Stony Brook University Reviews

"Stony Brook University has an excellent graduate neuroscience program led by professors who are passionate about their research and are very supportive of their students. They offer excellent mentorship to help their graduate students further their careers. However, graduate students are paid below minimum wage for the area, and this makes it difficult for them to support themselves and focus on their research. If students were paid a livable wage then it would greatly increase the reputation of the school.Read Less"

"Stony Brook University offers a wide range of programs. Mostly focused on STEM fields, they offer an exceptional educational experience. The campus is well maintained and they have an excellent bus system that gets students to and from there destination in no time. I highly recommend SBU."

"Stony Brook University in my opinion is a great value, for the price which is paid for in-state students. The university has great professors, and offers a very studious environment which allows students to flourish. While the university is well known for their STEM majors, the SBU is making great strides in their other departments. As for as social environment, I do believe SBU lacks a bit, though from an educational standpoint, I think the university adequately makes up for this."

"My time at Stony Brook University has indelibly changed me as a person and as a thinker. My classes and interactions with instructors allowed me to learn how to think critically and write powerfully. I had a wonderful, diverse cohort of friends, some of whom have remained lifetime friends. I met wonderful people and had unforgettable experiences and opportunities."

"The school was great for the price. I think it is unbeatable for the price and if I recall correctly, it is rated one of the highest social mobility colleges in the country. The academics are good, but the sports are not too good. Also, sometimes the social life here is not too great as it is a commuter school."

"I transferred into Stony Brook University from my community college to do the second half of my 4-year degree. I was very impressed with the facilities that students have access to, especially the Student Union building which was a great place to relax between classes. It is worth mentioning that this is very much a STEM-focused school and while there is definitely a large body of humanities students like myself, the options for courses can sometimes be a bit limited. I enjoyed most of my classes and professors, but there were some where it was clear that a professor is definitely not up to standard, but the administration doesn't want to budget for their replacement because it isn't as big of a priority as the medical or engineering departments. Other than a few bad classes, I am glad that I picked Stony Brook as my alma mater.Read Less"

"SBU caters mainly to those that want to pursue a career in STEM, and leaves the humanities to use the scraps and rarely have updated technology. The humanities, especially English, are at the very bottom of the priority list, and, all things considered, SBU does a decent job at providing for the arts in terms of their professors."

"Some of my professors never returned doctoral class papers to us...never even telling us what their criticism was. Even though I received A's on most of them, the lack of any feedback is both wrong, and questionable.Also, when I went on the job market, none of my professors gave me any training. Students ar other schools got mock interviews, help with writing job cover letters. I received nothing. There was nothing that year, 2012, or for a number of years before then.Also, the email policy of the faculty-there was one faculty member who deluged us with emails all weekend, which is unethical and unprofessional-did not help. I know from conversations with previous alumnii that this was a serious problem before I came.I did have a few wonderful professors, but they were, again, few. Big disappointment, in general.Read Less"

"Do not come here period. For many reasons this school is has so many flaws and if you have the opportunity to go elsewhere please do so. To start of with, if you are interested in creative subjects: filmmaking, dance, acting etc. this schools creative programs are terrible and if you want to collaborate with students they are known to be rude and stuck up about it because they only want to choose the people they like to be a part of their projects. The clubs and extra curriculars are also known to be cliquey and if you want to be a board member or a rep for a club the students who run it choose unfairly because they only want people who they deem are physically attractive enough or have a high social media following just to get attention. Along with that this campus is very isolated so if you do not have your own car it will feel like a prison basically Alcatraz. It very isolated from public areas if you want to get groceries or food you have to rely on public transportation and that is very unreliable the Suffolk county buses tracking is garbage and there is a shopping bus by the school but it is ONLY in Sunday’s which makes no sense because Saturday and Sunday would be a good time as well but then again not a lot of bus drivers want to work on a weekend but that’s the schools fault for building their school like a deserted island.Read Less"

"I am a transfer student from another college. I want to get to the point and say that It is almost impossible to pass majority of the classes taken here, especially the math classes. Math has always been my favorite subject up until Stony brook. If you are thinking about attending this college, be prepared to teach yourself the whole way through. DO NOT attend this college if you are considering in majoring in anything that requires any math class. It will be a waste of time and stress unless you are genius.Read Less"

"For a while, everything was good at Stony Brook. My professors were good and actually taught the material. Recently, I switched my major to mathematics. However, when others found out about it, they warned me that the mathematics professors at Stony Brook were terrible. I wished I listened. I went from an A student to a C- student, and that's with a curve. The professors can't teach and still expect us to know everything. I'm pretty sure the only reason people are passing these kind of courses is because they cheat. I don't, and I'm ironically getting penalized for it. My advice is, if you attend Stony Brook, do NOT seek a mathematics degree, or any degree that involves math.Read Less"

"Stony Brook is a great university for the sciences. It will propel a student's love for the sciences even more with the many resources offered to students in different majors. A lot of research and volunteer opportunities to explore at Stony Brook, therefore I highly recommend this university for students."

