University at Buffalo
University at Buffalo is a established in (unknown). The campus is located in and hosts students with an endowment of .
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3 Student Reviews of University at Buffalo
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A Beginners Guide to U.B.
As my first week as an official, blue-blooded University at Buffalo student concludes, it seems only appropriate to evaluate what has been both an exciting and informative stretch of time. From the admissions process to the transfer orientation, and then finally to the actual first day of classes, U.B. has been a learning process, and frankly a city within a city. From the eyes of a previous outsider looking in, the institution is a friendly beast: large, intimidating, beautiful, but tamable.
Although born and raised in Buffalo, my family relocated to New Haven, Connecticut as I was about to enter high school, and so some of my most formative young adult experiences happened in a land far, far away. I learned the slang of a different East Coast city (apparently, its “soda”, not “pop”), learned to drive in a city where the winter-driving was at least slightly less than treacherous, and absorbed some of the culture that is specific to a New England community. However, when the time came to choose a college, while many of my peers stuck close to home (the general New England area), I felt myself drawn back to Buffalo. As with many who are born and raised in Buffalo, “home” for me was still in an icy cold, yet warm-hearted little city upstate.
Despite the inherent feeling of hominess, though, moving back was still somewhat of an adjustment. Re-learning to drive in the winter, subsequently failing at the winter-driving component and instead learning how to push my car out of a snowbank, and re-discovering the truly rich rewards of Tim Horton’s and Mighty Taco were just a few small feats that awaited me. However, the community never really changes in Buffalo, and the overwhelming warmth, kindness, and enthusiasm that enveloped me made these adjustments hardly noticeable. The University at Buffalo, however, was a different story. It being an altogether new experience, I found myself intimidated when it came to applying to and then entering into the University.
From the get-go, the University at Buffalo operates like a well-oiled machine, as a school of this size simply has no other alternative. The application was simple and straight-forward, and along the way, the admissions department was highly accessible for any/all questions. Of course the most horrific component of any college-level institution is the financial aid process, however U.B. made this whole element much more manageable. I called financial aid practically daily with questions ranging from reasonable to fundamentally basic on all levels, and was always treated with dignity, kindness, and a kindergarten-level description of what I needed to do next. A prompt delivery of my acceptance letter with clear instructions for my next steps was the cherry on top! The only way the school falls short is in a way that frankly cannot be helped: its size. The university’s “larger than life” feel occasionally leaves a student feeling lost in the shuffle. There were times when I was a bit uncertain about certain parts of the admissions process and more or less just figured things out on my own or through additional, persistent phone calls. There was no hand-holding along the way.
Upon acceptance, the student then registers for a new student orientation to make the transition into the school as seamless as possible. This was, perhaps, one of my favorite parts of the overall admissions process. There was truly amazing energy! Student orientation leaves you with your student I.D. card, your brand-spanking-new parking pass, and an electric energy that makes you feel like you’re walking on water. Also, the food. Copious amounts of food. There is literally food everywhere. There is unlimited breakfast, unlimited lunch, more snack breaks than any typical human being should really need, but is definitely not complaining about.
With my only real complaint being perhaps one too many lengthy seminars on the unavoidable dangers of consuming anything containing even a trace of alcohol, overall the orientation is a truly unifying experience. Orientation leaders guide new students through borderline humiliating acts of dancing as a way of breaking the ice and allow the participants to see one another for what we really all are: a bunch of kind of uncertain and now entirely uncomfortable new students who are feeling excited (and now slightly wary) about what lays ahead.
Then finally, my first day, and an opportunity to really sink my teeth in after all of this preparation! The first step, of course, would be getting there. The Stampede Bus is officially, for lack of a better phrase, “the bomb”. As most incoming freshman, and anyone in the country who knows anyone at U.B. knows, the parking at the school is less than savory if you have any class after 8:00 am. The Stampede Bus, though, is the simple fix. I rely on this bus heavily. It gets me to and from classes most days, there is almost always one waiting or on time, it is only crowded during peak hours, and even then, the buses move with enough frequency that the rider is never suffocated. It is important to note, though, that if the weather is bad, the rider must allow his or herself extra time. The buses will slow exponentially on days when there are poor general driving conditions.
In regards to areas of assembly, the Student Union is more or less terrifying between the hours of 8:45am-3:00pm most days. As was previously stated, one of U.B.’s only pitfalls is its mass, and the clearest representation of this manifests in the Student Union, particularly when there are pancakes or chicken-strip baskets involved. Beware of the Student Union between these hours, as it will, plain and simple, eat you alive. If it becomes necessary to enter during these hours, keep your head down and hug the walls.
The University Bookstore brought forth another cornucopia of emotion. Upon entering, the student is bombarded with that rich and delicate smell that is intrinsic of whatever paper print has managed to survive this age of technology. The student is instructed to abandon their beloved backpack near the front, which is disheartening but understandable, and is then free to roam the aisles and peruse the shelves. The books are neatly organized by subject, section, and author, and the stomach-rolling price-tag is printed clearly so that there can be no confusion for the student: yes, this book really does cost one hundred and eighty-eight dollars. Yes, it is soft-covered. However, do be consoled, because the Bookstore conveniently sells an impressive selection of candy, so all is well.
Speaking of food, the food in general is good, and upon first glance, the student is deceived into believing that it is limited only to the slightly scary, aforementioned Student Union. However, magically, there is literally food all over the campus. Various coffee carts and snack stations, not one, but two Tim Horton’s, a whole different mini cafeteria/café, and much more. For the student who loves to eat (which, let’s be honest, would be all of us), the school is equipped.
Perhaps most important is the tunnel system that is built into the academic spine of the North Campus. It is a sincere blessing. Says previous University at Buffalo student Michaela Wilber about North Campus “The best advice that I can give someone is to get there early for class so that you can get parking, and to learn the tunnel system so that you don’t have to walk outside during the winter or when it’s raining! It may take longer to get from one side of campus to the other by walking in the tunnels, but it’ll keep you dry!” In other words, it has granted me the gift of making it to almost all of my classes without enduring the face-blistering, soul-sucking cold that is commonplace in Buffalo in January.
Which finally brings us to the real essence of the University: the people. The students are truly, as a whole, phenomenal. Either born and raised in the city or honorary “Buffalonians”, they are kind, personable, passionate, and diverse. There is no shortage of U.B. pride and welcoming, and it creates a warm environment that almost instantaneously makes the campus feel like home.
The professors are no different from the students when it comes to personality. They are warm and inviting, and make it easy for a student to forget that they are often merely a single blip in a three hundred and seventy-five student lecture, and likewise even easier to pester the professor with unwarranted e-mails about required text. The professors are educated and intelligent, and in being so, create an air of confidence within the student, assuring them that they are truly learning from the best.
A school of such truly epic proportion can hardly be summarized in so small a space, and regretfully, these are only the major points. The University at Buffalo, though, can be summarized the same way that Buffalo itself can. It is large, but that does not stop it from being a community, where people enjoy each other, respect each other, and take care of each other and here at the University, do so all under the common umbrella of a higher education.
school is great, but there are still cliques.
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