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.)

Clarkson University provided the foundation needed to land a great job with awesome benefits. The…read morecampus has changed a ton in the last thirty years - classes are all on the hill and most buildings are connected by heated walkways. It wasn't that way in 1990.... Daily walks to classes downtown across the bridges with the cold wind whipping at you and frozen ears when you got to class. The hockey program has always been at the core of the non academic side of things and the Cheel Center - built in 1990 and 1991 just completed a major renovation and looks awesome.

I graduated in 1969 as a ME. I've worked for 27 years as a Foreign Service Officer for USAID…read moreoverseas managing large infrastructure projects in Niger, Egypt, Oman, Philippines and Sri Lanka. Before that I worked in R&D for a major chemical firm. Since retiring from USAID I've represented two major A&E firms engaged with business development. My Clarkson education helped me respond to this diverse of professional challenges. The curriculum was and is well rounded providing specialty courses and non-technical business and liberal arts courses. Clarkson is "goldilocks" size -- not too big, not too small. Potsdam has a college town atmosphere considering being collocated with Potsdam State. Lastly, the winters in the North Country are something to brag about to your friends back home.

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.

Love the outdoors? 14,000 acre campus in the middle of the Adirondacks. Hike each day at the VIC…read morecenter, go "hammocking" beside the lake, ski Whiteface, bowling in Saranac, canoe, fish from your kayak, and watch hockey in Lake Placid. Niche school with business, entrepreneur studies, hospitality, culinary, forestry, fisheries, surveying, recreation leisure management, psychology and more. Woodsman Club, snowshoe racing, snowmobiling, hunting! Must like pine needles!

I give Paul Smiths College a Good rating due to the fact that I did not have the best of experience…read morethere but I don't blame that on anyone but myself. Your college experience is what you make of it. If you are someone that parties all the time and are getting bad grades due to the decisions you made. Not the college's fault. For my I did not have the best experience here due to the fact that I have learning disabilities and need lots of help and felt that although they have a great student support center with some great and supporting staff I still just did not feel like I was getting enough support. Some of the teachers were not as easy to approach when I needed extra help of had questions. Other teachers were the best and would answer any questions I had. As for campus activities. I did not go to most of these due to the fact that I did not feel welcome as a lot of these. I felt out of place. I decided in place of that I would get a jump on my school work to try to stay ahead. The location of the college makes it tough for any student that does not have a car to get away from the campus as the only town is about a 20 minuet or more drive from campus just to get to Saranac Lake NY. So if you don't have a car you end up stuck on campus. As for the teaching staff like I stated above it is whatever one makes of college. To me I think there are some great teachers and some not so great ones at Paul Smiths college. But that does not mean that everyone will feel the same way as me. Overall if I had to do my college degree again I would choose a different college than Paul Smiths College but that is only me. Give the place a try for a semester you never know if you will like it unless you give the place a try.

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.