University At Albany-State University of New York

While studying here as an undergrad, the University made the front page of the USA Today for having the worst campus food in the country. But, I was young and always hungry. Three stars.
Are we not just rating the food?
Oh.
It is a great university. Five stars. Go Danes. Proud to be a grad.

Maybe I’m biased because I went here, but I love UAlbany. The main construction is a massive concrete behemoth (the podium) surrounded by 4 other concrete behemoths (the 4 dorms) and then various other buildings (2 shiny ones in front: the Business Building and University Hall) and dormitories. If you have time, stop through for a UAlbany Football or Lacrosse game – we’re finally getting our athletics off the ground! There are also always shows at the Performing Arts Centers and lots of visiting lecturers.
And I haven’t even mentioned the fountains yet! In the heart of campus, is a massive fountain that shoots water up almost 2 stories and has a spectacular lights setup at night. It’s a great place to cool off (you’re allowed in the fountain) and hang out any time of day. It is flanked by a fountain out front and a small fountain near Campus Center. Trust me, take some time to just walk around and reminisce about your glory days at school!

The campus layout is pretty big, and parking is a bear to find. I do work over here as a contractor and it’s a mess to find parking.

I am currently attending the University at Albany and I was a transfer student from Clark Atlanta University. I can honestly say that I had a better experience at Clark Atlanta University. I am in the College of Arts and Sciences. This may be the most thorough review you may ever read!
Let me start out by saying that I live in Colonial dormitory which is steps away from the $ 64 million, 95,000-square-foot business building… and I have no air-​conditioning. It gets scorching hot towards the beginning of the fall semester and the end of the spring semester. It also doesn’t help that the rooms are definitely shoebox-​sized. I would not mind if the dorms did not cost almost $ 8,000 per year, as of 2015!
Sadly, there was no fountain day ever since I arrived in 2013!
At the University at Albany, I feel like I am just a number. I wish I had known how big the school was before applying. Knowing this would have helped me make a better choice in picking a transfer school. Most of the lecture classes are held in the lecture center. Most of these rooms hold about 200 – 400 students. The students do not receive individual attention from the professors unless you sit all the way in the front of the classroom. If you would like individual attention, you would have to visit your professor’s office hours countless of times in order for them to remember your name. Most of the professors I had coordinated office hours during the day. This was an inconvenience for me because I have other classes to attend during the day around the same time. You could make an appointment and schedule a meeting if you were lucky enough to receive an email back! As with any school, you have your share of excellent and just plain old bad professors.
I believe the Chemistry department has made the worse choices in professors by far! My second semester in Organic Chemistry was very difficult because I simply could not understand the professor. His accent was very thick, which, resulted in an inadequate explanation of the material. I do not teach myself. This is why I am not enrolled in an online university. There are certain expectations that I have when physically sitting in a classroom.
The professor for Human Anatomy and Physiology II made it very difficult to get an «A» in her class. The level of difficulty of comprehending the lecture notes and textbook was very low, but, when it came to the exams… ugh. The exams were some of the hardest exams I have ever taken in my life. It was very unfair. The level of difficulty for the questions on the exams should have been the same level of difficulty of the questions found in the textbook. I was able to do the questions at the end of the chapter nearly perfectly, but, was nowhere near passing the classroom exams. I find it weird that the professors at this school ignore the fact the class average is failing. This is also the first time that I am experiencing steep curves on a final grade.
The Biology department has found a way to cheat me out of one of the major classes that I need for graduate school: microbiology. In order for me to get into microbiology, I would have to take two semesters of organic chemistry to get into biochemistry and finally microbiology. At other schools, I see people in their first year already in microbiology. So why do I have to struggle? Those classes do not even play a major part in microbiology anyway!
I also had someone working in the commencement office straight lie to me about when I should take my graduation photos. I was told that, «Unfortunately the Torch Yearbook no longer coordinates senior class portrait photos.» So you mean to tell me that after spending thousands of dollars, I would not be able to take a sit-​down graduation portrait? Nope, they made a sad mistake! I decided to do my own research and found out that Torch was going to be at my school within the next week and all I have to do was schedule my date and time. I now have my graduation portraits, no thanks to the commencement office.
When registering for classes, you better hope that you have the earliest registration dates! Otherwise, you will be shut out of classes regardless of your status. I had a decent registration date and I was still shut out of a required class in what was supposed to be my last semester. I emailed nearly everyone in the appropriate department looking for who was supposed to teach the course and finally someone was able to give me her email. When I emailed her, she quickly sent out a mass email to everyone looking to get into her course. I told her that I desperately needed a permission number because I am a graduating senior and she blatantly ignored me. Thank God I was planning on staying an extra semester anyway, otherwise, I would not have been able to graduate because of one course!
This is already too long so I will post a second review on the things I enjoyed about the school.
Thanks for staying with me through this entire review! :)

My two degrees from here, English and MBA, have taken me far. Great investment in your future!

