SUNY at Albany Reviews

  • 74 Reviews
  • Albany (NY)
  • Annual Tuition: $28,248
85% of 74 students said this degree improved their career prospects
84% of 74 students said they would recommend this school to others
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Student & Graduate Reviews

Max F
  • Reviewed: 8/11/2023
  • Degree: Business Administration
"The only thing that this school has going for it, is that its cheap. Otherwise, the campus is old and dingy, the downtown area is trashy and dangerous, and the student body is for the most part sub-par. If you had half a brain in HS this was your safety school. The reputation it carries is that of a party school. No one will respect seeing it on your resume. It doesn't open any doors, and in fact mostly closes them. People will view you as less than. The second someone from a better school interviews against you, you're immediately losing. The amount of ground you have to make up because you graduated from here far outweighs the amount of money you'll save by going here. If you have any other options take them. The only reason you're going here is because you cant afford to go anywhere else."
Every Student
  • Reviewed: 9/5/2020
  • Degree: Secondary Education
"I am writing this for my entire cohort who has been ignored and left behind in the MSSE - Master of Science in Secondary Education - program. We are supposed to be prepared to teach adolescents in our major content area but our professors don't have teaching licenses in our content areas. The faculty have been vocal about not wanting to be involved in our program and so we have no idea what we're doing. And we have no one to ask questions because when we do, we're yelled at and talked down to. We never completed our student teaching in the spring. Some of us were only at our placements for two weeks and then we did nothing else the rest of the semester but we were pushed through to the fall. Some of us still don't have student teaching placements for the fall. We still haven't learned how to write lesson plans. TBH, we shouldn't be teachers because we have no idea what we're doing. But we're apparently going to graduate in a couple months. I don't know how the program is getting away with this. The state department of education is going to catch on soon to what they're doing and the whole thing should be shut down. No department chair, no coordinator, and faculty that don't know what they're doing. So yeah, I guess neither do we."
Peter P
  • Reviewed: 4/3/2020
  • Degree: Counseling
"I cannot recommend the Master's in Mental Health Counseling program. Some of the professors, and many of the doctoral TAs, are still working out their own personal problems, including ego issues, childhood issues, or racial/ethnic issues. This created a stressful environment for the students. I did not feel supported by anyone, not even my own advisor. Instead, you will be under a microscope, as the professorial staff evaluates you by some unknown criteria for you fitness for counseling. Sadly, the two weakest courses in the program were also the most important: preparation for individual counseling, and group counseling."
Genevieve Trapani
  • Reviewed: 12/28/2019
  • Degree: Chemistry
"The Chemistry program at SUNY Albany is in-depth and provides students with an important basic knowledge of the sciences. Students are required to take many general education courses, such as Humanities and a Critical Writing course. There is a wide selection of electives to choose from and many courses will double-count for two different requirements. Since I was part of the Honor's program, I had additional requirements in order to stay in the program. The professors at SUNY Albany are mostly well-versed and knowledgable. There are also many different clubs and organizations that students can join. I was part of the Equestrian Club, which is something I would have never been able to afford if it wasn't for the college."
Lina D.
  • Reviewed: 10/21/2019
"The University at Albany is filled with amazing resources for students and wonderful academic programs. Innovative programing provides a safe environment for students as programming is diverse and inclusive. There is a large variety of classes that can be taken ranging from online, in person or hybrid."
Theresa Kanarian
  • Reviewed: 10/8/2019
  • Degree: Psychology
"SUNY at Albany quickly became my home after a few days of freshman year. The comrade of going to SUNY at Albany, our purple pride, is strong throughout the current class and its alumni. The professors at SUNY Albany are well equipped to teach you major curricular areas, as well as prompt you to critically think. My skills in critically thinking and how to expand thoughts in conversation have grown greatly in my four years at SUNY Albany. Friends that last a lifetime is a small bonus compared to my education and personal growth I have experienced here. Going to school in Upstate New York is another perk of going to SUNY Albany. Minutes from the capital district also makes it a great choice for internships that our alumni help you secure, and makes commuting there easy. One of the more outstanding areas that I have found at SUNY Albany is their support system. Advisers that are willing and happy to meet with you to discuss class changes, career options, and life advice is part of what made my experience so great here. Switching my major from Business Administration to Psychology was a task that my team of advisers made simple for me. Making sure I stayed on track for graduation and answering any questions that I had about the switch reassured me as a student that SUNY Albany cared about its students and their success, regardless of what it takes to get there. Overall, I and a great four years at SUNY Albany and am thankful for the experiences and degree I have gained."
