Stony Brook University Reviews

"The worst thing about SB is commuting. The best one is yet to come."

"Quality of education is extremely good and challenging. But at the same time, there are a lot of workload. There are a lot of precious Professors. Unfortunately transportation and social life is poor. There is nothing to do outside or inside of the campus."

"The pros include a supportive group of other first year students and faculty to help with the workload, as well as flexible hours for financial assistantships. The cons include an excessive amount of work depending on the type of assistantship obtained, and the apparent lack of coordination among professors to ease the weight upon students around exams."

"Diverse population of students , great value but not a good fit for me."

"The program gives a good overview of Public Policy at an affordable tuition rate."

"The professors are very accomplished and are, for the most part, great teachers. I have excellent support from mentors and peers. I have access to a wide range of resources, and I'm getting valuable teaching experience in my discipline."

"The overall program could do a lot better with more focus on coursework. Initiatives to include topics which would cover the upcoming areas of tomorrow in the field of technology is a must to enhance the overall value of education."

"Pros: Great interdisciplinary opportunities(economics, neuroscience, psychology); outstanding student support by faculty. Department's focus is definitely on the PhD program. Excellent academic quality. Cons: The program is well known and respected in its field due to its excellent quality, especially for political psychology. However, the university should work on its brand to get people to know and appreciate Stony Brook University much more than it is right now, both in the US and in Europe. Student diversity could be greater. The surrounding area does not offer a great deal of opportunities for social life. However, if you know the right people, you can still get entertainment chances and good dating life. Funding is not so great."

"Excellent department. Bad university location. Expensive living with small stipend."

"Stony brook BME program is very highly competitive and the faculty is extremely helpful. The only con would be the lack of things to do around campus and lack of social life amongst the graduate students."

"Okay program. Students are not pushed to truly excel."

"The faculty here are great and my classmates are brilliant. I can learn a lot from them. The career staff is professional and warmhearted. The campus is really quiet and a terrific place to enjoy study.It is very convenient to go to city and of course that brings big opportunity for graduates find a job.Besides, the tuition is not high and the living expenses is much lower than the city. All of the features make SBU a wonderful place for graduate students."

"Pros: arguably the best in the nation for Political Psychology, and among the best for Political Science overall. Excellent focus on methodologically rigorous research, and a lot of the top minds concentrated in the same program. Cons: the town of Stony Brook, while close to New York City and having a nice amount of natural landscape, doesn't have much to offer outside of the university campus. You can get to shopping areas via weekly bus routes, but little else — few restaurants, bars, theaters, etc."

"Faculty support and mentorship leave a lot to be desired. Funding and expectation re: program progress do not match up. I.e. everyone has to adjunct and/or work part time jobs at some point. But some of the prefessors are extraordinary and the department has been working to correct a prior mentor - student imbalance."

"For BME. The physics track is amazing. All other tracks are a waste of money."

"Small closely knit grad program. Good research opportunities. Quiet, with plenty of sun, water and biking trails. A little expensive as a grad student intent on having a studio apartment close to school."

"Honestly, I love it here. The portions of my rating that are a little lower (money, essentially) matter very little to me compared to the quality of the program itself. Overall, Stony Brook has a great new program with amazing professors and opportunities."

"Stony Brook's Graduate Music program is a unique environment that allows musicians to hone their abilities as performers while also preparing us for other aspects of living as a musician -- teaching, chamber music, accompanying, etc. There is a wonderful community of graduate students in music, although many live in the city. The school is definitely a commuter school for grad students. Nonetheless, it's a great place to go for your MM or DMA!"

"Stony Brook University Physician Assistant program is one of the oldest and most well-established programs in the nation. Ranked 13th in the nation as Best Physician Assistant programs according to US News and World Report, is a testament to the high quality education that graduates receive. What drew me to SBU was their strong commitment to community service and strong record of developing and fostering strong leaders in the field. Additionally, it was clear that SBU graduates were confident in their knowledge and training, which they demonstrate yearly on the PANCE exam. Others also recognize the quality of clinicians that this program graduates, because every year most graduates will have several job offers prior to graduation. I am proud and honored to have been selected to join the ranks of many influential leaders, like the President/CEO of NCCPA, Past AAPA Presidents, and NYSSPA Presidents. Words cannot express my excitement and appreciated to be an SBU graduate and future leader in the healthcare field. Like many PA programs, there is a minimal amount of funding available for students entering this program. I believe we continue to educate and expose citizens to the benefits of having Physician Assistants as members of their medical team, financial aid opportunities will increase."

"SBU is a great place for grad students who want teaching experience-in my department, I was given a variety of courses to,teach, grad students work both as TAs and as professor. Other oopportunities are also given to students as they advance."