Stony Brook University Top Questions

Unfortunately, I am not involved with Stony Brook's extracurricular activities enough to comment on them.

This is easy, social life is what you make of it. Some people are very involve and others aren't involved at all. I do a few things but for the most part i don't have a relationship with stony brook outside of academics.

i do not know i am a commuter and i am not involved with any programs

I'm involved with the College Republicans. Most of them are assholes and hate me.

I would say the most popular groups are those based on ethnicity. In the corridor style halls they do, but not in suite style. Athletic events are not too popular except homecoming. I met my closest friends through people I knew before I came to stony brook and others were in my classes. If I was awake at 2 am on a tuesday I would be studying.

I don't have a good unbiased opinion of SBU groups/clubs. I am part of WISE (women in science and engineering) and a dj and assistant music director of stony brook's radio station WUSB. Many students are not involved with anything, or with a cultural club of their culture (Chinese Student Association, etc). I have not lived in a corridor dorm, only in suite-style dorms, and we never left suite door open, but within the suite, some people left their doors open, some didn't. Athletic events are semi-popular, especially those where they give away free tuition to a lucky attendant. Theater is semi-popular as well. SBU hosts many productions, concerts and similar events which are popular with the surrounding community, but not really the student body. I met my closest friends in my clubs, and in my classes. If I am awake at 2 am on Tuesday and not doing homework I am hanging out with friends or watching tv. Stony Brook traditions include the Roth Regatta, Strawberry Fest, Midnight Scream I am not acquainted with the party scene on campus, but there is one. I am also not familiar with frats/soros Last weekend I hung out with my friends, planned and produced a radio show, and did some homework. Off campus I shop for groceries, eat out, watch movies, etc.

Different people gravitate towards different activities academically and socially. There are so many different clubs that anyone can get involved in- not to mention the obvious sports teams. I’m actually involved in mentoring, and I’ve found that it’s a great experience. On several Saturdays of the spring semesters, I work with high school students, motivating and guiding them towards a final project pertaining to technology and society. I really do enjoy it, and it’s even good to put on your resume. I think that the school does try to unite its students as much as possible, and every spring we have something called the Roth Pond Regatta. People participate in building cardboard boats and making them as creative as possible, and then people actually get in the boats and race across the pond. I’m pretty sure my favorite boat ever was a huge duck boat. I mean, it was literally a big boat, and it was a duck. Everyone roots for their own groups, quads and friends, and it’s really just a great day. When I was a freshman I actually considered joining a sorority. I thought it would be a great way to meet new people and find where I belong. Not to completely bash the whole fraternity/sorority thing here, but from what I know from my friends at other schools, this campus doesn’t have the best Greek life. The people I met here that are in them really seemed like they love it, but it’s really up to you to decide if you want to pay money and give up hours and hours of your time be a part of it. I can honestly say with full confidence that it is not at all necessary to a real “college experience” here. To each his own, right? Weekends here are whatever you want them to be. You can go to a bar Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night if you feel like it. It is true that there is a definite lack of people and cars on this campus on weekends, but I know that with my closest friends, we will usually make our weekend decisions together. Sometimes, it’s good to get away and go home, and others we all just want to be here together. By the way, if the bar scene isn’t for you, it doesn’t matter. I live in West Apartments now, and even before that, you can always find something to do with your friends.