Lisbeth Valdez
  • Reviewed: 8/22/2019
  • Degree: Sociology
"I attended the University at Albany from Fall 2017-May 2019 and now again for my graduate degree. When you're a freshmen or transfer, you get a lot of assistance with learning about the campus and being able to find out about new opportunities that are offered. I gained a very useful support pool and was able to learn a lot of skills throughout my time. I was very involved on campus and involved in the student government. There's plenty of things to do on campus and in the area. Lecture classes can get pretty large, but the upper level classes in your major are more likely to have a small cohort of people."
Lisbeth Valdez
  • Reviewed: 8/22/2019
  • Degree: Sociology
"I attended the University at Albany from Fall 2017-May 2019 and now again for my graduate degree. When you're a freshmen or transfer, you get a lot of assistance with learning about the campus and being able to find out about new opportunities that are offered. I gained a very useful support pool and was able to learn a lot of skills throughout my time. I was very involved on campus and involved in the student government. There's plenty of things to do on campus and in the area. Lecture classes can get pretty large, but the upper level classes in your major are more likely to have a small cohort of people."
Chinwe Abaraoha
  • Reviewed: 6/30/2019
  • Degree: Biology
"I enjoyed my experience at SUNY at Albany. There was a large variety of clubs and organizations offered to students. The orientation also helped tremendously with the transition from high school to college. I declared my major the spring of my freshman year. I knew that I wanted to go to medical school so I was on the pre-med track. Looking back, I wish that there was a more career-driven approach to the degree program. Upon graduation, I found it very difficult to obtain a good job because I had a Biology degree with little to no experience. After college, I learned about so many certificates and other programs that are geared towards gaining a very good job upon completion."
Erin Meaney
  • Reviewed: 3/4/2019
  • Degree: Biology
"This university was the best experience of my entire life. Being home from school for breaks took forever, because all I could think about was getting back to Albany! There is a vast array of majors and school activities. It is impossible to go to this school and NOT find something for yourself. The towns surrounding this University also provide access to a multitude of activities. The weather gets a bit chilly, but it is worth it."
2014 Alum
  • Reviewed: 8/24/2018
  • Degree: Business Administration
"Overall, I really enjoyed four years at SUNY Albany. I attended the Business school and although it gave me many tools I use today, I do think there was room for improvement. Many of the professors in the business school have accents and are extremely hard to understand. Also many of them teach straight from the textbook or pre-made slideshows in class which makes the content very dry and hard to relate to. I think the business school only sets certain concentrations up for a clear path to success, this mainly being accounting majors. There are constant recruiting events and ways to begin your path in the accounting world. However, you definitely have to go get what you want if you are not an accounting major. If I had not joined ABLE, the business club, and joined the Executive Board, I am not sure I would have gotten the skills and connections I needed for the real world. Even then, I still did not have a job set up after graduation. It took me months after graduation to get a job offer, and the offer was very far off from my marketing concentration. I did not feel I had what marketing agencies were looking for on my resume."
Anonymous
  • Reviewed: 9/1/2017
  • Degree: Information Technology
"This is a great college with a variety of classes and many extracurricular activities. The campus is pretty big."
LG
  • Reviewed: 9/1/2017
  • Degree: Accounting
"I think that college is a great experience, however, it's important to choose a major carefully. It's also important to perform a cost-benefit analysis before choosing a school, depending on what major you intend to pursue, before taking out any loans. In my experience, a state school can get you just as far as a private school, you just have to focus and work hard."