I am very pleased with the University at Albany experience. I’ve worked in the School of Business part-​time since 1998 and full-​time since 2008 and have found my colleagues across the campus very collegial and willing to help.
In addition, I earned a Master’s degree in Communication in 2007 and enjoyed the program. Most of the faculty were very good and I learned a great deal. My daughter is currently enrolled here and, for the most part, is happy being here. She has been less thrilled with some of the student advisement she has received.
On a broader scale, a new President has infused new energy into the University and there have been many significant capital improvements over the past couple of years — a new Business Building, which I enjoy going to every day, a new football stadium, a new facility for the track and field team, new Liberty Terrace apartments, new ITM center, new fountain, walking trail, etc.
It also helps the University’s exposure that the men’s and women’s basketball teams, lacrosse teams, and track and field squads are thriving.
For the value, this place just can’t be beat!

U A, U KNOW. Who doesn’t love fountains, or fountain day? It’s a great place to be a college kid. Albany has so much to offer to future students and the University just keeps expanding.

The school is ok. Most of the students are annoying long-​islanders who only care about getting drunk on Saturday. I found it difficult to make friends as even asking people to study with me was difficult. I am usually well-​liked but this school is awful. Only a few professors were good at their jobs and they were all outside of my major. The ‘best’ teachers in the school of business basically just read off of PowerPoint. I am now doing my MBA at a local area school. I would rather spend the money on a private institution than going here. I went to state schools all throughout undergrad so I had high hopes for Albany but it was awful, I had to transfer.

Great campus! Beautiful scenery and alot of shopping malls around the area

If you have any sort of intelligence, please do not go to this University. I went to the school because I live in some sort of proximity and I was working while in school. (I do not recommend)
The school is a decent size, but the parking is absolutely terrible. You will end up walking a half mile to campus each day. If you take night classes, beware, as the parking lots are not well lit, and are a long distance from the actual campus center.
If you are unlucky enough to get a parking ticket, it is $ 40 bucks, and trying to appeal the ticket is a waste of time.
The amount of gen eds are absolutely excessive, and boring. Go ahead, try to find 90% of gen eds that you will actually enjoy, I dare you. It really seems like a big waste of time and money.
Whatever you do, do not get extenuating circumstances on anything, it will force you to withdraw from the semester, and you still have to pay for the classes. I actually ended up needing surgery, and tried to still get through the semester, and even with a dean’s note, many of the professors failed to extend test deadlines. One even said that it was unfair to the other students.
I made the mistake of asking the dean’s office and French department for an exception to a class. I had taken French 4 in high school when I was a sophomore, and had received college credit through SUNY Albany. Now, ten years later, I asked the French department if I could take French 102. I was told yes (as the exception was that I had technically received credit for Intermediate French and I wanted to take Beginning French). I had all the necessary paperwork to take the class, and did. I was not granted credit for the class, despite the dean’s office and the French head giving the OK. I not only paid for the class, took it, did not receive credit, and had to pay to withdraw from the class.
Many of the lecture classes are HUGE, and if you go for office hours, you may be able to see your professor only after a very long wait. Longest I’ve waited was 3 hours, and the professor shut the door in my face and said his hours were over.
This college is supposed to be an affordable option for those in the area to receive a four year degree. Yes, it is a little cheaper than private institutions, but if you want to be treated like you are in college go to a private school if you can get the funding.
Long Islanders, and exchange students rule the campus here, and have made a complete mess of it.
Look elsewhere.

I don’t think there’s anything truly wrong with the educational value of this place (other than maybe the excessive/​pointless GenEd requirements). Some of the professors might be very unprofessional and not follow-​up when you contact them, but for the most part, I agree with the reviewers who say that college is what you make of it. That’s true for this and any other institution.
What really fascinates me about this Hell hole is the administrative structure.
If, by some misfortune, someone made a mistake on your student record, prepare to go through all 9 Circles of Hell. No one seems to take responsibility in this place. The people who check you in at the Financial Aid Office are always on Facebook and act like you’re bothering them. If you have any administrative issues that resulted from someone incompetent among this school’s endless staff, be ready to be sent from one department to the next and back full-​circle and your problem still won’t be resolved.
If you’re one of the few students at this place who doesn’t dump all your federal student loans on booze (to be paid back with interest, but most students don’t seem to care), you probably won’t fit in. You may be on your own, struggling to make ends meet while attending classes full-​time… if this is you, forget about asking for any financial aid — the Financial Aid Director will still deem you «Dependent» and if you have no way of providing any parental info on your FAFSA, then you’re just out of luck.
You might be in desperate need to pay your off-​campus rent. Although the Federal Government disburses loans at the beginning of the semester, UAlbany won’t process it until the end of the semester. Brilliant! Right after I just spent 4 months on the streets or living in a bunch of friends’ basements since, without rent money, I had to sublet my apartment to someone else.
This school is a place where complete strangers go out of their way to make your life more difficult. You end up spending a lot of valuable time dealing with administrative nonsense even though you have more important things to do, like pursuing an EDUCATION. I feel sorry for the VERY FEW hardworking staff and professors who work there.

