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Don't kid yourself about this university; marketing is all that matters here. I for one see positives in the the area, and I don't mind the Binghamton area at all, but the university is filled with frat boys who do nothing but drink and get stoned-if you get an A in calculus, it doesn't mean you know the material and you'd be surprised how many people get As in Calc II after As in Calc I and don't know garbage about Calc I-learning doesn't matter here, only grades do.
As far as the scholars, real intelligence doesn't matter. Its a big contest to see who can be the most left wing normally while completely ignoring reality-though there are many legitimate scholars who are left wing here, you'd never know it because in class they don't mention it to you and the university never brags about it. I'm a self described conservative which many liberal stances-I lean Democrat, but I don't like going to class and hearing how much the professor hates America, which is very common in this place. I'm not talking about criticizing Bush, I'm talking about making comments like "All Americans are stupid" or "I hope this country loses its power and Europe surpasses it" and the like. The real scholars keep quiet, and usually are hard to see.
This university edits its wikipedia posts to make sure no one criticizes it where someone might look it up. After Virginia Tech Massacre, our president lied and said we have security policies in place which the faculty laughed at; more of our student government's budget goes to Administrative Costs to itself than on student groups. We'd rather spend $40M on a arena than a PA system.
And show me how many students here can win at "Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader?"-you won't find them.
As for a complaint about the community, they hate the loud, destructive students-with good reason, obviously-but there are some that make a lot of money off "Traditions" like "Bar Crawl," many with political power. For your information, though I hate John from Binghamton, he has a video out there of what Bar Crawl really is. I recommend checking it out.
Oh, one last thing, Sports Bar (A favorite of the students here) had a "Lesbian Kissing Contest"-I commented no true lesbians or bisexuals probably participated because its trying to get the sorority girl crowd (Or the ones that think they have brains but really nothing upstairs 99% of the time). As far as "It can't be worse than my generation" my parents, and for that matter my professors are constantly in shock over the new lows such as the "Low Self Esteem Kissing Contest" (As I said, it doesn't appeal to actual lesbians) or that Girls Gone Wild was here and got their usual stuff done and apparently had a wild success compared to normal, or as I said, the fact that most people here are voluntary idiots.
I mean, more selective? Have you actually met people here? Hell, if anything, its less selective and grades just count less. Show me a political magazine on campus that hasn't declined, or a political organization still standing!
My hubby and I had a choice between living in Binghamton area or Poughkeepsie area. We are from the "true" northern New York area (people forget there is a whole LOT of state left after Syracuse and Albany). So needless to say we are small town people. My hubby interned in both places so we got to live there and try each of them out for a summer. Binghamton won. Yes the city of Binghamton might be wore down but so are a lot of places, in lots of cities. We choose Binghamton area for the small town feeling it gave us. People are incredibly friendly, and always seem to help strangers out. Our very first experience here was getting lost and someone having us follow them to where we needed to be. This was the opposite we found in Pough were it seems more city like, and very fast paced. Just comparing the Vestal 434 to the Poughkeepsie Rte 9 is amazing the difs. I live in West Corners on the outside of Endicott and feel very comfortable about raising a family here.
As far as the college goes, the things you were describing sound like a typical college life to me. You will ALWAYS find the two extremes on any college campus I feel. My hubby went to Clarkson which is a fairly prestigious school (not ivy league) and even there you find the same behaviors you are explaining.
NYgirl...look at my earlier post...some of those who also responded will be the first to up and leave an area they move to....if they sense any "issues" at all. So what will they contribute to a community they live in...probably not much.
I guess if the area was that "hosed up", we wouldn't be seeing the increasing number of "homesteaders" to our county(next door) that we are. Welcome to the area.
The Binghamton area, no question, is economically depressed. Vestal has the parkway yes, but as a whole the area is not well off. Endicott recently declared bankruptcy, Johnson City is in dreadful shape, and Binghamton is dangerous at night and attracts no new business.
There are pollution issues in the whole area, not just the famed IBM mess in Endicott. There has been much excitement over the job opportunities a new walmart will bring to the area. I think that says it all. The only jobs that can be found in the local paper and the local job agencies are truck driver, data entry, customer service, and on occasion a teaching or nursing home job. Those aren't salaries for families and once you get your degree if you're from the university there's nothing to do with it in the area for the most part.
