The State University of New York College - Geneseo

Date: Sep 16 2012
Major: English (This Major's Salary over time)
I am really quite shocked by all of the negative reviews on this website and would like to caution prospective students reading them. As a bit of advice to high schoolers going forward: most people who take the time to write reviews be it for schools, restaurants, hotels, or services have had an abnormally negative experience.

I am constantly hearing about how much people love Geneseo. Graduates flock back to both the official alumni weekend and the informal athletic team, frat and sorority, and other alumni weekends. Everyone I know has gone through SUNY G withdrawal after graduation—it is really hard to leave.

Let me say that going to SUNY G was not my plan. I applied to 8 schools, 2 of which were SUNY schools that my parents insisted I apply to. The others were Binghamton, Allegheny, Colby, Delaware, Mary Washington (VA), William and Mary (VA), and Wesleyan and I was accepted into all except Colby. Geneseo was my 2nd to last choice (next to Binghamton). My sister had graduated in 2003, and I hadn't enjoyed visiting her. The spring of my senior year I stayed over night with a high school friend who attended Geneseo and knew that I would go there. I completely fell in love with the people, the beautiful campus, and the small town. I was doing a sport and practiced with the team and fell in love with them, too. By the end of practice I told them I would be joining them in the fall.

I just want to make a few comments for prospective students.

Academic life: Wherever you go, academic life is what you make of it. Don't expect college professors to reach out to you individually—you have to make the effort. I was an English major, and I loved the English department. The professors were liberal, engaging, diverse, and humorous. I also took several psychology courses and found the professors to be just the same—I was constantly laughing in class and discovering new things. And being a current graduate student in another state, I can say that Geneseo lives up to its academic ranking. You would not believe how uneducated individuals from other state schools are. Also, I miss every day having professors who encourage you to get involved in politics and society.

Residence life: I am currently in graduate school out of state at a new campus. It is sterile and characterless. While the suite residence halls, townhouses, and South Side are really nice, people sometimes complain about the older residence halls at Geneseo, those being Livingston, Jones, and Monroe. I lived at Livingston freshman year and Wyoming junior year, and actually liked Livingston better. While I loved living in a suite, Livingston had so much character. There were so many nooks and crannies to explore, especially in the basement and the building was full of character and history. The dining halls were what you get anywhere, possibly a little better than most state schools.

Student/extracurricular life: I was on a sports team so I automatically had 50 new friends as a freshman. Geneseo is a small-ish school, and a lot of people do sports. The hockey team aside, Geneseo athletes are not your typical jocks. It's a Division I school, and academics come first. I could go on and on about how fabulous and incredible it was the be an athlete at Geneseo, but I don't want to give my sport away. I didn't dabble in Greek life (I went to one frat party), and I can say that if you're not interested the Greeks won't dabble in your life. There is plenty to do if you're not on a team or involved in Greek life. Whether it be something to do with your major (every major has tons of stuff going on), MTC, the Lamron, or something else, if you find yourself without any friends or activities to do that is your fault and you're not trying hard enough.

Living in Geneseo: Ohhh, Geneseo. If you go to SUNY G, spend at least one summer there. The town is adorable. The people are friendly. There's a Wegmans. Geneseo is set in a beautiful area of Western NY, and is surrounded by farm land and some pretty great natural geography. Fall Brook waterfall is within walking distance, and Letchworth Park is a short drive away. If you are looking to go to school in a city, then Geneseo isn't for you. There aren't art galleries or theaters, so you shouldn't expect them to pop up before you get there. However, Rochester isn't too far away and there are festivals, hockey games, and shows to attend there. Geneseo is a small, wholesome town and as a prospective SUNY G student you can expect a wholesome, small-town college experience.

The students: Geneseo is not racially diverse, but this is somewhat expected at a small Western NY school. However, the school is quite diverse in other aspects. There are athletes, Greeks, science whizzes (who get to spend lots of time in labs), g-sci lovers (who get to go on awesome trips including digs in far-off places), thespians, indie/alternative kids…the list goes on. When I was applying I was slightly nervous about reports of the school being overrun by rich Long Island kids, so I was really surprised at the extremely small number of actual rich Long Island kids. Most students come from middle class backgrounds and know the meaning of hard work. Everyone says hi when they pass each other on campus or in town. When you go out in Geneseo, you'll see girls in mini skirts and heels, and others in jeans and t-shirts. The students are not showy and do not flaunt expensive labels and will not judge whatever it is you decide to wear out even if it is post-it notes or a garbage bag from an Anything But Clothes party. In fact, you'll meet diverse and friendly people just waiting on line to use the bathroom at the Vital.

Geneseo doesn't have a huge football team (or any football team). The dorms are typical. There is no glitz and glam. I am speaking from experience when I say that it is your professors and the people you are going to school with that make your college years worthwhile and memorable.