experience. Seriously, dedicating your life, or even just four years of it, to drinking, is not a good idea but it is better to learn your limits in college than outside where it's far less tolerated. Either way, DON'T drive while you're doing it. That's tolerated nowhere.

College is certainly what you make of it. You can make it one huge party, you can make it a simple educational experience, you can make it the worst thing you ever did, you can make it the best thing you ever did, you can just make it through or you can shape it to be what you want. If you live it and I mean live it and take avail of the numerous opportunities, you can make this an extraordinary learning experience and make it the time of your life. It was certainly the time of mine.

Recommended: Yes