As others have said, you get out what you put in. I graduated in 2010, Phi Beta Kappa and Magna Cum Laude.
UAlbany is a very good (albeit underfunded) state school in the middle of a small and (somewhat depressing) urban metro area. The crime situation is not great (sometimes I felt like the criminals of the area treat student cars like private ATMs) but there are nice, cute areas of Albany and Troy.
If you want to party and slack off and coast you certainly can – the student body is too large for any professors to ride you. Nobody will care if you flunk out. On the other hand though, if you show real initiative and work hard, people will notice and you will get extra attention.
I was never a resident student, and I never participated in the party scene (there is an entire neighborhood in Albany which becomes a virtual Pleasure Island when the students are in town). My experience with the university was purely academic, my main complaint is that the undergraduate science classes are so underfunded that the labs consist almost entirely of computer simulations. You don’t get to dissect any animals here.
As far as the campus goes, it’s aging but there are a ton of upgrades and new buildings being worked on. There is an entire new business school and a new set of dorm buildings.
If you attend here, do yourself a favor and learn about the tunnels under the academic podium. They will make your life much easier, especially in bad weather. Plus you’ll learn cool new ways to get from building to building without ever stepping outside.
Given the tuition (for me it averaged about $ 5k/​year as a commuter student) it is a fantastic bargain. Your other options in the area for four year degrees are private schools that could easily run you at least five times more in tuition.

I can not give an accurate or impartial opinion of SUNY Albany today. What I can say is that I spent some of the best four years of my life as a student there in the mid-​late 80’s.
In many ways, from what I understand, not much has changed since I before I got there and since leaving. This school, more maybe others, give you what you put in. You could have a great time, blow off class, party and graduate an idiot. Or be extremely studious and go on to law school etc.
For most of us, it is a good school learn to balance the two. Lots of fun with moments of intense studying. Yes, the school is big (what did you expect from your visit to the campus?), and impersonal (it is a state school) but make your friends, go to class, study, have fun, learn about all and move on into the real world.
Good luck!

Great university. The MBA in HRIS has paid big dividends over the years. I started with multiple job offers months prior to graduation. My career has continued grow since graduation. It was one of my best decisions.
Go Danes!

I truly believe that college, no matter where you go, is what you make of it. I think a lot of people complaining about the school being terrible is because they were looking for someone to give them their own personal college experience, without making the experience for them. I went to a yuppie private undergraduate school, and with my sister going here now for her undergrad degree in journalism, I am extremely jealous at the huge plethora of clubs, societies, study abroad opportunities, majors, programs… I could go on and on… that SUNY Albany offers. It’s not the best looking school, granted, but it has a HUGE amount of resources with its multiple libraries and a lot of opportunities for growth and development. You need to look for these, but they are there.
Just because I have to :), I want to take apart the review of Ryan M. posted her.
–You need a B average if you’re not bringing sports or some other achievement to the table. Just make your SAT scores are average — even with medical and law school, this will be the last time in your life that a testscore will mean as much as the bogus and overrated SAT does.
–There are tons and tons of unifying student activities. The football program does very well and is Division 1A, and the sports are fun to watch and/​or participate in. Not your thing? There are tons of professional societies, language clubs, subject focused clubs, honor societies, sororities, fraternities…
— If you want to go to a school with a more attractive campus, prepare to bear the burden of massive student debt because the only school campuses I’ve ever seen that are gorgeous usually incur at least a $ 30k/​year tuition bill.
–There are tons of great edible dining hall options if you travel past where burger king is and towards the science library, where you’ll find fresh coffee, buffets, deli sandwiches, sushi… very decent for college food options.
–The vast majority of your classes will not even have 300 students in it… try more like 30 – 40 students. Of course, major-​specific courses are going to be smaller than composition 101, which will be huge.
–Not learning anything until you study for the midterm or final the night before sounds like a personal problem and is no reflection on the university itself.
–It is just as easy to NOT get involved with partying and drinking at UAlbany as it is to be involved in it.
It’s a great school and I would give it 5 stars if they weren’t cutting all of the humanities and language programs because our state government is taking out their inability to perform their job on young minds eager to get an education and a decent, sustainable career.