The most popular groups on campus are probably the fraternities and sororities. I think there is around thirty or so total which means that if you're interested in joining one there's a good chance you can find one you like. Each of them is a little bit different than the next. There are over two hundred other clubs and even more different programs. One organization that I enjoyed was a student-faculty retreat. About 70 students and faculty, including the Dean of Students and President, went away for a weekend and held various conferences to discuss ways to improve the school. It was a great experience in that I learned a lot about Stony Brook and its history and I met several members of the administration. Most students lock their doors, as they are encouraged to do. Few students feel unsafe, but keeping doors locked makes too much sense not to do it. Athletic events generally are not popular, but whenever there is a big game, be it against a rival or a well known team, the students will show up in force. Guest speakers are usually well received. In the past year there have been speakers from many realms of society, including sport stars, academics and journalists. The dating scene is probably like any other college. There's a lot of restaurants and places to go off campus. I knew a few of my closest friends before college but a lot of my friendships started my first weekend here freshmen year. We all lived on the same hall for two years and quickly became close friends. If I'm awake at 2am on a Tuesday, what am I doing? Well, WHEN I'm awake at 2am on a Tuesday I'm usually in my apartment hanging out with my roommates. When I lived in a corridor style building the answer would be the same, but often a few kids on the hall would get together to play poker or something else that isn't doing schoolwork. There are a few traditions that are very enjoyable. Atop this list would be the Roth Regatta. Every year this boat race is held in the Roth Pond, a body of water that nobody dares go in any other day of the year, aside from the occasional day swimmer in a clown costume. Students, clubs and organizations build their own boats and hop in with paddles in hand. The only catch is the boats can only be made out of cardboard, duct tape and a few other materials. This makes for some interesting designs and some incredible disasters. Don't worry, life jackets are required and the school has yet to lose a soul in this nearly 5 foot deep pond. Partying is mostly done off campus, whether it be at a club, bar or house. The parties that are on campus have to be relatively small and are usually confined to a single dorm room or suite. Whether or not you can get away with partying in your room or hall almost completely depends on your resident assistant and what kind of mood they choose to be in most often. This has come a long from from when my uncle attended Stony Brook in the 70's and there were bars in the basements of most residence halls. Oh well... Are fraternities and sororities important? Well this all depends on who you ask. Ask a frat brother or sister they are the most important thing to the existence of Man. Ask any of the 13,000 plus undergrads who are not a member of a frat or sorority and their daily lives would change little if they all disappeared. Weekends can be slow here, but if you're willing to do something you can always find something. Last weekend we had a party in our apartment with a few close friends and a few people I have never seen before. Thats pretty typical of a weekend for me. Thursday and Friday nights are usually the more eventful. Saturday night if nothing is going on you will probably find students doing a few things: getting a late start on the work the neglected all week, refusing to get off the couch so they don't miss a second of TV or video games or playing poker for more money than the wish to part with. When campus gets boring there's a few things to do off campus. The mall is 5 minutes away and accessible by bus. Movie theater as well. Dozens of restaurants and pizza places and of course enough fast food to give you a coronary.

Hmm there are too many groups on campus to tell. Stony Brook has over 200 clubs and organizations, so I think it's pretty well spread out. I can tell you who will have a successful event though, any group offering giveaways or free food. College students love anything free The group I've been involved in for 3 years now is the Commuter Student Services. I like being a part of this club, and I've seen it expand a lot since I first started out. CSS provides outreach services and advocacy for commuter students, and it also holds events such as the Commuter Reception, Lunch and Learns, and Commuter Appreciation Day. I think it is really important, especially for commuter students, to become involved here. Otherwise, you don't feel connected to the school, and that can be pretty depressing. Students in dorms don't typically leave their doors open, or at least my friends who dorm don't. Athletic events are fairly popular, but it depends on which sport. Stony Brook is trying to make athletic events a bigger deal, because a lot of students seem apathetic when it comes to SBU athletics. We have a great theater arts center, there are always shows going on. Dating scene at SBU? I'm not sure there is one! No, there probably is, although I haven't found it yet, I met my boyfriend at work. It's hard enough sometimes to make friends on campus, let alone begin dating someone. With large classes, people tend to just stick to themselves. I guess the dating scene exists, maybe with the fraternities/sororities or athletic teams. I met my closest friends through the Learning Communities Program. I also made friends through clubs. The key to making friends and any social connection here at Stony Brook is to get involved and make the effort. 2am on a Tuesday I am usually at home because I commute. Although I know my friend who dorms is probably at the computer on facebook or something. There are several traditions that occur each year, many of which are in the spring. There is the Roth Pond Regatta, where groups of students spend weeks in preparation making boats out of cardboard, in hopes it can make it across the lake with students in it. Then there is the Strawberry Festival which is all about-you got it, Strawberries and products involving strawberries. A fun tradition if you dorm is the Midnight Breakfast, which occurs during finals week. There is also I-Con, which is a science fiction convention which occurs in the spring. I don't know how prominate partying is at school because I don't dorm there. Fraternities and Sororities are present at Stony Brook, but they are not the end all and be all. They are a good way to meet people, but they aren't viewed as the "cool kids" on campus. Last weekend I worked, but I do not live on campus, so I am not a good reference as to what the social scene is on the weekends. From what I hear, most students go home on the weekends, so the campus is pretty empty. Saturday night at Stony Brook? There is probably some club-sponsored event, or perhaps an on campus movie or show. I am a commuter student, so off campus is when I work, study, see my friends and boyfriend.