Drug Scene

The drug scene at Binghamton University is not very noticeable. Students will occasionally smoke, but a majority do not. It really depends on who you hang out with. Many of the students drink on the weekends, however.

Facilities

The facilities here are amazing. The dorms are large and relatively well maintained. The dining halls have a variety of food to appease almost any appetite. The buildings are easy to navigate, though the library takes some experience to get around. Overall, the campus has a simple layout.

Greek Life

The Greek life is evident, but not dominant. It is a big part of the social scene, since the frat parties make up a big part of the stuff to do on weekends. I do go out sometimes—not a lot—and when I did go out, the girls I hung out with were in the same sorority, but they were very friendly and not totally exclusive to their sorority. Some guys and girls do get very involved in their sororities or frats and may actually stop hanging out with people who aren’t in their frats or sororities, but the majority of the Greek people aren’t like that, or at least the ones I know. Again, it is a part of life. It’s not totally dominant, but it’s very visible on campus.

Guys & Girls

The guys are okay. There are some very hot ones—many are in frats—but there is not a huge abundance. Also, many of the guys that are hot, especially some of the frat ones, are also incredibly obnoxious and arrogant. But there are also many nice, cute guys. I think it’s all a matter of your personal taste.

Local Atmosphere

This is a classic example of an economically depressed, post-industrial, upstate New York town. Fifty years ago it was booming, but now all the industry has left, so it’s very working class. The east side of town is not a place you want to be at night. On the other hand, the people here are really down-to-earth, if a little sheltered from the outside world. The region is totally beautiful, and there’s cool stuff here that one might not expect, like some really nice architecture, a zoo, a pretty active arts community, and stuff like that. You have to seek it out, though. Campus is kind of removed from the town, so it’s easy to get stuck in a campus-only frame of mind.

Nightlife

There are a few bars in the downtown Binghamton area that all the students go to when they go out—good times, good atmosphere. There are cheap drink specials very frequently, but there’s not too much of a club scene.

Off-Campus Dining

There are a few Chinese buffets, but the one by Wal-Mart is the best. Then in downtown Binghamton, there are some cool places like the Lost Dog or Cyber Café. There’s also an Italian place called Marnielli’s. Applebee’s is the closest of the chains to campus, and there’s a Subway right near there, too. There are also a McDonald’s, a Wendy’s, and a Burger King in the area. As far as ordering in, most people order Chinese from China Buffet, which is okay—it’s not totally great, but it’s good enough. You can get pizza from Adriano’s, but they are horrible. Papa John’s is awesome, or there’s also Domino’s and Pizza Hut.

Off-Campus Housing

Freshmen, except in special circumstances, have to live on campus their first year. Off-campus housing is cheaper, though. Living costs are cheap here; if you live alone, you can probably find an apartment for about $400 a month, and it’s even less if you live with other people. There are bus lines to the more popular areas of the local town where students tend to live, so it isn’t necessary to have a car, although it makes life a lot easier. The campus uses the city transit and their own free bus lines (Off Campus College buses) to help commuters and residents get on and off campus. The OCC buses usually make their last runs around midnight or 1 a.m. when most of the buildings close. Usually, most students do not move off campus until their junior or senior year; some don’t leave at all.

Overall Experience

I did consider transferring when I was a freshman, but I met a lot of great people, and I did not want to leave. I know a couple of people who hated their experience at Binghamton—they complained that there is nothing to do, but you have to look for it, because it really doesn’t come to you.

Parking

Parking can be a nightmare. There are a lot of commuters, too. However, freshmen can’t have a car on campus anyway; there’s a freshman car ban. The best you can do is leave your car in a nearby off-campus parking lot—that’s what a friend of mine did freshman year. He left his car in a place that he could take a bus to. There are parking lots all over campus, but you have to be careful where you park, because there are some lots that only commuters can park in, others where you can’t park overnight, and some that are snow lots that are closed for overnight parking most of the year. To park on campus, you have to purchase a parking permit that costs about $100 for the year. You can find parking here, but you’ll often have to walk some distance to where you actually want to be.