"Stony brook has a wide variety of opportunities for psychology majors. There is a large department that ranges from professors specializing in areas of cognitive psychology to women's psychology. As an undergraduate there are opportunities to participate and assist in a professor's research experiments both as a participant or an assistant. However, if you would like to assist in research I suggest applying early and talking to as many professors as possible, as there is a lot of competition for these positions. There is a large variety in the topics of the lectures and the professors are all approachable. Overall I would recommend this school if you are intending to major in psychology.Read Less"

"I would say that overall, the program is well worth the money, especially if the student lives locally. The student would save a lot of money by choosing this school over going away, if this concerns them. There a many great professors who care about getting the best from there students. I would recommend this school to anyone."

"Stony Brook University is amazing and provides an incredible opportunity for personal growth and the excellent, bright education we all think of when thinking of this prestigious university. Stony Brook University provides an incredible amount of services and opportunities to its students and faculty. Its affiliations with the hospitals, the veteran's home, and the community altogether allow for even more opportunity and a chance at a once in a lifetime experience for individuals. I would highly recommend the university.Read Less"

"The professors in the Spanish department are unlike any others on campus. They are passionate about their work and their teaching. They stay late, they answer emails after hours, and are always willing to listen to their students about literally anything. They will discuss politics, current events, other classes. They are fair and they are genuinely happy and proud of all of their students. Even if it's not your major, consider taking a Spanish course at Stony Brook."

"I met the most encouraging and my lifelong friends at Stony Brook University. There is a sense of unity among students despite our diversity. In fact, our diversity led to great experiences and a better understanding of other cultures. It was there I ate Jollof rice from West Africa, there I first tried sushi from Japan, and there I was able to share my Caribbean culture with my new friends. Stony Brook University poses an academic challenge to its students and each degree requires the same degree of dedication. Dont let those Easy A classes fool you. Even acting class required much work and a lengthy paper. It was at Stony Brook University that I learned to speak, read and write Spanish. An achievement that benefits me in the workplace. Daily, I translate and communicate with Spanish-speaking clients who are surprised at my accomplishment. There were moments of difficulty at Stony Brook University, but the encouragement from my friends and family helped in overcoming those challenges. I am proud to be a graduate of this institution.Read Less"

"Stony Brook university, while a good university for particular disciplines, does not hold your hand. The curriculum around the sciences is pretty great and having the attached medical school means that you'll have a plethora of fantastic experiences. However, not as much care is taken towards the humanities, academic advisement or financial aid processes."

"Stony Brook University was a wonderful place to obtain my undergraduate degree. I majored in Psychology and Sociology, with a minor in Child and Family Studies. Many of my classes overlapped, due to the similarity in nature of the subjects. I can attest to wonderful educators and great advisors. I attended Stony Brook, through their Educational Opportunity Program, and it was the best thing that has ever happened in my educational life! Some of the beginner classes at Stony Brook can be as large as 500 students, but once you get to higher level classes, that number tends to decrease. The student life is excellent; make sure to join a club (or 5!)Read Less"

"Honestly, I'm not sure how this University is getting so many favorable reviews. And this is a review of the University as a whole and not my department which was pretty good to me, and my adviser was amazing. The University itself cares nothing for it's graduate students. The healthcare provided is sub-par and I know some students that have accumulated thousands of dollars worth of debt for necessary medical procedures. The university charges graduates students who already struggle to make ends meet almost $1000 of 'student fees' per semester for services that they do not even use and then also refuses to provide receipts that the fees are actually going to what they say they are going towards. On top of that, graduate students have met with the administration to discuss these fees as many of us have issues affording both the fees and necessities like food when they are due, and the administration was uncaring and unresponsive. The administration is terrible; unresponsive and unhelpful and they often cause more problems than they solve. Overall getting an education here was a harrowing experience and if you are accepted to a graduate program elsewhere I would consider taking that offer instead.Read Less"