Jahere Donegal
  • Reviewed: 8/11/2017
  • Degree: Computer Science
"The computer science degree program for Suny Albany is very rigorous. It is designed for you to be an expert by graduation and go have good experience in that field. The college is an open diverse campus with over 20,000 students. It is fairy easy to fit in and feel welcomed in campus."
Layla
  • Reviewed: 3/29/2017
  • Degree: Sociology
"I went to Ualbany while also working full time in a school. I took most of classes online and while many people consider online classes to lack person to person interaction I was always able to contact my professors and communicate with them. I would highly recommend someone take online courses from this university of even in person classes."
Kristie Dantes
  • Reviewed: 3/29/2017
  • Degree: Psychology
"While I was SUNY I had a wonderful time. Even though the campus is very large and a lot of students attend there are many opportunities for a small college feel with some classes have about 30 students. In my classes that were 100 students+ I still got to know my professors very well. My classes were challenging but I would see the practicality in everything that I was learning as well as being able to apply it in my everyday life. I love University at Albany so much and studying psychology that I wanted to pursue my Masters in Social Work at NYU. The Career Advisement at UAlbany was also very helpful there was always events to help future us for after we graduated, we had seminars for resume and cover letter writing. I got my first job out of college from a job I applied to at job fair that the school held. The school also had a very diverse population you would meet people from all over the world and there was a club for every time type of person. We had club plenty of clubs for LGBT youth, Habitat for Humanities, Honor Societies, etc. I would recommend anyone to go to UAlbany for any degrees that would want to pursue."
Stephanie Elko
  • Reviewed: 3/24/2017
  • Degree: Criminal Justice
"SUNY Albany is a work hard, play hard kind of school. I received a BA in criminal justice, Russian language, and a minor in journalism. The criminal justice program is ranked one of the best in the nation. The language programs are worth your while, and can give you some of the most amazing study abroad opportunities. The journalism classes were so much fun, and we got to learn from people in the field. They weren't professors, but writers, editors, and reporters. With that kind of instruction, I felt like I was receiving one of the best educations I could ask for. While I am not currently using my degrees in my current job, it still gave me the skills I need to succeed. The journalism minor led me to my current path in the communications field. I am so thankful I was able to explore so many different fields at my time in UAlbany. Their music program is also a ton of fun. Whether you enjoy jazz, concert band, symphony orchestra, pep band, or even marching band - there's a place for you. SUNY Albany is always looking to connect with alumni. If you live in a city, chances are you can meet and network with other alumni. These are great events to create friendships and learn about new opportunities."
Angelica C.
  • Reviewed: 3/23/2017
  • Degree: Public Health
"SUNY Albanys School of Public Health (SPH) is a great place to study public health at the graduate level. While it is separate from the main campus in Albany (one of the only things I wish were different), there are plenty of opportunities to get involved on campus through student/faculty/department led organizations and events. The professors are wonderful and truly want to see their students succeed. The partnership with the NYS Department of Health (DOH) is fantastic. Many students fulfill their internships at the DOH and/or end up working at the DOH after graduation. Like any other place, SPH is what each student makes of it. You can go to class and go home every day, or you can plug yourself in and have a memorable graduate school experience."
Sherrie LeVan
  • Reviewed: 3/14/2017
  • Degree: Public Health
"The University of Albany School of Public Health is one of the finest Public Health programs available. After researching and contacting other programs I found that U Albany offers a more diverse and directed public heath selection with their degrees that deliver a top notch education. Whether you need one-on-one classroom time or the ease of completing your degree online, the options are available for individual needs. I work full-time and found a graduate certification program that fit well with where I am in my life. Once completed, this program can lead me towards a Masters of Public Health degree down the road. I am very happy with my decision and wouldn't look anywhere else."
biostats
  • Reviewed: 3/14/2017
  • Degree: Biology
"This review is for the School of Public Health MS Bio-statistics program--very different from main campus. The program is very small, and there are only four professors currently--this is good or bad, depending. Required classes are often not available, or are moved or canceled at the last minute. There is a gap between theory and application. The epidemiology students seem to receive more practical, comprehensive statistics instruction than the stats majors. If I stay for a PhD, I will need to invent classes or go to main campus to stay full time."