We moved from Washington state to Binghamton because of a job re-location. It was absolute hell-on-earth living there. I have never felt so depressed in my life. The town was grey and dreary. And the humidity lingered all year long---heat and cold. I also could not believe the cost of living for a town so run down and sinking. The rent and electric alone were beyond anything I could have prepared for.
People in Binghamton are not very happy people either. I have never met such sad and distant people in my life!
In addition, I was a student at SUNY for a semester. It was the worst college experience I have ever had. I definately learned how NOT to teach in my education program. The professors were all self-serving snobs more worried about there own careers than that of their students. It was a complete waste of money and time.
The two-and-a-half years we were there felt like an eternity! I thought we were doomed to live there forever! We felt imprisoned by the place and like there was no way out.
I'll never forget the phone call from my husband saying that we had an opportunity to move again. My response was a resounding YES!!! (I didn't even care where...I just wanted out!) When we left I did not even look back...however, every now and then I have nightmares about the place and that I am living there all over again.Nontheless, I have learned gratitude for the "happier" place that I reside in now.
We moved from Washington state to Binghamton because of a job re-location. It was absolute hell-on-earth living there. I have never felt so depressed in my life. The town was grey and dreary. And the humidity lingered all year long---heat and cold. I also could not believe the cost of living for a town so run down and sinking. The rent and electric alone were beyond anything I could have prepared for.
People in Binghamton are not very happy people either. I have never met such sad and distant people in my life!
In addition, I was a student at SUNY for a semester. It was the worst college experience I have ever had. I definately learned how NOT to teach in my education program. The professors were all self-serving snobs more worried about there own careers than that of their students. It was a complete waste of money and time.
The two-and-a-half years we were there felt like an eternity! I thought we were doomed to live there forever! We felt imprisoned by the place and like there was no way out.
I'll never forget the phone call from my husband saying that we had an opportunity to move again. My response was a resounding YES!!! (I didn't even care where...I just wanted out!) When we left I did not even look back...however, every now and then I have nightmares about the place and that I am living there all over again.Nontheless, I have learned gratitude for the "happier" place that I reside in now.
Where is this happier place that the poster mentions?
I am wondering how a person receives a reputation of 10 for this one post, since there were no other posts.
Why do people who no longer live in an area come back to post about places that they have left with such venom? It certainly would seem that the intent is malicious.
Where is this happier place that the poster mentions?
I am wondering how a person receives a reputation of 10 for this one post, since there were no other posts.
Why do people who no longer live in an area come back to post about places that they have left with such venom? It certainly would seem that the intent is malicious.
I understand the young crowd wanting more than Bing has to offer or people moving here and feeling depressed, but let me give you anther perspective for those who care to read:
I have lived all over the US- all cities and for the most part West Seattle. Also- MOnterey, CA Las Vegas Dallas and most recently Austin TX. I have lived a full life and felt a part of the vibrant cities- in the CooL CroWd if you will and I wouldn't take any of it for the world- Having said that... there is no other place I have found where I have been able to BUY a house ourright this size and quality for 23,000..... I don't deal with traffic anymore or worry about getting shot in the head by gang members or raped on 6th street even though as I said before, I used to love all of it.
I have found that being a nature lover, I am surrounded by as much beauty here as I was in Seattle... Mount Rainier I miss, but I have four mountain regions here and as for Binghamton being a ghost town? Yes indeedy- and for most Ghosts are a scary thing, but for me. I find the place a peaceful solace from the chaos- the saddness on the streets a curiosity and the ghosts of Binghamton for me are silent and bring a serenity perfect for my writing. I have embraced this as home because I carry home with me whereever I go and find the joy of life no matter what I face. I know my daughters whom live in Austin would never choose this place- for now- but for some like me there is something here. I haven't made a single friend yet, but in time I know there are all kinds living everywhere good and bad and the Cool Crowd I left behind honestly about 80% were so full of themselves I really don't miss them and the true friends come and visit as I do them.
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Binghamton