The good thing about a school of this size is that there’s a niche for just about anyone. The bad thing about a school this size is that you can easily get lost and forgotten in the shuffle.
I transferred here for the last two years of my undergrad education (Class of 1997). I came with the knowledge that I might not get the level of education I might in a more expensive institution, but I also already learned the most important lesson in life – you get out what you put in. If you try to put in the effort, you can get a fine education out of here. Like anything worthwhile in life, you just have to try. I got out with a degree and moved on to higher education from a private school in Ohio. And now here I am, holding down a job for 10 years. I’d have never imagined it on those hazy nights down at Karen’s Tavern (no longer there, but if you’re old enough, you’d remember that place with a smile!!)!
Oh yeah, those long outdoor corridors do indeed suck in the winter. BRRRR! And if you’re wondering, my degree was a BS in physics.

If I were still in my first couple years, I would probably give this place a 5 stars, but in my past couple years there, I have had quite a different experience.
Let me begin by saying, for the most part, I have only had few classes I didn’t enjoy. I always registered right away so I always got classes I was interested in taking. While on the subject, some of the noteworthy professors I have had are Zak Albin, Shoshana Stein, Daniel White, Mitch Earlywine, and Fernando Leiva. I started out as a pyshcology major and ended up getting my degree. What happened was, I applied for graduation, and about a week after the graduation application deadline, I realized I wanted to go pre-​med, and that not graduating would be better for me financially. Well I was told that once you apply for graduation thats it, you’re graduating, end of story.
Well I graduated, started going somewhere else and realized I hated the other school, and my mother had gotten in contact with someone at the school who told me I could just apply for a different degree program and come back and do more undergraduate classes and pursue another degree. Well I called registrar, I called the dean, I called the office that reviews applications and they all gave me mixed messages about whether I could or not. I called the admissions office again and they told me all my credits were now voided and I start from scratch. I stumbled on the office of General Studies, who told me I could enroll with them for now and then reapply for the spring once you could submit applications again, and that all my previous credits stayed and anything not already applied to my degree would be able to be used towards a new degree. Well the time came to apply, and I get a call for the head of admissions who said I can apply to the program I wanted, which I only needed 1 class to get the degree for, but if they accepted me, I start over and have to do all my classes over again for that degree, which was fine as I was taking a lot of classes in that department. Well I call him back, tell him its fine, and instead he sends me a letter of rejection, and never returned my call. Now we called this office several times to find out why I was rejected and the bottom line they gave me was, I have a degree now its time to move on. So what you’re saying is that once you graduate you can never come back and pursue another degree, even if you are changing your career choice!!! really!!! Now what is annoying about this is they strung me out for 2 whole semesters thinking I was able to get back in, only to find out no, they won’t let me back in and I will have to pay cash for all my classes.
Now a further note why I rated this school so low. Some staff members there, who luckily did not receive tenure, seem to think that getting too personal with students is their job, and actually being a teacher is not their job. I had a professor kick me out of a teaching program I was in, not because I wasn’t qualified, but because she was bff’s with a few other members who claimed I was talking badly about them because my other friends in the program were. Now call me crazy, but I believe this is college academic program, not a sorority house. Not only did I not talk badly about anyone, but even if I had that should not have been the basis to remove me from a program I busted my butt to be in.
Lastly, now that I am a non-​matriculated student taking science classes there, I have found most professors in this area of the university are very discouraging to students. Rather than tell you they think you can do it, and they will help you, they tell you you should drop the class, or they can’t help you, go see the T.A., we don’t do office hours, etc. This is a university that is strongly based on research, so just be expecting many professors will care more about their research than teaching you.

This is a fine school. It’s what you make of it. And at the cost, I think you get a good value. However, it is cold in the winter… be prepared.

Class of ’03.
Terrible school. Truly terrible. I rather enjoyed my four years, and did learn a lot but that was because I had lots of time for extracurriculars anda real job — that’s where I did my learning. Mostly a bad place for bad people who aren’t that interested in their education.
Though it is cheap…
_​C$

Fine state school in a bleak city. Changed it’s name from the straight-​forward SUNY Albany to the pretentious University at Albany some years ago.
Ken graduated here Phi Beta Kapa, Summa Cum Laude, in spite of severe clinical depression, in ’78.
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