State University of New York at New Paltz

Very simply put—I’ve heard New Paltz is good for education degrees.

The school is great academically and has multiple opportunities for students. There are a few issues and flaws too the system like there is everywhere and racism here and there if i’m being one hundred percent honest. But overall only you can create your own experience.

Overall, SUNY New Paltz is a pretty good college. What I love most about the school are the professors and the location. All the professors that I've had for my major have been amazing, supportive, and extremely insightful. I've. had a few poor professors, but I would assume that's the case at any college. The location is also gorgeous. If you love nature and small artsy towns, this is the place for you. There's multiple hiking locations, the mountains are beautiful, the campus is stunning, and the shops around town are full of cute items. It is very much a hippie town, with lots of live music and crystals/ jewelry/ clothes , etc. Some negatives would include the dorms and the food in the dining halls. The dorms vary with how updated they are, and you have to be really lucky to get one of the good dorms. But the bad dorms are bad. The shower heads in the bathrooms sting your back as the water feels so harsh, the water goes from freezing cold to burning hot as your showering, the walls are peeled, the furniture is old, the lighting is depressing, etc. And the food in the dining hall is objectively bad. I would say almost every person that attends the school would say so. The campus is quite empty during the week at night, and most kids go home on the weekends. There is definitely a party scene , but it's not crazy. The bars P&G's, McGuilicuddys, and Snugs are usually full. There are a good amount of house shows and parties. It's mostly the same people who go out every time, so you won't meet too many new faces if you're going out a decent amount. Overall, SUNY New Paltz is a pretty good school. If you like that small town, hippie, nature vibe then you'll probably like it here. Just beware of the forming situation and the food on campus.

I am an alumnus who graduated in 2016. I would probably give SUNY NP 3.5/5 stars if I could. The thing about this school is that there are A LOT of pros and cons. The Pros: .Location-The location is pretty great (not perfect). New Paltz is in the beautiful, scenic Mid-Hudson Valley and only about 2 hours away from NYC. There are buses that run to and from NYC daily. The town is pretty cute, there's good restaurants, bars, stores, etc. Nature is everywhere, but if you're a big-city person then living in New Paltz may not be ideal. It CAN get a bit mundane-it's not such a big town and frequenting the same 4-5 bars gets boring at times. Academics-I really feel like I learned a lot at this school. The professors are super passionate about what they are teaching and have awareness of issues in society, for the most part. They are almost always there to help (except in a few cases), even outside of office hours. Class sizes are small which I also appreciate. There are different internship/study abroad opportunities here which is great. Social Life-I would say this is kind of a pro and con-I had very mixed experiences here. Some of my current best friends attended SUNY NP with me, so there are some great people. Despite this, it's got a very cliquey vibe and people tend to be very judgy about nonsense. I'm very left-leaning but if I were a conservative I wouldn't even think about attending this school, you probably will get screamed at or harshly judged or schooled-people care too much! They try to come off as super chill when they're just a hot mess! The worst part is even the extracurricular clubs are super cliquey to the point of outright exclusion. Another issue is that this school is super segregated-it's basically something like this: White LI/Westchester girls and bros Mostly white hipsters from around NY Everyone else...... Night Life: I liked the nightlife here, at least when I was a student. There's places to go dancing, places to relax, live music, etc. The options are a bit limited because it's a small town. Not too unsafe either although I wouldn't recommend going out alone. The Gym: The gym was amazing-great facilities and group classes! The CONS 1. The GOD AWFUL campus food: It's terrible, lowest quality food! Made me permanently sick to my stomach, causes weight gain. 2. On & off campus housing: Dorms are falling apart, have asbestos, not properly maintained. Off campus housing is a bit better but a lot of shady slumlords who overcharge. 3. Weather-it's Upstate NY and way too cold!!!!!!! 4. School Spirit-Yeah, there really isn't much of that but I didn't care.

I would say overall, I've had a great time at New Paltz. I've met some amazing people who accept me for who I am. Pros: Beautiful small town, endless hiking destinations, a short drive from some cute small towns and relatively close to Albany and NYC, overall great professors, lots of nature on campus, great parties, lots of options for those who don't partake in drinking and smoking. Cons: The dorms are moldy and neglected, no option to live alone without having a medical reason or paying double, no apartment style housing, campus spirit is non existant, food is TERRIBLE, life is MISERABLE for those with dietary restrictions, the academic buildings are gross (except for the new ones), did I mention the food is overpriced, and will send you straight to the bathroom? People who would not like New Paltz: Someone who is conservative, loves a school that's got a vibrant athletic life, needs a town with more than 5 bars, someone who is homophobic. If you are physically disabled, you may find yourself unable to participate in a lot of what New Paltz has to offer. New Paltz is an old town, and a lot of the buildings were built long ago. Therefore, a lot of places in town are inaccessible to someone with disabilities. People are super understanding of those with different needs and will go out of their way to make you feel comfortable in whatever way they can (the students, not res life. Res life doesn't care about anyone but the dollar bill). Also, the town itself is a hill, which may be difficult as well. So that's something to look into if you are considering New Paltz. If you have any dietary restrictions, I would highly recommend not living on campus. There is no way to opt out of the meal plan. Those serving the food have no idea what's in it, which is a nightmare. They claim to accommodate, but this is a lie. They have this little room called "My Zone" but it's pathetic. New food is rarely stocked and often the same food is served over and over. If your restriction severely limit your options, they will just tell you to move off campus. Lastly, if you are looking for a party school, this is not the place for you. Yes, there are parties but people here tend to be studious so parties are mainly on the weekends. If you partake in smoking, you'll smell skunk just about everywhere. It certainly does live up to the reputation of a hippie school, which personally I love! There's protests just about every other day. Protests are so frequent that I saw someone carrying a poster board, wondered what they were protesting, got closer only to realize it was for a class. If you are seriously considering New Paltz, watch Christian gets the skinny on the Paltz on youtube. It's old, but it's still accurate (and hilarious). Go Hawks!!

