SUNY Colleges vs. CUNY Colleges

Stephen Saylee

SUNY colleges vs. CUNY colleges

Do you think that you are ready for college? If you were, would you rather go to a SUNY college or a CUNY college? Before you decide on if CUNYs are better than SUNYs, here are some things you should know about the SUNY colleges. I had an interview with EBT's college advisor, Ms. O-Arroyo, asking her couple of questions about SUNY, and the pros and cons of these colleges.

Before deciding on which college is best for you, you have to look at a lot of things. One thing to look at when choosing a college is the cost. According to Ms. O-Arroyo, the cost of SUNY colleges ranges from $12,000-$17,000 per year, including everything down to the room and board. I asked Ms. O-Arroyo about the housing requirements for SUNY colleges, and she specifically said that people who plan to live on campus should fill out housing applications on time.

Also, before applying to SUNY, you have to look at each college's requirements. According to Ms. O-Arroyo, some of the requirements vary, but some of the main things they look at is your high school GPA, SAT/ACT scores, Regents scores, AP courses taken, extra science classes taken, extra curricular activities, community service work you done, essay(s), and letters of recommendations.

Ms. O-Arroyo said that the SUNY colleges which offer students the best financial aid package is all based on students' financial situation and the economy. SUNY offers a special program called the EOP (Educational Opportunity Program), for students that can help them pay for college and admissions. But according to Ms. O-Arroyo, students have to meet certain financial guidelines, GPA, and SAT/ACT scores to qualify for the program.

Like most colleges that you may apply to, there is an application fees. According to Ms. O-Arroyo, the application fees for the SUNY colleges is $50/each. But people who are qualify for EOP may apply to four SUNY colleges of their choice. Students can get a great deal of grants, scholarships, and student loans based on their financial situation, academics, and SAT/ACT scores.

Other things to consider when deciding on which college is best for you, you have to research the college that interests you and find out if it have the majors that you want, is the campus size acceptable for you, does it offer activities and sports that interest you, and how do you feel about the location. Also, consider the diversity of the student body. According to Ms. O-Arroyo, the colleges that are most diverse are SUNY at Albany, Stony Brock, Binghamton, and Buffalo State.

So when choosing a college, do you plan to go away and live on campus or plan to stay home and commute to and from college? In my opinion, I believe that going away for college is a better experience for you. According to Ms. O-Arroyo, going away for college is a great experience because you can see the world outside of your community, try new things, and better focus on your lessons away from your issues at home. I would have to agree with her. If you decide to go to a CUNY college, you will be missing out a great adventure outside of the City. Even though CUNY colleges' total tuitions are much cheaper than SUNY, it is worth going away and seeing different places outside of New York City.