The State University of New York College - Geneseo

Date: May 31 2012
Major: Psychology (This Major's Salary over time)
First, let me address the negative comments: I was actually surprised by so many of them. At my time at Geneseo (four years; I have recently graduated), the vast majority of people I met absolutely loved Geneseo, or at least felt okay about it. For the prospective student, I don?t think this website is representative of Geneseo at all because it is probably swamped with people who need to rant their frustrations, who are more motivated to write a review than those who are satisfied with the school.

The repeated comments about rape and sexual assault: I have no idea where the 33% sexual assault statistic is coming from. I have never heard that in my life and am pretty informed about sexual issues going on on campus. The sad fact is that there is sexual assault at every college campus. There is absolutely no indication that Genseo is higher in the rates. Many of those postings contained warnings by Geneseo to the rest of the college. This is NOT a bad thing. It?s good that in a college atmosphere where there are bound to be sexual assaults, the college is constantly working to prevent them or keep students aware. If this is persuading you that Geneseo is higher in sexual assaults, then that is just silly. All it shows is that the college is more involved with preventing them than other colleges and that is GOOD. Indeed, the college, whether through student groups or by faculty, has made many efforts recently to make students aware of the problems of and relating to sexual assault. I am of the belief that the comments are being posted by the same person so obsessed with their agenda that they are blinded by rationality. That?s not to say that there isn?t room for improvement at Geneseo when it comes to sexual assault awareness and prevention, but let?s not get carried away here and act like Geneseo is the worst place to be when it comes to those issues.

The assertion that Geneseo is overrated in academic quality can easily be refuted. The college is consistently high in academic ratings when it comes to undergraduate work. No, you will not find the school in the most commonly referred to US News and World Report list because the college has a very small graduate program and I don?t think it gives out any doctorates, thus excluding them from the list. However, Geneseo has been rated very highly by US News when it comes to undergraduate work. Geneseo has also topped the list of Kiplinger?s ?Best Value? (cost in proportion to quality of education) colleges year after year. The ?Public Honors? college is not just something made up by Geneseo?s administration, but a claim supported year after year by the rankings.

What I think about Geneseo:

The work is challenging but manageable, which is what I wanted. The professors are absolutely brilliant and completely willing to help you with the coursework and are more than happy to talk to you about your future plans regarding your career path, or anything at all really. In all my time at Geneseo, I had about three professors who DIDN?T have a PH.D (Actually hard to come by at many other colleges), and they were for subject areas where you really didn?t need a PH.D to be at the top of your game. And for the most part, they teach you directly and don?t rely on adjuncts or TAs to work with you (though TAs offer supplementary help in many classes).

The students are extremely fun, friendly, intelligent, and open-minded. Yes there are those few ignorant douchebags. But here?s a simple solution to that problem: avoid them. You will find those kinds at every college. You will not have a problem finding good-hearted, level-headed people at this college. Many are supportive of fighting against ignorance and discrimination against minority groups and the LGBT community. I found the small campus community beneficial to forming social bonds, getting to know the faculty, and making you feel at home. I loved how I could inadvertently run into my best friends multiple times over the course of a day, especially if it was a stressful one. It?s a nice feeling. Also, small class sizes allow for more attention from the professors.

The campus is beautiful. The buildings are pretty and you can see a lovely view of the valley. It?s also compact so it?s easier to get around and again, makes it easier to run into people you know.

There?s not much to do in town, but I for one enjoyed the small-town charm. I rarely had an issue finding something to do. I went out to bars and parties almost every weekend. There are plenty of extracurricular activities and a fair amount of campus events.

The surrounding area is beautiful as well. There is a small waterfall a few minutes down the road and a big state park 15 minutes away that has a ton of waterfalls and beautiful views of scenery (gorges and hills, the foliage is pretty in the fall). So there is plenty to do in terms of hiking and other outdoor activities.

The food is gross, yes. What do you expect from campus food? You can however find a few good things that make eating there manageable.

Budget cuts are a problem, not going to lie. Registration can be difficult. However, I have not heard of anyone who has not managed to graduate in four years because of it. For most people, there is always something else they need to and can take even if they can?t get their top choices. But I also acknowledge that it is too early to tell if this will be a problem in the near future. It was never an issue for me though.

In sum, don?t take the negative comments on here at face value. Go find out for yourself. Visit the school and talk to people who are not just looking to rant. See if it?s a good fit. Good luck in your college search!