I’ve been looking forward to college for way too long. As a driven and motivated student, I was always very sure of what I wanted to do with my life and how I wanted to get there. I yearned for the freedom college allowed and the ability to invent myself into whoever I wanted to be, not someone created by the regulations of high school gossip. So, after 4 long years of high school, the last 2 definitely more grueling than the first, I found myself accepted and off to my dream school: SUNY Oneonta. Now I know what you’re thinking: “It’s just a state school!” or “Oh, you mean Stoneonta!” My school is nothing like your typical state school and it is so much more than a dumb nickname from the 90s. It is so much more than all of that. Don’t believe me? Check out my favorite things about Oneonta, and let me know if you still think we’re just some state school.
1. Good vibes
One of the reasons most people choose Oneonta is the sense of community this is on campus. I can seriously attest to this. I'm a big vibes person, and wherever I am on campus, I always feel like I'm in a friendly and safe environment where I can just be myself. The people and just the general atmosphere of the school is always fun and welcoming.
2. My Kitchen
My kitchen is one of the most unique things about SUNY Oneonta. We are the only school in the country to have this! My kitchen is a section of one of our 3 dining halls on campus (and my personal favorite) where you can go and cook your own food. Everything is precooked and you just heat it up to your liking, adding spices or veggies as your please on a skillet! There’s a station where you can make you can make pasta, stir fry or sandwiches on a panini press- there’s even a vegan section! It’s so awesome to be able to sit down and make your own food every once in awhile, and it helps foster personal independence.
3. Free stuff
While most colleges offer free T-shirts at events (and trust me, we do too!), Oneonta has free everything else too! I love not having to pay for laundry, because I’m already worrying about accidentally dying all my whites pink, so it’s so nice not having to worry about counting quarters too! Oneonta also offers free tutoring in a large variety of courses- perfect for when you’re eager to keep your GPA up. There are even 2 gyms on campus that offer free access to students. How’s that for an all in one deal?
4. Job opportunities
There are so many job opportunities on campus, it’s surreal. Students can work in one of the dining halls, in one of the 3 cafes on campus or in the library. They can also work as a night host in their dorm, checking student IDs when they come in past 11pm on certain days. If you want a job, there are always great people who can help you make that happen. What’s also super great about having a job on campus (besides the fact that you’re making extra money and you don’t need to leave your campus to do so) is that it’s only for a few hours a week; most people only work 4-6 hours. There’s no crazy commitment and all the employers understand that you’re a student first. It gives you great resume builders and it benefits you!
5. Research opportunities
Staff in all departments are often in need of research assistants. At most schools, you need to wait until you’re an upperclassman to do research closely with professors. I’m lucky enough that my professors in my major have offered me research opportunities my freshmen year here and I’m super excited to get started with some field work in my major!
6. Awesome staff and faculty
The faculty is seriously the best- there’s just no other way to put it. All of my professors are insanely nice, and from my older friends, I’ve heard absolutely nothing negative. Professors, even those not for your major, are willing to help you succeed. Going to their office hours (Oneonta makes all professors required to hold offices hours for students to utilize) is a great way to form close bonds with professors.
7. Small classes
Oneonta has a 19:1 student to faculty ration. The average class size is around 20-30 people, which further allows you to strengthen a bond with your professor. As the classes become more specific, they get smaller. It’s similar to the sense of a high school classroom, but the setting is much more professional, advanced and intricate. Even the lecture style classes most freshmen have to take for general education requirements aren’t your typical giant lecture halls; the classes never exceed 150 students maximum. Even in those larger settings, students can still develop close relationships with their professors.
8. Perfect study spaces
Though one of our newer main academic buildings, Fitzelle, is commonly known as being designed with the students in mind, there are comfortable spots for students everywhere. Fitzelle has awesome nooks and crannies for individual students to study and use white boards or for student groups to get together and problem solve. I love studying in the library because it has a silent floor that features my favorite personal study nooks, for people like me who really need to step away from everything to focus. In the new Physical Science building, there’s a really nice student lounge and an open, naturally beautifully lit area. From someone who takes schoolwork and studying very seriously, Oneonta provides copious places to buckle down and get work done.
9. Dorm life
I never thought sharing a small room and a communal bathroom could be so enjoyable! There are freshmen dorms that keep all the first years together, so it’s easy to make friends! People always have their door open and hang out together in our lounges. I love that there’s a kitchen on every floor (perfect for making pancakes or cinnabons on Sunday mornings) and a gym inside the building! For the cold, brisk mornings, where you dread leaving your dorm, there’s no excuses. Plus the RAs, RCAs and RDs are all super awesome and dedicated to making students feel welcome in adjusting to the place they call home.
10. Stuff is always happening!
Not a weekend goes by where something isn’t going on. This year there’s been paint and sip (grape juice), glow in the dark 3D mini golf and a comedy show featuring David Coulier! One of my favorite things to do on the weekends is go to the Red Dragon Theater, our theater on campus that shows exclusive movies every weekend that have left theaters, but aren’t yet on DVD. My favorite this semester was Finding Dory, but we’ve also had Ghostbusters and The Purge: Election Year. We even did a showing ofSuicide Squad in our Olympic sized pool!
Oh and bonus reason 11- we have the only Starbucks within a 60 mile radius.