In my opinion, I love how accepting Suny New Paltz is towards students. Regardless of gender, race, sexuality, etc. , New Paltz will always be a safe place to feel accepted and acknowledged.

It's great. I feel extremely safe on campus and it is a great community to be a part of. It feels like a little home. When I was transitioning from living at home to living on my own one thing that comforted me was the fact that I wouldn't be alone and I would always have some people that have the same interests as me.

I have enjoyed my first year at SUNY New Paltz. I wanted a school that was not too far from the city, but far enough that it does not feel like the city. The town has many cute shops and places to go out to eat. There are also many different clubs and opportunities to get involved on campus.

The campus is a little meh (the buildings are all quite old, and not recently updated), but everything else is great! The culture's a bit on the crunchier side, and you're going to encounter a lot of modern "hippies." Great school for psychology, education, and the arts.

I believe SUNY New Paltz is a community based environment full of both academic and artistic opportunities for all students. The campus weighs heavily on creative aspects, however, has great programs and opportunities for STEM students. The campus is beautiful and gives a very home like vibe to all who attend. The surrounding area is also very community based and welcomes all from the college. SUNY New Paltz holds potential for many students and is a great start to a bright future.

I am a current student at SUNY New Paltz. As a student here, I find the campus atmosphere to be very welcoming and safe as a female first-year student. I live on campus in one of the residence halls in the Parker Quad, and while they aren't the newest buildings, they aren't the worst on campus. There are plenty of student groups and clubs to get involved with, as well as plenty of intramural sports teams. The town of New Paltz is kind of small, but as someone from a basically non-existent town, I find it to be sufficient. Overall, I really like SUNY New Paltz, and I think it is a wonderful school.

I love New Paltz because it is a very artistic school. Many art classes are offered here that are different and unusual. Everyone is included and all of the students are extremely nice to one another. There is a good vibe all around. There is plenty to do in the surrounding area. The academics are extremely important to the school and the students. Professors are very nice and always available.

I love this school. I even became a tour guide to show other people how great this place is. It was my first choice college and I don't regret coming here ever, it is incredibly overpriced though. Way too expensive for my taste, but I love this place so much I am staying despite struggling financially.

SUNY New Paltz carries a pretty decent reputation with the likes of other high-ranking SUNY schools like Geneseo, Binghamton and Stony Brook. However, my last two and a half years here have been anything but spectacular and I feel like I'm living in a pseudo-liberal dystopia. My mental health has taken a serious toll attending this school, as it feels like I'm in high school again with all the cliquey groups of people along with petty, immature behavior from students. Students will preach liberalism and attempt to signal their virtue as much as possible, but will still show signs of racism and discrimination. People act very fake here, and care more about looking cool than having a genuine good time. There is NO school spirit, no football team, and the campus is mostly white females from Long Island. With that in mind, it is extremely hard to relate to people if you're not rich, preppy, or from LI/NYC. If you're introverted and not a super liberal hipster, this school will wear on you very fast. People stare a lot, judge even more, and are overall usually very toxic. I do not expect to be coddled for four years, but some respect never hurt anyone. I am outcasted for my withdrawn behavior, minding my business, and not dressing ostentatiously. There is no acceptance for anyone that's not liberal, rich, or from lower NY or even New Jersey (gross). This school preaches a lot, but seldom practices what they preach. The village is inundated with wealthy yuppies on weekends, and they will judge you just as harshly. I once had an altercation with a woman in the village because I was "in her way" and she made fun of my clothing that day. Lesson learned that day: conform to the standards of wealthy Manhattan residents and never ever be less affluent than them. Jokes aside, New Paltz can be a nasty town that is extremely overrated, just like the university.

SUNY New Paltz is what I consider to be a great school. It's large enough that there will always be new faces to see but small enough to make you feel comfortable. Although there are very small amount of places to eat at on campus and the food itself needs some work, every other thing about New Paltz is great. I would recommend this school to people who are specially into nature and liberal politics.