Great little school with a ton of good teachers at the elementary/hs levels. Small classroom sizes…read moreand nice little town.

I know this playground is part of a school but it sure is one of the coolest playgrounds I've seen!…read more I envy my kids and all other kids who get to play here because there's so much variety in the modules. There's an area for almost everybody-- age, skill, height, weight. In every playground we visit, I have to lift my 4 yr old to help her use the monkey bars. Here, they have mini monkey bars that she can hang on to herself! I've never seen them anywhere else but here. Pretty impressive, don't you think? And even if it's an elementary school, they have an area where little babies can play in. The slides are perfect for wee bottoms. And you don't get scared when they come down. One actually snakes down and has bumps so the baby stops with every turn. They have baby swings available too. This playground also has beams for budding gymnasts. Choose from parallel bars to balance beams. Oh! To be a kid in this day and age.... F-U-N!!!

This was much nicer than we expected. Every building was clean and well kept. The surrounding area…read moreis pretty bland but looks like outdoor activities could keep you busy. It is affordable and the options for dorm choices are very nice. The performance space is beautiful. The people were all really nice. I would recommend a visit.

A 3.98 GPA, 3.5 Years of Dedication -- and How SUNY Potsdam Failed a Student Teacher…read more I am in my final semester of SUNY Potsdam's Bachelor's Elementary Education program after completing a 2+2 pathway with SUNY Jefferson. I graduate with a 3.98 GPA. For over 3.5 years, I was fortunate to learn from outstanding professors and alongside dedicated future educators. I worked with three different mentor teachers and consistently received good to excellent evaluations. Until this semester, I never had a single issue with staff or peers. My final placement, however, left me in shock and disbelief. During a lesson observation with university supervisor Lynette Emrich, I felt I was treated in a way that was unprofessional, demeaning, and deeply discouraging. I was laughed at, talked down to, and dismissed while calmly attempting to clarify my instructional choices. At one point, she stated that I told a student they "did not have to complete an assignment if they didn't want to." Any educator knows this is simply not something that happens. When I tried to explain, I was shut down with, "I'm not going to argue with you," despite remaining respectful and non-confrontational. I was also told that my phonics lesson on soft "g" and hard "g" was unrelated to literacy and was merely an "audible" skill -- despite current educational science recognizing phonemic awareness as a core component of literacy instruction. Feedback is necessary in teacher preparation, but it should be grounded in current research and delivered professionally. Facial expressions such as laughing, smirking, or visible disbelief have no place in supervision. I want to be absolutely clear: I have no reason to lie about this experience -- can anyone truly fathom one? Speaking up has only cost me. I now have to transfer colleges and pay additional fees because of this sudden change. I am a high-achieving student with years of strong evaluations and a long history of professionalism. I later learned that other student teachers have felt talked down to as well, but many younger students were afraid to speak up. I am not. I will always stand up when I see mistreatment -- whether toward students or toward myself. After this incident, I reached out repeatedly for support and requested not to meet again with the same supervisor. I was only told that a meeting could be arranged. After 3.5+ years of commitment to this institution, I felt deeply discouraged that SUNY Potsdam failed to support me when it mattered most. I remain grateful for many excellent professors and peers. However, I strongly advise student teachers to research regional and national reviews, meet supervisors in advance, and seriously consider alternative colleges. In my experience, SUNY Potsdam is failing student teachers -- not because of its professors, but because administrative systems did not act when a dedicated student needed support the most.

I hate this place so much. Please, If you're considering enrolling here, find somewhere else. My…read moredegree program is so much weaker than I was lead to believe. The people here are so self-obsessed that you won't make any connections. The workers are so obviously depressed and underpaid. Even my professors are looking for other universities.

SLU was small enough to acknowledge my individual needs, yet big enough to allow and encourage my…read morecuriosity about new encounters and experiences. A wonderful experience awaits those choosing SLU!

Dear SLU, Never been…read moreto a reunion, never will go. Why? Because, like many peers, I was date-raped by a co-ed, and when I spoke up about it, my car got keyed by other students. I was also sexually harassed by a tenured professor. Though I was not the only one, I was singular in reporting it to the school. At the urging of other profs, I endured a lengthy investigation, which resulted in minimal repercussions for the offender. It's sad my parents paid full tuition for 4 years, so I could have the opportunity to say, "Me Too!" (I was second-generation to attend this school, as well.)