Safety & Security

It’s pretty good, but it’s not as tight as some may like. All the dorm buildings are locked, but easily accessible. In other words, all you need to do to get into a building is to wait for someone to open the door. There are no security guards in the buildings. There is, however, campus security, and no one is allowed onto campus past midnight without having proper ID.

Transportation

Usually, if you live on campus, you’ll mainly only have to leave to go shopping or partying. There are many buses that go to Town Square Mall, a shopping center with a huge Wal-Mart. Unless you’re against shopping at Wal-Mart, you’ll probably live there, because it's a 24-hour super center with anything you could possibly need. As for going out, most people take cabs to go party during the weekend. With a group of people, it’s like $3 per person. For other things, prices can vary. There’s also a small airport and Greyhound bus station.

Weather

The weather in Binghamton is interesting. If you don’t like the cold, rain, or snow, and you constantly need the sun, you’re best off somewhere else. The weather has very distinct seasons where winters are cold and sometimes snowy, and summers are hot. The spring and autumn are both beautiful, but it tends to be cloudy a lot of the time. I think it is ranked in the top five cities for cloudiness. It also has the remarkable ability to be 70 degrees on Monday and snow by Wednesday—I’m not joking. For instance, it snowed on graduation weekend. It was a flurry, but the fact that there was snow falling in late May was definitely noticeable. Granted, there are days where it’s gorgeous out, but there tend to be more days that are just pretty dreary.

Academics

I love Binghamton. I am a middle-class kid who could not afford the private schools but also could not get financial aid. There are many intelligent people here who were in the same position as me. Binghamton is an up-and-coming school because of this!

Athletics

Sports at Binghamton University are pretty big. We are a Division I school, so we take sports pretty seriously. Many students enjoy going to the soccer, basketball, lacrosse, and baseball games for entertainment. The tickets are free for undergrad students.The gym facilities are great as well. We have a great weight room along with personal trainers. Intramural sports are also fun. There are variety of them, and it's a great way to meet new people and play sports that you love.

Campus Dining

Okay, to be honest, I don’t mind the food. I can guarantee that it will not be like your mother’s or father’s cooking, but you can’t expect it to be. There are other spots to eat for slightly more expensive prices. The Nite Owl is open from 8:30 p.m. to 1 a.m., and there is one located in every area except Dickinson; they open after the dining halls close. You can eat in the Susquehanna Room, which is where most of the faculty and professors will eat. The Chenango room is nice; it’s open for very limited hours—just for lunch and breakfast—but it’s nice for a change of pace because a waiter comes to your table and takes your order like in a restaurant.

Campus Housing

Each community has a personality. Hinman is very scholastically oriented and can be cliquey, CIW is really friendly, but if you’re not into drugs, it can be kind of a bad place for you, Dickinson people study a lot, and Newing is for the future frat boys and sorority girls of America.

Campus Strictness

I smoked every day in my dorm and never had any trouble. I smoked a couple times outside, and I got in trouble. I’ve had 15 people in my room screaming about how drunk and messed up they were and never got in any trouble. It depends on your RA, though. Most are chill, but some are real jerks.

Computers

Everyone is connected to the Internet as long as your computer has an Ethernet card installed. You don’t need to bring your own computer; it’s strictly for convenience purposes. We have three computer pods on campus, and the campus is not so big that you wouldn’t be able to get to any of them from wherever you’re living. The largest pod we have is in the engineering building. There are lots of computers, and everyone gets 75 free printouts a week. You can put your stuff on disk and print out your pages as long as you have your Binghamton e-mail address and password. My first semester freshman year, I did not have a computer, but everyone else did. It wasn’t a problem sharing my roommate’s computer, but after a while, I just wanted my own. Now I have my own and I’m very happy.

Diversity

The campus is diverse economically, ethnically, ideologically, and sexually. There is a high percentage of Jewish people on campus, and a higher percentage of white people. However, there are many races and many ethnic organizations to join that allow for everyone feel like they fit in.